Alloxysta pallidicornis ( Curtis, 1838 ), 1981

Ferrer-Suay, Mar, Selfa, Jesús, Alonso-Zarazaga, Miguel A. & Pujade-Villar, Juli, 2013, Revision of Alloxysta from the Curtis collection (Hymenoptera: Figitidae: Charipinae) deposited in Museum Victoria (Australia), Memoirs of Museum Victoria 70, pp. 11-16 : 12

Alloxysta pallidicornis ( Curtis, 1838)

Figure 1

Combinations of Cynips pallidicornis Curtis, 1838 ( Curtis, 1838, p. 688); Alloxysta pallidicornis (Curtis) Quinlan and Fergusson, 1981 ( Quinlan and Fergusson, 1981, p. 254).

Type material of Cynips pallidicornis Curtis. Lectotype (deposited in MV) with the following labels: ‘Holotype’ (round label with red margins), ‘ Holotype of Cynips pallidicornis Curt. det. Fergusson and Quinlan 1980’, ‘ Alloxysta forticornis (Gir.) det. J. Quinlan, 1980’, ‘MUS. VIC. ENTO 2011-IIL’ (green label), ‘ Lectotype Cynips pallidicornis Curtis design. M. Ferrer-Suay 2013 ’, ‘ Alloxysta pallidicornis ( Curtis, 1838) M. Ferrer-Suay det. 2011’.

Redescription

Colouration. Head yellowish brown; mesosoma and metasoma dark brown; scape brown, pedicel and all flagellomeres yellowish brown; legs and veins yellowish brown.

Head. Transversally ovate, smooth and shiny, slightly wider than high in front view; with setae below, between and a few above toruli; with few setae on vertex and with many setae on face; transfacial line 1.2 times height of eye; malar space 0.6 times height of eye (fig. 1c).

Antenna. Female: 13-segmented, filiform; all antennomeres covered with sparse setae; F1 thinner and smoother than remaining flagellomeres, F2–F11 with rhinaria and club shaped; antennal formula: 2.3 (1.6); 6.5 (1.2); 4.5 (1.5); 4.0 (1.5); 4.0 (1.5) (fig. 1d). Male unknown.

Mesosoma. Pronotum entirely covered by setae, with two long, thick carinae clearly visible (fig. 1e); mesoscutum smooth and shiny, round in dorsal view with scattered setae; scutellum also smooth and shiny with scattered setae, which are more abundant on apex of scutellum; height of mesopleural triangle along anterior margin 1.6 times height of mesopleuron; propodeum covered with abundant pubescence, with carinae well defined and separated by setae in anterior half and forming a plate in posterior half (fig. 1f).

Forewing. Longer than body, 1.4 times as long as mesosoma and metasoma together (fig. 1a); covered with dense pubescence; marginal setae present. Open radial cell, 2.6 times as long as wide; R1 short and slightly curved; Rs long and also slightly curved (fig. 1b).

Metasoma. Anterior part with an incomplete ring of setae, glabrous at centre, wider laterally; metasoma smooth and shiny, T3 and T4 clearly visibly distinguished.

Distribution. Holarctic.

Comments. According to Quinlan and Fergusson (1981), Alloxysta pallidicornis (Curtis) is represented in the Curtis collection by four specimens, but only one fits the original description; the other three are Synergus species. Quinlan and Fergusson’s (1981) ‘holotype’ designation is to be considered a lectotype designation according to Article 74.6 of the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature ( ICZN, 1999), since the original description gives no information about the number of specimens used by Curtis for his description. We hereby consider this specimen to be a lectotype.

Figures

Figure 1. Alloxysta pallidicornis (Curtis, 1838): (a) forewing; (b) radial cell; (c) head; (d) antenna; (e) pronotum; (f) propodeum; (g) body.