Balcha reticulata (Nikol'skaya, 1952)

Gibson, Gary A. P., 2005, The world species of Balcha Walker (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea: Eupelmidae), parasitoids of wood-boring beetles, Zootaxa 1033 (1), pp. 1-62 : 46-48

Balcha reticulata (Nikol’skaya) n. comb. ( Figs. 16 , 22, 38)

Calosota reticulata Nikol’skaya, 1952: 480. Type data: USSR, Maritime Territory. Syntypes (2♀ ZINR), see Material examined and Discussion .

Sauteria reticulata ; Kalina, 1984: 11. Change of combination.

Material examined. [ RUSSIA] “ Vinogradovka, Ussur. Kr., 20.VII, Kirichenko , 929 / Calosoter reticulata sp. n., typ. ♀, M. Nikolsky / Holotypus ”. “Nikolsk.­Ussur. [Ussuriysk], Primorskiy Kray [= Maritime Province], A. Richter, 20.VII­IX.37 / Sauteria reticulata (Nik.) ♀, Zd. Bouček det. 1968 / Paratypus Calosota reticulata ” .

Description. FEMALE. Length, 4.5–5.2 mm. Antenna dark except scape variably extensively yellowish basally; scape widened apically but spindlelike and with outer surface uniformly setose; Fl 1 about 1.2–1.3 x as long as apical width and about 0.4 x as long as pedicel; Fl 2 only about 0.75–0.8 x as long as clava. Head with punctures on parascrobal region green to blue in contrast to dark or coppery interstices (cf. Fig. 2), but lower face more uniformly green and coriaceous part of upper parascrobal region bluishgreen to level of anterior margin of posterior ocellus except for variably distinct purple spot; ocellar region, vertex and posterior surface of head variably distinctly greenish to purple except for coppery band behind anterior ocellus and around posterior ocellus. Face with setiferous punctures (Fig. 22), the punctures on lower face closely crowded, very shallow and coriaceous so as to appear coriaceous­rugulose toward oral margin, but parascrobal region with distinct punctures separated by flat, coriaceous interstices except almost dorsal half abruptly coriaceous or with only very tiny, shallow setiferous punctures, flat, and uniformly setose with white to brownish setae. Scrobal depression with scrobes violaceous and transversely reticulate­strigose; channel coriaceous and setose at least near anterior ocellus but variably distinctly, transversely strigose medially or ventrally, and with two bright greenish to blue bands or paramedial spots, one ventrally and one subdorsally, with intervening region and region below anterior ocellus dark (cf. Fig. 2).

Pronotum dark with slight coppery luster anteriorly, but posteriorly and laterally greenish to purple under different angles of light; conspicuously coriaceous and setose. Tegula brown. Mesoscutum purple laterally to more distinctly greenish­blue dorsally except for three separate longitudinal bands with variably distinct coppery luster, the notaular band extending for length of mesoscutum and parapsidal band extending about half length of mesoscutum ( Fig. 16 ). Mesoscutum alveolate laterally, dorsally the punctures becoming smaller and shallower, more distinctly reticulate toward midline in posterior half and in region between notauli and near parapsidal bands more reticulatepunctate ( Fig. 38 ); without distinct depression anterior to level of inner margin of axilla; with brownish hairlike setae dorsally, but laterally with longer and more conspicuous, slightly lanceolate white setae. Scutellum ( Fig. 16 ) greenish with variably distinct coppery luster except posterior margin blue to purple; reticulate except with inconspicuous anteromedial ridge extending only about one­third length ( Fig. 38 ). Metanotum green or dorsellum variably distinctly purple; dorsellum thick, with crenulate dorsal surface and coriaceous, bare, posterior surface; precrenular region of panel with single line of setae near anterior margin. Acropleuron with minutely but distinctly coriaceous subalar region separating punctate­alveolate prealar region from finely coriaceous­aciculate postalar region; prealar region graduating from purple anteriorly to green medially and violaceous posteriorly, subalar region sometimes partly coppery or greenish, but postalar region usually dark or with purple to violaceous luster. Lower mesepimeron partly coriaceous to shallowly punctate­reticulate. Metapleuron extensively coriaceous, to somewhat reticulate­punctate over distinct coriaceous subsculpture ventrally, except for crenulate furrow along posterior margin. Propodeum green dorsally except plical region dark or with only slight green luster under some angles of light and vertical surface of callus partly violaceous; paraspiracular region bare, the setae anterior to spiracle extending mesally only to about level of inner margin of spiracle; callus finely coriaceous between setal pores; plical region bare, with carinate margin of foramen ­like recurved to anterior margin of propodeum as fine median carina similar in appearance to crenulae lateral to median carina. Forewing hyaline; vannal area with subcubital line of setae extending over about apical half. Legs with trochanters, femora and tibiae basally dark brown, but knees, apex of protibia, about apical two­thirds of meso­ and metatibiae, and tarsi yellow.

Petiole composed almost entirely of vertically raised, smooth and shiny rim ( Fig. 38 ). Gaster in dorsal view dark brown except Gt 1 with variably distinct greenish luster under some angles of light, and in lateral view terga with variably distinct green luster dorsally and blue to purple lusters ventrally under different angles of light; about 1.4–1.5 x as long as head and mesosoma combined. Syntergum only about 0.2–0.25 x length of remaining gaster and in lateral view about 1.75–2 x as long as high; uniformly setose, sculptured and tapered posteriorly, with cercus at basal margin.

MALE. Unknown.

Biology. Unknown.

Discussion. Label data given above for the type material is transliterated from Russian. Nikol’skaya (1952, p. 480) did not state the number of specimens on which the species was established, but did state “length of ♀ 5–6 mm ”, which indicates more than one specimen and describes quite accurately the size difference between the two females labelled as types. Although the female from Vinogradovka bears an original label designating it as “type”, no holotype was designated in the original description and I treat the two specimens as syntypes. Because both females belong to the same species there is no present need to designate a lectotype.

Although unstated, Nikol’skaya (1952) undoubtedly named the species B. reticulata because of its reticulate mesoscutal sculpture; however, B. dictyota females have the mesoscutum even more distinctly reticulate because the punctures are somewhat smaller and shallower than in B. reticulata (cf. Figs. 15, 16 ). The color pattern of the mesoscutum is also very similar in B. dictyota and B. reticulata (cf. Figs. 15, 16 ), but female B. reticulata are readily distinguished by their bare paraspiracular region, basally dark femora and tibiae, contrasting punctures and interstices of the parascrobal region, and noncrenulate, rimlike petiole. The color pattern of the legs of female B. reticulata is similar to that of North American specimens of B. indica . The darker legs of the two species might be correlated with a northern distribution. Balcha reticulata is the most northern of all known Old World species, at about 43°N in easternmost Russia, a latitude similar to that of B. indica in North America. Both Hedqvist (1956) and Erdös (1960) included B. reticulata in their keys to the Palearctic species of Calosota .

Figures

FIGURES 9–18. Mesosoma dorsal: 9, Balcha laciniosa; 10, B. cylindrica; 11, B. elegans; 12, B. indica (N. Am.); 13, B. eximia; 14, B. eximiassita; 15, B. dictyota; 16, B. reticulata; 17, B. anemeta; 18, B. splendida (nob = notaular band, pnb = paranotaular band, ppb = parapsidal band).

FIGURES 31–38. Mesosoma dorsal: 31, Balcha anemeta; 32, B. punctiscutum; 33, B. indica (N. Am.); 34, B. indica (holotype); 35, B. elegans; 36, B. laciniosa (not = notaulus, pl = parapsidal line); 37, B. eximiassita; 38, B. reticulata.