Trichoteleia tonsa Talamas & Masner

Talamas, Elijah J., Masner, Lubomir & Johnson, Norman F., 2011, Revision of the Malagasy genus Trichoteleia Kieffer (Hymenoptera, Platygastroidea, Platygastridae), ZooKeys 80, pp. 1-126 : 99-101

Trichoteleia tonsa Talamas & Masner sp. n. Figures 281-286Morphbank 45

Description.

Female body length: 3.26-3.72 mm (n=12). Male body length: 3.36 mm (n=1). Color of head: dark brown to black. Central keel of frons: present, extending onto interantennal process. Sculpture of medial frons in female: smooth. Sculpture of medial frons in male: smooth. Number of mandibular teeth: three. Basal node on mandible: absent. Sculpture of frons below median ocellus: finely punctate throughout. Sculpture of posterior vertex: moderately punctate; finely punctate. Occipital rim: comprised of small to miniscule cells. Sculpture of gena: dorsoventrally strigose. Basiconic sensillum on A7: absent.

Color of mesosoma in female: dark brown to black. Color of mesosoma in male: dark brown to black. Sculpture along posterior pronotal sulcus: striate, striae well d efined. Notaulus: percurrent, reaching suprahumeral sulcus as a smooth furrow. Sculpture of medial mesoscutum: moderately punctate in posterior half, becoming denser anteriorly. Sculpture of mesoscutellum: smooth medially, sparsely punctate laterally. Postacetabular sulcus: comprised of small cells. Mesopleural carina: present. Sculpture along ventral half of prespecular sulcus: punctate. Sculpture of posterolateral mesepisternum: smooth. Sculpture of ventral surface of mesepisternum: smooth. Setation of ventral metapleural area: absent. Setation of metapleural triangle: absent; sparse. Sculpture of metapleural triangle: smooth. Posterior margin of metapleuron below propodeal spiracle: straight to moderately convex. Color of legs: yellow throughout; coxae, trochanters and femora yellow, otherwise pale to dark brown.

Color of metasoma in female: dark brown to black throughout. Color of metasoma in male: dark brown to black throughout. Posterior margin of transverse sulcus on T2: strongly convex. Sublateral tergal carina on T2: absent. Microsculpture on T2: present. Microsculpture on T3: present. Microsculpture on T4: absent. Horn on T1 in female: present as a large, apically rounded protuberance. Macrosculpture of T2 in female: longitudinally striate throughout. Macrosculpture of medial T3 in female: longitudinally striate. Macrosculpture of lateral T3 in female: longitudinally striate. Macrosculpture of medial T4 in female: absent. Macrosculpture of lateral T4 in female: longitudinally strigose. Punctation of T4 in female: sparse in medial third, moderately dense laterally; absent along midline, otherwise moderately dense. Macrosculpture of T5 in female: absent; weakly rugulose laterally. Punctation of T5 in female: moderately dense throughout. Shape of T5 in female: width of posterior margin greater than or equal to length. Microscupture on T6 in female: present throughout. Sculpture of T6 in female: finely punctate throughout. Macrosculpture of T2 in male: longitudinally striate throughout. Macrosculpture of medial T3 in male: longitudinally striate. Macrosculpture of lateral T3 in male: longitudinally striate. Macrosculpture of T4 in male: longitudinally strigose laterally. Punctation of T4 in male: sparse throughout. Macrosculpture of T5 in male: weakly rugulose laterally. Punctation of T5 in male: sparsely present throughout. Sculpture of S2: longitudinally striate anteriorly, smooth posteriorly. Prominent longitudinal median carina on S2: absent.

Wings: macropterous, apex or forewing extending beyond posterior margin of T3. Color of forewing in female: infuscate throughout; slightly infuscate throughout. Color of forewing in male: slightly infuscate throughout. Color of hind wing: infuscate throughout; slightly infuscate throughout. Density of setation in fore wing: uniform throughout. Density of setation in hind wing: uniform throughout. Length of R1: more than 1.5 times as long as r. M+Cu and RS+M in forewing: nebulous.

Diagnosis.

Trichoteleia tonsa belongs to the cluster of species, also containing Trichoteleia levii and Trichoteleia prima , in which the short striae along the pronotal shoulder and those of the lateral pronotum form a continuous band. Females of Trichoteleia tonsa are separated by the presence of dense microsculpture throughout T6 (Fig. 286), and males by the smooth metapleural triangle (Fig. 282) and posteriorly rounded axillular carina (as in Fig. 11).

Etymology.

The epithet tonsa, meaning “paddle” in Latin, refers to the shape of the forewing in this species. It is used as a noun in apposition.

Link to Distribution Map.

[http://hol.osu.edu/map-large.html?id=241292]

Material Examined.

Holotype, female: MADAGASCAR: Toamasina Auto. Prov., 18km (21°) NNE Ambinanitelo, rainforest, BLF8004, Mount Anjanaharibe, 15°11'18"S, 49°36'54"E, 450m, 8. III– 12.III.2003, yellow pan trap, Fisher, Griswold et al., CASENT 2042832 (deposited in CASC). Paratypes: MADAGASCAR: 11 females, 1 male, CASENT 2042826, 2042828, 2042864, 2135942, 2135947, 2135950, 2135954, 2135956 (CASC); CASENT 2135951 (CNCI); CASENT 2135941, 2135943, 2135948 (OSUC).