Pseudidarnes astridae Farache & Rasplus

Farache, Fernando Henrique Antoniolli & Rasplus, Jean-Yves, 2014, Revision of the Australasian genus Pseudidarnes Girault, 1927 (Hymenoptera, Agaonidae, Sycophaginae), ZooKeys 404, pp. 31-70 : 37-42

Pseudidarnes astridae Farache & Rasplus sp. n. Figures 3-6

Material examined.

Holotype. ♀, PAPUA NEW GUINEA: East New Britain: Raunsepna, North Baining Mountains, -4.433°, 151.783°, 1000m, 26.II.1999, Vaamonde CL, ex Ficus xylosycia CLV11 (CBGP).

Paratype. ♂ Same data as holotype (CBGP).

Diagnosis.

Body without metallic tinge. Pronotum long, nearly 1.5-2 × as long as high in lateral view. Mesoscutum with faint irregular transverse striae. Median area of metascutellum and median area of propodeum with irregular transverse rugae. Marginal and postmarginal vein widened.

Description.

Female. Body length 3.4 mm. Ovipositor sheaths length 1.8 mm. Metallic tinge absent. Predominantly yellow. Head dark brown. Mesepisternum, mesepimeron, and metapleuron predominantly brown.

Head. Antennae inserted far above the middle line of compound eyes. Scape more than 2 × as long as pedicel. Pedicel elongated, slender, but shorter than first funicular segment. Anelli almost as long as wide. First funicular segment 2 × as long as wide. Distal antennomeres not forming a distinct clava. Face sculpture smooth with sparse punctures, lower face slightly engraved. Face pilosity long and dense. Supraclypeal area wide, its delimiting sulci not converging near epistomal groove, and its sculpture mostly smooth. Lateral ocelli 0.5 × its own diameter far from the eye margin.

Mesosoma. Pronotum long, nearly 1.5-2 × as long as high in lateral view. Mesoscutum with faint transversal striae. Mesoscutellum smooth. Frenal sulcus sparsely crenulated. Mesepimeron sculpture mostly smooth, slightly striate. Metascutellum longer than frenum and smooth, with faint and irregular transverse rugae at the median line. Propodeum sculpture mostly smooth. Median line of propodeum with irregular transverse rugae. Wings with rather dense pilosity, and medially infuscate. Marginal and postmarginal vein widened. Postmarginal vein shorter than stigmal vein.

Metasoma. Petiole rugose, 1.7 × as long as high in lateral view. Petiole dorsally without a longitudinal median sulcus. Ovipositor sheaths long, distinctly protruding beyond metasoma apex. Ovipositor sheaths length 2.8 × hind tibia length and 0.5 × body length.

Male. Body length 4.2 mm. Characters agreeing with females, except the following. Body colour browner, mesoscutellum yellow in dorsal view. Posterior ocelli contiguous to the eye margin, and larger. Wing infuscation more pronounced.

Etymology.

The specific name is dedicated to our friend Astrid Cruaud for the long long walks we share together in the jungles of the world, trying to find fig trees.

Biology.

Reared from syconia of Ficus xylosycia Diels. Ficus xylosycia hosted three Pseudidarnes species. Pseudidarnes badiogeminus sp. n. was collected together with Pseudidarnes astridae sp. n. in New Britain, whereas Pseudidarnes flavicollis Bouček was collected in Bulolo. We are convinced that the host identification is correct for both samplings and that the guilds of non-pollinating fig wasps may vary with geography.