Conostigmus quadratogenalis Dessart & Cooper, 1975

Trietsch, Carolyn, Mikó, István, Ezray, Briana & Deans, Andrew R., 2020, A Taxonomic Revision of Nearctic Conostigmus (Hymenoptera: Ceraphronoidea: Megaspilidae), Zootaxa 4792 (1), pp. 1-155 : 79-83

Conostigmus quadratogenalis Dessart & Cooper, 1975

Figs. 43 , 44

Species Comments and History. Dessart and Cooper (1975) described this species from male and female specimens reared as endoparasitoids from the host Boreus notoperates Cooper (Mecoptera) , collected from Riverside County, California. This species is remarkable not only because of its unique appearance, but because it is one of the few Conostigmus species with known host information and descriptions of larvae. This is also the only known ceraphronoid reared from a mecopteran host.

Variability. The facial pit is always present, but sometimes there is the impression of a facial sulcus between the facial pit and the anterior ocellus. The female holotype (USNMENT01339796) and male allotype (USN- MENT 01212953) at the USNM both lack the impression of a facial sulcus, but the male and female paratypes at the MCZC both have the impression of a facial sulcus, which is more faint on the female paratype ( MCZ-ENT 711739 ) and more apparent on the male paratype ( MCZ-ENT 711738 ) .

Differences Between Males and Females. Other than genitalia differences and sexual dimorphism in the antennae, there are no obvious differences between males and females.

Diagnosis. This species is easily distinguished from all other species of Conostigmus by the square shape of the head in anterior view, the feature for which this species is named. This species also has the ventral margin of the antennal rim adjacent to the dorsal margin of the clypeus; the occipital carina dorsal to the lateral ocellus in lateral view; the postocellar carina absent; the intertorular carina absent; and the sternaulus absent. Females can be matched to the males by using the somatic characters listed above.

Description. Body length: 1.15 mm (MCZ-ENT 711738, male paratype); 2.0 mm (MCZ-ENT 711739, female paratype). Color hue pattern in male: cranium brown; mesosoma and antennae light brown to brown; legs ochre; anterior half of metasoma ochre to brown; posterior half of metasoma brown to dark brown. Color intensity pattern in male: cranium darker than mesosoma, flagellomeres darker than legs; anterior half of metasoma lighter than posterior half of metasoma. Color hue pattern female: cranium ochre to dark brown; mesosoma brown to dark brown; anterior metasoma brown; posterior metasoma black; legs and antennae ochre to light brown. Color intensity pattern female: ventral region of cranium is lighter than dorsal region of cranium; anterior half of metasoma lighter than posterior half of metasoma. Color intensity pattern of syntergite: petiole neck and anterior region of syntergite concolorus with the posterior region of the syntergite. Foveolate sculpture on body count: absent. Rugose sculpturing count: absent. Rugose region on upper face count: absent.

Antennae: Male scape length vs. pedicel length: 2.29. Male scape length vs. F1 length: 1.78. Male F1 length vs. pedicel length: 1.29. Male F1 length vs. male F2 length: 1.29. Longest male flagellomere: F9. Female scape length vs. pedicel length: 2.86. Female scape length vs. F1 length: 4.0. Female F1 length vs. F2 length: 1.11. Female F1 length vs. pedicel length: 0.71. Longest female flagellomere: F9. Length of setae on male flagellomere vs. male flagellomere width: setae as long as or shorter than width of flagellomeres. Sensillar patch of the male flagellomere pattern: F7–F9.

Head: Head width, dorsal view: equal to or only slightly wider than mesosoma (less than 1.3× wider than mesosoma). Head height (HH, lateral view) vs. eye height (EHf, anterior view): HH:EHf=1.67 (MCZ-ENT 711738, male paratype); 1.96 (MCZ-ENT 711739, female paratype). Head height (HH) vs. head length (HL): HH:HL=1.14 (MCZ-ENT 711738, male paratype); 1.55 (MCZ-ENT 711739, female paratype). Head width (HW) vs. interorbital space (IOS): HW:IOS=1.7–1.8. Head width (HW) vs. head height (HH): HW:HH=1.36 (MCZ-ENT 711738, male paratype); 1.04 (MCZ-ENT 711739, female paratype). Cephalic size (csb): Mean: 295 μm (MCZ-ENT 711738, male paratype); 520 μm (MCZ-ENT 711739, female paratype). Maximum eye diameter vs. minimum eye diam- eter: 1.25 (MCZ-ENT 711738, male paratype); 1.41 (MCZ-ENT 711739, female paratype). POL:OOL: POL equal to or shorter than OOL and ocellar triangle with short base. Male ocular ocellar line (OOL) vs. lateral ocellar line (LOL): OOL:LOL=2.0. Male ocular ocellar line (OOL) vs. posterior ocellar line (POL): OOL:POL=1.6. Male ocular ocellar line (OOL): posterior ocellar line (POL): lateral ocellar line (LOL): 2.0:1.25:1.0. Female ocular ocellar line (OOL) vs. lateral ocellar line (LOL): OOL 1.8× as long as LOL. Female ocular ocellar line (OOL): posterior ocellar line (POL): lateral ocellar line (LOL): 1.8:1.6:1.0. Head shape (anterior view): quadrangular, square-shaped. Preoccipital lunula count: absent. Preoccipital carina count: absent. Occipital carina structure: occipital carina not complete. Occipital carina sculpture: crenulate. Preoccipital furrow count: present. Preoccipital furrow anterior end: preoccipital furrow ends inside ocellar triangle, but ends posterior to the anterior ocellus. Preoccipital furrow sculpture: appearing as a faint impression, smooth. Postocellar carina count: absent. Dorsal margin of occipital carina vs. dorsal margin of lateral ocellus in lateral view: occipital carina dorsal to lateral ocellus in lateral view. Transverse scutes on upper face count: absent. Transverse frontal carina count: absent. Randomly sized areolae around setal pits on upper face count: absent. Setal pit on vertex size: smaller than diameter of scutes. Ventromedian setiferous patch and ventrolateral setiferous patch count: absent. White, thick setae on upper face count: absent. Antennal scrobe count: absent. Facial structure count: facial pit present, sometimes with the impression of a facial sulcus between the facial pit and the anterior ocellus. Facial pit count: present. Facial sulcus count: absent but some specimens with the impression of a facial sulcus between the facial pit and the anterior ocellus. Median facial keel count: absent. Intertorular area count: present. Intertorular carina count: present. Median region of intertorular area shape: flat. Ventral margin of antennal rim vs. dorsal margin of clypeus: adjacent. Torulo–clypeal carina count: absent. Subtorular carina count: absent. Mandibular tooth count: 2. Mandibular lancea count: absent.

Mesosoma: Weber length: WL=295 μm (MCZ-ENT 711738, male paratype); 680 μm (MCZ-ENT 711739, female paratype). Anterior mesoscutal width (AscW) vs. posterior mesoscutal width (PscW): AscW/PscW=0.79 (MCZ-ENT 711738, male paratype); 0.80 (MCZ-ENT 711739, female paratype). Mesoscutal length (MscL) vs. anterior mesoscutal width (AscW): MscL/AscW=1.45. Mesoscutal length (MscL) vs. mesoscutellar length (MscIL): MscL:MscIL= 0.9–1.0. Wing count: present. Fore wing size: wings present and macropterous with apex extending past petiole. Pronotum median length: less than longest median anatomical line of the mesoscutum. Notaulus count: present. Crenulae of notaulus width: width of the crenulae does not increase more than 2× anteriorly. Notaulus posterior end location: adjacent to transscutal articulation. Posterior region of notaulus orientation: posterior end of notaulus curves and is adjacent to median mesoscutal sulcus. Median mesoscutal sulcus count: present. Median mesoscutal sulcus posterior end: adjacent to transscutal articulation. Scutoscutellar sulcus vs. transscutal articulation location: adjacent. Axillular carinae count: absent. Mesometapleural sulcus count: present. Ventrolateral invagination of the pronotum count: present. Sternaulus count: absent. Transverse striations on the ventral metapleural area count: absent. Scutes on posterior region of mesoscutum and dorsal region of mesoscutellum convexity: flat. Ventral projection of the metapleural carina count: absent. Lateral propodeal carina count: present. Lateral propodeal carina shape: inverted “Y” (left and right lateral propodeal are adjacent medially posterior to antecostal sulcus of the first abdominal tergum, and connected to the antecostal sulcus by a median carina representing the median branch of the inverted “Y”). Mesopostscutellum count: absent (scutellum flat). Anteromedian projection of the metanoto–pro-podeo–metapecto–mesopectal complex count: absent.

Metasoma: Transverse carina on petiole shape: concave. Paired blue iridescent ovoid patches on the syntergite count: absent. Syntergal translucent patch maximum width orientation: anterolaterally. Synsternal translucent patch maximum width orientation: anterolaterally. Synsternal setiferous patch shape: linear. Synsternal setiferous patch anterior end: synsternal setiferous patch begins lateral to the synsternal translucent patch anterior margin. Synsternal setiferous patch posterior end: synsternal setiferous patch ends posterior to the synsternal translucent patch posterior margin. Synsternal setiferous patch length vs. synsternal translucent patch maximum width: synsternal setiferous patch at least as long as the maximum width of the synsternal translucent patch but not 2× as long. S1 length vs. shortest width: S1 wider than long.

Male Genitalia: Distal margin of male S9 shape: straight. Proximolateral corner of male S9 shape: acute. Male S9 distal setal line/setal patch count: distal setae composing setiferous patch or patches. Male S9 distal setal line / setal patch structure: single transverse row of setae, interrupted medially to form two separate patches. Distomedian hairless area interrupting transverse row of setae or patch on male S9 count: present with distal setiferous patch/line separated medially. Submedial projections on proximal margin of S9 count: absent. Cupula length vs. gonostyle– volsella complex length: cupula less than 1/2 the length of gonostyle–volsella complex in lateral view. Proximodorsal notch of cupula count: present. Proximodorsal notch of cupula shape: arched (inverted U-shape). Proximodorsal notch of cupula width vs length: wider than long. Proximolateral projection of the cupula shape: blunt. Gonocondyle count: present. Gonocondyle shape: acute. Distodorsal margin of cupula shape: concave. Distoventral submedian corner of the cupula count: absent. Dorsomedian projection of the gonostyle–volsella complex count: absent. Dorsomedian conjunctiva of the gonostyle–volsella complex count: present. Dorsomedian conjunctiva of the gono-style–volsella complex length relative to length of gonostyle–volsella complex: dorsomedian conjunctiva extending between 1/3 to 1/2 the length of gonostyle–volsella complex in dorsal view. Dorsomedial margin of gonostyle–vol-sella complex shape: V-shaped. Proximal end of dorsomedian conjunctiva of the gonostyle–volsella complex shape: acute or V-shaped. Parossiculus count or parossiculus and gonostipes fusion: present and parossiculi not fused with the gonostipes. Medioventral conjunctiva of the gonostyle–volsella complex count or fusion of parossiculi: medioventral conjunctiva present and parossiculi independent or fused proximally. Apical parossicular setae count: one. Distal projection of the parossiculus count: present. Distal projection of the penisvalva count: absent. Harpe length: harpe shorter than gonostipes in lateral view. Harpe shape: simple and not bilobed. Harpe orientation: medial. Lateral margin of harpe shape: widest point of harpe is at its articulation site with gonostyle–volsella complex. Distal margin of harpe in lateral view: blunt. Lateral setae of harpe count: present. Lateral setae of harpe orientation: oriented distally; oriented distolaterally. Lateral setae on harpe density: setae sparse. Dense patch of setae on the distoventral edge of the harpe count: absent. Distal setae on harpe length: setae of equal length across distal end of harpe. Distodorsal setae of sensillar ring of harpe length vs. harpe width in lateral view: setae as long as or shorter than harpe width. Distodorsal setae of sensillar ring of harpe orientation: distally. Sensillar ring area of harpe orientation: distomedially. Sensillar ring shape: circular. Distoventral margin of harpe in lateral view: straight.

Distribution. Nearctic.

Material Examined. Holotype female: USA: USNMENT01339796 ( USNM) . Paratypes (2 males, 1 female): USA: California : 2 males, 1 female. USNMENT 01212953 ( USNM); MCZ-ENT 711738, 711739 ( MCZC) .

Figures

FIGURE 43. Conostigmus quadratogenalis Dessart & Cooper, 1975. A. Lateral habitus of holotype female (USN- MENT01339796). B. Lateral habitus of allotype male (USNMENT01212953). C. Dorsal view of holotype female (USN- MENT01339796). D. Frons of holotype female (USNMENT01339796).

FIGURE 44. Conostigmus quadratogenalis Dessart & Cooper, 1975 allotype male genitalia (USNMENT01212953).A. Dorsal view. B. Ventral view.