Dendrocerus mexicali Dessart, 1999

Burks, Kyle N., Miko, Istvan & Deans, Andrew R., 2016, Dendrocerusmexicali (Hymenoptera, Ceraphronoidea, Megaspilidae): Novel antennal morphology, first description of female, and expansion of known range into the U. S., ZooKeys 569, pp. 53-69 : 56-64

Taxon classification Animalia Hymenoptera Megaspilidae

Dendrocerus mexicali Dessart, 1999 Figures 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9

Diagnosis.

Male flagellomeres have projections with flexible, wrinkled regions at base (Figures 1A and 2). Both males and females have a blunt posteromedian process of the mesoscutellum, called a mucro, that is less sharp than that of Dendrocerus koyamae (Figure 3). Both males and females have mandibular lancea (Figure 4). The sensillar plate of the male aedeagus is strongly sclerotized and greatly enlarged compared to all other described Megaspilidae (Figure 5).

Description.

Body length universal: 1.4-1.7 mm (n=10). Color hue pattern: antenna, legs, mouthparts ochre; rest of body dark brown. Color intensity pattern: flagellomeres and their branches darker than scape and pedicel. scape and pedicel same as legs. Cephalic size (csb): Mean: 400-500μm. head height (lateral view) vs eye height (anterior view): HH:EHf=1.4-1.8 (n=5). head height vs. head length: HH:HL=1.4-1.8 (n=5). head width vs. interorbital space: HW/IOS=1.8-2.0 (n=5). head width vs. head height: HW/HH=1.2-1.4 (n=5). Male OOL:LOL: OOL/LOL=0.75-1.0 (n=2). Male OOL:POL: OOL/POL=0.24-0.43 (n=2). Female OOL:LOL: OOL 0.625 –0.75× as long as LOL (n=3). Anterior ocellar fovea shape: fovea not extended ventrally to the dorsal margin of antennal scrobe. occipital carina sculpture: smooth. submedial flange of occipital carina count: absent. median flange of occipital carina count: absent. preoccipital carina and occipital carina structure: the occipital carina extends ventrally to the oral foramen with the preoccipital carina present on the vertex, but not extendinig ventrally along the gena. preoccipital carina count: present. preoccipital carina shape: present medially, absent laterally to lateral ocelli. preoccipital lunula count: present. preoccipital furrow count: present. preoccipital furrow anterior end: preoccipital furrow ends inside ocellar triangle. dorsal margin of occipital carina vs dorsal margin of lateral ocellus in lateral view: occipital carina is ventral to lateral ocellus in lateral view. Transversely reticulate region on frons count: absent. Rugose region on frons count: absent. facial pit count: facial pit present. intertorular carina count: present. Ventral margin of antennal rim vs dorsal margin of clypeus: not adjacent. Median region of intertorular area shape: flat. subtorular carina count: absent. torulo-clypeal carina count: present. supraclypeal depression count: present. supraclypeal depression structure: present medially, inverted U-shaped. antennal scrobe count: absent. flagellomere shape (male): branched. scape length relative to length of F1+F2 (male): longer or equal. 6th male flagellomere length vs. width, “sensillar” view: elongate, more than 2 × as long as wide. flagellomere branch count: 5 branches. Branch of male flagellomere 5 length compared to flagellomere 6: Longer than length of flagellomere 6. Branch of male flagellomere 5 length compared to flagellomere 5: Longer than length of flagellomere 5. flagellomere 6 length compared to flagellomeres 7+8: Equal to the length of flagel lomere 7+8. sensillar patch of the male flagellomere pattern: F6-F9. Basal resilin-rich area of male antennal branches count: present. Female first flagellomere length vs pedicel: F1 as long as pedicel (1.0-1.1) (n=3). Female ninth flagellomere length: F9 less than F7+F8. Mandibular tooth count: 2. mandibular lancea count: present. ventrolateral invagination of the pronotum count: present. atrium of the anterior thoracic spiracle size: as wide as distal trachea. notaulus posterior end location: adjacent to transscutal articulation. epicnemial carina count: complete. epicnemium posterior margin shape: anterior discrimenal pit absent; epicnemial carina straight. speculum ventral limit: extending ventrally of pleural pit line. sternaulus count: absent. Median mesoscutal line length vs anterior mesoscutal width: MscL/AscW=0.6-0.9 (n=5). anterior mesoscutal width vs. posterior mesoscutal width: AscW/PscW=0.9 (n=5). median mesoscutal sulcus posterior end: adjacent to transscutal articulation. axillular carina count: absent. posteromedian process of the mesoscutellum count: present. posteromedian process of the mesoscutellum shape: blunt. scutoscutellar sulcus vs trans scutal articulation: adjacent. mesometapleural sulcus count: present. posterodorsal metapleural area shape: trapezoid. metapleural carina count: present. anteromedian projection of the metanoto-propodeo-metapecto-mesopectal complex count: absent. lateral propodeal carinae shape: inverted “V” (left and right lateral propodeal carinae are adjacent medially at their intersection with antecostal sulcus of the first abdominal tergum). lateral propodeal carina count: present. transverse line of the metanotum-propodeum vs. antecostal sulcus of the first abdominal tergum: adjacent sublaterally. Distal margin of male abdominal sternum 9 shape: convex. median conjunctiva of abdominal tergum 9 count: absent. Proximolateral corner of abdominal sternum 9 shape: blunt. proximodorsal notch of cupula count: absent. Gonostyle/volsella complex proximodorsal margin shape: with deep concavity medially. Submedian conjunctiva on distoventral margin of gonostyle/volsella complex: length (range of fusion of parossiculus /parossiculus complex from gonostipes): more than 4/5. apical parossiculal seta number: two. dorsal apodeme of penisvalva count: absent. distal projection of the penisvalva count: absent. sensillar plate of the aedeagus shape: Enlarged, about half as wide as the genitalia, and strongly sclerotized. carina limiting posteriorly antecosta count: present. distal projection of the parossiculus count: absent. dorsomedian conjunctiva of the gonostyle-volsella complex count: absent. cupula length vs. gonostyle-volsella complex length: cupula less than 1/2 the length of gonostyle-volsella complex in lateral view. parossiculus count (parossiculus and gonostipes fusion): absent (fused with the gonostipes). distoventral submedian corner of the cupula count: absent. harpe length: harpe shorter than gonostipes in lateral view.

Range.

Mexico (Mexicali), California, Arizona, Texas, and Florida.

Material examined.

Other material (60 females, 27 males): USA:Arizona:Santa Cruz Co.: 1 male. PSUC_FEM 86285 (PSUC). USA:California:Stanislaus Co.: 1 male. IM 5156 (UCFC). USA:Florida: 8 females, 13 males. PSUC_FEM 98899, 98907 (PSUC); IM 5106, 5165, 5214; PSUC_FEM 86151, 86166, 86366, 86370, 86384, 86443 (UCFC); PSUC_FEM 56350-56352, 56397-56403 (CNC). USA:Florida:Brevard Co.: 2 males. IM 5212; PSUC_FEM 86296 (UCFC). USA:Florida:Highlands Co.: 47 females, 6 males. PSUC_FEM 56353-56359, 56361-56396, 56404-56413 (CNC). USA:Florida:Orange Co.: 3 males. IM 5210-5211; PSUC_FEM 86137 (UCFC). USA:Florida:Polk Co.: 4 females, 1 male. IM 5107; PSUC_FEM 86130, 86141, 86148, 86266 (UCFC). USA:Texas:Brazos Co.: 1 female. PSUC_FEM 56360 (CNC).

Antennal coiling experiment.

After rehydration of the specimens, the rami of the flagellomeres were very flexible at their bases. After the antenna were placed in distilled water, the apical flagellomeres of both specimens curled very slightly. There was no change in the angle of the flagellomere projections or movement at their bases.