Epitranus hamoni complex

Gadallah, Neveen S., Soliman, Ahmed M. & Dhafer, Hathal M. Al, 2020, First record of the subfamily Epitraninae from Saudi Arabia (Hymenoptera, Chalcidoidea, Chalcididae), with the description of three new species, ZooKeys 979, pp. 35-86 : 35

publication ID	https://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.979.52059
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:2B5B9363-B75C-4392-A23A-78186989B7F3
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/DA82EBAB-489F-5A15-ADDF-9B192C1BB974
treatment provided by	ZooKeys by Pensoft
scientific name	Epitranus hamoni complex
status

Treatment

Epitranus hamoni complex Figures 17 View Figure 17 , 18 View Figure 18 , 19 View Figure 19 , 20 View Figure 20 , 21 View Figure 21 , 22 View Figure 22 , 23 View Figure 23 , 24 View Figure 24

Spilochalcis hamoni Risbec, 1957: 240.

Diagnosis.

Female (Figs 17 View Figure 17 - 20 View Figure 20 ). Body length ca. 3.15 mm; fore wing length ca. 2.0 mm. Body blackish brown, with the following parts are red to reddish brown (Figs 17A, B View Figure 17 , 18A View Figure 18 ): head (except a black, broad lower band on occiput), pronotum, scapula, propodeum postero-laterally, metepimeron, gastral petiole, antenna and legs (dorsal face of metacoxa and outer face of metafemur with black tint). This species is diagnosed by the following combination of characters: Occiput densely reticulate, nearly bare (Fig. 18D View Figure 18 ); frontal lobe reduced to a faint transverse carina, thus exposing clypeus (Fig. 18B View Figure 18 ); interantennal projection represented by a low, but sharp lamina; flagellum somewhat clavate (Fig. 18C View Figure 18 ), ca. 0.93 × as long as head width; anellus transverse, ca. 0.3 × as long as wide; F1 as long as its width, ca. 0.9 × as long as F2; F3 as long as wide; clava ca. 2.45 × as long as wide. Interspaces between foveolae as well as their bottoms on mesosomal dorsum and pleura are densely reticulate (Fig. 18D View Figure 18 ); propodeum fairly dull, with areolae vague and finely punctate on their bottoms; median areola opened posteriorly, with lateral ridges short (not extending to meet transverse carina of adpetiolar areola) (Fig. 18D View Figure 18 ). Fore wing (Fig. 19A View Figure 19 ) with distinctly reduced pilosity, with scattered setae and microtrichiae on apical half of underside; STV reduced, gently sloping, forming with the anterior margin an angle of ca. 35°. Metafemur with a broad triangular tooth basoventrally followed by eight spaced teeth (Fig. 19B View Figure 19 ); tarsal scrobe on metatibia 0.6 × as long as metatibial length, polished and reaching sub-basal extremely low hump that represents the sub-basal prominence (Fig. 19C View Figure 19 ). Metasomal petiole relatively long (5.7 × as long as wide, 1.1 × as long as dorsal length of Gt1, and 0.8 × as long as gaster), dorsally with two longitudinal (sublateral and lateral) ridges, of which sublateral one ends slightly before apex of petiole, area between them flat and finely punctate (Fig. 19D View Figure 19 ); Gaster relatively short, 1.43 × as long as high in profile (Fig. 17A View Figure 17 ).

Male (Figs 21 View Figure 21 - 24 View Figure 24 ). Similar to female except for: head and mesosoma generally dark brown to black, with inner margins of eye, lower half of face and pronotal lateral panel red, rest of the pronotum reddish brown (Figs 21A, B View Figure 21 , 22A View Figure 22 ); interantennal projection absent (Fig. 22A View Figure 22 ); OOD short, ca. 1.43 × as long as OD (Fig. 22B View Figure 22 ); scape of antenna with deep excavation nearly along its dorsal mesal third (Fig. 22B View Figure 22 ); flagellomeres slenderer than in female (Fig. 22C View Figure 22 ); foveolae on mesosomal dorsum sparser; propodeal median areola narrow, 4.0 × as long as wide, reaching transverse carina of adpetiolar areola (Fig. 22D View Figure 22 ); petiole longer, ca. 8.0 × as long as wide (Fig. 23C View Figure 23 , 24B View Figure 24 ).

Remarks.

This species shows variation in color, some body sculpturing, and measurements among females and males as well. One of the three examined females, the body (including antennae and legs) is generally bright red, only darkened along the anterior and lateral sides of mesoscutellum, inner surface of metafemur, and gaster (Fig. 20A, B View Figure 20 ); in the other female specimens, body blackish brown, with the following parts are red to reddish brown (Figs 17A, B View Figure 17 , 18A View Figure 18 ): head (except a black, broad lower band on occiput), pronotum, scapula, propodeum postero-laterally, metepimeron, gastral petiole, antenna and legs (dorsal face of metacoxa and outer face of metafemur with black tint). In the reddish specimen, the middle lobe of mesoscutum with denser and smaller setiferous punctures (Fig. 20B View Figure 20 ), mesoscutellum foveolate, with spaces less than a foveola diameter (ca. 0.5 × diameter apart), bottom of foveolae smooth (Fig. 20B View Figure 20 ) (in the dark specimens, punctures on mesoscutum sparser and a little larger (Fig. 18D View Figure 18 ); mesoscutellum densely and deeply foveolate, without considerable interspaces between foveolae (Fig. 17B View Figure 17 )); in the red specimen, petiole 6.3 × as long as wide, 0.9 × as long as gaster in dorsal view (Fig. 20B View Figure 20 ) (in the dark specimens, petiole ca. 5.7 × as long as wide, 0.77 × as long as gaster in dorsal view (Fig. 17B View Figure 17 )); in the reddish specimen, posterior margin of Gt1 straight (Fig. 20B View Figure 20 ) (in the dark ones, posterior margin of Gt1 deeply concave (Fig. 17B View Figure 17 )); in the reddish specimen, F1 ca. 2. 15 × as long as wide, and distinctly longer than F7 (1.2 ×) (ca. 1.27 × as long as wide, and slight shorter to as long as F7 in the dark specimens); STV obviously separated from anterior margin of the wing, making an angle of 45° in the light specimen (while in the darker specimens STV adheres to anterior margin of the wing making an angle of ca. 35°).

In the two examined males, one with the red color predominates, being seen in the head (except dark occiput) including antennae, pronotal collar, propodeum, legs (hind legs darker), and petiole (Fig. 24A, B View Figure 24 ); the other male specimen is nearly entirely dark brown to black, with inner margins of eye, lower half of face and pronotal lateral panel red (Fig. 21A, B View Figure 21 ). In the reddish specimen, mesoscutum sparsely setiferous punctate anteriorly, and sparsely foveolate posteriorly (Fig. 24B View Figure 24 ) (in the dark specimen superficially, sparsely foveolate throughout (Fig. 21B View Figure 21 ); in the reddish specimen, head asetose postero-laterally (Fig. 24B View Figure 24 ) (in the dark one, head densely setose postero-laterally (Fig. 21B View Figure 21 )); in the reddish specimen metacoxa 2.6 × as long as wide (Fig. 24B View Figure 24 ) (in the dark specimen, metacoxa 2.77 × as long as wide (Fig. 21A View Figure 21 ); in the reddish specimen, petiole 9.3 × as long as wide, and approximately as long as gaster middle length in dorsal view (Fig. 24B View Figure 24 ), 1.6 × as long as gaster height in lateral view (Fig. 24A View Figure 24 ) (in the dark specimen, petiole 8.0 × as long as wide, 1.12 × as long as gaster in dorsal view (Fig. 23C View Figure 23 ), 2.4 × as long as gaster height in lateral view (Fig. 21A View Figure 21 )); in the reddish specimen, posterior margin of Gt1 deeply concave (Fig. 24B View Figure 24 ) (in the dark specimen, posterior margin of Gt1 straight (Fig. 23C View Figure 23 )).

Hosts.

Unknown.

Material examined.

1♂, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Al-Baha, Al Mikhwa, Shada Al-Ala Natural Reserve [19°50'34.48"N, 41°18'39.44"E, Alt. 1681 m], sweeping net, 27.VII.2015, leg. Ahmed M. Soliman [KSMA]; 1♀, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Asir, Abha, Garf Raydah Natural Reserve [18°11'36.93"N, 42°23'25.17"E, Alt. 1772 m], sweeping net, 16.IV.2016, leg. Ahmed M. Soliman [KSMA]; 1♂, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Al-Baha, Al Mikhwa, Shada Al-Ala Natural Reserve [19°50'34.95"N, 41°18'40.04"E, Alt. 1679 m], sweeping net, 7.IV.2019, leg. Ahmed M. Soliman [KSMA]; 1♀, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Al-Baha, Al Mikhwa, Shada Al-Ala Natural Reserve [19°50'34.89"N, 41°18'39.43"E, Alt. 1689 m], sweeping net, 9.IV.2019, leg. Ahmed M. Soliman [KSMA]; 1♀, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Riyadh, Dirab Station of Research, [24°25'22.91"N, 46°39'15.02"E, Alt. 1689 m], Malaise trap, 19.VII-9.VIII.2020, leg. Ahmed M. Soliman [KSMA].

Distribution.

Burkina Faso ( Risbec 1957; Noyes 2019), UAE ( Delvare 2017), Saudi Arabia (Al-Baha and Riyadh regions) (new record).