Erythmelus (Erythmelus) rosascostai Ogloblin, 1934

Triapitsyn, Serguei V., Berezovskiy, Vladimir V., Hoddle, Mark S. & Morse, Joseph G., 2007, A review of the Nearctic species of Erythmelus (Hymenoptera: Mymaridae), with a key and new additions to the New World fauna, Zootaxa 1641 (1), pp. 1-64 : 19-20

Erythmelus (Erythmelus) rosascostai Ogloblin, 1934

( Figs 17–21 )

Eurythmelus rosas-costai Ogloblin 1934: 245 (name variant in key), plates XXII, XXIII (name variant in figure legends). Eurythmelus rosas costai Ogloblin 1934: 249–250 , plates XXII, XXIII (holotype female [MLPA], labeled: 1. “ Eurythme-

lus rosas-costai A. O. female La Plata, 4.xii.1932. J.A. Rosas Costa Typus.”; 2. “3901/1”, examined. Type locality :

La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina). Erythmelus rosascostai Ogloblin : De Santis 1967: 108 (catalog).

Material examined. ARGENTINA. BUENOS AIRES: Bella Vista : 12.ii.1959, A.A. Ogloblin [1 female, MLPA]; 10.x.1961 [1 female, MLPA]. Hurlingham, 23.i.2003, C. Hernández, S. V . Triapitsyn [1 female, UCRC]. José C. Paz: 1940 [1 female, MLPA]; 8.xi.1961 (in flower of Oxalis sp. ) [1 male, MLPA]. Luján, Universidad Nacional de Luján , 34°35'07"S 59°04'45"W, 32 m: 10.iii.2005, C. Coviella [1 male, UCRC]; 17.iii.2005, C. Coviella [31 females, 22 males, CNCI, IMLA, MLPA, UCRC, USNM]; 31.iii.2006, C. Coviella [31 females, 28 males, UCRC]; 28.iv.2006, C. Coviella [5 females, 3 males, UCRC]. Moreno, 34°08’57’’S 58°46’57’’W: 9.iii.2005, C. Coviella [1 female, UCRC]; 9.iv.2005, C. Coviella [2 females, 3 males, UCRC]; 17.iv.2005, C. Coviella [2 females, UCRC]. Tigre, 34°23’50’’S 58°34’32’’W, 5 m: 2– 9.xi.2005, G. Logarzo [1 female, UCRC]; 9–16.xi.2005, G. Logarzo [1 female, UCRC]; 27.xii.2005 – 3.i.2006, G. Logarzo [6 females, UCRC]; 3–10.i.2006, G. Logarzo [4 females, CNCI, UCRC]; 2–11.ii.2006, G. Logarzo [1 female, UCRC]; 20.v.2006, G. Logarzo [4 females, UCRC] . MISIONES, Loreto , 7.xi.1936 [1 female, MLPA] .

Redescription. FEMALE (holotype and non-type specimens). Body length (dry specimens) 460–590 µm. Body mostly dark brown except base of gaster yellow to light brown and hypopygium brown, dorsellum and borders of axilla and scutellum yellow to light brown; midlobe of mesoscutum with a lighter (light brown to brown), transverse, uneven submedian stripe (the stripe much wider laterally than medially). Scape light brown to brown, pedicel light brown, flagellum brown. Legs light brown to brown.

Vertex transversely striate, with a few short setae.

Antenna ( Figs 17 , 19 ) with short setae. Scape about 5.0 x as long as wide; pedicel much longer than F1; all funicular segments longer than wide; F1 the shortest funicular segment, F2–F5 usually subequal in length (each segment progressively slightly longer than preceding one in the holotype) and much shorter than F6; F1–F5 almost always without longitudinal sensilla ( Fig. 19 ) but F5 with 1 longitudinal sensillum in the holotype ( Fig. 17 ) and one non–type specimen, F6 with 2 longitudinal sensilla; clava 2.8–3.4 x as long as wide, with 5 longitudinal sensilla.

Mesosoma ( Fig. 18 ). Each lobe of pronotum with several setae. Mesoscutum much wider than long, its midlobe finely longitudinally striate and with 1 pair of setae. Axillar seta a little shorter than 1/2 length of scutellum. Scutellum a little longer than mesoscutum, posterior scutellum finely longitudinally striate. Dorsellum angulate posteriorly.

Wings. Forewing ( Fig. 20 ) 5.3–5.7 x as long as wide; blade slightly infumate throughout, more or less uniformly setose in distal half; longest marginal cilia about 1.8 x greatest width of wing. Hind wing 18–20 x as long as wide; blade slightly infumate, more so distally; longest marginal cilia 4.6–4.8 x greatest wing width.

Metasoma ( Fig. 18 ). Petiole much wider than long. Gaster longer than mesosoma; ovipositor about 3/5 length of gaster, barely exserted beyond apical gastral tergum, and 1.0–1.1 x length of metatibia.

Measurements of holotype (in µm). Body 547; mesosoma 230; gaster 270; ovipositor 182. Antenna: pedicel 45; F1 21; F2 27; F3 30; F4 33; F5 38; F6 58; clava 112. Forewing 485:91; longest marginal cilia 166. Hind wing 455:25; longest marginal cilia 115.

Description. MALE. Body length (dry specimens) 460–560 µm. Similar to female except for the normal sexually dimorphic features such as antenna, genitalia ( Fig. 21 ), and the following. Flagellum 11–segmented, all flagellomeres a little longer than scape. Forewing about 5.0 x as long as wide; longest marginal cilia about 1.9 x greatest forewing width. Gaster shorter than mesosoma.

Diagnosis. Member of the flavovarius species group. Erythmelus (E.) rosascostai is distinguished from all other described species of Erythmelus (Erythmelus) by its narrow forewing with long marginal cilia ( Fig. 20 ); its blade is almost uniformly setose in the distal half.

Distribution. Argentina.

Hosts. Unknown.

Comments. This species was described from an aberrant specimen. The holotype female of E. (E.) rosascostai is rather atypical because F5 of the right antenna has a longitudinal sensillum whereas F5 of the left antenna lacks such a sensillum and is fused with F4, as also noted by Ogloblin (1934). The use of this character in the key by Ogloblin (1934) was thus misleading. Normally, females of this species, which is rather common in the greater Buenos Aires area of Argentina, lack a longitudinal sensillum on F5; in fact, the holotype and one non-type female from Luján, Buenos Aires, collected 31.iii.2006 by C. Coviella, are the only specimens that have one. It is very likely that E. (E.) rosascostai also occurs in the nearby Uruguay.

Figures

FIGURES 17, 18. Erythmelus (E.) rosascostai (female, holotype). 17. Antenna. 18. Body.

FIGURES 19–21. Erythmelus (E.) rosascostai (Moreno, Buenos Aires, Argentina). 19. Antenna (female). 20. Forewing (female). Scale bars = 0.1 mm. 21. Genitalia (male).