Erythmelus (Erythmelus) coviellai S. Triapitsyn, 2007

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 : 13-15

Erythmelus (Erythmelus) coviellai S. Triapitsyn , sp. n.

( Figs 8, 9 )

Type material. Holotype female on slide [ MLPA]: ARGENTINA. BUENOS AIRES, Tigre , 34°23’50’’S 58°34’32’’W, 5 m, 3.i.2006, G. Logarzo, Malaise trap . Paratypes: ARGENTINA. BUENOS AIRES: Bella Vista, 19.iv.1963, A.A. Ogloblin (misidentified by A.A. Ogloblin as E. rosascostai Ogloblin ) [1 female on slide, MLPA]. Tigre , 34°23’50’’S 58°34’32’’W, 5 m, 1–14.iv.2006, G. Logarzo [1 female on point, UCRC] . MENDOZA, La Consulta , 33°44’S 69°07’W, INTA – Estación Experimental Agropecuaria La Consulta , 26.ii– 2.iii.2007, S. Lanati [1 female on point, UCRC] . MISIONES, Loreto, A.A. Ogloblin (ex. eggs of Engytatus sp. on Solanum sisymbriifolium , labeled originally as “ Erythmelus engytati A.O. ” [A.A. Ogloblin’s manuscript name]): 12.iv.1936 [1 female on slide, MLPA]; 18.iv.1936 [1 female, 2 males on slides, MLPA]; 20.iv.1936 [2 females, 2 males on slides, MLPA]; 21.iv.1936 [1 female on slide, MLPA]; 22.iv.1936 [1 male on slide, MLPA]; 23.iv.1936 [2 males on slides, MLPA]; 24.iv.1936 [1 female, 1 male on slide, MLPA]; 25.iv.1936 [2 males on slides, MLPA]; 26.iv.1936 [1 male on slide, MLPA]; 27.iv.1936 [1 female on slide, MLPA] . SALTA, Rosario de la Frontera, Lumbrera, Río Juramento , 25.21°S 64.92°W, 681 m, 21.iii.2003, J. Munro [1 female on slide, UCRC] .

Description. FEMALE (holotype and paratypes). Body length 670–770 µm. Body yellow and brown, as follows: most of upper face, parts of vertex, pronotum, axilla, scutellum, metanotum, and propodeum, and also basal half or so and tip of gaster, and posterior half or so of mesoscutum (particularly the midlobe except for bases of setae) yellow; remainder of body brown. Scape, pedicel, and legs pale to light brown; flagellum brown.

Head with numerous (mostly short) setae, particularly dense on face and vertex. Vertex transversely striate, face with a faint longitudinal sculpture.

Antenna ( Fig. 8 ) densely setose; right antenna of the holotype with F4 and F5, and F6 and clava partially fused. Scape slightly curved, about 6.4 x as long as wide; pedicel much longer than F1; all funicular segments longer than wide; F1 and F2 subequal in length, F3 a little longer (F2 and F3 fused in one paratype from Loreto, Misiones), F1–F3 without longitudinal sensilla; F4–F6 more or less subequal in length (but F6 the longest), each with 2 longitudinal sensilla (F5 sometimes with only 1 longitudinal sensillum, rarely without sensilla); clava 4.5 x as long as wide, with 5 longitudinal sensilla.

Mesosoma. Each lobe of pronotum with long setae. Mesoscutum a little wider than long, its midlobe finely longitudinally striate and with several (at least 6) pairs of long setae. Axillar seta longer than half length of scutellum. Scutellum shorter than mesoscutum; posterior scutellum finely longitudinally striate. Dorsellum acutely angulate posteriorly. Propodeum shorter than scutellum, smooth.

Wings. Forewing ( Fig. 9 ) 4.9–5.2 x as long as wide; hypochaeta almost extending to posterior margin, distal macrochaeta 1.3–1.4 x length of proximal macrochaeta; blade slightly infuscate behind venation but otherwise hyaline, uniformly setose beyond venation and with two irregular rows of setae behind marginal vein; longest marginal cilia 0.7–0.8 x greatest width of wing. Hind wing about 17 x as long as wide; blade hyaline; longest marginal cilia 2.9–3.2 x greatest wing width.

Metasoma. Petiole much wider than long. Gaster about as long as mesosoma; ovipositor about 3/5 length of gaster, not exserted beyond apical gastral tergum, and 1.0–1.1 x length of metatibia.

Measurements of holotype (in µm). Body 756; mesosoma 327; gaster 324; ovipositor 212. Antenna: scape (including radicle) 136; pedicel 53; F1 24; F2 25; F3 30; F4 46; F5 43; F6 48; clava 109. Forewing 546:112; longest marginal cilia 76. Hind wing 524:31; longest marginal cilia 90.

MALE (paratypes). Body length 570–700 µm. Similar to female except for the normal sexually dimorphic features. Flagellum 11–segmented, all flagellomeres rather short, slightly shorter than scape. Forewing 4.9– 5.3 x as long as wide; longest marginal cilia 1.0–1.1 x greatest forewing width. Gaster a little shorter than mesosoma. Genitalia typical for the flavovarius species group, similar to those of E. (E.) picinus (Girault) ( Fig. 51 ).

Diagnosis. Member of the flavovarius species group. This species is most similar to E. (E.) hirtipennis Ogloblin as both species have a “hairy” body (head, pronotum, and midlobe of mesoscutum with numerous setae, some of those long), and the forewing blade is more or less uniformly setose, including behind venation. It differs from E. (E.) hirtipennis in having longitudinal sensilla on F4, F6, and usually also on F5 of the female antenna (longitudinal sensilla are present only on F 6 in E. (E.) hirtipennis ).

Etymology. This species is named after Carlos E. Coviella who collected many interesting fairyflies with a Malaise trap in his back yard in Moreno, Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Host. Engytatus sp. (Miridae) .

Figures

FIGURES 8, 9. Erythmelus (E.) coviellai (female, holotype). 8. Antenna. 9. Forewing. Scale bars = 0.1 mm.

FIGURES 49–51. Erythmelus (E.) picinus (male, California, USA). 49. Antenna. 50. Forewing. Scale bars = 0.1 mm. 51. Genitalia.