Pleurotroppopsis nitifrons ( Bouček, 1976 )

Cao, Huan-Xi, Dale-Skey, Natalie, Burwell, Chris J. & Zhu, Chao-Dong, 2022, Review of the genus Pleurotroppopsis Girault (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) with interspecific phylogenetic relationships based on morphological characters, Zootaxa 5190 (4), pp. 451-484 : 471-472

Pleurotroppopsis nitifrons ( Bouček, 1976)

( Fig. 13 )

Cotterellia nitifrons Bouček, 1976: 677–678 . Holotype ♀, NHMUK (B.M. TYPE HYM. 5.2397, examined).

Pleurotroppopsis nitifrons ( Bouček, 1976) , Bouček, 1988: 711.

Diagnosis. FEMALE. Antenna with scape predominantly white, brown in apical 1/3 only. Fore wing weakly infuscate, with small speculum. Tibiae brown without metallic tinge; all tarsomeres white except for brown claws. Frontovertex with a median groove below anterior ocellus. Face between frontal carina and toruli weakly depressed; upper margin of scrobes not incised medially, and frontal carina straight. Ocelli in a strongly acute-angled (equilateral) triangle. MLM with transverse rugosity anteriorly and engraved reticulation posteriorly, without a median groove ( Fig. 13b ). Scutellum with punctures along sublateral grooves but without posterior transverse groove ( Fig. 13b ). Axilla with superficial reticulation, almost smooth, with one seta ( Fig. 13b ). Dorsellum polished. Submedian areas of propodeum with superficial reticulation, almost smooth ( Fig. 13b ). Gt 1 with polished dorsal surface ( Fig. 13a ). Metafemur without teeth along ventral margin.

MALE. Unknown.

Material examined. Type material. Holotype ♀, 20873, Malaysia Barat : Ptg. Bendahari, Province Wellesley, ex. within mines of Promecotheca cumingi , 21.III.1973, coll. Jabatan Pertanian ( NHMUK, B.M. TYPE HYM. 5.2397); paratype ♀, same data as holotype ( NHMUK).

Other material examined. 1♀, India: Calicut Dist., Kerala, ex. leaf miner of Piper nigrum , det. Bouček ( NHMUK) .

Biology. The type series were recorded from the coleopteran leafminer Promecotheca cumingii Baly ( Coleoptera : Chrysomelidae : Hispinae ) ( Bouček 1976).

Distribution. India (new distribution record); Malaysia ( Bouček 1976).

Remarks. Pleurotroppopsis nitifrons is likely close to P. maculatipennis and P. japonica based on the lack of a posterior groove on the scutellum, dorsellum polished, and metafemur smooth without teeth along the ventral margin. The possible close relationship between these three species is supported by the parsimony analysis based on morphological characters ( Fig. 19 ) but requires further molecular evidence because the phylogeny is not well resolved based only on morphological characters. Females of P. nitifrons can be distinguished from those of P. japonica and P. maculatipennis by their sculptured posterior dull part of the axilla. In addition, P. nitifrons females have the mesoscutum with engraved reticulation that is much less transverse and the scutellum has denser and more distinct engraved reticulation that is weakly longitudinal. See also remarks under P. japonica .

Figures

FIGURE 13. Pleurotroppopsis nitifrons (Bouček), holotype female: a, habitus in dorsal view; b, mesosoma in dorsal view; c, labels. Scale bar: 0.5 mm. ©The Trustees of the Natural History Museum, London, and made available under Creative Commons License 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

FIGURE 19. Phylogenetic relationships of Pleurotroppopsis species based on morphological characters. Unambiguous apomorphies are mapped on branches using WinClada, with black circles representing nonhomplasious changes (synapomorphies or autapomorphies), and white circles representing homplasious changes. The mirror cladogram of the strict consensus tree with 89 steps obtained from parsimony analyses in TNT is shown on the right, with numbers above the nodes indicating bootstrap values.