Synopeas toto Awad, 2021

Awad, Jessica, Bremer, Jonathan S., Butterill, Philip T., Moore, Matthew R. & Talamas, Elijah J., 2021, A taxonomic treatment of Synopeas Foerster (Platygastridae, Platygastrinae) from the island of New Guinea, Journal of Hymenoptera Research 87, pp. 5-65 : 5

Synopeas toto Awad sp. nov.

Description.

Body length 1.1-1.5 mm. Body color: black. Color of legs: coxae brown, otherwise yellow. Color of mesoscutellar spine: concolorous with mesoscutellar disc.

Head. Shape of head in anterior view: circular. Central keel: complete and well developed. Sculpture on frons: reticulate microsculpture. Epitorular sculpture: uncertain, minute rugulae; uncertain, reticulate microsculpture. Number of clypeal setae: 4. Length of median pair of clypeal setae: longer than lateral pair. Arrangement of clypeal setae: medial setae closer to each other than to lateral setae. Shape of mandible: bidentate. Distance between lateral ocellus and compound eye (OOL): less than 1 ocellar diameter. Hyperoccipital carina: complete. Hyperoccipital carina strength: uniformly weak. Distance between lateral ocellus and hyperoccipital carina: approximately 1 ocellar diameter.

Mesosoma. Epomial carina: present, complete or nearly so. Microsculpture of lateral pronotum: present dorsally, absent ventrally. Lateral pronotal sculpture coverage: 1/2 to 2/3. Mesoscutellar spine: short and pointed. Mesoscutellar spine in lateral view: angled posterodorsally. Posterior margin of lateral propodeal carina in lateral view: pointed ventrally. Mesosomal dorsum in lateral view: convex. Notauli: unmarked or faintly suggested. Parapsidal lines: very faint. Setation of mesoscutum: sparse. Mesoscutal lamella: roughly triangular. Setation of mesoscutellum: absent medially.

Metasoma. Microsculpture of S2: narrow band at posterior margin. Sculpture of T2: narrow transverse band of microsculpture at posterior margin. Length of T2: shorter than mesosoma; approximately as long as mesosoma.

Wing. Length of setae on disc of forewing: shorter than distance between setal bases. Density of setae on disc of forewing: sparse. Arrangement of setae on disc of forewing: densely setose distally, sparsely setose proximally. Forewing marginal setae: setae on posterior margin distinctly longer than setae on anterior margin.

Diagnosis.

Synopeas toto has a strong, distinct central keel on the frons. Synopeas psychotriae also has a line on the frons that extends from between the toruli to the median ocellus, but it is impressed rather than raised. Additionally, the parapsidal lines of S. psychotriae are well impressed (Fig. 20A ) and are very weak in S. toto (Fig. 42 ). Synopeas butterilli can have a complete central keel, but it is weakly developed. The sculpture of the lateral pronotum in S. butterilli is restricted to a narrow medial band (Fig. 27 ), rather than covering the dorsal half of the lateral pronotum as in S. toto .

Etymology.

The epithet " Synopeas toto " is Proto-Oceanic for “cut” ( Ross et al. 1998) and refers to the complete central keel dividing the frons. The name is to be treated as a noun in apposition.

Plant associations.

Reared from galls on Nauclea ( Rubiaceae ) [GALL217, GALL218].

Specimens examined.

Holotype: Papua New Guinea: ♀, Morobe, Yawan , 6.14141°S, 146.87415°E, 01.XII.2010, Philip Butterill leg., Nauclea sp. 1 (FSCA 00000252) . Paratypes: Papua New Guinea: ♀ ♂, Morobe, Yawan , 11.XI.2010, Nauclea sp. 1 (FSCA 00090421, 00094597) ; 2♂, Morobe, Yawan , 25.XI.2010, Nauclea sp. 1 (FSCA 00090420, 00094494) ; ♂, Morobe, Yawan , 26.XI.2010, Nauclea sp. 1, FSCA 00000412 ); ♀, Morobe, Yawan , 01.XII.2010, Nauclea sp. 1 (FSCA 00000330) ; ♀ 2♂, Morobe, Yawan , 26.I.2011, Nauclea sp. 1 (FSCA 00000406, 00094592-00094593) ; 5♀ 4♂, Morobe, Yawan , 21.XI.2012, Nauclea sp. 1 (FSCA 00000245, 00000258, 00000336-00000338, 00000393, 00094563-00094565) .

Figures

Figure 20. Dorsal mesosoma showing parapsidal lines A S. psychotriae (FSCA 00090261) B S. butterilli (FSCA 00090264). Scale bars: 0.2 mm.

Figure 27. Synopeas butterilli (male specimen; FSCA 00090264) A lateral habitus B dorsal habitus C anteroventral habitus.

Figure 42. Synopeas toto A lateral habitus (female paratype; FSCA 00000245) B dorsal habitus (female paratype; FSCA 00090421) C ventral habitus (female paratype; FSCA 00090421).