Thoron dayi, JOHNSON & MASNER, 2004

JOHNSON, NORMAN F. & MASNER, LUBOMIR, 2004, The Genus Thoron Haliday (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae), Egg-Parasitoids of Waterscorpions (Hemiptera: Nepidae), with Key to World Species, American Museum Novitates 3452, pp. 1-16 : 9

Thoron dayi , new species

Figure 15

DESCRIPTION: Length 2.4 mm. Female A4 subequal to or shorter than A3; clava robust, 3.75 times longer than wide; apex of A1 well below top of vertex; female A2–A7 dark brown; ocelli large, lateral ocellus separated from inner orbit by one­half diameter of posterior ocellus; central portion of mesoscutum and scutellum with regularly spaced, deep, thimblelike punctures (fig. 15); notaulus reduced to short, isolated furrow medially, absent near transscutal articulation, simple, without crenulae; mesoscutum with long decumbent bristles and no micropilosity; metapleuron sparsely setose anteriorly, posterior portion of metapleuron and lateral face of propodeum nearly glabrous; marginalis not thickened, as wide as submarginal or basal portion of stigmal vein; postmarginal vein extremely short or absent, much shorter than length of stigmal vein; with short spine medially; dorsal surface of propodeum excavate medially; T1 with moderately developed, smooth hump; T2 distinctly shorter than T3; T3 as long as wide.

DIAGNOSIS: Immediately distinguished from all other species of Thoron by the deeply punctate mesosoma and the notauli reduced to small furrows in the anterior portion of the mesoscutum.

ETYMOLOGY: Named after its collector, M. Day.

MATERIAL EXAMINED: Holotype female: IN­ DONESIA: Seram, Solea, Uncanya, viii.1987, M.C. Day, malaise trap, OSUC 77431 ( BMNH).

COMMENTS: The family Nepidae is composed of some 200 species and 12 genera around the world ( Menke, 1979). This single specimen is, in our opinion, an unusual species, but one that clearly falls within the limits of the genus Thoron . Its disjunct distribution strongly suggests to us that there are more species yet to be discovered along calm watercourses in tropical Asia.

Figures

Figs. 15–20. 15, Thoron dayi, n.sp., mesosoma, dorsal view; 16, T. longicornis Masner and Huggert, head and mesosoma, dorsal view; 17, T. dux, n.sp., head and mesosoma, dorsal view; 18, T. rex, n.sp., head and mesosoma, dorsal view; 19, T. lautus (Masner), posterior mesosoma, dorsal view; 20, T. lautus (Masner), metapleuron, propodeum, and T1 horn, lateral view. Scale bar in millimeters.