Wilkinsonellus corpustriacolor Arias-Penna, Zhang & Whitfield

Arias-Penna, Diana Carolina, Zhang, Yali & Whitfield, James B., 2014, First record of the genus Wilkinsonellus (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Microgastrinae) from Fiji with description of three new species, ZooKeys 397, pp. 25-47 : 33-36

Wilkinsonellus corpustriacolor Arias-Penna, Zhang & Whitfield sp. n. Figs 3 A–K

Female.

Body length 2.2 mm, antennae length 2.73 mm.

Material examined.

Type material. Holotype, 1 female, FIJI: KADAVU ISLAND, Takuvi, 0.25 km SW Solodamu village, Moanakaka bird sanctuary, lat -19.078, long 178.121, 60 m, Malaise, coastal limestone forest, 07. iii– 11.iv.2004, S. Lau, [FJKV41a].

Paratypes, 1 female, FIJI: VITI LEVU ISLAND, Nabukavesi village, Ocean Pacific Resort, lat -18.171, long 178.258, 40 m, Malaise, coastal lowland moist forest, 26. iv– 05.v.2004, W. Naisilisili, [FJVL18a_01_25] in CAS. 1 male, 2 km E Navai village, old trail to mount Tomaniivi (Victoria), lat -17.621, long 178, 700 m, Malaise, gymnosperm dominated rainforest, 13-18.ii.2004, E. Namatalau, [FJVL11b_03_35] in California Academy of Sciences. 1 male & 1 female, FIJI: VITI LEVU ISLAND, 0.75 km E. Navai Village, old trail to mount Tomaniivi (Victoria), lat -17.621, long 177.989, 700 m, Malaise, gymnosperm dominated rainforest, 03. ii– 16.iii.2005, E. Namatalau, [FJVL11d_05_26] in Bishop Museum.

Other material.

TAVEUNI ISLAND: 1 male, 3.2 km NW Lavena village, Mt. Koronibuabua, lat -19.851, long -179.891, 235 m, Malaise, lowland rainforest, 07.iii-11.iv.2004, B. Soroalau, [FJTA52d].

VANUA LEVU ISLAND: 1 male, Lomaloma village, lat -16.63, long -179.208, 587 m, Malaise, 26. i– 07.ii.2006, N. Qarau, [FJVN97_03_01]; 1 male, same data except for: 630 m, 07-18.ii.2006, [FJVN95_01_02].

VITI LEVU ISLAND: 1 male, 2 km E Navai village, old trail to mount Tomaniivi (Victoria), lat -17.621, long 178, 700 m, Malaise, gymnosperm dominated rainforest, 13-18.ii.2004, E. Namatalau, [FJVL11b_03_35]; and 2 males, same data except for: Navai Village, 07-26.i.2004, [FJVL11e_01_02]. 1 male, 1.1 km SSW Volivoli village, Sigatoka sand dunes, lat -17.621, long 177.989, 55 m, Malaise, mixed littoral forest on sand, 06-17.iv.2004, S. Niusoria, [FJVL6b_02_19]; 1 female same data except for: 24. xi– 15.xii.2003, T. Ratawa, [FJVL6b_02_16] and 1 female same data except 0.8 km SSW Volivoli village, 25 m, 24. xi– 15.xii.2003, T. Ratawa, [FJVL6a_01_11].

Diagnosis.

Head yellow-orange, metasoma light yellow, mesosoma brown-black (Fig. 3A). Hind coxa brown-black, but yellow-brown ventrally and differing in coloration from fore and middle coxae; hind coxa with aerolate-rugose sculpture which varies in size and shape: outer dorsal edge coarse and heterogeneous, but fine and homogeneous in the remaining area (Fig. 2A). Proximal five antennal flagellomeres lighter than following flagellomeres. Ovipositor sheaths brown (Fig. 3K). Fore wing with vein r slightly curved (Fig. 3I). Hind wing with vannal lobe not reduced (Fig. 3J). Petiole of tergite I smooth, bottle-shaped, widest part with more or less straight edges (Fig. 3K).

Description.

Coloration (Figs 3 A–K). Head yellow-orange, metasoma light yellow and mesosoma brown-black (Fig. 3A) except propleuron (Fig. 3G), dorsal epicnemial ridge and mesosternum yellow-brown. Legs: fore and middle coxa, and trochanter and trochantellus of all legs light yellow (Fig. 3A); hind coxa brown-black except ventrally yellow-brown (Fig. 2A), half basal of hind tibia and whole hind tarsus light brown. Proximal five antennal flagellomeres lighter than remaining brown flagellomeres; scape and pedicel light yellow, both with a thin brown strip laterally (Fig. 3D). Eyes and ocelli silver in preserved specimens, ocellar triangle area with a thin semicircular black ring in each ocellus (Fig. 3B). Edges of mandibular teeth brown. Membrane and microtrichiae of both fore and hind wings light brown (Figs 3 I–J). Ovipositor sheaths brown (Fig. 3K).

Head (Figs 3 B–D). Inner margin of scape curved, scape longer than wide (0.15:0.10 mm); pedicel as long as wide (0.06:0.07 mm), first three antennal flagellomeres equal in length (0.17:0.17:0.17 mm); last antennal flagellomerus with apex acute and 1.6 × longer than penultimate (0.19:0.12 mm) flagellomere. Antennal scrobes deep, not encircled by carina and located far above middle level of eyes and close to inner compound eye margin; frons rippled sculptures throughout; in frontal view, medial area between antennal sockets without projection. Face with finely, dense and homogeneous punctures, interspaces wavy; face with a short median longitudinal carina running from antennal scrobes to half of the length of the face, but it continues as a ridge extending close to the clypeus; fronto-clypeal suture absent. Distance between anterior tentorial pit and closest inner compound eye margin 1.7 × longer than diameter of tentorial pit (0.05:0.03 mm); anterior tentorial pits (Fig. 3C) far away from each other (0.14 mm). Mandible with two teeth, inferior tooth longer than superior. Maxillary palps longer than labial palps. OOL (Fig. 3B) 1.8 × longer than diameter of lateral ocellus (0.11:0.06 mm), POL (Fig. 3B) subequal as diameter of lateral ocellus (0.07:0.06 mm). Vertex pointed, laterally sloped, but medially high (Fig. 3D), medially vertex with a semicircular, smooth and slightly concave area. Vertex and gena with fine, dense and homogeneous punctures, interspaces forming faint wavy patterns (Fig. 3B).

Mesosoma (Figs 3 E–G). Mesosoma dorsoventrally convex (Fig. 3G). Pronotum shiny, smooth; curvature of pronotum with a deep groove of deeply carinate foveae throughout. Mesopleuron (Fig. 3G) smooth, convex, except precoxal groove with elongated foveae; margins lateral and ventro-lateral of mesopleuron forming an L-shaped area, ventro-lateral part with distinctive diagonal costate and lateral margin with a noticeable curved carina; dorsal epicnemial ridge convex. Mesosternum slightly flat with characteristic curved costate sculptures, medially with a groove of deep, carinate foveae. Metepisternum and metepimeron (Fig. 3G) separated by a chain of deep foveae, the deepest fovea at the dorsal end; metepisternum narrower than metepimeron, anteriorly metepisternum with a curvilinear carina running parallel to the groove of foveae that sorted it from the mesopleuron; metepisternum smooth but setose on dorsal edge; metepimeron just above submetapleural carina with finely areolate-rugose and hairs extended over most of the area. Mesoscutum (Fig. 3E) with dense areolate-rugose sculptures. Notauli (Fig. 3E) incomplete, not reaching the scutellar sulcus, barely visible by a slight difference in the level of the surface of the mesoscutum. Area of mesoscutum close to scutellar sulcus smooth and sloped. Scutellar sulcus (Fig. 3F) with at least six-seven deep, carinate foveae of heterogeneous size. Scutellum (Figs 3 E–F) with sculptures of the same kind as mesoscutum and contours carinate; in lateral view scutellum with a spine apically (Fig. 2F). ATS (Fig. 3F) with several carinae; ATM (Fig. 3F) smooth with some short stubs only at posterior edge; L (Fig. 3F) smooth and shiny; BS (Fig. 3F) with tiny sculptures, dorsal edge upward; MPM (Fig. 3F) triangular, which apex strongly upward forming a carinate projection; BM (Fig. 3F) convex; PRM (Fig. 3F) thin, wavy and smooth. Propodeum (Fig. 3F) with a complete median longitudinal carina dividing it in two halves, plus one additional divergent carina at each half of propodeum; all three carinae crossed by several transverse, wavy carinae; edge of first third anterior of propodeum with less transverse carinae. Propodeal spiracle enclosed partially by carinae, but anteriorly without evident transverse carina; propodeal spiracle located at the intersection between pleural and a posterior transverse carina; inner spiracle far away from divergent carina (Fig. 3F).

Wings (Figs 3 I–J). Fore wing with vein r slightly curve (0.15 mm) arising just beyond the half of the length of pterostigma (Fig. 3I); vein 2RS as same length as r (0.15:0.15 mm), but 2.1 × longer than 2M and (RS+M)b veins (0.15:0.07:0.07 mm). Hind wing (Fig. 3J) with vannal lobe of normal size but with subapical outline flattened; edge with setae throughout, basal ones longer than apical.

Legs. Hind coxa extended beyond apex of tergite III (Fig. 3A) with aerolate-rugose sculptures, but differing in size and shape: outer dorsal edge coarse and heterogene ous, but fine and homogeneous in the remaining area (Fig. 2A); hind tibia with inner spur 1.3 × longer than outer spur (0.22:0.17 mm); hind basitarsus 1.8 × longer than inner spur (0.40:0.22 mm), telotarsus subequal in length to penultimate tarsomere (0.11:0.10 mm); outer surface of hind tibia with orderly spines throughout.

Metasoma (Figs 3H, K). Petiole of tergite I (Fig. 3K) smooth, bottle-shaped widest part with mildly straight edges, length 0.35 mm, distinctly constricted at anterior half (minimum width 0.04 mm), but subapically wider (maximum width 0.09 mm), petiole with a deep groove which reaches the half of the length of swollen area; hypopygium not protruding beyond at apex of metasoma (Fig. 3H); wall of hypopygium with long and numerous hairs; ovipositor length = 0.10 mm, apex rounded and bearing few long hairs, in lateral view ovipositor sheaths not protruding beyond the apex of metasoma.

Comments. In some females from Viti Levu and Kavadu, at least the first five antennal flagellomeres are lighter than the remaining ones. Some females have the ocellar triangle black, hiding the semicircular ring in each ocellus. Tergite III and beyond with some brown tinge. Body length range from 2.22 to 2.93 mm.

Males. Males from all localities exhibit tergites II and beyond brown in comparison with females. In some specimens, basal antennal flagellomeres look similar in coloration to apical flagellomeres, and ocellar triangle with extended black area, so black ring around each ocelli is not outlined. Body length range from 2.2 to 2.52 mm.

Etymology.

From corpus (Latin, noun) = body; tres, tria (Latin, number) = three and color, colos (Latin, noun)= color, tint, hue. The name refers to different coloration on the body: head, mesosoma and metasoma.

Distribution.

Fiji: Kadavu, Taveuni, Vanua Levu and Viti Levu. Wilkinsonellus corpustriacolor sp. n was collected in coastal limestone forest, coastal lowland moist forest, lowland rainforest, and gymnosperm dominated rainforest and elevation ranges from 25 m to 700 m.

Host.

unknown