Foenatopus bisignatus Aguiar et Jennings

Aguiar, Alexandre P., Jennings, John T. & Turrisi, Giuseppe F., 2010, Three new Middle-Eastern species of Foenatopus Smith (Hymenoptera: Stephanidae) with a new host record and key to species with two spots on the metasoma, Zootaxa 2714, pp. 40-58 : 42-44

Foenatopus bisignatus Aguiar et Jennings

( Figs 1 [bs], 2–9)

Foenatopus bisignatus Aguiar et Jennings 2010: 299 . Description, figures. Holotype Ψ at UFES.

Discussion. This species resembles all the species treated in the present work, but can be readily separated from them by the features provided in the key to species. The diagnostic comments in Aguiar and Jennings (2010) also took into consideration the specimens of the new taxa described in the present contribution.

Holotype female. Body length 8.00 mm. Biometric ratios as in Table 1 and Fig. 1 [bs]. The following combination of features are also characteristic for this species: preannular centrally microreticulate only (vs. transversely strigate in F. turcomanorum ); propodeum mostly densely areolate-rugose, moderately stronger posteriorly (vs. changing from anteriorly strongly microreticulate to posteriorly strongly areolate-rugose in F. hesperophagus ); mesoscutum areolate-rugose (vs. strong U-shaped areolation in F. hesperophagus ); median sulcus distinct (vs. indistinct in F. hesperophagus ); T4 spots moderately large, separated from each other by a distance of about 0.6 their own length (vs. small and widely separated in F. turcomanorum or large and spaced by 0.3 their length in F. c r i s p u s); petiole length 1.5–1.6 the combined length of alinotum + propodeum (vs. 1.3 in F. crispus ).

Male. Body length 6.00– 7.75 mm (n = 6). The male can be distinguished from males of similar species by having the basal 0.4 of petiole dorsally yellowish white. All males of F. bisignatus have double spots on T4 only, thus immediately distinguishing them from males of F. buprestivorus which have double spots on all tergites from T4 to T7.

Material examined. Seven specimens, including holotype, from the United Arab Emirates, as cited in Aguiar and Jennings (2010).

Distribution. United Arab Emirates.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Values of all morphometric ratios for all examined specimens of all species. The slightly higher triangle in each species’ series indicates the female holotype specimen; all other triangles correspond to males. See Table 1 for ranges. Ratios as in Aguiar (2001).