Erythmelus (Erythmelus) miridiphagus Dozier, 1937

Triapitsyn, Serguei V., Berezovskiy, Vladimir V., Hoddle, Mark S. & Morse, Joseph G., 2007, A review of the Nearctic species of Erythmelus (Hymenoptera: Mymaridae), with a key and new additions to the New World fauna, Zootaxa 1641 (1), pp. 1-64 : 50-52

Erythmelus (Erythmelus) miridiphagus Dozier, 1937

( Figs 72, 73 )

Erythmelus miridiphagus Dozier 1937: 133–134 (holotype female, circled in black ink, on slide mounted under the same coverslip as two female paratypes of this species [USNM], labeled: 1. “ Erythmelus miridiphagus Dozier From Amaranthus heavily infested with mirid Polymerus cuneatus Dist. Hormigueros P.R. Oct. 1–1935 H.L. Dozier”; 2. [red] “ Erythmelus miridiphagus Dozier Type female + 2 paratypes Type No. 51682 U.S. N.M.”, examined. The holotype, mounted dorsoventrally, is in fair condition, complete. This species was described from a series of 29 females ( Dozier 1937). The first author examined the paratype specimens of this species on slides in USNM, as follows. Besides the two females mounted together with the holotype specimen, there are 2 more slides having the USNM type No.51682, both labeled the same as the holotype slide (but as “ paratype females”), one containing 3 and the other 5 females. All these comprise the 10 paratypes mentioned by Dozier (1937) as deposited by him in the USNM. The additional 5 slides were apparently donated to the USNM by H.L. Dozier later, so they don’t have the USNM type numbers and all but one lack the paratype indication although all do have the red label on the right side. Two of these slides have the same label as the holotype slide on the left side, one with 3 females (labeled as “ paratypes ”) and the other with 2 female paratypes. The remaining 3 paratype slides are labeled as follows: “ Erythmelus From Amaranthus heavily infested with mirid. Hormigueros P.R. Oct. 1–1935 H.L. Dozier”. Two of these slides have 3 females each, and the third slide has 4 females; it also has the following host information added to the label in pencil: “ Poeciloscytus cuneatus Uhler ”. The appropriate paratype labels were added to the four slides that lacked them. Type locality: Hormigueros, Puerto Rico [ USA]); Peck 1963: 30 (catalog, in part, type information only, erroneously listed for the Nearctic region); De Santis 1979: 369 (catalog).

Erythmelus (Erythmelus) miridiphagus Dozier : Triapitsyn 2003: 15 (mentioned as member of the flavovarius species group).

Material examined. ARGENTINA. Misiones, Loreto, A.A. Ogloblin (on Crotalaria incana with Lygus sp. ): 20.vi.1936 [1 female, 2 males, MLPA]; 22.vi.1936 [1 male, MLPA]; 24.vi.1936 [3 females, 3 males, MLPA]; 25.vi.1936 [2 females, 1 male, MLPA]; 27.vi.1936 [1 female, 1 male, MLPA]; 18.vii.1936 [1 male, MLPA] . MEXICO. MORELOS, Trayacapan , 29.x.1982, A. González – Hernández [1 female, UCRC] . USA. LOUISI- ANA, East Baton Rouge Parish, Baton Rouge , 9–21.vi.2002, D. V . Chouljenko, S. V. Triapitsyn [1 female, UCRC] . TEXAS, Cameron Co., Brownsville , 5.v.1937, H.J. Crawford (“on Croton berlanderi ”) [1 female, USNM] . VENEZUELA. LARA, 8 km S of Sarare, Yacomba National Park , 1600 m, 27.xii.1985, R . Jones, P. Kovarik [1 female, TAMU] .

Redescription. FEMALE (holotype, paratypes, and non-type specimens). Body length 550–890 µm. Body mostly dark brown except base of gaster yellow to light brown, hypopygium brown, midlobe of mesoscutum with a faint, slightly lighter (brown) transverse submedian stripe, and borders of axilla light brown. Appendages light brown to brown.

Vertex transversely striate, with a few short setae.

Antenna ( Fig. 72 ) with short setae. Scape 4.0–4.4 x as long as wide; pedicel much longer than F1; all funicular segments at least a little longer than wide; F1 the shortest funicular segment, F2 a little shorter than F3, F3–F5 subequal in length (F3 usually a little longer) and each much shorter than F6; F1–F5 without longitudinal sensilla, F6 with 2 longitudinal sensilla; clava 3.2–3.8 x as long as wide, with 5 longitudinal sensilla.

Mesosoma. Mesoscutum wider than long, its midlobe finely longitudinally striate and with 1 pair of strong setae. Axillar seta extending to 3/10 length of scutellum. Scutellum about as long as mesoscutum, posterior scutellum finely longitudinally striate. Dorsellum broadly angulate posteriorly.

Wings. Forewing ( Fig. 73 ) 4.3–5.0 x as long as wide; blade slightly infumate behind venation but otherwise hyaline, with setae mostly along margins in the distal 3/10; longest marginal cilia 1.3–1.6 x greatest width of wing. Hind wing 16–18 x as long as wide, a little shorter than forewing; blade slightly infumate apically; longest marginal cilia 4.2–4.8 x greatest wing width.

Metasoma. Petiole wider than long. Gaster longer than mesosoma; ovipositor about 7/10 length of gaster, markedly exserted beyond apical gastral tergum (by 1/4–1/3 of ovipositor length) and apex of hypopygium, 1.8–2.1 x length of metatibia.

Measurements of holotype (in µm). Body 793; mesosoma 264; gaster 354; ovipositor 338. Antenna: scape (including radicle) 139; pedicel 49; F1 18; F2 24; F3 27; F4 30; F5 27; F6 54; clava 120. Forewing 485:99; longest marginal cilia 136. Hind wing 470:30; longest marginal cilia 127.

Description. MALE. Body length 630–920 µm. Similar to female except for the normal sexually dimorphic features. Flagellum 11–segmented, all flagellomeres a little longer than scape. Forewing 4.3–4.5 x as long as wide, with blade more setose in the apical half than in female; longest marginal cilia 1.5–1.9 x greatest forewing width. Gaster shorter than mesosoma. Genitalia typical for the flavovarius species group, similar to those of E. (E.) picinus (Girault) ( Fig. 51 ).

Diagnosis. Member of the flavovarius species group (this species has a long ovipositor with a basal loop, a feature characteristic of the helopeltidis group species; however, it’s male genitalia are simple, typical for the flavovarius group species). Among the species of the nominate subgenus that have relatively short funicular segments of the female antenna and lack longitudinal sensilla on F4, E. (E.) miridiphagus is characterized by a very long ovipositor (ovipositor length: metatibia length ratio 1.8–2.1:1) that is notably exserted beyond the apical gastral tergum (by 1/4–1/3 of ovipositor length) and apex of the hypopygium.

Distribution. Argentina (new record), Mexico (new record), Puerto Rico ( USA), USA (Louisiana and Texas, new records), and Venezuela (new record).

Hosts. Polymerus cuneatus (Distant) (Miridae) ( Dozier 1937). A possible association of this species with Lygus sp. (Miridae) was indicated by A.A. Ogloblin on the labels of his slides with the specimens (which he misidentified) from Loreto, Misiones, Argentina.

Figures

FIGURES 72, 73. Erythmelus (E.) miridiphagus (female, paratype from the holotype slide). 72. Antenna. 73. Forewing. Scale bars = 0.1 mm.

FIGURES 49–51. Erythmelus (E.) picinus (male, California, USA). 49. Antenna. 50. Forewing. Scale bars = 0.1 mm. 51. Genitalia.