Xenomerus melikai Mikó & Masner, 2010

Mikó, I., Masner, L. & Deans, A. R., 2010, World revision of Xenomerus Walker (Hymenoptera: Platygastroidea, Platygastridae) 2708, Zootaxa 2708, pp. 1-73 : 34

Xenomerus melikai Mikó & Masner , new species

Figure 73

FEMALE (Holotype): Length= 1.22 mm.

Dark brown; apex of interantennal process, radicle, A1–A6, legs including coxae, excluding light brown apical tarsomeres yellow, metasoma light brown.

FCI =1.12; LCI =1.64; HW/IOS =1.56; head less than 1.5 times as wide as mesosoma (HW/TSL =1.32); facial striae exceeding midlevel of eye, parallel on frons, obscuring frontal patch; frontal patch indistinct; frons setae sparse, thin; central keel complete; toruli triangle shorter than clypeus height; POL as long as OOL (POL/OOL =1.05); OOL 2 times as long as LOL (OOL/LOL =2.0); hyperoccipital carina present, extending to inner orbit; vertex smooth; genal patch absent; A1 more than 7 times as long as radicle (A1/r =7.25), about as long as clava (A1/cl =1.03).

Epomial carina present, reaching pronotal suprahumeral sulcus; cervical pronotal area smooth, with scattered setae, setal bases pustulate; netrion sulcus absent; netrion sculpture extending onto lateral pronotal area; pronotal suprahumeral and cervical sulci complete, foveolate; mesoscutum more than 1.5 times as wide as long (TSL/ML =1.63); notaulus short, about two times as long as wide; reticulate sculpture of mesoscutum not extending to lateral and internotaular areas; mesoscutellum 2.0 times as wide as long (SW/SL =2.04); scuto-scutellar sulcus slightly diminishing medially, 2 times as wide laterally as in the middle; mesoscutellum smooth, with sparse, long marginal setae; posterior scutellar sulcus not extending onto axillula; sternaulus not separated from anterior row of foveae of mesopleural carina; distance between postacetabular sulcus and anterior row of foveae of mesopleural carina equal to foveae width of postacetabular sulcus; mesopleural carina complete, with complete rows of foveae; foveae of mesepimeral sulcus not longer than wide; sulcus along metapleural carina foveolate; metascutellum sharply pointed, spine short; propodeal lateral carinae inverted Y-shaped, shafts distinctly curved outward; propodeal lateral area and plical area obscured by pale, dense setae, setal bases pustulate, marginal striation extending medially; posterior propodeal projection indistinct; fore wing about as wide as mesoscutum (TSL/WW =0.98); marginal vein 3 times as long as stigmal vein (m/st =3.11); hind wing less than two times as wide as marginal ciliae length (HWW/HWS =1.87).

T1 less than 1.5 times as wide as T1+T2 length (T1W/T1+T2L =1.35); T3 about 1.5 times as wide as long (T3W/T3L=1.46), as wide as mesoscutum (T3W/TSL =0.98); costae on T3 reaching apical 1/5 of tergum medially; lateral patches distinct, reduced; diameter of posterior patch of T3 nearly equal to width of one basal depressions; lateral patch on T4 present; median patch marked by punctures.

Etymology. The species is named in honour of the doyen of Cynipnini taxonomy, George Nagypalinkas Melika.

MALE: Unknown

Diagnosis. Most closely related to X. falvicornis , differing by the shorter radicle, well developed epomial carina, extremely short notaulus, granulose mesoscutum, and short metanotal spine.

Material examined. Holotype female: PAPUA NEW GUINEA: East New Britain, Bainings Mountains, Raunsepna , 30.VI–28VII.1999, C.Mitparingi, MT [ CNCI:23917].

Holotype is deposited in CNCI.