Neastymachus ceelus Hayat

Hayat, Mohammad, Ahmad, Zubair & Khan, Farmanur Rehman, 2014, Encyrtidae (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea) from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Zootaxa 3793 (1), pp. 1-59 : 43-45

Neastymachus ceelus Hayat , sp. nov.

( Figs 106–110 )

Female. Holotype. Length, 1.22 mm Head with frontovertex and face white, except brown mouth margin and a pale brown band between eyes in upper part of scrobes; occiput with a broad black band extending to posterior margin of eye. Mandible with basal half brownish yellow, apical half dark brown. Antenna brownish yellow; apex of scape and dorsal surface of pedicel pale brown; clava yellowish brown. Mesosoma with pronotal collar translucent white, anterior to collar with a black cross-band which laterally curves and extends to posterior margin; mesoscutum pale brown, yellow on sides, with a faint bluish shine; axilla and scutellum yellowish brown; tegula with basal half yellow, apical half brownish yellow; metanotum brownish yellow, sides dark brown; propodeum in middle third yellow, sides brown; mesopleuron in about anterior third brownish yellow, posterior two-thirds dark brown. Wings hyaline. Legs, including coxae, yellowish white, with femora in about distal half pale brownish yellow; tarsal segments 1–4 of all tarsi yellowish white, fifth segment brownish yellow; mid tibial spur white. Gaster (tergites slightly retracted) with lateral thirds up to TV and whole of TVI, dark brown; middle third up to TV and whole of TVII brownish yellow; dark brown areas largely with bronzy and purple shine; visible part of ovipositor sheaths pale brownish yellow.

Head. Occipital margin rounded; frontovertex width 0.3× head width; ocellar triangle with apical angle very slightly acute; posterior ocellus near margin of eye; POL, OOL and OCL ratios–7:1:5; head, in frontal view ( Fig. 107 ), 1.21× as broad as high; scrobes moderately deep, inverted U-shaped, with margins rounded; torulus with upper margin in line with lower margin of eye; distance between lower margin of torulus and mouth margin slightly less than torulus height (5:6); eye height 1.84× malar space; frontovertex and face with fine, regular, polygonal reticulate sculpture, the cells very small; malar space with fine elongate reticulate sculpture; setae on head silvery white; eye apparently bare. Mandible with 3 teeth, dorsal tooth rounded ( Fig. 108 ). Antenna ( Fig. 106 ) with scape 4.8× as long as broad; pedicel longer than F1 which is slightly longer than F2; funicle segments longer than broad, gradually increasing in width distally; F1 2.66× as long as broad; F6 1.11× as long as broad, and 2× as broad as F1; clava as long as F4–F6 combined; longitudinal sensilla present on F3 onwards. Relative measurements —head dorsal width, 40; frontovertex width, 12; head frontal height, 33; eye height, 23; malar space, 12.5; antennal scape length, 16.

Mesosoma ( Fig. 109 ). Mesoscutum with fine, irregular, polygonal reticulate sculpture, the cells slightly transversely elongate; axilla with slightly raised, transversely elongate cells; scutellum with raised, polygonal reticulate sculpture, the cells in posterior three-fourths largely elongate reticulate to lineolate reticulate ( Fig. 109 ); setae on pronotal collar and mesothoracic dorsum silvery white, but 2 pairs of long subapical setae on scutellum brown; propodeum distal to spiracles with long, silvery white setae. Fore wing ( Fig. 110 ) 2.44× as long as broad; disc proximal to linea calva setose to base; ratios of marginal, postmarginal and stigmal veins—1:0.62:1; costal cell with a line of setae in distal two-fifths of dorsal surface; ventral surface of costal cell with a line of setae in distal three-fifths, of which 5 setae are long and directed backwards, and with two lines of setae in proximal two-fifths. Relative measurements —mesosoma length, 40; pronotum, visible part, length (width), 4 (31); mesoscutum length (width), 19 (35); scutellum length (width), 18 (19); fore wing length (width), 93 (38). (From slide)—mid tibia length, 45; mid basitarsus length, 14; mid tibial spur length, 15.

Metasoma equal in length to mesosoma (40); exserted part of ovipositor (gastral tergites slightly retracted) 0.17× gaster length. Relative measurements (From slide)—TVII length, 41; ovipositor length, 64; third valvula length, 18.

Male. Unknown.

Material examined. Holotype ( ZDAMU, registration No. HYM. CH.690), ♀ (on slide under 6 coverslips, slide No. EH.1598), labelled “ KSA: AL-BAHA: Qunfudah, vi.2012, (MT), Coll. Z. Ahmad”.

Distribution. Saudi Arabia : Al-Baha.

Etymology. The species name is an arbitrary combination of letters, and may be taken as a noun in apposition.

Comments. This new species differs from N. axillaris as follows: head (excluding the black band on occiput) largely white, except a pale brown band between eyes in upper part of scrobes, and brown mouth margin; mesopleuron in anterior third brownish yellow, and posterior two-thirds dark brown; antenna with F1 shorter (0.82×) than pedicel; scutellum largely with elongate reticulate to lineolate reticulate sculpture; and fore wing 2.44× as long as broad. In N. axillaris : head (excluding the dark band on occiput) largely yellow; mesopleuron yellow to brownish yellow; antenna with F1 subequal in length to pedicel; scutellum with regular, raised, polygonal reticulate sculpture; and fore wing 2.68× as long as broad. The differences between this new species and N. bolus Hayat , sp. nov. are given under the latter species.

Figures

FIGURES 106 – 110. Neastymachus ceelus Hayat, sp. nov. Female: 106, antenna; 107, head, frontal view; 108, mandible; 109, mesosoma with TI of gaster; 110, part of fore wing.