Paradettmeria, Gallardo, Fabiana E. & Díaz, Norma B., 2011

Gallardo, Fabiana E. & Díaz, Norma B., 2011, A new genus of Zaeucoilini (Hymenoptera, Cynipoidea, Figitidae, Eucoilinae) from Neotropical Region, Zootaxa 2830, pp. 59-63 : 60-61

Paradettmeria new genus

(Figs. 1–7)

Tropideucoila Ashmead, 1903: 221 , in part

Trisseucoela Kieffer, 1907: 91 , in part

Type species. Trisseucoela clavicornis ( Kieffer, 1908) , present designation.

Etymology. Para: beside, near, in allusion to its similarity with Dettmeria Borgmeier.

Diagnosis. This new genus can be separated from other Zaeucoilini by the following character combinations: female antennae with club consisting of seven flagellomeres, conspicuous; medial mesoscutal keel prominent, continuous across entire mesoscutum; parapsidal ridges with scarce parapsidal hair line; dorsal surface of scutellum areolate, margined laterally, straight posteriorly, laterodorsal and posterior projections present, reduced; scutellar plate small, suboval, posterior margin rounded, dorsal surface smooth, quite elevated, midpit placed close posterior margin of plate; forewings hyaline, dusky at base, punctuate, apical margin with hair fringe, marginal cell very deep, open anteriorly.

Description. Total length 1.85–1.94 mm. Body stout, shiny, reddish brown. Antennae, veins and legs yellowish brown.

Head (Figure 1) in anterior view as high as wide. Vertex smooth with short setae and punctures. Compound eyes glabrous. Internal orbital furrows straight, originating the lateral side of the torulus, terminating at malar sulcus. Genal carinae present, smooth. Female antennae (Figure 2) with 13 articles, pilose, articles subcylindrical, flagellomeres 1 and 2 subequal in length, club consisting of seven flagellomeres, with rhinaria. Malar spaces smooth, without conical protuberances. Malar sulci simple.

Mesosoma (Figures 4, 5) stout. Pronotal plate (Figure 3) wide, posterior half with a row of setae, lateral foveae open; posterior margin with three emarginations. Sides of pronotum (Figure 4) convex, with a pubescent area on the upper half of the ventral margin (beneath pronotal plate), with longitudinal carinae. Mesoscutum strongly convex in profile. Medial mesoscutal keel (Figure 5) prominent, continuous across entire mesoscutum, parapsidal ridges with scarcely parapsidal hair line. Parascutal impressions incomplete, broad, aligned anteriorly with pronotal carinae. Notauli absent. Scutellar foveae (Figure 5) longer than wide, large, subtriangular. Lateral bars smooth, ventral lobe present. Dorsal surface of scutellum areolate, margined laterally, straight posteriorly. Laterodorsal and posterior projections present, reduced. Scutellar plate small, suboval, posterior margin rounded, dorsal surface smooth, quite elevated, midpit placed close posterior margin of plate. Upper part and lower part of mesopleuron (Figure 4) smooth, glabrous; mesopleural carina simple; subalar pit subcircular, small; mesopleural triangle defined. Metapleuron sculptured, anteroventral cavity subcircular, small, setose. Forewings (Figure 6) hyaline, dusky at base, punctuate, apical margin with hair fringe; marginal cell very deep, open anteriorly. Metacoxae (Figure 7) with a band of setae along the posterior margin. Lateral propodeal carinae without protuberances.

Metasoma (Figure 4) sessile; distally smooth, micropunctures absent; hairy ring at base of syntergum interrupted dorsally, remainder of metasoma glabrous.

Distribution. Neotropical region: Nicaragua, Brazil and Argentina. According to the biogeography scheme of Cabrera & Willink (1980), this distribution belongs to the biogeographic provinces Pacifica, del Cerrado and Atlantica (Amazonico Domain) and Pampeana (Chaqueño Domain).

Biology. The group of genera to which Paradettmeria belongs is associated with Diptera : Tephritoidea; members of Lopheucoila are parasitoids of Lonchaeidae and Tephritidae ( Buffington, 2009; Gallardo et al., 2009; Wharton et al. 1998), and specimens of Dettmeria have been reared from Otitidae ( Borgmeier, 1935; Valicente, 1986; Buffington, 2009). The only included species in Paradettmeria was reared from Lonchaeidae . The hosts of Penteucoila are unknown ( Buffington, 2009).

Remarks. Paradettmeria is closely related to the genera Dettmeria , Tropideucoila , Lopheucoila and Penteucoila . Differs from Dettmeria for having antennal articles pilose, female antennae with conspicuous club; internal orbital furrows straight, and the dorsal surface of scutellum with irregular-areolate, margined laterally, straight posteriorly, laterodorsal and posterior projections reduced.

Paradettmeria differs from Tropideucoila by internal orbital furrows straight, genal carinae smooth, female antennae with conspicuous club; parapsidal ridges with scarcely parapsidal hair line, scutellar foveae longer than wide, large, subtriangular, scutellar plate with dorsal surface smooth; marginal cell of forewings very deep. Differs from Penteucoila in the internal orbital furrows, originating from the external side of the torulus; female antennae with conspicuous club; parapsidal ridges with scarce parapsidal hair line, prominent in the middle, evanescent in the anterior and posterior part of mesoscutum; scutellar plate smooth, without teeth; marginal cell open only anteriorly, very deep and metasoma distally smooth, micropunctures absent. The main characters that differentiate this new genus from Lopheucoila are: transversal section antennal articles subcircular, female antennae with conspicuous club; scutellar plate smooth, without teeth; forewings dusky at base, marginal cell open only anteriorly, very deep, base of metasoma without distinct dorsoventral impressions, distally smooth, micropunctures absent.