Fidiobia pronotata Szabó, 1958

details, Publication, authors, including instructions for, information, subscription, http, www. tandfonline. com, loi & tnah 20, 2010, The West Palaearctic species of Fidiobia Ashmead, 1894 (Hymenoptera: Platygastroidea), Journal of Natural History 44 (19 - 20), pp. 1131-1164 : 1155-1157

Fidiobia pronotata Szabó, 1958

( Figures 6A , 8H , 10B )

Fidiobia pronotata Szabó, 1958: 459 ; Kozlov, 1978: 656.

Diagnosis

OOL 0.7 times length of diameter of posterior ocellus; antenna nine-segmented; pronotum strongly developed, clearly visible in dorsal view. Mesoscutum with areolate– rugulose sculpture, the same as on the head; 1.6–1.8 times as long as scutellum and 1.8 times as long as pronotum; notauli incomplete, abbreviate anteriorly, gradually dilated posteriorly; T2 smooth, shiny, glabrous, without visible sculpture, with two large depressions anterolaterally; length of T2 1.3 times width; female brachypterous.

Description

Female: body size: 0.9–1 mm. Colour: body black; first metasomal tergite with brown tint. Antenna: A1–A6 yellow; A7–A9 dark brown. Legs, including coxae, yellow.

Head transverse, width 2.1–2.3 times length, 1.2–1.3 times width of mesosoma. In frontal view, height of head 0.8 times width. Vertex and occiput areolate–rugulose. Temple sculptured as the vertex. Compound eye large, glabrous. Width of eye 2.8–3.5 times width of temple. Eye height 1–1.1 times width of eye. OOL 0.7 times diameter of posterior ocellus. POL 1.8 times LOL. Frons without frontal depression, sculptured as vertex and temple. Gena without malar sulcus and not striate, sculptured as temple.

Mandibles bidentate; palpal formula 1: 1.

Antenna of females nine-segmented: Length of A1 3 times width and 3.4 times length of A2. Length of A2 1.8 times width and twice length of A3. A3 as wide as A4. Length of A3 1.1 times length of A4. A4 quadrate. Length of A4 1.3 times length of A5. A5 transverse, width of A5 1.3 times length. A5 of almost equal length and width as A6. Length of A7 2.3 times length of A6. Width of A7 1.6 times length and 2.3 times width of A6. A8 as wide as A7, 1.1 times as short as A7. Length of A9 1.3 times width and 1.6 times length of A8.

Mesosoma: length 1.1–1.3 times width; width 1.5 times height.

Pronotum large, clearly visible in dorsal view. Mesoscutum with areolate–rugulose sculpture, similar to that of the head, 1.6–1.8 times as long as scutellum and 1.8 times as long as pronotum. Notauli incomplete, abbreviate anteriorly, gradually dilated posteriorly. Width of scutellum 2.5–2.7 times length, strongly flattened, with lateral keels, smooth and shiny.

Female brachypterous. Forewing shortened, almost covered T1, lacking venation, covered with long and scattered microtrichiae. Length of forewing 3.2 times width, 1.3 times width of mesosoma.

Metascutellum weakly defined, hardly visible in dorsal view. Propodeum medially with two short parallel keels, covered with a short, silvery pilosity, 0.6 times as long as scutellum.

Pronotal groove glabrous; side of pronotum with smooth sculpture, glabrous. Mesopleuron with shallow, smooth and shiny mesopleural depression; below tegula with parallel ridges. Sternaulus sculptured as side of pronotum. Metapleuron covered with thick, short, silvery setae, except a small triangular area in anteromedian part near posterior part of mesopleuron. In some specimens metapleuron is completely covered by setae.

Metasoma: length 1.9–2.1 times length of mesosoma, 1.9–2 times width; composed of six externally visible terga. Some of the last four tergites may be telescoped under large T2.

T1 convex, with distinct medial prominence and with trace of longitudinal costae, width of T1 1.9–3 times length, laterally of medial prominence with two depressions. Ratio between maximum and minimum width of T1 2.1–2.5.

T2 smooth, shiny, glabrous, without visible sculpture, with two large depressions anterolaterally; length of T2, 3.1–4.6 times length of T1 and 1.3 times its own width. Ratio between maximum and minimum width of T2 1.2–1.3.

Hosts Unknown.

Distribution

Palaearctic: Hungary ( Vlug 1995; Szabo 1958); Moldavia (Kozlov 1987); Romania ( Popovici 2005).

Material examined

Romania: one female 26 August 2004 Vadu (44°28′21.54′′ N, 28°48′23.03′′ E) (leg. O. Popovici) (sweep net) ; one female 17 September 2003, Botanical Garden, Iasi (47°11′09.61′′ N, 27°33′04.31′′ E), (sweep net), (leg. O. Popovici) .

Remarks

A very distinct species with pronotum very well developed. Probably the development of pronotum is a direct consequence of brachyptery. The structure of T1 makes this species similar to F. rugosifrons . It is the only species of Fidiobia from Europe with veinless forewings.

Figures

Figure 6. Habitus in (A) Fidiobia pronotata; (B) Fidiobia rugosifrons, scale bars 0.1 mm

Figure 8. Antenna: (A) Fidiobia gordoni female; (B) Fidiobia hispanica female; (C) F. hispanica male; (D) Fidiobia synergorum female; (E) F. synergorum female, teratological case; (F) F. synergorum male; (G) Fidiobia polita female; (H) Fidiobia pronotata female; (I) Fidiobia rugosifrons female; (J) F. rugosifrons male; (K) Fidiobia hofferi female, scale bars 0.1 mm.

Figure 10. Forewing: (A) Fidiobia polita; (B) Fidiobia pronotata; (C) Fidiobia rugosifrons; (D) Fidiobia hofferi, scale bars 0.1 mm.