Eurytoma cristata, 2014

Delvare, Gérard, Gebiola, Marco, Zeiri, Asma & Garonna, A. P., 2014, Revision and phylogeny of the European species of the Eurytoma morio species group (Hymenoptera: Eurytomidae), parasitoids of bark and wood boring beetles, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 171 (2), pp. 370-421 : 390-392

EURYTOMA CRISTATA DELVARE SP. NOV.

( FIGS 14A–I , 15A–C )

Type material

Holotype ♀. France: Pyrénées Orientales, Thiès-entre- Valls , Gorges de la Carança , 1150 m a.s.l., 42°30′05″N, 02°13′55″E, on a dead branch of Fraxinus excelsior L., 1753, 21.vi.2005 (G. Delvare) (in MHNG) . Paratypes. France: Hérault , Saint-Jean-de-Buèges, 220 m, 43°49′43″N, 03°37′38″E, on a dead branch of Coryllus avenella L., 1753, 15.viii.2002 (G. Delvare) (1 ♀, in GDPC); Tarn, Nages, 1 km S Villelongue, 880 m a.s.l., 43°37′41″N, 02°45′52″E, on a dead trunk of Quercus , 27.vii.2006 (G. Delvare) (1 ♂, in GDPC) .

Diagnosis

Head long and globose, 1.65–1.70 times as wide as long. Lower with radiating crest reaching above antennal toruli. Setation dense and fairly thick. Walls of punctures strongly raised on mesonotum, forming transverse crests on pronotum. Notauli obliterated by the sculpture of the mesoscutum. Metacoxa densely setose dorsally from base. Lower surface of costal cell bearing numerous setae, leaving a posterior stripe bare. Marginal vein thickened, 4.30 times as long as wide. Syntergum distinctly longer than GT6 on median line. Ovipositor evidently ascending. Male scape with large area of reticulate sculpture.

Female

Body length 4.15 mm. Body, coxae, femora, tibiae, apices of mandibles and ovipositor black. Trochanters, knees, and tarsi reddish–testaceous. Rest of mandibles reddish. Scape reddish with broad blackish spot dorsally. Pedicel and flagellum dark brown. Setation of forewing entirely dark. Veins brown.

Head. Vertex mostly punctured, narrowly coriaceous around lateral ocelli. OOL from slightly smaller to somewhat greater than diameter of lateral ocellus. Temples merging to occiput without angle. Head 1.20 times as wide as high, roundish in frontal view, with outline of genae clearly convex. Genae with large, almost smooth stripe behind malar sulcus. Clypeus depressed but weakly emarginate on ventral margin. Malar space 0.85 times as long as width of oral fossa and 0.67 times height of eyes. Eyes separated by 1.24 times their own height.

Antenna. Scape linear. Funicular segment fusiform, all longer than wide, decreasing in length and bearing numerous MPS. Clava narrowly rounded at apex.

Mesosoma 1.82 times as long as wide. Setation short, appressed and fine, all setae reclinate. Pronotum long, 1.25 times as long as mesoscutum. Scutellum 0.97 times as long as wide. Propodeum with median channel not well delimited, irregularly and coarsely sculptured. Bottom of prepectus smooth, lateral panel separated from sublateral by step-like ridge. Anterior outline of mesepisternum hardly convex.

Appendices. Costal cell 0.4 times as long as forewing. Marginal vein and postmarginal, respectively, 1.61 and 1.44 times as long as the stigmal vein.

Metasoma. Petiole fairly long, with blunt mediodorsal ridge. Gaster compressed laterally. Dorsal outline of GT6 straight to slightly concave.

Male

Body length 2.25 mm. Pedicel long. Funicular segments elongate. F2–F4 hardly asymmetric and with short apical peduncles. F5 symmetric and without peduncle.

Etymology

The species name refers to the cristate sculpture of the pronotum.

Recognition

This species is unique within the genus Eurytoma . Its sculpture and habitus are reminiscent of those of the New World genus Bephratoides , which is otherwise quite distinct in the other characters.

Biology. The few specimens were collected on dead branches of various deciduous trees. The species is most probably a parasitoid of wood boring beetles.

Distribution

This is a rare species, only known from Southern France (see Fig. S 10 in Appendix S8).

Figures

Figure 10. A–D, Eurytoma afra: A–C, female; D, male. A, head in frontal view; B, head and pronotum in lateral view; C, head and mesosoma in dorsal view; D, antenna.

Figure 14. A–I, Eurytoma cristata sp. nov. (paratypes): A–H, female; I, male. A, head in frontal view; B, head in dorsal view; C, antenna; D, mesosoma in dorsal view; E, pronotum and mesoscutum in posterolateral view; F, mesosoma in lateral view; G, propodeum; H, apical venation; I, scape.

Figure 15. A–C, Eurytoma cristata sp. nov. (paratypes, continued): A, B, female; C, male. A, gaster in lateral view; B, base of forewing; C, antenna.