Conostigmus xui Cui and Wang, 2023

Cui, Shanshan, Li, Fang, Huang, Yixin, Huang, Xuanzhi, Wang, Xu & Zhu, Chaodong, 2023, Description of a new species of Conostigmus Dahlbom, 1858 (Hymenoptera: Megaspilidae) from China, Zootaxa 5315 (1), pp. 71-76 : 72-75

Conostigmus xui Cui and Wang sp. nov.

Material examined. Holotype: male, China: Guangdong, Nanling Protection station , 24°55.723′N, 113°00.974′E, elevation 1,200 m, yellow pan traps; 16–17.V.2011; Z. Xu leg (deposited in AHNU) . Paratypes: 9 males. ( IZCAS) • 4 males; Guangdong, Nanling Protection Station , sweeping nets; 21–25.IV.2011; H. Chen leg.; ( AHNU) • 3 males; Guangdong, Nanling Protection Station , yellow pan traps; 16–17.V.2011; Z. Xu leg.; ( SYSBM) • 2 males; Guangdong, Nanling Protection station , yellow pan traps; 16–17.V.2011; Z. Xu leg.

Diagnosis. This new species can be differentiated from other Conostigmus species by the combination of the following characters: facial sulcus absent; mesopleural suture straight and adjoining the mesopleural pit anteriorly; scutellum conspicuously bordered laterally and apically by strong foveae; sternaulus present; harpe slightly longer than gonostipes, apex of harpe blunt with long setae; median of gonossiculus with two dark patches. This species has very long harpe similar to C. difformis , C. pulchellus (Nearctic only) and C. abdominalis , but it is clearly distinct from those species because it lacks the facial sulcus.

Description.

Male: Body length: 2.2−3.0 mm.

Coloration ( Fig. 1 ): Cranium, mesosoma and metasoma black. Mandibles reddish brown and palps yellow. Scape, pedicel and flagellum matte black. Coxa of fore, mid and hind legs black to brown; rest of legs brown. Syntergum black. Pterostigma dark brown; costal vein and radial vein dark brown; marginal fringes of wings brown. Body pubescence brown. Male genitalia brownish yellow.

Head ( Fig. 1D, E ): About 1.2× wider than mesosoma. HH: EHf = 1.9–2.2. HH: HL= 1.3–1.4. HW: IOS = 1.6– 1.7. HW: HH = 1.1–1.2. OOL: POL = 1.3–1.4. OOL: LOL = 2.3–2.6. POL: LOL = 1.6–2.0. Head (anterior view) oval, coriaceous with pubescence. Ocelli forming an obtuse triangle with slightly wide base; ocellar foveae present, foveae width approximately equal to ocellus diameter. Preoccipital furrow distinct, crenulate, extending to ocellar triangle. Preoccipital lunula present. Compound eyes oval and covered in pubescence. Frons with sparse hairs, with dense pubescence at gena. Interantennal carina present.

Antennae ( Fig. 1A ): Scape elongated, more than four times longer than wide; pedicel small and almost globular, length almost equal to width. Scape length vs. pedicel length: 4.3–5.0. Longest flagellomere: F1; scape length vs. F1 length: 1.1−1.2. F1 length vs. F2 length: 1.1−1.2. F3 length almost equal to F4; F7 length almost equal to F8; F3 longer than F7 length. Length of pubescence on flagellomere vs. flagellomere width: pubescence length shorter than width of flagellomeres.

Mesosoma ( Fig. 1B, D ): Mesosoma slightly narrow (1.3× longer than wide) (Length/width/height = 750/563/629 μm); coriaceous in sculpture, densely pubescent. Pronotum not elongate. Anterior mesoscutal width vs. posterior mesoscutal width: AscW/PscW = 0.8−0.9. Mesoscutum 1.1× longer than wide (mesoscutum Length/width = 675/600 μm). Transscutal articulation evident, dividing mesonotum into two parts: mesoscutum and scutellaraxillar complex. Median mesoscutal sulcus complete and adjacent to the transscutal articulation; notauli angulated anteriorly and converging posteriorly, deeply foveolate; notauli adjacent to the transscutal articulation; mesoscutal humeral sulcus present; scutoscutellar sulcus angled medially, foveolate. Scutellum 1.25× longer than wide, limited by a strongly faveolate edge; scutellum smooth with numerous hairs. Anteromedian projection of the metanoto— propodeo—metapecto—mesopectal complex present. Lateral propodeal carina shape: inverted “Y”. Metapleural area subtrapezoidal. Sternaulus present, sternaulus length: mesopleuron length = 0.6−0.7. Mesopleural suture shape: straight, anterior of suture circular.

Wing ( Fig. 1F ): Total wing length 2.0− 2.5 mm. Translucent with considerable infuscation below the radius and pterostigma. Pterostigma semi-elliptical, length vs. width: 2.7. Radius (409 μm), a little curved in the middle, longer (1.6×) than pterostigma. Forewing with translucent stripes and dense pubescence; wing marginal hairs length longer than inner; hind wing without vein.

Metasoma ( Fig. 1G ): Metasoma 1.5× longer than wide (Length/width/height = 1000/603/500 μm). Syntergum with five distinct gastral carinae, reaching 1/4 of syntergum length; syntergal translucent patch transverse. Rest of tergites smooth, but with sparse hairs on both sides.

Male genitalia ( Fig. 2 ): Harpe length slightly longer than gonostipes, with numerous long and slender apical setae; harpe orientation: medial; harpe shape: simple and not bilobed, distal margin of harpe blunt; lateral setae of harpe present, but sparse. Parossiculus not fused. Gonostipes longer than wide, not fused with parossiculus. Penisvalva curved proximally. Gonossiculus and gonossiculus spine present; apical parossiculal setae present; median of gonossiculus with two dark patches.

Female: Unknown.

Distribution. China (Guangdong).

Etymology. The species name is named after the collector, Professor Zaifu Xu.

Comments. In the key to Nearctic species ( Trietsch et al., 2020), this species can be sorted to the couplet C. muratorei Trietsch, 2020 . However, it differs from C. muratorei by having a sternaulus.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Conostigmus xui Cui and Wang sp. nov., male, holotype. A. Habitus, lateral view; B. Mesosoma, lateral view; C. Habitus, dorsal view; D. Head and mesosoma, dorsal view; E. Head, anterior view; F. Wings; G. Metasoma, dorsal view.

FIGURE 2. Genitala of holotype of Conostigmus xui Cui and Wang sp. nov., male. A. Ventral view; B. Dorsal view.