Camptoptera punctum (Shaw) Huber, John T., 2011

Huber, John T., 2011, The generic placement and identity of Ichneumon punctum Shaw (Hymenoptera, Mymaridae), and designation of a neotype, Journal of Hymenoptera Research 20, pp. 47-63 : 54-57

Camptoptera punctum (Shaw) comb. n. Figs 1, 4, 5

Ichneumon punctum Shaw 1798: 189 (description), 192 (plate 18, fig. 1, illustration); Soyka 1949: 301 (discussion of type species).

Anaphes punctum ; Haliday 1833: 341 (footnote), 346 (generic transfer); Westwood 1840: 78 (listed as ‘typical’ species), 169 (reference to body size); Dalla Torre 1898: 424 (catalogue); Ashmead 1904: 363 (type species of Anaphes ); Schmiedeknecht 1909: 499 (list); Gahan and Fagan 1923: 12 (genotypes of Anaphes ); Debauche 1948: 55 (mention); Debauche 1949: 6 (mention); Kryger 1950: 6 (repetition of Westwood’s diagnosis), 40 (repetition of Shaw’s description); ICZN 1965: 82 (Official List); Bouček and Graham 1978: 110 (British list); Graham 1982: 204. (All incorrect generic placement); Huber 1992: 26 (suggested type species change), 31 (type species of Anaphes ), 76 (list). (incorrect generic placements.)

Mymar punctum ; Curtis 1929: 112 (list); Curtis 1932: folio 411 (type species of Mymar [in the broadest sense, i.e., equal to Mymaridae]); Soyka 1949: 301 (discussion of Curtis’ designation of type species), 311 (mention of slide-mounted specimen identified as punctum). Soyka 1955: 470 (redescription, "typisches Stück” designation). (All incorrect generic placements.)

Etymology.

The specific epithet, punctum, is a noun in apposition whose meaning is ‘dot’ or ‘point’, undoubtedly as Shaw intended, so it retains its neuter ending. If treated as an adjective with a feminine ending (puncta) it would have a different meaning ( Brown 1978), unintended by Shaw.

Neotype

female (BMNH), here designated. The specimen is critical point dried, in excellent condition, mounted dorsal side up on a card and labelled (Fig. 4) 'England: Hants. Romsey, Awbridge ix.1981 C. Vardy’. A red label reading 'NEOTYPE ♀ Ichneumon punctum Shaw des. Huber 2009' has been added to the specimen.

A neotype is designated because the species is unrecognizable and yet it is currently accepted as type species of the genus Anaphes . The neotype is designated specifically to clarify the taxonomic status of the species. In order to provide nomenclatural stability the ICZN will be petitioned to formally transfer punctum to its correct genus but this requires that the species be objectively identifiable.

The species description below emphasizes features that can be compared directly with Shaw’s illustration, particularly proportions of body, wings and antennae. Shaws’ drawing has approximately the following proportions: antenna 1.4 × body length, clava as long as apical 3 or 4 funicle segments and 0.6 or 0.7 × funicle length, depending on which one is measured, mps extending almost length of clava, fore wing marginal setae about 3 × wing width. Structures on the neotype were examined and measured at up to 200 × magnification, as much as eight times the magnification that Shaw could have effectively used.

Diagnosis.

Besides Camptoptera punctum , only two other British species of Camptoptera are recorded: Camptoptera papaveris Förster and Camptoptera saintpierrei ( Bouček and Graham, 1978) A fourth species from the United Kington is newly reported here: Camptoptera foersteri Girault. Camptoptera punctum (Figs 1, 4, 5) differs from Camptoptera foersteri (Figs 2, 3, 9-13) by funicle segment 1 relatively longer, mesoscutum (entire mesosoma as well) shorter and wider, pronotum and metanotum not visible in dorsal view, notauli faint, becoming evanescent posteriorly, and petiole with a lateral lamella. Camptoptera aula Debauche, syn. n., is placed here in synonymy under Camptoptera foersteri . A specimen of Cis sp., probably boleti Scopoli ( Coleoptera : Ciidae ) [det. P. Bouchard, CNC) is card mounted with 20 males and females of Camptoptera foersteri (each on its own card), suggesting that this beetle is the host whose eggs are parasitized by the mymarid. Camptoptera punctum appears to differ from Camptoptera papaveris Förster bythe relatively wider fore wing and, apparently the much more weakly concave occiput. Förster’s original description of Camptoptera (the morphological features of Camptoptera papaveris are given only in the generic description) and Soyka’s (1961: 82) redescription of papaveris based on a specimen from Holland, are not very satisfactory to define the species. The type is represented by a fragment only. The species identity and definite distinguishing features from Camptoptera punctum cannot be determined here. Girault (1909) redescribed what he though was Camptoptera papaveris from a beautiful preparation by F. Enock (Figs 6-8) but then ( Girault 1915) decided it represented a new species, which he named Camptoptera saintpierrei . Camptoptera saintpierrei differs from Camptoptera punctum by having funicle segment 1 almost as long as segment 2 (Fig. 6), a slightly narrower and less curved fore wing (Fig. 6), and narrower mesosoma with the scutellum longitudinally striate (Fig. 7) instead of reticulate.

Description.

Colour .Body very dark brown, shiny (Fig. 4). Face and gena lighter brown than vertex. Eye and ocelli silvery grey. Scape brown dorsally, yellow laterally and ventrally, pedicel yellowish with some brown laterally and ventrally, flagellum light brown. Legs light brown except coxae brown, femurotibial joints, apical half of tibiae, and tarsi yellowish. Fore wing with humeral plate light yellow, submarginal vein light brown, and marginal vein brown. Wing membrane with a narrow, distinct brown border along anterior margin, around wing apex, and along posterior margin in apical fifth (as measured from apex of venation).

Head. About 2.1 × as long as wide and 1.1 × as high as wide, in dorsal view with anterior margin only slightly convex, posterior margin distinctly concave, and occiput sharply margined. Eye round, only slightly longer than malar space. Ocelli elliptical, in low triangle with OOL:POL:LOL = 10:60:25. Vertex with faint transverse striate-reticulate sculpture, with 2 short white setae between posterior ocelli, and 2 between eye orbit and dorsal trabeculae. Face with 4 pairs of white setae: 2 between and below toruli, and 2 below level of ventral margin of eye.

Antenna. Antenna almost 1.3 × body length. Scape with 5 short, blunt setae dorsally and 1 longer seta ventrally. Pedicel with 2 short blunt seta dorsally and apparently 2 ventrally. Flagellum almost 0.8 × antennal length, clava 0.4 × funicle length, as long as the 3 apical funicle segments together, and, in certain lights, a thin, white longitudinal multiporous plate sensillum about 0.7 × claval length clearly visible (Fig. 4, right antenna).

Mesosoma. Pronotum and metanotum in dorsal view not visible except slightly laterally (Figs 4, 5). Mesoscutum with notauli faint, becoming evanescent posteriorly; mesoscutum, scutellum and frenum with faint, raised isodiametric reticulation, on scutellum more or less isodiametric anteromedially, becoming distinctly elongate anterolaterally. Axilla with short but distinct white seta. Propodeum with widely spaced, straight, submedian carinae diverging anteriorly at metanotum, with the area between covered with minute spicules. Propodeal seta white, near posterolateral angle of propodeum.

Wings. Fore wing with about 30 microtrichia medially on membrane, about 6 in one longitudinal, median row beginning about 0.2 × wing length beyond apex of venation and the remainder in two irregular rows thereafter, extending to wing apex. Longest marginal setae about 4.2 × maximum wing width.

Metasoma.Petiole 0.5 × as long as greatest width, with a light brown lateral flange at anterior margin about 0.3 × petiole width and with an apical seta as long as the flange itself. Gaster cone shaped, smooth and shiny, with gastral tergum 1 almost vertical, tergum 2-8 horizontal or almost so, with up to 3 pairs of decumbent, lateral or sublateral white setae on dorsal surface. Cerci white, curved, not extending past apex of gaster.

Measurements(in micrometers). Body length 480. Fore wing length 700 and width 60, longest marginal cilia 250. Head width 155 and length 75, mesosoma length 190 and width 160, petiole length 20 and width 45, gaster length 210 and width 185. Total length of antenna 580 (605 by adding measurements of individual segments). Antennal segments (length/width): scape 95/23, pedicel 40/20, fl1 55/10, fl2 5/10, fl3 85/10, fl4 50/10, fl5 53/10, fl6 48/15, fl7 45/15, clava 135/25.