Phasgonophora baiocchii Soliman & Gul, 2020

Gul, Muhammad Athar, Soliman, Ahmed Mostafa, Gadallah, Neveen Samy, Al Dhafer, Hathal Mohammed & Delvare, Gerard, 2020, The genus Phasgonophora Westwood, 1832 (Hymenoptera, Chalcididae) in Saudi Arabia: re-evaluation of its limits and description of three new species, Journal of Hymenoptera Research 76, pp. 1-38 : 1

publication ID	https://dx.doi.org/10.3897/jhr.76.38340
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:8C7E1DDE-BCFA-47C0-A38D-18458AD9221E
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/75C97023-EFBA-437E-A031-23A13760231B
taxon LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:act:75C97023-EFBA-437E-A031-23A13760231B
treatment provided by	Journal of Hymenoptera Research by Pensoft
scientific name	Phasgonophora baiocchii Soliman & Gul
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

Phasgonophora baiocchii Soliman & Gul sp. nov.

Figs 3A-E View Figure 3 , 4A-E View Figure 4 , 5A-D View Figure 5 , 6A-C View Figure 6

Type material.

Holotype ♀: Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Riyadh, Ad Diriyah, Al Uyaynah, Wadi Al Hesiyah (40 NW of Riyadh) [24°55'22.44"N, 46°12'15.13"E, Alt. 790 m], 8.IV.2017, reared from Anthaxia sp. ( Buprestidae ), e.l. Acacia , leg. D. Baiocchi [KSMA]; Paratype 1♂, same data as for holotype [KSMA].

Diagnosis.

Body mostly red; fore wing hyaline with white setation (Fig. 4C View Figure 4 ); setation on body and wings sparse and short (Figs 3A-C, E View Figure 3 , 4C View Figure 4 ); flagellomeres moderately long (Fig. 3D View Figure 3 ); clava 1-segmented in both sexes (Figs 3D View Figure 3 , 6B View Figure 6 ); mesoscutellum moderately convex, truncate anteriorly ((Fig. 4A View Figure 4 ); propodeal spiracular tooth absent (Figs 4A View Figure 4 , 6C View Figure 6 ); fore wing setation sparse and very short, distributed on both sides without line of setae on Rs (Fig. 4C View Figure 4 ); Gt1 dorsally smooth (Fig. 5A View Figure 5 ); syntergum 0.276 × as long as mesotibia (Fig. 5A, B View Figure 5 ).

Etymology.

This species is dedicated to Daniele Baiocchi, who reared this species from Anthaxia spp. ( Buprestidae ) infesting Acacia sp. ( Fabaceae ).

Condition of holotype.

Specimen glued on rectangular card, metasoma glued separately. Head and mesosoma partly covered with a thin artifactual layer in bottom of areoles, appearing artificially dull rather than glossy by places; second to fifth terga with sides wide apart from each other, probably resulting from immersion in some medium.

Description of holotype

♀: Body length 5.0 mm. Colour. Body reddish brown; antennal scape and pedicel, anellus and basal half of F1 reddish (Fig. 3D View Figure 3 ), the rest of flagellum dark brown, almost black (Fig. 3D View Figure 3 ); mandibular teeth black (Fig. 3B View Figure 3 ); palpi brown; mesoscutellum apically and metanotum dark (Fig. 3E View Figure 3 ); wings hyaline (Fig. 4C View Figure 4 ), SMV testaceous, MGV, STV and PMV dark brown (Fig. 4C View Figure 4 ); tegula brownish; all legs reddish, but tarsi testaceous; metafemur with black teeth on ventral margin (Fig. 4E View Figure 4 ); metasoma reddish brown (Fig. 5A, B View Figure 5 ), tip of ovipositor sheaths black (Fig. 5B View Figure 5 ).

Head (Fig. 3A-C View Figure 3 ). Slightly wider than maximal width of mesosoma; with sparse, short and thin setae; vertex and frons densely punctured (Fig. 3A, B View Figure 3 ), lower face and especially gena sparsely punctured, with interspaces as large as punctures on its mesal surface; lower face and frons strongly convex, without preorbital ridges (Fig. 3B View Figure 3 ); both mandibles 3-toothed, teeth of same length, somewhat blunt at apex (Fig. 3B View Figure 3 ); clypeus roundly protruding at free margin (Fig. 3B View Figure 3 ); tentorial pits well visible (Fig. 3B View Figure 3 ); genal carina strongly raised (Fig. 3C View Figure 3 ); scrobal cavity completely transversely strigose, reaching median ocellus (Fig. 3B View Figure 3 ); lateral margins of depression slightly converging dorsally; interantennal projection as wide as diameter of antennal torulus, subtriangular, and with punctulate front surface, with sharp carina above it, 0.33 × as long as scape (Fig. 3B View Figure 3 ); occiput vertically strigulose behind ocellar triangle, punctured laterally (Fig. 3A View Figure 3 ).

Antenna (Fig. 3D View Figure 3 ). Apex of scape reaching level of median ocellus; pedicel 1.58 × as long as wide, without basal bottle neck; anellus hardly transverse, tapering basally; flagellomeres pubescent, bearing numerous, not raised, multiporous plate sensilla in several intricate rows; F1 somewhat tapering basally, 1.59 × as long as wide, slightly longer than each of F2 and F3; clava 1-segmented, conical, not much longer than F7 and very narrowly truncate at apex.

Mesosoma (Figs 3E View Figure 3 , 4A, B View Figure 4 ). Slightly convex in lateral view (Fig. 4B View Figure 4 ), pronotum and mesonotum bearing short thin setae, adpressed on pronotum and suberect on mesonotum (Fig. 3E View Figure 3 ); pronotum entirely punctured, its dorsal outline regularly convex, without median depression (Fig. 3E View Figure 3 ); lateral panel with oblique crenulae ventrally; mesonotum cristate-punctured, the transverse crests moderately raised (Fig. 4B View Figure 4 ); notauli not much impressed (Fig. 3E View Figure 3 ); tegula bearing three very short setae basally; mesoscutellum short, convex in lateral view (Fig. 4B View Figure 4 ), truncate anteriorly as the axillae are widely separated, broadly rounded at apex, with fine longitudinal carinae; postscutellum as trapezoidal areola with secondary sculpture (Fig. 3E View Figure 3 ); propodeum not much sloping, without anterolateral spiracular tooth (Figs 3E View Figure 3 , 4A View Figure 4 ), with irregular costula and poorly delimited median areola; mesepisternum with mesodiscrimen as faint carina dorsally, bifurcate ventrally delimiting a shallow fovea (Fig. 4A View Figure 4 ); epicnemial carina strongly raised at mid-height, moderately raised ventrally (Fig. 4B View Figure 4 ); ventral shelf virtually smooth; adscrobal area of mesepisternum, entire mesepimeron and metepimeron with dense setiferous punctures, the setae are short and adpressed as on pronotum (Fig. 4B View Figure 4 ); femoral scrobe of mesopleuron entirely strigose (Fig. 4B View Figure 4 ).

Wings (Fig. 4C View Figure 4 ). Fore wing lacking marginal fringe, with microtrichiae on both sides, MGV 0.35 × as long as SMV, PMV 0.20 × as long as MGV, STV slightly longer than PMV; hind wing with three similar closely set hamuli.

Legs (Fig. 4D, E View Figure 4 ). Procoxa deeply depressed anteriorly, the depression delimited laterodorsally by strongly raised carina (Fig. 4D View Figure 4 ). Protibia with thin apicodorsal socketed spine (Fig. 4D View Figure 4 ). Mesotibia without dorsal pegs. Hind leg bearing sparse, thin and suberect setae on ventral side of coxa, femur and tibia (Fig. 4E View Figure 4 ); metafemur sparsely punctulate on outer side, its ventral margin with a row of 11 regularly distributed equal teeth, basal tooth not prominent, no basal inner tooth (Fig. 4E View Figure 4 ). All tarsi thin, bearing slender claws.

Metasoma (Fig. 5A, B View Figure 5 ). Petiole quite transverse in dorsal view, ventral surface virtually smooth. Gaster short, only slightly longer than mesosoma; Gt1 2.6 × as wide as long, as long as Gt2 and Gt3 combined, smooth on disc, solely with a row of three thin and short setae on either side (Fig. 5A View Figure 5 ); Gt2-5 smooth, except for the setiferous punctures in front of their posterior margin, laterally with a complete row of setae and a partial row in front of it (Fig. 5A View Figure 5 ); penultimate tergite entirely densely and deeply punctured, with three rows of setiferous punctures, spaces between punctures smooth and shiny; spiracle very small, hardly visible at lateral edge of punctured surface as its peritreme is not raised; syntergum very short, only 0.276 × as long as mesotibia, its basal part, in front of cercal plates (Fig. 5B View Figure 5 ); extremely short, median ridge present; tergum coarsely punctured laterally; sternites smooth and bare; tip of hypopygium at about half length of gaster.

Male (Figs 5C, D View Figure 5 , 6A-C View Figure 6 ). Length 4.2 mm; similar to female except for the following characters: black parts better expanded especially on occiput, pronotum and mesonotum; scape bright reddish brown (Fig. 6B View Figure 6 ); head less transverse in dorsal view with anterior outline of frons more convex and temples relatively longer (Fig. 5C View Figure 5 ), gena mostly smooth, with very sparse punctures (Fig. 6A View Figure 6 ); frons with faint preorbital ridges, carina above interantennal projection almost reaching dorsal margin of scrobal depression (Fig. 5D View Figure 5 ); scape fusiform, 3.4 × as long as wide, anellus transverse, strongly tapering basally (Fig. 6B View Figure 6 ).

Recognition.

None of the described Phasgonophora from the Afrotropical region have the short syntergum exhibited by P. baoicchii . Considering the Oriental species, the species would run, using Narendran (1989), either to Trigonura steffani Narendran, or T. javensis Narendran, 1987. The first species (holotype examined) is quite different, especially the deeply impressed notauli and the strongly convex mesoscutellum. In the second species (holotype examined), the lower face has a differentiate median strip similar to that of Muhattebella , and fore wing bears dark setae among other characters. From this species group, especially in P. euthyrrhinii , the type species of Chalcidiella , P. baiocchii differs from all species examined by the non-segmented clava, the mesodiscrimen, not raised as median crest, and the white setae of the fore wing versus clava 3-segmented, mesodiscrimen raised as a carina dorsally and fore wing setation dark.

Distribution.

Only known from Saudi Arabia, in Riyadh Region (Fig. 17 View Figure 17 ).

Host.

Anthaxia (Haplanthaxia) abdita Bílý, 1982 and A. (H.) kneuckeri ssp. zabranskyi Bílý, 1995 ( Coleoptera , Buprestidae ).