Ooderella reticulifrons, Gibson, Gary A. P., 2017

Gibson, Gary A. P., 2017, Revision of world Ooderella Ashmead (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea: Eupelmidae), with description of the first males for the genus, Zootaxa 4289 (1), pp. 1-74 : 32-35

Ooderella reticulifrons n. sp.

Figs 63–71

Type material. Holotype ♀ ( CNC). “ COSTA RICA : Puntarenas, | Monteverde , cloud forest, | clearcut, 1700m, MT | 28.v-1.vi.1988, B.V. Brown / HOLOTYPE | Ooderella | reticulifrons | Gibson ” . Holotype point-mounted by mesosternum; entire; uncontorted.

Paratypes (3♀). Costa Rica . San José, Zurqui de Moravia , 1600m, I–III.1990 (1♀ MZUCR) , VII.1990 (1♀ CNC), IX–X.1993 (1♀ MZUCR), P. Hanson.

Etymology. A combination of the Latin words reticulum (net) and frons (forehead), in reference to the reticulate sculptured frons of females, one of the differentiating features of the species.

Description. FEMALE (habitus: Fig. 67 ). Length = 3.8–[4.1] mm. Head ( Figs 63–65 ) mostly dark brown but lower face with variably extensive green luster and upper face darker with variably distinct and extensive but dark reddish-violaceous lusters under some angles of light; in lateral view ( Fig. 64 ) moderately convex with frontal surface almost uniformly curved but frontovertex longer than lower face such that broadest slightly below middle, about 1.4× as high as long; in frontal view ( Fig. 63 ) about 1.33× as wide as high; in dorsal view ( Fig. 65 ) about 2× as wide as long with interocular distance almost 4× head width, without distinct ocellocular mark, and with OOL: POL: LOL: MPOD = 17: 23: 14: 9. Frontovertex with vertex, ocellar triangle and frons similarly coarsely reticulate to reticulate-punctate ( Figs 63, 65 ), and with dark hairlike setae. Scrobal depression ( Fig. 63 ) transversely Πshaped immediately above interantennal prominence, consisting of meshlike coriaceous-imbricate scrobes above toruli, usually distinct transverse furrow above each scrobe narrowly separated medially above interantennal region, and very short dorsal region of scrobal depression only obscurely differentiated from frons by somewhat more transversely reticulate to reticulate-strigose sculpture; interantennal prominence uniformly convex with subparallel sides so as to be broad dorsally between scrobes ( Fig. 63 ). Interantennal prominence, lower face and parascrobal region to dorsal limit of scrobes with white lanceolate setae. Mandible ( Fig. 63 ) bidentate with acute ventroapical tooth and broad, slightly incurved dorsoapical margin. Labial and maxillary palps brown. Antenna ( Fig. 66 ) dark with variably distinct green luster on scape and at least some flagellomeres, the greenish flagellomeres with more distinctly white and reflective setae (most commonly one or both of fl5 and fl6, Fig. 66 ); length of flagellum + pedicel about 2× head width; scape slightly compressed and curved, similarly slender throughout; length[width] of scape: pedicel: funiculars: clava = 100[20]: 28[14]: 18[11], 44[12], 48[13], 53[17], 36[19], 30[20], 25[21], 23[22]: 69[27].

Mesosoma ( Figs 68–70 ) dark brown except mesoscutal flange yellowish-translucent and outer inclined surface of lateral lobe sometimes slightly lighter brown. Legs similar in color to mesosoma except metacoxa white apically, and trochanters and trochantelli pale, yellowish-brown to white, and knees and meso- and metatarsi also quite obviously paler. Pronotum in dorsal view ( Fig. 65 ) with collar transverse-quadrangular, about 2× as wide as long with anterolateral corners right-angled relative to comparatively poorly differentiated anterior margin, the dorsal surface flat with anterior margin obtusely angled relative to neck on either side of deep mediolongitudinal furrow, and with sparse, inconspicuous pale setae. Mesoscutum ( Fig. 68 ) flat anteriorly and with lateral lobes carinately angled only within about posterior quarter; meshlike reticulate; with inconspicuous posteriorly directed setae of similar color as cuticle except posteromedially with ovate region of dense white lanceolate setae extending to posterior margin, with anterior-most setae directed anteriorly but most setae directed more medially to posteriorly. Scutellar-axillar complex ( Fig. 69 ) 1.45× as long as basal width with hairlike setae of similar color as cuticle along lateral margins of axillae and scutellum; axillae reticulate, elongate-slender; scutellum longitudinally reticulate-strigose, elongate tear-drop shaped, about 2.6× greatest width, with distinctly differentiated, shiny and only obscurely meshlike coriaceous frenal area. Tegula ( Figs 68, 70 ) uniformly covered with dark setae except bare posterolaterally. Fore wing ( Fig. 69 ) extending slightly over base of propodeum to level of spiracle, about 2.2× greatest width, flat, brownish-hyaline; neither costal cell nor submarginal vein extending quite to angulate apical wing margin, with costal cell setose ventrally and submarginal vein with longer though similarly colored setae as sparsely setose membrane behind vein, including more numerous marginal setae within apical half. Mesopleurosternum ( Fig. 70 ) with region of dense white lanceolate setae forming setal tuft anteriorly on acropleuron and mesopectus dorsally, and mesopectus ventral to setal tuft with somewhat more sparsely setose region of ventrally projecting white lanceolate setae plus at most a couple of hairlike white setae anterior of acropleural setal tuft; acropleuron smooth and shiny except finely coriaceous along dorsal and posterior margins. Metacoxa ( Fig. 70 ) densely setose with white lanceolate setae dorsally and ventrolaterally, and with a few white setae medially on outer surface but bare on outer surface basally and apically. Propodeum ( Fig. 69 ) comparatively long with anterior margin much more deeply incurved than posterior margin at midline such that recurved margins contiguous only posteromedially; reticulate to sometimes coriaceous-imbricate laterally, and with a couple of white lanceolate setae anterolaterally anterior to spiracle and with very sparse, more hairlike longer white setae posterolaterally.

Gaster ( Figs 67, 71 ) dorsally white subbasally ( Figs 67, 71 ) and ventrobasally ( Figs 67, 70 ), but otherwise dark brown with at most slight metallic lusters except syntergum bright green to bluish-green under some angles of light other than for brownish-translucent syntergal flange ( Fig. 71 ), and ovipositor sheaths variably extensively brownish-yellow apically; shiny with only very fine, subeffaced coriaceous sculpture and beyond Gt2 with sparse setae of similar color as cuticle in single row across tergites; syntergum ( Fig. 71 ) short, strongly transverse, and bare except for row of dark subapical setae anterior to posteriorly rounded or angulate syntergal flange; ovipositor sheaths extending conspicuously beyond syntergal flange, by distance about equal to 0.5× length of metatibia.

Distribution (Map 1F). Costa Rica.

Remarks. Females of O. reticulifrons are most similar to those of O. hyalipleura and O. hansoni , as discussed under the latter species. Females of O. reticulifrons are most readily differentiated by their entirely, almost uniformly reticulate frontovertex ( Figs 63, 65 ).

Figures

FIGURES 63 – 71. Ooderella reticulifrons n. sp., holotype ♀: 63, head, frontal; 64, head, lateral; 65, head and pronotum, dorsal; 66, antenna; 67, lateral habitus; 68, pronotum and mesoscutum; 69, scutellar-axillar complex to propodeum plus wings; 70, mesosoma, lateral; 71, gaster [insert: syntergum], dorsal.