Phylogenetics and classification of the world genera of Diparinae (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae)
Author
Desjardins, Christopher A.
text
Zootaxa
2007
2007-11-28
1647
1
1
88
https://www.biotaxa.org/Zootaxa/article/view/zootaxa.1647.1.1
journal article
10.11646/zootaxa.1647.1.1
11755334
5103860
9CDBECB7-17F1-4B0B-B577-CE29B34AA89A
Lelaps noortii
Desjardins
,
New Species
(
Fig. 68
)
Type information:
Holotype
female (
SAM
): “
South Africa
, W.
Cape
, Koeberg Nature Reserve,
33°37.62’S
18°24.26’E
,
27 Dec 1997
–
23 Jan 1998
, S. van Noort, KO97-Y158, Yellow Pan Trap (cup), Station 5, West Coast Strandveld dominated by
Euphorbia
and
Rhus
spp.
SAM-HYM-P020997.”
1 paratype female
(
SAM
): same data as
holotype
except “
31 Oct–28 Nov 1997
, KO97-Y111, Yellow Pan Trap (bowl), Station 3. SAM- HYM-P020998.”
Diagnosis:
Lelaps noortii
can be distinguished from the remaining species of
Lelaps
by its posteriorly smooth metacoxa, absence of bristles, and filiform antennae. The remainder of
Lelaps
have transverse striations on the posterior margin of the metacoxa, strong, dark bristles on the vertex and dorsal surface of the mesosoma, and clavate antennae.
Description: Female.
1.9 mm
.
Color:
Brownish black with metallic green and blue highlights, with the following exceptions: Scape, pedicel brownish orange, flagellum brown, eyes grey, scutellum metallic yellowish green, propodeum mostly metallic greenish blue, nucha metallic bluish green, all legs yellowish white to brownish orange, ovipositor yellowish orange.
Head:
Circular in frontal view, 0.9X as high as wide; eye sparsely setose, 1.4X as high as wide; vertex smooth, remaining head longitudinally strigose (
Eady 1968
); ocellocular: postocellar: mid-to-lateral ocellus distance: lateral ocellus diameter about 4.3:6.3:4:1; scrobe high, narrow, reaching to 0.8X distance to mid-ocellus; scrobal basin and walls coriaceous-imbricate; interantennal carina absent; toruli separated by 0.6X torulus diameters; scape height about 0.9X eye height; anellus about 3X broader than long; ratio of scape: pedicel: anellus: F1: F2: F3 about 35: 12: 1: 15: 9: 9; F4 and F5 about 1.5X as long as broad; clypeal boundaries indistinct.
Mesosoma:
Dorsally pronotum finely, transversely strigose (
Eady 1968
), scutum medial to notauli and axillae finely alveolate, scutum lateral to notauli smooth, scutellum longitudinally strigose (
Eady 1968
); ratio of pronotum: scutum: scutellum: propodeum about 1.2: 1.4: 1.4: 1; mesosoma bare except scutum dorsally with sparse, fine, white setae; pronotum 2.3X wider than long; scutum 2.3X wider than long; marginal rim of scutellum with lightly grooved, pitted lamella; metanotum narrow band with pits delimited by longitudinal striae; propodeum along anterior margin with pits delimited by longitudinal carinae, remainder of propodeum areolate, becoming more irregular lateral to plica; nucha indistinct; plica present as longitudinal carina; postspiracular sulcus smooth with pits delimited by transverse carinae; spiracle small, 3.5X own diameter from metanotum; callus mostly bare except for a few fine, white setae, projecting posteriorly as point beyond postspiracular sulcus; prepectus triangular, in similar plane as pronotum, abutting at about 160° angle; mesepimeron mostly smooth, with dorsal and ventro-posterior margins pitted; femoral depression shallow, areolate, well defined anteriorly and posteriorly; metapleuron smooth; coxae anteriorly with few fine, white setae; meso- and metatibia spinose; longer metatibial spur about 1.7X length of shorter, 0.6X width of metatibia at point of spur insertion; metabasitarsus about 3.8X as long as wide, 0.6X length of remaining tarsi; hind coxae faintly transversely striate along posterior margin; wings brachypterous, forewing reduced, pointed antero-distally, about 0.7X length of mesosoma, hindwing reduced, about 0.6 length of forewing, with fringe-like setae on distal margin.
Metasoma:
About 1.9X length of mesosoma; ratio of GT1: GT2–6: GT7: ovipositor sheaths 5:1:1.5:1.5; GT1–4 bare; lateral surface of GT5, all of GT6–7 and ovipositor sheath covered in fine, white, setae; ovipositor apico-dorsally smooth.
Male:
Unknown.
Discussion:
In all phylogenetic analyses
L. noortii
is nested within the
Lelaps
clade as sister-taxon to
Lelaps
<
Spalangiolaelaps
>. This relationship is based on 2 synapomorphies (loss of the frenal sulcus and strongly arched, closely spaced notauli), both of which are highly homoplastic in the analysis. The loss and gain of the frenal sulcus may be even more plastic than suggested by this analysis; this possibility is discussed in
Lelaps
’ generic entry. However, it should also be noted that
L. noortii
has metallic coloration over most of its body. While this trait was not coded in the phylogenetic analysis, it is generally rare throughout
Diparinae
although common in
Lelaps
.
Within the
Lelaps
clade,
L. noortii
has 5 autapomorphic features: posteriorly smooth metacoxa, absence of bristles, filiform antennae, an elongate pedicel which is subequal in length to F1, and absence of a malar groove. None of these traits are unique to
L. noortii
within
Diparinae
and all could become sympleiso- or synapomorphic given an alternate placement of the taxon. Also,
L. noortii
and the remainder of
Lelaps
have extremely disjunct distributions.
L. noortii
is found only the
Western Cape Province
of
South Africa
, while
Lelaps
is endemic to the New World.
L. noortii
may be a relict of a time when
Lelaps
had a broader range across a combined South America and Africa, or it may represent a recolonization of Africa from South America. Although
L. noortii
may represent the sister-taxon to the remainder of
Lelaps
and therefore be recognizable as a genus, the results of the final phylogenetic analysis warrant the description of
L. noortii
as a species of
Lelaps
. However, a species-level phylogenetic study of
Lelaps
itself may be needed to ascertain the true relationship between the two taxa.
Etymology:
Named for Simon van Noort of the
Cape
Town Museum (
South Africa
), who provided much new African material which was vital for this study, and who assisted in my collection of diparines during my visit to
Cape
Town.
Distribution:
South Africa
,
Western Cape
.
Hosts:
Unknown.