Ooderella americana, 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 : 15-18

Ooderella americana n. sp.

Figs 1–9

Type material. Holotype ♀ (CNC). “ USA: Illinois | Centralia , Carl Hill Pk. | 7.IX.1993, J.D. Pinto / HOLOTYPE | Ooderella | americana | Gibson” . Holotype point-mounted by meso- and metacoxae; entire; uncontorted.

Paratypes (4♀). USA . Illinois: same data as holotype (1♀ CNC, Photo 2016-79); Montgomery Co., Litchfield , 3.IX.1983, J.T. & P.E. Huber (1♀ CNC). Pennsylvania, Mt Holly Spgs, 27.I.1931, E.J. Udine, cage No. 7423.1, reared from Orchelimum eggs in Daucus carrota [sic] (2♀ USNM) .

Etymology. The name is based on this species being the only Ooderella known from North America.

Description. FEMALE (habitus: Fig. 4 ). Length = 2.5–2.8 [2.7] mm. Head ( Figs 1–4 ) green with some reddish-violaceous luster on frontovertex, scrobal depression and interantennal prominence; in lateral view ( Fig. 2 ) lenticular with frontal surface evenly curved so broadest near middle, about 1.5× as high as long; in frontal view width and height subequal; in dorsal view ( Fig. 3 ) about 1.6× as wide as long with interocular distance about 0.4× head width, without differentiated ocellocular mark, and with OOL: POL: LOL: MPOD = 9: 18: 13: 6. Frontovertex with vertex more deeply reticulate with smaller reticulations ( Fig. 3 ) than more shallowly meshlike reticulate ocellar triangle and frons ( Fig. 1 ), the latter with pale to brownish hairlike setae. Scrobal depression ( Fig. 1 ) widely separated from anterior ocellus, appearing transversely Π-shaped with dorsal margin superficially delineated by transverse groove immediately above interantennal prominence and slightly above toruli, but true dorsal surface of depression indicated by more strongly, somewhat transversely reticulate sculpture between interantennal region and more shallowly reticulate frons, and with lateral margin extending dorsally above torulus such that short, reticulate-rugulose parascrobal region present lateral to torulus and interantennal prominence; interantennal prominence more finely sculptured dorsally, but reticulate to reticulate-imbricate ventrally. Interantennal prominence, lower face and parascrobal region with comparatively dense and conspicuous, brownish, lanceolate setae ( Figs 1, 2 ). Mandible ( Fig. 5 : insert) tridentate, but upper emargination differentiating dorsal two teeth broader and shallower than lower emargination differentiating ventral tooth. Labial and maxillary palps brown. Antenna ( Fig. 5 ) with scape mostly yellow but dark apically, otherwise dark brown with at most very slight and inconspicuous metallic luster on pedicel; length of flagellum + pedicel about 1.8× as long as head width; scape slightly compressed and curved, similarly slender throughout; length[width] ratio of scape: pedicel: funiculars: clava = 57[10]: 16[9]: 8[7], 20[8], 23[9], 30[12], 25[14], 22[15], 20[15], 16[15]: 44[16].

Mesosoma ( Figs 6–8 ) orangish to orangish-brown except pronotum posterolaterally anterior to spiracle, tegula, scutellar-axillar complex, and propodeum darker brown and usually with some metallic luster. Legs ( Fig. 4 ) similar in color to mesosoma though tarsi somewhat paler, yellowish-white. Pronotum in dorsal view ( Figs 3, 6 ) with collar transverse-quadrangular, about 2× as wide as long with anterolateral corners right-angled and transverse anterior margin abruptly angled relative to neck, flat dorsally on either side of deep mediolongitudinal furrow, and with a few inconspicuous whitish setae. Mesoscutum ( Fig. 6 ) flat anteriorly and with lateral lobes carinately angled for only short distance near posterior margin; uniformly meshlike reticulate or reticulations becoming somewhat larger and shallower posteriorly; with sparse, inconspicuous, posteriorly directed setae similar in color to cuticle except for one or two posteromedially directed slender-lanceolate white setae near anterior margin at anterior limit of each shallow furrow differentiating mesoscutal medial lobe from lateral lobes, and posteromedially with an elongate region of dense white lanceolate setae within posterior half extending to posterior margin, the setae mostly directed anteriorly but posterior-most setae directed posteriorly ( Fig. 6 ). Scutellar-axillar complex ( Fig. 7 ) about 1.3× as long as basal width with hairlike setae of similar color as cuticle along lateral margins of axillae and scutellum; axillae meshlike reticulate, of similar size as scutellum; scutellum reticulate to partly longitudinally reticulate-strigose, teardrop-shaped, about 2.5× as long as greatest width, with distinctly differentiated, shiny and only obscurely meshlike coriaceous frenal area. Tegula ( Figs 6, 8 ) with dark setae along inner margin and setae denser posteriorly so as to form a setal tuft at most as long as width of tegula. Fore wing ( Fig. 7 ) extending to base of propodeum, about 1.6× as long as maximum width, flat, and brownish-infuscate with brownish setae basally but more hyaline with white setae apically except for dorsally bare costal cell; submarginal vein and costal cell extending to broadly rounded apical margin of wing. Mesopleurosternum ( Fig. 8 ) with region of dense white lanceolate setae forming setal tuft anteriorly on acropleuron and mesopectus dorsally, and mesopectus with larger, more sparsely setose region with ventrally projecting setae anteriorly and/or ventrally of acropleural tuft; acropleuron finely meshlike coriaceous dorsal to setal tuft, but mostly smooth and shiny except longitudinally strigose along dorsal margin and meshlike coriaceous to slightly coriaceous-reticulate posteriorly. Metacoxa ( Fig. 8 ) densely setose with white lanceolate setae dorsally, ventrally and apically, but partly bare on outer surface basally. Propodeum ( Figs 7, 8 ) transverse-quadrangular with transverse posterior margin incurved at midline such that dorsally recurved margins unite to form high median carina between comparatively highly convex reticulate to strigose-reticulate surfaces forming most of propodeum, the latter setose with a few white lanceolate setae anterolaterally anterior to spiracle and with a few similar setae posterolaterally.

Gaster ( Figs 4, 9 ) dark brown except Gt1 and syntergum often with some slight metallic lusters and both at least partly pale, with Gt1 orangish at least basally and sometimes more translucent apically, and at least about apical half of syntergum pale, yellowish, similar to ovipositor sheaths; distinctly meshlike coriaceous and beyond Gt2 with whitish to brown setae mostly in one row dorsally across each tergite except for more extensively setose syntergum; syntergum ( Fig. 9 ) about as long as basal width, with dorsal surface in similar plane such that syntergal flange differentiated as tapered, posteriorly rounded bare region behind setae; ovipositor sheaths extending only slightly beyond syntergum, by distance less than 0.25× length of metatibia.

Hosts. An egg parasitoid of Orchelimum sp. ( Orthoptera : Tettigoniidae ) on Daucus carota L. ( Apiaceae ).

Distribution (Map 1A). USA (Illinois, Pennsylvania).

Remarks. It seems strange to have only a single Ooderella species recorded from North America from such northern USA states as Illinois and Pennsylvania rather being more southern in distribution, but the multiple collection records verify presence. However, as noted in the generic discussion, O. setosa might also be present in Florida.

Females of O. americana are differentiated by a combination of features, including their mesoscutal setal pattern, extensively setose fore wing remnants, and presence of a tuft of black setae on each tegula in combination with the anterolateral corners of the pronotum being right-angled. Females of other New World species with distinct tegular tufts of setae have the anterolateral pronotal corners more strongly, cone-like protuberant. The costal cell extending the length of the fore wing shows that the setose wing remnant consists just of the basal cell behind the costal cell. The described tridentate mandibles ( Fig. 5 ) is based on a single female; it remains to be shown with additional specimens whether the mandibles are always so distinctly tridentate.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 9. Ooderella americana n. sp. ♀. 1 & 2, head: 1, frontolateral (2016 - 79); 2, lateral (holotype). 3, head and pronotum, dorsal (2016 - 79). 4 – 7, holotype: 4, lateral habitus; 5, antenna [insert: mandibles]; 6, pronotum and mesoscutum; 7, scutellar-axillar complex to propodeum plus wings. 8, mesosoma, lateral (2016 - 79). 9, gaster, dorsal (holotype).