Eupelmus (Eupelmus) subapterus (Ashmead) Ashmead, 2017

Gibson, Gary A. P., 2017, Synonymy of Reikosiella Yoshimoto under Merostenus Walker (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea: Eupelmidae), with a checklist of world species and a revision of those species with brachypterous females, Zootaxa 4255 (1), pp. 1-65 : 62

Eupelmus (Eupelmus) subapterus (Ashmead) n. comb.

Figs 146, 147

Eupelminus subapterus Ashmead, 1901: 315 . Holotype ♀ (BMNH; type no. 5.970).

Type material. This species was based on a single female. The holotype is labelled “ Type [circular, red-bordered label] / Waianae Mts. | Oahu , 3000 ft. | Perkins, 4.1892 | beaten from trees / Sandwich [Hawaiian] Is., | 1912—215. / B.M. TYPE | HYM. | 5.970 / Urocryptus subapterus Ashm. ♀ Type / NHMUK 010353717 ”. It is minutienmounted through the mesoscutum to a card rectangle, is uncontorted, but lacks the right middle leg beyond the femur and the gaster ( Fig. 146 ); further, the left hind leg including the coxa is detached from the body and glued to the card, with the tarsomeres beyond the basitarsus missing.

Remarks. This species is more confidently assigned to E. ( Eupelmus ) than are E. guamensis and E. palauensis because not only does the pronotum lack a pronotal ridge but the dorsellum is convex over the scutellar apex and the propodeal plical region is comparatively long and has a distinct V-like depression similar to typical macropterous females of E. ( Eupelmus ). Unlike the other two species it also has mesotibial apical pegs. The original description is very brief and in contrast to this both the scape and pedicel of the holotype are yellow ( Fig. 147 ). Other diagnostic features include head not unusually modified, with frontovertex meshlike coriaceous ( Fig. 147 ); pro- and mesothorax dorsally quite shiny and finely meshlike coriaceous; mesoscutum broad and very shallowly concave posterior to slightly upcurved anterior margin and between low-angulate lateral lobes; fore wings right-angle bent at level of base of gaster ( Fig. 146 ) and tapered apically to angulate apex. The wings are glued over one another, but apparently the fore wings are uniformly setose beyond about the level of the parastigma and the venation extends to the apex along the leading margin beyond the costal cell. The original description states that the wings are fuscous with pale margins, but this may be an artefact of the wings being glued together; quite possibly they are hyaline or with only a slight yellowish tinge. The middle leg peg pattern is typical of E. ( Eupelmus ), consisting of 6 dark mesotibial apical pegs and dark mesotarsal pegs with those on the basitarsus in two rows.

Figures

FIGURES 146, 147. E. (Eupelmus) subapterus (Ashmead), holotype ♀: 146, dorsolateral habitus (gaster missing); 147, head, frontal.