Heptascelio hamatus Masner & Johnson

Johnson, Norman F., Masner, Lubomír, Musetti, Luciana, Noort, Simon Van, K, Rajmohana, Darling, Christopher & Polaszek, Antonia Guidotti Andrew, 2008, Revision of world species of the genus Heptascelio Kieffer (Hymenoptera: Platygastroidea, Platygastridae), Zootaxa 1776, pp. 1-51 : 17-18

Heptascelio hamatus Masner & Johnson , new species

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:950F63A6-7258-448D-8905-6A7A9C4594D6 urn:lsid:biosci.ohio-state.edu:osuc_concepts:223416 Figures 37–42; Morphbank37

Description. Length: 3.5–4.8 mm (n=20). Male body length: 3.7–4.6 mm (n=16). Body color of female: entirely dark, dark brown to black. Color of female antenna: dark brown to black throughout, extremities of A1, A2 lighter in color. Color of wing membrane: with weak general brown infuscation, longitudinal dark streak below submarginal vein moderately developed. Color of legs: tarsi light brown, otherwise brown to dark brown throughout, or coxae dark brown, otherwise yellowish brown throughout. Body color of male: entirely black, or with head and mesosoma black, metasoma dark brown. Color of male antenna: brown to dark brown throughout.

Sculpture of occiput and posterior vertex: areolate-rugose. Sculpture of frons below ocellus in female: areolate rugose. Shape of dorsal margin of frontal scrobe: evenly arcuate, weakly produced. Sculpture of frontal depression in female: variable, transversely striate ventrally, with smooth field dorsomedially, or entirely smooth, or irregularly areolate ventrally, smooth dorsally and medially, or coarsely punctate. Sculpture of gena: with irregular dorsoventral rugae. Setation of gena: with short, uniform setae, with few short bristles interspersed. Shape of mandibles: normal length, crossed transversely below head when closed, tips overlapping.

Sculpture of dorsal pronotum: areolate rugose. Notaulus: absent or obscured by coarse surface sculpture. Sculpture of mesoscutum in female: coarsely areolate-rugose. Sculpture of mesoscutum in male: coarsely areolate rugose. Parapsidal line: absent. Mesoscutellum shape: roughly trapezoidal, sides weakly converging apically, apex excavate, with distinct median longitudinal furrow. Sculpture of female mesoscutellum: areolate rugose. Scutellar points of female: broad, short, acute, or forming short, acute teeth. Sculpture of male mesoscutellum: areolate rugose. Scutellar points of male: narrow to broad, short, acute. Posterior surface of propodeum: irregularly areolate, without distinct paramedian keel. Length of outer propodeal projection in female: moderately elongate, not reaching midpoint of length of T1, subequal in length to inner propodeal projection. Sculpture of propodeum between inner and outer propodeal projections: areolate rugose or coarsely punctate.

http://www.morphbank.net/?id=224262 Netrion shape: moderately wide, nearly parallel-sided, weakly widened ventrally, with single column of large foveae. Netrion setation: densely setose. Sculpture of lateral pronotum posterior to epomial carina: coarsely punctate or coarsely rugulose throughout. Setation of posterior half of lateral pronotum: with numerous scattered setae, densest near spiracle. Sculpture of mesopleural scrobe: smooth or coarsely areolate to rugose. Sculpture of lower mesepisternum: rugulose to punctate. Sculpture of metapleuron: areolate rugose, sometimes with smooth or finely sculptured field ventrally. Fore wing venation: well-developed, with R, r-rs clearly visible. Submarginal vein bristles: with dark bristles extending length of submarginal vein. Long dark bristles on legs: absent, or present on hind femur only.

T1 depression: moderately to densely setose. Sublateral lamella on T1: distinctly raised more or less perpendicular to T1. Sculpture of T2–T4: longitudinally striate, with fine cross striae, punctures, smooth or finely punctulate transverse band apically. Setation of laterotergites: setose. Sculpture of S2, S3 of female: strongly longitudinally rugose. Sculpture of S2, S3 of male: longitudinal rugulae largely effaced, strongest laterally, otherwise smooth with scattered setigerous punctures, or S2, S3 strongly longitudinally rugose throughout. Distribution of felt fields: present on S2–S3.

Diagnosis. Heptascelio hamatus is most similar to H. castor and may be distinguished from it by the coarsely areolate sculpture of the dorsal surface of the propodeum and the absence of straight paramedian carina on the propodeum extending from the apex of the inner propodeal projection to the metanotum (Fig. 41). Additionally, most female specimens of H. hamatus may be distinguished by the presence of a small smooth field in the dorsal portion of the frontal depression (Fig. 40).

Etymology. The epithet hamatus , meaning “furnished with a hook”, refers to the outer propodeal projections.

Link to Distribution Map.38

Material Examined. Holotype female: THAILAND: Phetchabun Prov., Nam Nao National Park, 16°43.156'N 101°35.118'E, 890 m, T272, helicopter landing ground, 10–17.VII.2006, Malaise trap, N. Hongyothi & L. Janteab, OSUC 179129 (deposited in QSBG)39. Paratypes (29 males, 226 females): INDO- NESIA: 1 male, 38 females, OSUC 186280–186289, 209025–209030, 209033, 209052 ( CNCI); OSUC 186290–186293, 186149, 188472, 207583–207584, 207694, 209020–209024, 215535–215540, ROMEnt 234, ROMEnt 112076 ( ROME). LAOS: 5 males, 5 females, OSUC 210308 – 210317 ( BPBM). MALAYSIA: 4 females, OSUC 210295 ( BPBM); OSUC 209031, 209034, 209036 ( CNCI). TAIWAN: 1 female, OSUC 209035 ( CNCI). THAILAND: 23 males, 158 females, OSUC 210297 – 210300 ( BPBM); OSUC 209014– 209019, 209038–209051 ( CNCI); OSUC 179103, 179104, 179106, 179108, 179126–179128, 179464– 179466, 179473–179475, 186115, 186137, 186140, 186143, 186147, 186148, 186463–186465, 192412, 207587, 207682–207689, 207692, 207695–207703, 207724–207732, 210324 – 210333, 210372 – 210385, 210390 – 210400, 58009 ( OSUC); OSUC 179097, 179105, 179107, 179467–179472, 179476–179480, 186116, 186138, 186139, 186141, 186142, 186144–186146, 207585, 207586, 207661–207680, 207704– 207723, 210319 – 210323, 218876 ( QSBG). VIETNAM: 20 females, OSUC 186468, 186469, 210301 – 210303, 210305 – 210307 ( BPBM); OSUC 209037 ( CNCI); OSUC 210334 – 210335, ROMEnt 20274–20282 ( ROME).

Comments. This species is widespread in southeast Asia, extending east to Sulawesi and north to Taiwan. Some specimens have the frons completely sculptured, similar to H. castor . Initially, we had separated this as a distinct species, but the sculpture of the mainland specimens and of the males is quite variable and the limits of the sculpture (when there is a smooth area) are poorly defined. Therefore, we are here grouping all of those specimens into the single species H. hamatus . Specimens from western Thailand (Chiang Mai) are generally more gracile than those from other regions. Additional variability is seen in the development of the longitudinal furrow on the mesoscutellum and the setation of the postgena.

38. http://atbi.biosci.ohio-state.edu/HymOnline/map-large.html?id=223416

39. http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:specimen:14B4903E-F828-4E8F-949E-76319E4C5E6D