Parastephanellus mouensis Aguiar, 2005

Aguiar, Alexandre P. & Jennings, John T., 2005, First record of Stephanidae (Hymenoptera) from New Caledonia, with descriptions of four new species of Parastephanellus Enderlein, Zootaxa 1001 (1), pp. 1-16 : 10-11

Parastephanellus mouensis Aguiar , NEW SPECIES ( Figs 1 , 8–13, 15)

Holotype female ( BPBM), verbatim label data: “ New Caledonia, Paita­Mou 500 [m], 08 March 1972 ”; “ J.L.Gressitt collector, Bishop Museum”; “ OSUC 0021378 [barcode, plastic]”. Apical flagellomeres of left antenna missing; mesosoma on right side widely broken dorsally, laterally and ventrally due to insertion of pin; ovipositor valves broken, glued back on specimen; otherwise complete and well preserved.

DESCRIPTION. Length, excluding ovipositor, 18.8 mm; ovipositor 27.0 mm; morphometric ratios in Table 1. Head. Frons (Fig. 8) transversely subareolate­rugose, with dense paraocular strigation, frontal carina weak but present. Antenna with 32 flagellomeres, ventrally with large oval tyloids restricted to apical 0.5–0.7 of flagellomeres 2–7, occurring along entire length on flagellomeres 8–25, absent from 1 st and from 26 th –32 nd. Coronal area along edge between central tubercles and anterior tubercle finely longitudinally rugulose, centrally faintly sculptured, with polished areas. Vertex (Fig. 9) with 32 fine transverse strigae counted centro­longitudinally, sculpturing from anteriorly transversely strigate­rugose to posteriorly transversely finely strigate, reaching occipital carina and extending to temple, including dorsally on genal stripe; dorso­longitudinal impression present but weak, visible with tangent light only. Gena smooth and polished, genal angle in dorsal view distinctly prominent.

Mesosoma. Prosternum apically, including pre­apical depression, with transverse strigations, centrally polished with sparse shallow punctures, apico­medially briefly rugulose. Pronotum (Fig. 11): neck arcuately strigate, basally somewhat concave and polished; pronotal fold stout, centrally moderately collapsed and emarginate; preannular and semiannular dorsally transversely carinate­rugose, some fine transverse strigation in between major sculpturing; semiannular latero­dorsally also with subfoveolae in between coarse transverse rugosity, laterally alutaceous with sparse weak punctures; pronotal lobe strongly carinate­rugose; posterior corner with distinct patch of white dense pilosity covering its longitudinally rugulose surface; femoral impression distinct but shallow, anteriorly transversely carinate­rugose; latero­ventral area dorsally with longitudinal carinae from preannular, ventrally finely transversely alutaceous. Mesoscutum anterior margin (area over which semiannular slides) alutaceous, main area transversely strongly foveolate­rugose; median sulcus and notauli distinct, formed by closely aligned foveolae. Axilla (Fig. 10) strongly arcuately rugose­foveate, with several tiny foveolae in between. Scutellum (Fig. 10) transversely rugulose, except apex, also alutaceous throughout, including in between major sculpturing; laterally also punctate. Mesepisternum dorsally and on anterior 0.3 covered with dense white short pilosity, hairs centrally and posteriorly sparse; anteriorly mostly rugulose, centrally with small alutaceous area, remainder with a mix of rugose, rugulose and many tiny foveolae. Mesopseudosternum smooth and polished, discrimen very shallow, indicated by a series of aligned, small shallow punctures. Propodeum (Fig. 12), including antero­lateral corners, densely foveolate­areolate­rugose, also densely and finely alutaceous (dull) in between, except area around petiolar foramen rugose, smooth and polished in between. Spiracular groove inconspicuous (better seen with tangent light), formed by closed aligned incomplete areolae, extending to anterior corner; spiracular carina inconspicuous, indicated by incomplete coalescence of propodeal and metapleural sculpturing; anterior spiracular plate smooth, posterior plate densely transversely alutaceous. Metapleuron dorsally strongly crenulate along line of contact with propodeum; anteriorly and dorso­laterally finely rugulose­areolate, smooth and polished in between; latero­centrally areolate­rugose and pilose, with long decumbent hairs; ventrally, on post­foveolar area, with a few transverse carinate rugae, smooth and polished in between. Interfoveolar area very narrow, strongly crenulate. Hind coxa strongly transversely (slightly oblique) strigate; hind femur at basal end microscopically alutaceous, otherwise strongly oblique­alutaceous, this sculpturing weaker mesally than laterally; ventrally with 7–9 small tubercles between base and median tooth; also with small tubercles in between femoral teeth and apically to apical tooth. Hind tibia laterally strongly alutaceous, slightly weaker than on femur; posteriorly with very strong and sharply carinate compression (Fig. 13).

Wings. Front wing with 4 short setae subapically on M+Cu, distant from 1M by little less than length of 1cu­a; veins 2r and 2+3R approximately on basal third somewhat nodous and slightly bent towards each other; vein 1Rs slightly curved towards wing base; vein 2Cua tubular on basal 0.2, remainder nebulous, apical 0.4 bent towards wing apex; vein 2+3M basal 0.7 distinctly tubular, apical 0.3 weakly nebulous, this portion also marked by aligned microtrichia, vein disappearing entirely a little before reaching wing margin; pterostigma very long, about 8.4 times as long as greatest width, apex curvilineous (Fig. 15).

Metasoma. Petiole densely transversely strigate, from coarse basally to fine apically, ventrally more weakly sculptured than dorsally; T3 basal end rugulose, remainder of T3 and entire T4–7 dull, very fine alutaceous; T8 distinctly alutaceous, shiny; pygidium very narrow and deeply emarginate; pygidial impression Y­shaped.

Color. Mostly dark brown, except as follows. Coronal area and gena brown with weak reddish tint; vertex anteriorly and laterally reddish brown (Fig. 9); genal stripe light yellow, reaching and crossing temple, then bent backwards and widened, ending at occipital carina (Fig. 9). Semiannular laterally (Fig. 11) and scutellum except centrally and basally (Fig. 10), reddish­brown; wings uniformly light amber, veins brown; fore and mid legs brown, darkest dorso­mesally on femur, lightest on tarsi; mid tibia basal end and mid basitarsus basal 0.4 yellowish; hind tarsus yellowish brown. T3–7 apical margin golden­yellowish, ovipositor valves brown, without pre­apical white band.

Male. Unknown.

Comments. This species is closest to P. delicatus from which it can be separated by having a unicolorous face (vs. two longitudinal yellow stripes along eye margin; Figs 8 vs. 2), pronotal fold centrally collapsed (vs. straight and not collapsed; Figs 11 vs. 5), scutel­ lum sculpturing coarse (vs. fine; Figs. 10 vs. 4), propodeal sculpturing fine (vs. coarse; Figs 12 vs. 6), pronotum longer (Pnl/Smw 1.5 vs. 1.2), petiole shorter (Gsl/Ptl 1.2 vs. 1.0), and hind basitarsus shorter (btl/ w 4.4 vs. 5.0). This species name derives from a free recombination of the name Paita­Mou, where the holotype was collected. Known only from Paita­Mou, New Caledonia ( Fig. 1 ) .

Figures

FIGURE 1. Distribution records for Stephanidae in New Caledonia.