Odontacolus berryae, A. Valerio, Alejandro, Austin, Andrew D., Masner, Lubomir & Johnson, Norman F., 2013

A. Valerio, Alejandro, Austin, Andrew D., Masner, Lubomir & Johnson, Norman F., 2013, Systematics of Old World Odontacolus Kieffer s. l. (Hymenoptera, Platygastridae s. l.): parasitoids of spider eggs, ZooKeys 314, pp. 1-151 : 23-25

Odontacolus berryae sp. n. Figures 21, 23-24, 67, 101-106; Morphbank 41

Description.

Female. Body length: 1.52 mm (n=1). Antenna color: A1-A2 honey yellow, otherwise dark brown. Body color: completely dark brown, metasoma lighter in color than head or mesosoma. Coxae color: yellow. Leg color (excluding coxae): yellow. Fore wing color: completely hyaline.

Head. Size of compound eye: approximately 1/2 × height of head. Head shape in lateral view: lower head moderately short and strongly narrowed towards mouth, head appearing short and broad. Sculpture of antennal scrobe: smooth throughout. Surface of torular triangle: slightly bulging. Development of central keel on frons: present, elongate (equal to or greater than 1/3 × height of frons), but not reaching anterior ocellus. Sculpture on upper frons below anterior ocellus: with weak rugulose-aciculate sculpture. Sculpture of malar space: with fan-like striae, striae extending into antennal scrobe. Furrow at lateral portion of antennal scrobe: absent. Mesal surface of vertex: flat to weakly convex. Size of lateral ocelli: small. Distance between lateral ocellus and occipital carina: greater than 1.5 × maximum ocellar diameter. Lagrimal: absent or minute. Length of OOL: less than or equal to 1/3 × width of ocellus. Sculpture of vertex: with abundant areolate sculpture mixed with dense, fine granulae. Sculpture of occipital carina: strongly crenulate throughout. Distance from occipital carina to orbital carina: at least 2 × width of occipital carina. Shape of occipital carina: simply arcuate medially. Sculpture of occiput: with weakly rugulo aciculate sculpture. Sculpture of gena: with weak rugulose sculpture and granulate background sculpture.

Mesosoma. Dorsal mesosoma in lateral view: convex. Sculpture of pronotal cervical area: with conspicuously elongate (clearly larger than crenulae on anterior edge of mesoscutum), well-defined foveae. Sculpture of pronotal lateral area: transversely costate. Netrion: absent, obscured by longitudinal sculpture of lateral pronotum. Notaulus: present, with crenulae that extend completely through depth of furrow. Length of notaulus: approximately 2/5 × length of mesoscutum. Width of notaulus: distinctly widened (notaulus width greater than half the width of tegula). Sculpture of mesoscutum: finely granulose. Sculpture of mesoscutellum: with weak, fine, granulate sculpture. Mesoscutellar profile: mainly flat, anterior and posterior edge at same height or nearly so. Mesoscutellar shape: flat, not depressed. Lateral propodeal area: longitudinally costate. Shape of propodeal anterior spine: short, broad, apex rounded. Sculpture of propodeum between anterior spines: longitudinally costate. Sculpture of ventral half of mesepisternum: longitudinally costate. Sculpture of upper 1/4 of mesopleuron: densely longitudinally costate across entire width. Metapleural sculpture: midtransverse area smooth, otherwise with cristate, longitudinal carinae.

Wings. Stigmal vein: present, short, narrow. Campaniform sensilla at distal area of stigmal vein: present.

Metasoma. Shape of T1 horn: narrow, elongate. Sculpture of upper portion of T1 horn: smooth. Sculpture of posterior portion of T1 horn: largely smooth, with sparse longitudinal carinae. Lateral carinae on T2: absent. Sculpture of T2: meson and posterior margin smooth, otherwise longitudinally costate. Sculpture of T3: smooth mesally, otherwise weakly coriaceous. Sculpture of S3-S6: finely, weakly coriaceous. S2 anterior carina: present, rounded, uninterrupted.

Male. Unknown.

Diagnosis.

This species may be distinguished from all others with an obscured netrion by the combination of the very wide notauli that have a few, broad and well-defined crenulae; the mesoscutum broadly smooth in its posterior half; and the mesoscutellum mesally with a smooth patch and its conspicuously long but somewhat sparse setae.

Etymology.

This species is named after our entomological colleague Dr Jo Berry from New Zealand. The epithet is a noun in the genitive case.

Link to distribution map.

42

Biology.

Recorded as an egg parasitoid of Trite planiceps Simon ( Araneae : Salticidae ) in New Zealand.

Material examined.

Holotype female: NEW ZEALAND: Gisborne Unit. Auth., Gisborne Dist., grape vines / corrugated cardboard, Manutuke, 25.I.1990, J. G. Charles, OSUC 238563 (deposited in NZAC). Paratypes: (12 females) AUSTRALIA: 2 females, OSUC 239137 (CNCI); OSUC 238564 (QDPC). NEW ZEALAND: 9 females, OSUC 238528, 238537, 238544 (LUNZ); OSUC 238560 (OSUC); OSUC 238509, 238545, 238549, 238580, (NZAC); 238587 (WINC). NORFOLK ISLAND: 1 female, OSUC 238515 (ANIC).

Comments.

The holotype is in perfect condition as are the remainder of the paratypes except for specimen OSUC 238564 which is covered with dust.