Zebe darlingi Mitroiu

Mitroiu, Mircea-Dan, 2011, New Pireninae (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae) from South-East Asia, Zootaxa 3065, pp. 1-13 : 7-8

Zebe darlingi Mitroiu , sp. nov.

( Fig. 5 )

Etymology. Dedicated to Chris Darling, world specialist of Perilampidae (Chalcidoidea) .

Diagnosis. Females of this species can be recognized by the following characters: mesoscutum without any indication of mesoscutal horn anteriorly; F5 about 1.2× as long as broad; pecten about half length of hind tibia; metasoma about as long as head plus mesosoma.

Description. Female. Body length. 1 mm.

Colour. Body brownish, without metallic reflections; scape whitish-yellow, pedicel and flagellum light brown; coxae, except for brown bases, trochanters and bases of femora, whitish; rest of femora and tips of tarsi brown, tibiae and rest of tarsi yellowish; eyes pale reddish; mandibles yellowish-brown; wings hyaline, tegulae and venation light brown.

Head. In dorsal view strongly concave posteriorly, in frontal view very slightly wider than high. POL about 2.4× OOL. Eye 1.25× as high as long. Malar space about 0.5× eye height. Antenna with scape distinctly shorter than eye height and about equal to eye length; pedicel length about 1.8× width; combined length of pedicel and flagellum slightly less than head width. F1–F4 completely fused, anelliform, without sensilla; F5 large, with sensilla, about 1.2× as long as broad; clava length about 3.1× width. Clypeal margin rounded.

Mesosoma. In profile moderately arched dorsally, without any indication of horn anteriorly, length about 1.3× width and about as wide as high. Fore wing about 2.5× as long as wide; wing disc moderately pilose, without bare area between S and apical margin; basal cell bare, basal vein with 2 hairs; M:S:P = 26:8:14. Pecten about half length of hind tibia.

Metasoma. Oval, dorsally convex, length including ovipositor sheaths 2.3× width, about as long as head plus mesosoma. Fifth and sixth metasomal tergites long and deeply excised in middle, the sixth with a row of long setae near its hind margin. Hypopygium long and narrow, extending to apex of ovipositor sheaths, the latter very slightly protruding.

Male. Unknown.

Comments. After comparing this species with the holotype of Zebe cornutus La Salle , it appears that the best generic placement for it is Zebe La Salle. In favour of this is the general appearance of this species (except for the absence of a mesoscutal projection), the 4-segmented tarsi, and the characteristic antenna and fore wing. La Salle (2005) gave a detailed list of characters which suggest the placement of Zebe in Pireninae , but did not mention the presence or absence of the pecten in Z. cornutus . The presence of this structure in all Zebe species is considered as further evidence for the placement of this particular genus in the subfamily Pireninae .

Material examined. Holotype Ƥ: “ INDONESIA: Sula Isl., Mangole, near Buya, Mal. trap 18, c 430 m, 13.x.- 2.xi.1993, C. v. Achterberg, RMNH '93” ( RMNH).

Distribution. Known only from Indonesia (Mangole island).

Hosts. Unknown.

Figures

FIGURE 5. Holotype of Zebe darlingi sp. nov., lateral habitus.