Arastichus gallicola ( Ferriere ) Zhang & Gates & Hanson & Jansen-González, 2022

Zhang, Y. Miles, Gates, Michael W., Hanson, Paul E. & Jansen-Gonzalez, Sergio, 2022, Description of a Neotropical gall inducer on Araceae: Arastichus, gen. nov. (Hymenoptera, Eulophidae) and two new species, Journal of Hymenoptera Research 92, pp. 145-172 : 145

Arastichus gallicola ( Ferriere) comb. nov.

Figs 3 , 4-5 , 10-15 , 16-20

Trichaporus gallicola , Ferrière, 1924.

Exurus gallicola ( Ferrière), Costa Lima (1959)

Aprostocetus gallicola ( Ferrière), LaSalle (1994)

Material Examined.

Lectotype Paraguay • [1F, top right of the pin]; 1914, R. Chodat leg., ovaries of Philodendron selloum = Thaumatophyllum bipinnatifidum (Schott ex Endl.) Sakur., Calazans & Mayo; MNHN . Paralectotypes [9F, 4M]; same information as holotype; MNHN. Other material: Brazil • [37F, 48M]; São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo campus, 1.II.2011, Sergio Jansen-González leg., ex galled fruits of Philodendron bipinnatifidum ; USNM01829346-432; USNM. [11F, 4M] same information; 13.II.2011; MZUSP. [11F, 6M]; São Paulo, Araras Zoo , 14.II.1988, F.D. Bennett leg., Philodendron inflorescence; ANIC. [1F]; Nova Tenutonia , 27°11'S, 52°23'W, 300-500m, 12.I.1962, F. Plaumann leg.; CNCI. [1M]; same info as before; V. 1971.; CNCI. [3F]; Rondonia, 62 km SW. Ariquemes near faz. Rancho Grande 26.XII.1992, U. Schmitz leg., blacklight trap; CNCI. [5F] same info as before, J.E. Eger leg., 3-15.XII.1997; CNCI. [3F]; Rondonia, 62 km SW. Ariquemes near faz. Rancho Grande 26.XII.1992, U. Schmitz leg., blacklight trap; CNCI. [5F] same info as before, J.E. Eger leg., 3-15.XII.1997; CNCI . French Guiana • [144F, 54M]; Kourou National Road #1, km 96, 26.IV.2012. M. Gibernau leg. ex. Galled fruits of Philodendron solimoesense ; USNMENT01829000-01829163; USNM. [4F, 4M] same information as before; ANIC; [4F, 4M] same information as before; BMNH; [4F, 4M] same information as before; CNCI; [4F, 2M] same information as before; CNIN; [4F, 4M] same information as before; MNHN; [9F, 4M] same information as before; MZUCR; [3F] same information as before; MZUSP .

Diagnosis.

Arastichus gallicola is morphologically similar to A. gibernau , but the posterior corner of metapleuron of A. gallicola lacks a noticeable fossa, or with an elongate depression (Fig. 4 ). Additionally, the vertexal suture is angulate or rounded where it reaches the inner eye margin in A. gallicola (Fig. 10 ), whereas in A. gibernau this suture is always rounded.

Description.

Female holotype. Body length 3.3mm. Color: Yellow: head, mouthparts, scape, pedicel, mesosoma, femoral depression, acropleuron, legs, ovipositor sheaths; dark brown: funicular segments, apices of mandibles, pronotum immediately surrounding spiracle, scutellum, dorsellum, propodeum, mesopleuron, metapleuron, metasoma. Wing veins white to light brown (Figs 3 , 4 ).

Head. 1.3 × as broad as high, effaced imbricate; anterior tentorial pits with epistomal groove extending ventrally (Fig. 10 ). Supraclypeal area glabrous; clypeus bilobed. Lower margin of eyes slightly sunken; malar suture distinct; malar space 0.58 × eye height, asetose beneath eye in elongate microreticulate area; frons protuberant (Fig. 10 ). Preorbital carina absent; intrascrobal area divergent dorsally to laterad anterior ocellus, delimiting shallow equilateral triangular depression in front of anterior ocellus. Ratio of LOL:OOL:POL as 1:3.1:3.4. Vertexal suture angulate, or rounded at inner eye margin (Fig. 10 ); occipital margin with transverse, sinuate carina. Head posteriorly lacking postgenal lamina, postgena without ventral depression near ventral margin.

Antenna. (Fig. 14 ) ratio of scape (minus radicle): pedicel: A1:A2:F1:F2:F3:F4:F5:F6:club as 12.5:3.8:1.3:1:4.5:4.5:4.5:3.8:3.8:5; A1 constricted medially; A2 transverse; two rows of setae on all funicular segments (Fig. 14 ); erect setae at 45° angle to funicular segment, shorter than the funicular segment to which it is attached to (Fig. 4 ).

Mesosoma. 1.8 × as long as broad. Pronotum with two sets of setae posterolaterally. Midlobe of mesoscutum 1.0 × as long as broad; with two pairs of adnotaular setae; posterior margin of mesoscutum not bilobed (Fig. 16 ). Scutellum 1.2 × as long as broad; effaced imbricate, with one to two pairs of setae; notauli complete, shallow; scutellum lacking submedian scutellar grooves, posterior margin rounded. Propodeum raised medially, laterally imbricate, with paraspiracular carina complete. Prepectus triangular, broadly rounded posteriorly, imbricate. Mesepimeron striate, becoming smooth anteriorly grading into femoral depression. Epicnemium imbricate. Metapleuron without circular fossa that is at least half as wide as propodeal spiracle. Fore wing with ratio of M:PMV:S as 3:1:1.1 (Fig. 4 ).

Metasoma. Finely imbricate; setose along the posterior edges of each gastral tergite; gastral sternites fused or weakly divided; third valvula does not extend beyond gaster.

Male. Overall morphology as in female (Fig. 5 ). Body length 2.5 mm. Color: Dark brown except the following golden: base of scape, ventral mouthparts, acropleuron, coxae apically, legs, metatibia in apical 1/4. Antennal ratio of scape (minus radicle):pedicel: A1:F1:F2:F3:F4:F5:F6:club as 6.9:1.4:1:4.3:4.7:4.7:4.3:4.1:3.6:2.9; scape with distinct, white ventral plaque in apical ½ (Fig. 5 ), funicular segments wide at base and narrowing off towards apex, with whorl of setae extending ~1.5x length of the funicular segment to which it is attached, MPS sparse and located at midlength; clava with basal whorl and apical setae, MPS located at apex (Fig. 5 ). Genitalia: phallobase twice as long as broad, digitus slender without projection on anterior margin, aedeagus slender, with apex pointed; digiti with or without a submedian longitudinal suture from the base of the digital tooth but not reaching the base of the digiti (Fig. 27 ).

Variation.

Both sexes: setation and sculpture variable; sometimes with faint traces of submedian scutellar grooves; vertexal suture can be rounded or angulate. Females: 2.6-3.8mm, scutellum with brown coloration often incomplete laterally, complete medially and anteriorly/posteriorly on scutellar margins; ocellar triangle sometimes brown; pronotal setation ranges from 1-3 per side, adnotaular setation ranges from 1-3 per side with the occasional odd seta in the notaulus; ocellar triangle often with two small divergent setae. Males: 2.5-3.0mm, may have brownish infuscation of the pro- and mesofemur, meso- and metacoxa may be entirely brown. Specimens from Araras Zoo in Brazil consistently had two setae on the lateral lobes of mesoscutum, whereas other specimens had three. However given the lack of other consistent characteristics, we conservatively group them under A. gallicola . Variation in female and male genitalia was found. Females reared from T. bipinnatifidum showed two distinct ovipositor morphologies with variation due mostly to larger or smaller first and second valvifers. Females reared from T. solimoesense showed an intermediate size ovipositor. Males reared from T. solimoesense show a longitudinal submedian suture in the digiti that begins at the base of the digital tooth and does not reach the base of the digiti.

Biology.

Reared from Thaumatophyllum bipinnatifidum and T. solimoesense .

Distribution.

Brazil and Paraguay.

Figures

Figure 3. Dorsal and lateral habitus of Arastichus gallicola lectotype (female on the top left), along with three paralectotypes on the same pin.

Figure 27. Male genitalia of Arastichus spp. based on photographs of slide-mounted specimens. Dsp digital spine; Aed aedeagus; Dqt digitus; Dsp d igital spine; Phl phallobase; Prm paramere; Vsl volsella.

Figure 4 - 5. Lateral habitus of Arastichus gallicola 4 female 5 male.

Figure 10 - 15. Arastichus gallicola 10 frontal view of head 11 posterior view of head 12 dorsal view of head 13 anterolateral view of head 14 female antenna 15 male antenna.

Figure 16 - 20. Arastichus gallicola 16 dorsal view of mesosoma 17 ventral view of mesosoma 18 ventral view of female metasoma 19 lateral view of female metasoma 20 propodeum.