Odontochrydium xui Rosa, 2018

Rosa, Paolo, 2018, Review of Odontochrydium Brauns (Hymenoptera, Chrysididae) with description of two species from the Palaearctic and Oriental regions, Zootaxa 4450 (4), pp. 445-457 : 451-453

Odontochrydium xui Rosa , sp. nov.

( Figs 1E , 9A–9F , 10A–10F )

Material examined: Holotype: ♀, INDIA, Tamil Nadu, Western Ghats , Nilgiri Hills, Moyat Camp, without collecting date ( NHMW) . Paratype: 1♂, Tamil Nadu, Tiruchchirappalli, Pudukkottai , X.2000, leg. T. Nathan ( GLAC) .

Diagnosis. Apical margin of metasomal tergite 3, with anterior and posterior areas to pit row in lateral view forming distinct concave angle ( Figs 8F , 9F ), pits deep, enlarged, partly confluent and unmodified median mesoscutal area.

Description. Female. Body length 8.0 mm ( Fig. 1E ). Forewing length 5.5 mm. OOL 2.0 × MOD; POL 2.5 × MOD; MS 1.0 × MOD; relative length of P:F1:F2:F3 = 1.0:1.4:1.2:1.0.

Head. Frons with weakly raised TFC, with branches encircling mid-ocellar area with roughly kidney-shaped carinate area, irregularly and shallowly punctate ( Fig. 8D ); vertex and frons with deep, close punctures ( Fig. 8D ); scapal basin deep, with fine sculpture and without silvery ( Fig. 8B ); clypeus elongate with subantennal distance 2 × MOD, irregularly to finely punctate, with tiny dots mixed with small punctures, its apical margin weakly concave; antennal sockets close, 0.5 × MOD apart; malar spaces finely micropunctate; genal carina strong and complete ( Fig. 8C ); mid-ocellus and posterior ocelli lidded. Mandible subapically toothed.

Mesosoma. Pronotal punctures large (up to 0.7 × MOD), separated by 0.1–0.5 × PD, with polished interspaces; antero-median groove smooth, not differently punctate medially, reaching 2/3 of pronotal length; lateral margin of pronotum almost straight and anterior corners not distinctly convergent in apical third. Mesoscutum coarsely reticulate-punctate ( Fig. 8D ) with some small punctures; median mesoscutal area without longitudinal edges; lateral lobes of mesoscutum enlarged over tegula; notauli complete, with deep and round foveae, not elongate and convergent or fused; parapsidal furrow raised and developed only medially; mesoscutellum with reticulate-punctate sculpture; metascutellum rounded with similar sculpture; posterior propodeal projection large; lower mesopleuron armed with three strong teeth; upper teeth dissimilar, with anterior tooth distinctly smaller than posterior one; lower mesopleuron between teeth nearly smooth. Wing venation as in other species, with radial cell not distinctly open, and terminal part of Rs ill-defined but not completely obsolete.

Metasoma. Evenly punctate to subreticulate-punctate with tiny punctures on interspaces ( Figs 8A, 8E, 8F ); metasomal tergite 2 and metasomal tergite 3 with slight longitudinal medial ridge; metasomal tergite 3 profile (in lateral view) convex, with areas anterior and posterior to pit row in lateral view forming a distinct concave angle ( Figs 8F , 9F ), and pits of pit row deep, enlarged, partly confluent ( Figs 8E, 8F , 9E, 9F ); apical margin with three median teeth, lateral teeth short and triangular, median tooth larger and apically rounded ( Fig. 8F ); metasomal tergite 3 with erect and short (1 × MOD) whitish setae (in O. irregulare with longer, 1.5 × MOD, and mostly decumbent setae).

Male. Similar to female, except for larger punctures on metasoma and apical teeth shorter.

Coloration. Body overall metallic green, bluish on pit row and sternites; legs metallic green, including first tarsomere; wings dark brown; tegula metallic green. Male darker bluish on median area of mesoscutum, anteriorly on metasomal tergite 1 and metasomal tergite 2 and posteriorly on metasomal tergite 3, with brownish tarsomeres.

Remarks. Odontochrydium xui sp. nov. is the first species of this genus recorded from the Oriental region. It shows a different apical margin of metasomal tergite 3, compared with the other two known species, for the different shape of the anterior and posterior areas to pit row. The different shape of this area could be related to the ovipositional behavior. In fact, Yamada (1991) remarked that Praestochrysis shanghaiensis ( Smith, 1874) , a parasitoid of moths ( Lepidoptera , Limacodidae ), uses the teeth on the apex of the metasoma to make the oviposition hole in the host cocoon. Thus the apical teeth may play an important role during oviposition, and its shape might be related to the shape of the host cocoon.

Distribution. India (Tamil Nadu).

Etymology. The specific epithet xui (masculine in genitive case) is dedicated to the late Prof. Zai-fu Xu. He deeply influenced the author’s studies and contributed to the knowledge of the Oriental Chrysididae .

Figures

FIGURE 1. A. Odontochrydium xui sp. nov., holotype female. B. O. bicristatum sp. nov., female; C. O. bicristatum sp. nov., holotype male; D. O. irregulare (Mocsáry), male from Zimbabwe; E. O. irregulare, female from South Africa, lateral view.

FIGURE 8. Odontochrydium xui sp. nov., holotype female. A. Metasoma, dorso-lateral view. B. Head, frontal view; C. Mesosoma, lateral view; D. Mesosoma, dorsal view; E. Metasoma, postero-lateral view; F. Metasomal tergite 3, posterior view.

FIGURE 9. Odontochrydium xui sp. nov., paratype male. A. Metasoma, dorso-lateral view; B. Head, frontal view; C. Mesosoma, lateral view; D. Mesosoma, dorsal view; E. Metasoma, postero-lateral view; F. Metasomal tergite 3, posterior view.

FIGURE 10. Namibia, Waterberg, collecting site of Odontochrydium irregulare (Mocsáry). Photo by courtesy of Frank Koch (MfN).