Eupelmus (Macroneura) rameli, Fusu, 2017

Fusu, Lucian, 2017, An integrative taxonomic study of European Eupelmus (Macroneura) (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea: Eupelmidae), with a molecular and cytogenetic analysis of Eupelmus (Macroneura) vesicularis: several species hiding under one name for 240 years, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 181 (3), pp. 519-603 : 557

EUPELMUS (MACRONEURA) RAMELI SP. NOV.

FIGS 36 , 57 , 68, 77 , 89, 94 , 116 (♀)

Eupelmus sp. 2 – Fusu, 2008b: 11. – Gokhman, 2009: 72, 91.

Etymology: The species is named in honour of the biologist and poet Gordon Ramel, in recognition of his work on the biodiversity of Lake Kerkini Nature Reserve.

Description: Female. Length = 1.4–2.3 mm. Body almost uniformly yellowish with very faint metallic luster as described for E. aseculatus except head slightly darker than mesosoma, sometimes brown with faint greenish metallic luster ( Fig. 36 ) and antenna with scape yellow to brownish-yellow, and pedicel and flagellum uniformly dark brown with faint greenish luster on pedicel and basal funiculars. Sculptural features and setation as described for E. aseculatus ( Figs 57 , 68 , 89, 94 ).

Head in lateral view hemispherical, 1.5–1.6× as high as long, transverse in dorsal view, 1.7–1.8× as broad as long. Frons and vertex alutaceous to coriaceous, appearing shiny under low magnification. Pedicel plus flagellum about 1.2× head width. Pronotal ridge with erect setae about as long as pronotal collar. Mesoscutal plate with flat, V-shaped anterior region differentiated by minute reticulate sculpture and posteriorly very finely coriaceous to smooth mesally and shallowly concave. Scutellum and axillae weakly convex ( Figs 57 , 94 ). Acropleuron finely coriaceous to alutaceous, with almost completely effaced sculpture medially ( Fig. 89 ). Fore wing base extended to near plical region of propodeum; basal cell densely setose dorsally; apical part normally abruptly bent upward, very short, 1.3–1.4× as long as basal part, with marginal and postmarginal veins extended along straight leading margin and without a trace of the stigmal vein, posterior and leading margins converging to acute point resulting in a short-triangular fore wing apex ( Fig. 116 ). Hind wing concealed beneath fore wing and apically reflexed. Middle leg with row of three to eight mesotibial apical pegs; mesotarsus with almost symmetrical peg pattern, with one apical peg on either side of all tarsomeres and basitarsus within basal half with three to seven pegs in single row on anterior margin and two or three pegs on posterior margin and when pegs reduced in number, peg count on both sides similar ( Fig. 77 ). Metasoma ovoidal and comparatively broad ( Fig. 68 ), 1.7–2.1× as long as wide, Gt5 coriaceous. Syntergum and anal plate forming truncate to somewhat obliquely inclined surface above ovipositor sheaths and gaster extending to about apex of second valvifer. Ovipositor sheaths 0.6–0.7× as long as metatibia and 0.3–0.35× as long as metasoma.

Male. Unknown.

Comparative diagnosis: The fore wings and body colour of E. rameli are very similar to small and pale E. messene , but E. rameli differs from E. messene in sculpture, subtle differences in body colour, fore wing rudiment shape, mesotarsal peg pattern, density of hairs on the mesoscutum and metasoma, and a karyotype with 2 n = 12. The sculpture of E. rameli is very superficial and alutaceous to coriaceous, particularly on the frontovertex, gaster, and mesopleuron; these parts appear shiny whereas in E. messene the sculpture is much coarser. Eupelmus rameli is yellowish-brown with a darker gaster and a only a faint metallic luster, green on the head and brightpurple on the mesoscutum, and this colour of mesoscutum is not known in any specimen of E. messene or other species of vesicularis complex; the fore wing rudiment has a very short and acute distal part with an almost straight costal margin ( Fig. 116 ) and the costal cell is about as wide as the basal cell (similar to E. falcatus ), whereas in E. messene the distal part of the fore wing is longer (except very small specimens, cf. Fig. 116 with 121), more rounded apically and the costal cell appears narrower, although this is difficult to quantify because the basal cell is convex (see also under E. messene ); mesobasitarsus with pegs on anterior margin differentiated into a row of pegs in the basal half and an apical peg so that there is one apical peg on either side, whereas in E. messene the apical peg is present sometimes only on the posterior margin ( Fig. 81 ) and the anterior margin has a row of pegs along its entire length (cf. Figs 77 with 80); setae on the metasoma and mesoscutum are also much sparser than in E. messene (cf. Figs 68 with 72). Although superficially similar to E. messene the species is most closely related to E. aseculatus as shown also by the molecular analyses; both species also share a similar sculpture, colour and metallic luster, but in E. aseculatus the fore wing rudiment is much longer and falcate with a somewhat narrower costal cell (cf. Fig. 116 with 117), and there is at most a single pale peg on the mesobasitarsus.

Figures

Figures 35–42. Habitus of Eupelmus (Macroneura) species: E. aseculatus ♀ (35), E. rameli ♀ holotype (36), E. seculatus ♀ (37) and ♂ (38) with the insert showing the characteristic colour of the head, Eupelmus falcatus ♀ (39) and ♂ (40), E. barai ♀ (41) and ♂ (42). Scale bars – 1 mm.

Figures 56–67. Mesosoma in dorsal view in Eupelmus (Macroneura) females: E. aseculatus (56), E. rameli (57), E. seculatus (58), E. falcatus (59), E. balcanicus (60), E. barai (61), E. vesicularis clade B from Canada (62), E. vesicularis from Sweden (63), E. messene (64), E. impennis (65), E. maculatus (66), E. vladimiri (67). Scale bars – 0.2 mm.

Figures 68–87. Metasoma and mesotarsus in Eupelmus (Macroneura) females: E. rameli (68, 77), E. balcanicus (69, 78), E.barai from Romania (70, 79),E. barai from Spain (71, 82), E.messene (72, 80), E.vesicularis from Sweden (73, 83),E.vesicularis from Slovenia (74), E. vesicularis clade B from Canada (75), E. seculatus (76), E. messene (lectotype of Eupelminus coleopterophagus) (81), E. impennis (84), E. falcatus (85), E. muellneri (86), E. vladimiri (87). Scale bars – 0.2 mm.

Figures 88–95. Mesosoma in lateral view and scutellar-axillar complex in females of: Eupelmus aseculatus (88), holotype of E. rameli (89, 94), E. barai (90), E. muellneri (91), E. falcatus (92), E. impennis (93), E. vesicularis clade B (95). Scale bars – 0.2 mm for 88–91 and 50 µm for 92–95.

Figures 111–123. Details of Eupelmus (Macroneura) morphology. Fore wing rudiment in females: E. barai (111–115), E. rameli (116), E. aseculatus (117), E. messene (118–121). Antenna in males: E. barai (122) and E. vesicularis (123). Scale bar – 0.2 mm. wbL – fore wing base length, waL – fore wing apical part length. Numbers by the wings indicate the size of the specimen.