Helava samanthae Masner & Talamas, 2016

Talamas, Elijah J. & Masner, Lubomir, 2016, Revision of New World Helava Masner & Huggert (Platygastridae, Sceliotrachelinae), Journal of Hymenoptera Research 53, pp. 1-24 : 19

Helava samanthae Masner & Talamas sp. n.

Figures 50-54

Description.

Female body length: 0.98-1.26 mm (n=19). Male body length: 0.82-1.32 mm (n=21). Male antenna: apically clubbed. Number of antennomeres in male club: 4. Number of female clavomeres: 4. Setation of frons anterior to ocellar triangle: present. Setation of vertex posterior to lateral ocellus: dense. Hyperoccipital carina: absent; indicated by lateral tubercules. Pronotum in dorsal view: present mostly as lateral shoulders. Dorsoventral band of dense setation on posterior part of lateral pronotum: absent. Setation of pronotal cervical sulcus: dense. Width of dorsal mesopleuron in lateral view: about equal ventrally and dorsally to 1.5 times as wide ventrally. Longitudinal striation on dorsal mesopleuron: absent. Transepisternal line: present. Mesofurcal pit: present. Notaulus: absent. Rs+M in fore wing: nebulous. Wings: macropterous. Rs+M in hind wing: nebulous. Color of legs: coxae yellow to brown, remaining segments yellow. Foamy structures of lateral propodeum: larger than hairy metapleuron. Median tubercule on T2: absent. Setation of anterior T2: interrupted medially. Lateral patch on T2: present. Foamy structures on S1: present at lateral margin of sternite. Transverse felt field on anterior S2: present. Shape of S2 in lateral view: broadly convex.

Diagnosis.

The form of the hyperoccipital carina as two lateral tubercules on the posterior vertex separates H. samanthae from all species except H. alticola , in which the form of the hyperoccipital carina is highly variable. These two species can be separated from each other by the setation of the upper frons, which in H. samanthae is densely present, and is sparsely present only along the inner orbits of the eye, or entirely absent, in H. alticola .

Etymology.

This species is named for Samantha Fitzsimmons Schoenberger to thank her for excellent work performed as part of the Smithsonian Internship Program, including most of the photographs presented in this monograph.

Link to distribution map.

http://hol.osu.edu/map-large.html?id=354387

Material examined.

Holotype, female: CHILE: Bío-Bío Reg., Nuble Prov., Las Trancas Valley , 1300m- 1650m, 14.XII-17.XII.1976, S. Peck & H. Howden, USNMENT00989199 (deposited in CNCI) . Paratypes: (86 females, 25 males) ARGEN TINA: 4 females, 3 males, CNC424909-424913, 424930-424931 (CNCI). CHILE: 82 females, 22 males, CNC424783-424851, 424895-424906, 424914-424929, 424932-424937, USNMENT00989200 (CNCI) .

Figures

Figures 50 - 54. Helava samanthae, female holotype (USNMENT 00989199) 50 head, mesosoma, metasoma, lateral view 51 head and mesosoma, dorsal view 52 metasoma, dorsal view 53 head, anterior view 54 head and mesosoma, posterolateral view. Scale bars in millimeters.