Microdontomerus quadrimaculatus Lotfalizadeh & Rasplus, 2024

Lotfalizadeh, Hossein, Mirzaee, Zohreh, Tavakoli-Korghond, Gholamreza, Jansta, Petr & Rasplus, Jean-Yves, 2024, Erimerinae, a prior name to Microdontomerinae (Hymenoptera, Torymidae) with the description of a new genus and three new species from Iran, Journal of Hymenoptera Research 97, pp. 85-103 : 85

Microdontomerus quadrimaculatus Lotfalizadeh & Rasplus sp. nov.

Figs 6 , 7

Material examined.

Holotype: Iran • ♀; South-Khorasan province , Khoosf (32°77'N, 58°85'E, 1300 m), 5.iv.2018, galls on Haloxylon ammodendron ; Tavakkoli-Korghond, G. leg. (deposited in HMIM) . Paratypes: Iran • same as holotype, 1♀ (deposited in HMIM) .

Etymology.

A reference to the four pale-yellow oval spots on the gastral tergites that is characteristic of this species.

Diagnosis.

Head about 1.18 × as broad as high and 1.66-1.72 × as broad as long. Anterior margin of clypeus straight and slightly protruded relative to corners of oral fossa. Scrobes bare and finely sculptured relative to the rest of face. Toruli inserted distinctly above ventral level of eye. POL about 3.05 × as long as OOL and OOL about 0.72 × as long as LOL. Antenna with scape not reaching anterior ocellus; flagellum with one anellus and seven funicular segments, all funicular segments transverse. Mesonotum entirely reticulate. Fore wing with speculum reaching end of marginal vein; costal cell dorsally with three rows of setae along anterior margin, cubital cell without setae and basal cell at most with few setae along anterior margin; basal and cubital line of setae complete; marginal vein 1.33 × as long as postmarginal vein and 2.66 × as long as stigmal vein. All tarsi slightly longer than tibiae, metafemur simple, without any tooth. Metasoma with hypopygium reaching almost end of gaster; Gt1 incised medially, Gt2 -Gt3 distinctly emarginate medially, Gt3-Gt4 with a pair of whitish spots, Gt4 -Gt5 slightly emarginate. Ovipositor 0.95 × as long as body; OI 3.75.

Description.

Female (Fig. 6A ): Body length including ovipositor 5.25 mm; length of ovipositor 2.5 mm.

Colour. Head, mesosoma, meso- and metacoxa and metasoma metallic blue-green with coppery reflection (Fig. 6A ). Gt3-Gt4 with a pair of pale-yellow oval spots. Pedicel concolorous with body with metallic green reflection, flagellum dark-brown with slight metallic reflection. Scape, tegula, all femur distally, metatibia and tarsi pale yellow. Pro- and metacoxa concolorous with body, mesocoxa brown. Fore wing hyaline, wing venation pale yellow, setae brown.

Head (Fig. 6C ). Head 1.18 × as broad as high; 1.66 × as broad as long in dorsal view and 1.74 × in lateral view (Fig. 6E ); 1.04 × as broad as mesonotum at its widest part in dorsal view. Head reticulate with thin, short, silvery setae on face, vertex and temple which are slightly longer than two meshes of the reticulation; scrobe more finely reticulate, without setae. Eyes separated by 0.82 × their own height, eye 1.88 × as high as long. Clypeus with anterior margin distinctly straight and slightly protruded relative to corners of oral fossa; ventral part of clypeus smooth (Fig. 6C ). Malar space 0.29 × as long as eye height. Occipital carina absent. POL 3.05 × OOL, OOL 0.72 × LOL.

Antenna (Fig. 6D ). Scape 5.33 × as long as broad, not reaching ventral margin of anterior ocellus; pedicel 1.16 × as long as broad; torulus inserted distinctly above ventral level of eye. Combined length of pedicel and flagellum 0.70 × as long as breadth of head. Flagellum with one ring-like anellus; remaining flagellomeres distinctly transverse, with fu1 the smallest, 0.57 × as long as broad, wider than pedicel, and bearing only few MPS; fu2-fu7 of about same dimensions, 0.58-0.65 × as long as broad.

Mesosoma (Fig. 7A ). Mesosoma 1.3 × as long as broad. Pronotum 0.81 × as broad as mesoscutum. Pronotum and mesoscutum entirely reticulate, and covered with thin, short, silvery setae. Notaulus complete and distinctly impressed. Mesoscutellum as long as broad, without frenal area. Mesoscutellum and axilla more sparsely covered with setae. Propodeum mainly smooth, slightly reticulate laterally, with incomplete and barely visible median carina in basal part (Fig. 7C ). Hind leg with coxa reticulated, covered by setae dorsally and ventrally, 1.8 × as long as broad; metafemur 3.20 × as long as broad, without any tooth; metatibia 4 × as long as broad; metatarsus long, 1.16 × as long as metatibia. Fore wing 2.4 × as long as wide, hyaline, densely setose on disc; speculum reaching end of marginal vein; costal cell dorsally with three rows of setae along anterior margin, basal and cubital cell bare; basal and cubital line of setae complete; marginal vein 1.33 × as long as postmarginal vein and 2.66 × as long as stigmal vein; venation pale yellow (Figs 6A, F ).

Metasoma (Fig. 6B ). Metasoma 1.23 × as long as mesosoma (but somewhat collapsed), with very shallow alutaceous sculpture. Petiole very short, strongly transverse. Gt1 incised medially, Gt2-Gt3 distinctly emarginate medially, Gt4-Gt5 slightly emarginate medially. Tip of hypopygium almost reaching apex of gaster. OI 3.75.

Distribution.

Palaearctic: Iran.

Biological association.

This species was reared from galls of Stefaniola similata Mamaev, 1972 ( Diptera : Cecidomyiidae ) on Haloxylon ammodendron C.A. Mey in the eastern Iran.

Figures

Figure 6. Microdontomerus quadrimaculatus, female A female habitus, lateral view B fore wing venation C head, frontal view D female antenna, lateral view E head, lateral view F fore wing (anl 1 - anellus 1; clv 1,3 - clavomere 1, 3; fu 1,7 - funicular 1, 7).

Figure 7. Microdontomerus quadrimaculatus, female A mesosoma, dorsal view B metasoma, dorsal view C propodeum, dorsal view.