Prorops impotens, Waichert & Azevedo, 2012

Waichert, Cecília & Azevedo, Celso O., 2012, The genus Prorops Waterson, 1923 (Hymenoptera, Bethylidae) from Madagascar, European Journal of Taxonomy 16, pp. 1-11 : 6-9

Prorops impotens sp. nov.

( Figs. 1B , 4 A–F, 5A–C)

Etymology

The specific epithet refers to the delicate general aspect of the body.

Material examined (all from Madagascar)

Holotype

♂, Province Fianarantsoa, Parc National Ranomafana , radio tower at forest edge, elevation 1130 m, 16 Oct.–8 Nov. 2001, 21°15’05’’S 47°24’43”E, Malaise trap, mixed tropical forest, R. Harin’Hala coll., MA-02-09B-01, CASENT 2085910 ( CASC).

Allotype

♀, Toliara Province, Manderano , elevation 70 m, edge of marsh, 5 m from road, 23 Jun.–28 Jul. 2002, 23°31’39”S 44°5’18”E, Malaise trap, gallery forest, Frontier Wilderness Project coll., MGF 036, CASENT 2083424.

Paratype

1 ♀, same data as allotype, MGF 035, CASENT 2078918.

Diagnosis

This species is recognized by having a dark castaneous color, except the scape, pedicel, palpi, and legs, which are castaneous; the wing is hyaline; the head is about as wide as long; the mandible is covered

by the frontal process and not visible; the frontal process is elongated, joint and bifid; the mesoscutum without parapsidal sulcus; the propodeum without carina; and the fore wing without radial vein.

Differential diagnosis

This species is distinct from P. sparsa by having the frontal process joined and the forewing with radial vein, while in P. sparsa the frontal process is separated and the radial is absent. Prorops impotens is morphologically close to P. obsoleta because of the absence of the radial vein on the forewings ( Fig. 1B ). Prorops impotens , however, has a bifid frontal process, whereas it is somewhat triangular in P. obsoleta .

Description

Holotype, ♂. Body length 0.81 mm. Forewing length 0.81 mm.

COLOR. Head, mesosoma, metasoma, mandible, flagellomeres, and tegula somewhat dark castaneous; scape, pedicel, palpi, and legs castaneous, tibiae and tarsomeres lighter; wings hyaline.

HEAD ( Fig. 3A ). Mandible wide, its width 0.83x eye width, with apparently four sharpened apical teeth, upper two small, lower two conspicuous. Clypeus with median lobe trapezoidal, surface almost vertical, median carina absent, apical margin arched dorsad medially in frontal view, lateral lobe almost absent. Antenna moniliform, first four segments in ratio of about 4:2:1:1; pedicel 1.5x as long as wide, flagellar pubescence suberect, setae around 0.7x as long as segment diameter. Eye 1.1x as long as wide; setae short, sparse. Frons polished; punctures sparse, small, shallow; frontal line sulcate, 0.5x LH; frontal process coriaceous, shortly bifid, extending forward about 1.0x torular diameter, apical surface concave, tip curved dorsad; torulus circular, vertical. WH 1.03x LH; WF 0.6x WH; WF 1.24x HE; OOL 1.18x WOT; posterior ocellus touching vertex crest, frontal angle of ocellar triangle about right, distance between posterior ocelli 0.55x WOT. Vertex crest profile almost straight. VOL 0.57x HE.

MESOSOMA ( Fig. 3B ). Thorax mostly polished; punctures inconspicuous. Pronotal disc with anterior margin rounded in lateral profile. Notaulus and parapsidal line absent. Transscutal suture very narrow. Scutellar disc wide; scutellar groove absent, pits absent. Propodeum polished, disc about 1.1x as wide as long, progressively narrowing posterad; anterior, posterior, discal and lateral carinae absent; spiracle placed laterally. Mesopleuron with central pit conspicuous. Forewing only with stigma, subcostal, and basal veins; basal vein wide.

METASOMA. Polished, about as long as mesosoma.

GENITALIA ( Fig. 5 A–C). Paramere with subquadrate aspect in lateral view, wide, almost evenly wide apicad, apical margin slightly inclined and waved; cuspis strongly setose, evenly very wide, apical margin almost blunt, its apex aligned with about 0.8x of paramere length; aedeagus bottle-shaped, its apex aligned with cuspis apex, with one pair of rounded apical lobes; apodeme slender, not extending beyond genital ring, base not dilated.

Allotype, ♀. Similar to males, except for: Body length 1.15 mm. Forewing length 0.92 mm.

COLOR. Head, mesosoma, metasoma, mandible, and tegula dark castaneous.

HEAD ( Fig. 3 C–D). Eye 1.27x as long as wide. Frontal line reaching anterior ocellus. WH 0.96x LH; WF 0.88x WH; WF 2.0x HE; OOL 1.73x WOT. Vertex crest profile slightly concave. VOL 0.84x HE.

MESOSOMA ( Fig. 3 E–F). Propodeal disc 0.7x as wide as long, lateral carina fully outlined; sides of propodeum weakly coriaceous.

METASOMA. 1.3x as long as mesosoma.

Variation

The variation among the females is tenuous. The general color can be lighter and the eyes shorter; the frontal line can be as long as in the male; the posterior ocellus in some specimens does not reach the vertex crest. The sexual dimorphism is very weak as well. The main difference is that in females the propodeal disc has lateral carinae, the vertex crest is slightly concave, and the metasoma is proportionally much longer than the mesosoma.

Distribution

Madagascar (Toliara, Fianarantsoa).

Figures

Fig. 1. Wing venation. A. Prorops sparsa sp. nov. Forewing, ♀. B. Prorops impotens sp. nov. Forewing, ♀. – Scale = 0.2 mm.

Fig. 4. Prorops impotens sp. nov. A. Head, ♂, dorsal view. B. Mesosoma, ♂, dorsal view. C. Head, ♀, lateral view. D. Head, ♀, dorsal view. E. Mesosoma, ♀, dorsal view. F. Mesopleuron, ♀, lateral view. – Scale = 0.2 mm.

Fig. 3. Prorops sparsa sp. nov. ♂ genitalia. A. Ventral view. B. Dorsal view. C. External face of paramere, lateral view. D. Internal face of paramere and digitus, lateral view. – Scale = 0.12 mm.

Fig. 5. Prorops impotens sp.nov. ♂ genitalia. A. Dorsal view. B. Ventral view. C. External face of paramere, lateral view. – Scale = 0.12 mm.