Microdontomerus iriphagus Lotfalizadeh & Jansta, 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 iriphagus Lotfalizadeh & Jansta sp. nov.

Figs 3 , 4 , 5

Material examined.

Holotype: Iran • ♀; Isfahan province, Tiran-Daran Highway (32°42'36"N, 51°11'07"E), ex Iris oratoria oothecae, Z. Mirzaee (deposited in HMIM) . Paratypes: Iran • same as holotype (23♀♀, 1♂, HMIM; 1♀, 1♂, SMNS; 1♀, CBGP) ; Khuzestan province, Deh-dez (31°44'37"N, 50°11'52"E), ex I. oratoria oothecae (19♀♀, 5♂♂), Z. Mirzaee (HMIM) .

Etymology.

The species name refers to the mantid host.

Diagnosis.

Head almost circular in frontal view, about 1.13 × as broad as high (Fig. 4C ); 2.14 × as broad as long. Anterior margin of clypeus straight and recessed relative to oral margin. Scrobes bare and finely sculptured relative to the rest of face. Toruli inserted above ventral level of eye. OOL about 0.85 × as long as LOL. POL about 2.82 × as long as OOL (Fig. 5B ). Antenna in female with scape not reaching anterior ocellus; flagellum with one anellus and seven funicular segments, all funicular segments transverse (Fig. 4A ). Pronotum and mesoscutum reticulate, mesoscutellum coriaceous and less sculptured in contrast to aforementioned (Fig. 5B ). Fore wing (Fig. 5C ) with speculum reaching end of marginal vein; costal cell dorsally with 1-2 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 less than 2 × as long as postmarginal vein and more than 2.5 × as long as stigmal vein. All tarsi slightly longer than tibiae, metafemur simple, without any tooth. Metasoma with hypopygium reaching near to end of gaster (Fig. 3A ); Gt1 incised medially, Gt2-Gt3 distinctly emarginate medially, Gt4-Gt5 slightly emarginated (Fig. 5D ). Ovipositor about 0.65 × as long as body; OI 2.3.

Comments.

Microdontomerus iriphagus , sp. nov., was reared from oothecae of Iris oratoria (Linnaeus, 1785) ( Mantodea ) in 2018-2019 and has already been reported as Microdontomerus sp. by Mirzaee et al. (2021). It is similar to M. iridis , but M. iriphagus possesses one anellus while M. iridis has two anelli Fig. 4A, B ; also M. iriphagus differs from M. iridis in having brownish-yellow metasoma with a pair of oval pale-yellow spots on all tergites (Fig. 5D ) (entirely metallic in M. iridis ), yellowish legs (Fig. 3A ) (at least metallic coxae in M. iridis ), pale scape (Fig. 4A ) (dark-brown in M. iridis ). Microdontomerus iriphagus has also shorter ovipositor with OI about 2.3 (OI-2.5 to 2.9 in M. iridis ) and OOL only about 0.85 × LOL (about the same in M. iridis ).

Microdontomerus iriphagus , sp. nov., is similar to M. gurcukoyensis Doğanlar, 2016 in having yellowish antennae and legs but these species can be easily separated by the coloration of their metasoma (brownish and yellowish basally in M. gurcukoyensis ); the scape yellowish and the metallic flagellomeres (yellowish in M. gurcukoyensis ), with whitish-yellow fore coxa (concolorous with body in M. gurcukoyensis ). The ovipositor of M. iriphagus is also slightly longer with an OI about 2.3, while M. gurcukoyensis has an OI=1.66 ( Doğanlar 2016).

Description.

Female (Fig. 3A ): Body length excluding ovipositor 2.10 mm (including ovipositor 3.50 mm [3.2-4.4 mm]); length of ovipositor 1.40 mm.

Colour. Head, mesosoma, meso- and metacoxa metallic green (except distal part); metasoma brownish-yellow laterally, pale-yellow dorsally on all tergites, with pair of dark brown spots dorsolaterally on each tergite. Spots connecting medially on Gt1 and Gt6-7 (Fig. 5D ). Scape, tegula, legs (except most of meso- and metacoxa and metafemur) pale yellow. Tarsomeres brownish distally. Metafemur rightly brown yellow. Distal part of scape brown with slight metallic reflection, pedicel black with distinct metallic reflection, flagellum dark brown; ovipositor brownish yellow, ovipositor sheath dark brown. Fore wing hyaline, wing venation yellowish-brown, setae dark-brown.

Head. Head 1.13 × as broad as high (Fig. 4C ); 2.14 × as broad as long in dorsal view and 1.83 × in lateral view (Fig. 5A ); 1.10 × as broad as mesonotum at its widest part in dorsal view. Without occipital carina. Temple short, strongly converging, 0.3 × as long as eye. Eyes separated by 1.17 × their own height, eye 1.45 × as high as long. Head reticulate with thin, short, silvery setae on face; scrobes more finely reticulate, without setae. Torulus separated by 1 × their own diameter; clypeus with anterior margin nearly straight and recessed relative to corners of oral fossa; ventral part of clypeus finely reticulate. Malar space 0.5 × as long as eye height. POL 2.82 × OOL, OOL 0.85 × LOL (Fig. 5B ).

Antenna (Fig. 4A ). Scape 3.2 × as long as broad and pedicel about as long as broad, the former not reaching ventral margin of anterior ocellus; torulus inserted above ventral level of eye. Combined length of pedicel and flagellum as long as breadth of head. Flagellum with one anellus; all flagellomeres distinctly transverse, with fu1 the smallest, 0.71 × as long as broad, 1.4 × as wide as pedicel, and bearing only few MPS; fu2-fu6 of about same dimensions, 0.55 × as long as broad.

Mesosoma (Figs 5A, B ) 1.31 × as long as broad. Pronotum 0.73 × as broad as mesoscutum. Pronotum and mesoscutum entirely and uniformly reticulate, and covered with thin, short, silvery setae (Fig. 5B ). Mid lobe of mesoscutum posteriorly and entire mesoscutellum flattened dorsally. Notaulus distinctly impressed and obliterated by sculpture. Mesoscutellum 0.9 × as long as broad, broadly abutting mesoscutum and separating axillae. Frenal area not separated but relatively distinct with coriaceous sculpture (Fig. 5E ). Propodeum delicately reticulate, without median carina (Fig. 5E ). Profemur 3.6 × as long as broad. Metacoxa reticulate, covered by setae dorsally and ventrally, 2.3 × as long as broad; metafemur 2.8 × as long as broad, without any tooth; metatibia 4.68 × as long as broad; metatarsus long, as long as metatibia (Fig. 3A ). Fore wing 2.25 × as long as wide, hyaline, with densely setose on disc; speculum reaching end of marginal vein; costal cell dorsally with 1-2 rows of short setae along anterior margin, and 3-4 rows at end of cell, basal and cubital cell bare; basal and cubital line of setae complete; marginal vein 1.93 × as long as postmarginal vein and 2.7 × as long as stigmal vein; venation pale brown (Fig. 5C ).

Metasoma (Fig. 5D ) 1.3 × as long as mesosoma, with superficially alutaceous sculpture dorsally and lateraly. Petiole very short. Gt1 incised medially, Gt2-Gt3 distinctly emarginate medially, Gt4-Gt5 slightly emarginate medially. Tip of hypopygium almost reaching near to apex of gaster (Fig. 3A ). OI 2.3.

Male (Fig. 3B ). Length of body 1.68 mm (1.6-2.2 mm). Similar to females except following: metasoma concolor of mesosoma except brownish-yellow sub-basal band, laterally extending from Gt1 to proximal part of Gt3. Funicular segments less transverse than in the female. Fu2-fu7 about 0.60-0.71 × as long as broad, with first flagellomere shortest; clava 1.86 × as long as broad (Fig. 4B ). Pro- and metafemur distinctly swollen, respectively 2.94 and 2.27 × as long as broad, the latter distinctly serrate posteriorly.

Distribution.

Palaearctic: Iran.

Biological association.

This species represents an association with an uncommon host for Erimerinae , the mantids ootheca of Iris oratoria (Linneaus, 1758) ( Mantodea ), as well as another species of the genus Microdontomerus in the Mediterranean basin, Microdontomerus iridis ( Picard 1930) ( Janšta et al. 2016).

Figures

Figure 3. Microdontomerus iriphagus A female habitus, lateral view B male habitus, lateral view.

Figure 4. Microdontomerus iriphagus A female antenna, lateral view B male antenna, lateral view C male head, frontal view (anl 1 - anellus 1; clv 1,3 - clavomere 1, 3; fu 1,7 - funicular 1, 7).

Figure 5. Microdontomerus iriphagus, female A mesosoma, lateral view B mesosoma, dorsal view C fore wing D metasoma, dorsal view E propodeum, dorsal view.