20. Fidiobia roatai Popovici, Talamas & Lahey sp. nov.

Figs 187-194, 285, 317

Description.

Female. Body length: 0.9-1.0 mm. Colour of body: melanic (Figs 187, 188).

Head (Figs 189, 190). Colour of head: black. Sculpture of head: areolate rugulose. Sculpture of occiput: areolate rugulose. Ocellar prominence: absent. Preocellar depression: absent. Paraocellar depressions: absent. OOL / ocellar diameter: OOL shorter than ocellar diameter. Orientation of lower half of inner orbits: visibly divergent. Sculpture of frons immediately anterior to ocellus: areolate rugulose. Sculpture of frons immediately dorsal to toruli: the same as the rest of frons. Epitorular carina: absent. Distance between toruli: toruli touch each other. Setation of clypeus: two setae. Malar sulcus: absent. Antenna (Fig. 191). Colour of A1: yellow. Colour of clava: striking different from the rest of the antenna (clava brown, rest of antenna yellow). Number of antennomeres: nine. Shape of A1: more or less cylindrical. Ventral (inner) lamella on A1: present as a trace in the apical part of A1. Length of A3 of female: distinctly shorter than A2. Sensillar formula (A7:A8:A9): 2:2:1.

Mesosoma (Figs 192, 193). Colour of mesosoma: black. Mesosoma: weakly compressed dorsoventrally. Pronotum in dorsal view: present mostly as lateral shoulders. Transverse pronotal sulcus: present as a narrow groove along of anterior rim of pronotum. Posteroventral end of transverse pronotal sulcus: dilated. Lateral pronotal area: sculptured only on the dorsal third. Antero-admedian line: absent. Mesoscutum: weakly convex. Parapsidal lines: absent. Sculpture of internotaular area: absent. Notauli: present, incised. Shape of notauli: dilated posteriorly and rounded anteriorly. Outer edge of notauli: almost collinear with axillular carina. Orientation of inner edge of notauli: converging posteriorly. Length of notauli: more than half of length of mesoscutum, measured along midline. Length of notaulus / maximum width of notaulus: at most 1.9 times as long as maximum width. Distance between notauli: almost equal with the broadest part of notaulus. Transscutal articulation: complete. Scuto-scutellar sulcus: absent. Fovea on scuto-scutellar sulcus: NA. Mesoscutellum: weakly convex. Shape of mesoscutellum: subrectangular. Axillular carina: posterior apex of axillular carinae surpassing the posterior edge of mesoscutellum. Axilloaxillular carina: present. Sculpture of mesoscutellum: absent. Posterior mesoscutellar sulcus: absent. Metascutellum: not visible, covered by mesoscutellum. Metascutellar carina: absent. Width of metasomal depression: greater than the length of lateral propodeal carina. Median carina between lateral propodeal carinae: absent. Transverse carina between lateral propodeal carinae: present. Foamy structure on transverse carina between lateral propodeal carinae: absent. Foamy structure on metasomal depression: absent. Lateral propodeal carinae: parallel. Foamy structure on lateral propodeal carina: absent. Plica: visible. Posterior end of plica: fused with metapleural carina. Foamy structure on plica: absent. Foamy structure on metapleural carina: absent. Foamy structure on ventral metapleural area: absent. Setation of dorsal metapleural area: dense, long setae on posterodorsal half. Setation of ventral metapleural area: dense, long setae on posteroventral half. Longitudinal striation on dorsal mesopleuron: present. Transepisternal line: visible as a sulcus on the anteroventral mesopleuron connected with a pit. Mesopleural carina: present. Metapleural sulcus: present, complete. Wings (Fig. 194a, b): macropterous. Apex of fore wing: rounded. Colour of fore wing: infuscate. Transverse brown band on fore wing: absent. Submarginal vein in fore wing: present; absent. Length of submarginal vein in fore wing: as short as tegula. Spectral veins on fore wing: absent. Marginal setae of fore wing: absent. Disc of fore wing: with spinulose microtrichia. Legs. Colour of fore tibia: light brown. Colour of fore tarsus: light brown. Colour of middle femora: light brown. Colour of middle tibiae: light brown. Colour of middle tarsus: light brown. Colour of hind femora: light brown. Colour of hind tibiae: light brown. Colour of hind tarsus: light brown.

Metasoma (Fig. 187): Tergites posterior of T2 may be retracted under T2. Shape of T1: trapezoidal. Colour of T1: brown. Lateral setae of T1: 2 pairs. Colour of T2: brown. Shape of T2: longer than wide. Anterior pits of T2: distinctly separated. Sculpture of T2, lateral to anterior pits of T2: absent. Colour of T3-T6: the same as T2.

Male. unknown.

Material examined.

7♀. Romania: Holotype 1♀, Iași, Mârzești, 47.242716°N, 27.471497°E, 19.vi.2016, leg. Popovici O. (SS) (OPPC0827) . Paratypes: 2♀, Iași, Mârzești, 47.24417°N, 27.48278°E, 5.vii.2011, leg. Mitroiu M. (SN) (OPPC0567, 0568) ; 3♀, Iași, Mârzești, 47.242716°N, 27.471497°E, 19.vi.2016, leg. Popovici O. (SS) (OPPC0550, 0540, 0548) .

Non-type material.

1♀, Iași, Ciric, 26.vi.2006, 47.24333°N, 27.57927°E, leg. Popovici O. (SN) (OPPC0696).

Etymology.

This species is named after Dr. Cristian Roată, a well-known surgeon from Iași (Romania).

Distribution.

Romania (Fig. 317).

Biology.

The host is unknown. The specimens were collected from a typically steppic habitat.

Diagnosis.

Fidiobia roatai is distinct among species with an areolate-rugulose frons because of its dark body, absence of sculpture between the notauli, absence of foamy structures on the propodeum, the ratio between A2 and A3 (A2 1.3-1.5 times as long as A3 in F. roatai and 2.4-2.6 times as long as A3 in F. rugosifronsoides), the ratio between A3 and A4 (A3 1.8-2.0 times as long as A4 in F. roatai and 1.2-1.3 times as long as A4 in F. rugosifronsoides) and the rudimentary or absent submarginal vein of fore wing. Also, the fore wings in F. roatai have a peculiar pattern in color and in the distribution of setae. The basal 1/5 of the fore wing is light brown and the setae are absent or punctiform on this area. The apical 3/5 of fore wing is also light brown but covered with short setae. Between basal and apical brown areas of the fore wing there is a lighter almost triangular area. The anterior margin of the fore wings is also peculiar with an expanded costal lobe.