Philocentrus papillus Abul-Sood & Gadallah, 2018

Abul-Sood, Medhat I., Gadallah, Neveen S., Hossni, Mohammed T. & Delvare, Gérard, 2018, The subfamily Cratocentrinae (Hymenoptera: Chalcididae): reappraisal of their morphological characters and review of the West Palaearctic species, with the description of two new species, Zootaxa 4377 (4), pp. 490-516 : 507-511

Philocentrus papillus Abul-Sood & Gadallah sp. nov.

( Figs 57‒ 64 )

Philocentrus sp.: Delvare 2017: 231, 234–237; figs 25–33. Registered in ZooBank, http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid: xxx

Material examined. Holotype ♀. UNITED ARAB EMIRATES: Fujairah, Wadi Sana env. Al Hala, N25°30' E56°09', 294 m a.s.l., 17.iii.2007, reared from twigs of Euphorbia larica , eclos march/ april 2007, J. Betelka & H. Pinda leg. (BMNH). Paratypes. Same data as holotype (1 ♂) (BMNH). EGYPT: South Sinai, Wadi Khoshb, 29.iv.2015, M.I. Abu Alsood leg. (1 ♂) (GDPC); Wadi Khoshb, Sharm El-Sheikh, N27°.8497', E34°.1904', 1.v. 2015, sweep net on Ochradenus baccatus (Del.) (Resedaceae) , I. Medhat leg. (EFC); same data, but collected on 17.iv.2016 (2 ♂) (EFC).

Condition of the holotype. Specimen complete, glued on rectangular card. Wings and hind leg glued separately.

Etymology. Derived from the Latin noun “ papilla” meaning “nipple-like”, relating to the protruding spiracles on the penultimate tergite.

Description (female holotype). Body length (ovipositor sheaths excluded) 8.9 mm.

Colour (Delvare 2017: figs 25, 26). Body, teeth of metafemur, ventral edge of metatibia, mandible and antenna black. Pronotal collar mesally, tegula, coxae and GT1 blackish brown. Rest of legs reddish. Wings hyaline to apex of marginal vein, very slightly infuscate beyond. Venation dark brown. Setae of wings dark.

Setation (Delvare 2017: figs 25‒28). Silvery on whole body. Frons and gena covered with adpressed setation masking integument, together with sparse, long and erect setae oriented downwards. Occiput with short adpressed setation, the setae oriented upwards. Pronotal collum with short adpressed setation anteriorly, the mesal setae reclinate, the sublateral ones oriented outwards; setae progressively increasing in length towards dorsum of pronotum and originating from bottom of areoles. Short adpressed setae forming elongate fasciae along notauli; setae on rest of mesonotum resemble the mesal setae of pronotum but shorter. Posterior slope of axillae and spiracular area of propodeum with dense setae covering integument. Adpressed setae present on sides of mesosoma but masking integument only dorsally in front of mesopleural femoral depression. Metacoxa with ventral side entirely covered with adpressed setation and a few long, erect setae posteriorly. Dense setation also visible on disc of metafemur but leaving integument partly visible. GT1 with dense setation on a transverse stripe at mid length. GT5 with widely separated fasciae at mid length, the setation progressively sparser towards hind margin of tergite. GT6 with fasciae along inner side and behind spiracles, the fasciae separated by a distance as large as their own width. Syntergum with dense setation laterally.

Head 2.29× as wide as long in dorsal view and 1.34× as wide as high, hardly wider than mesosoma (1.05×) (Delvare 2017: figs 27, 28). Distance between lateral ocellus and compound eye about as great as diameter of lateral ocellus. Distance between lateral ocelli 1.36× as long as that between each lateral ocellus and compound eye. Occiput strongly sloping, almost vertical. Eyes bare, separated by 0.83× their own height. Oral fossa 1.43× as wide as length of malar space. Mandible with teeth similar, with blunt apex. Labrum depressed, clypeus falcate and receding. Distance from antennal toruli to clypeus about half of torulus diameter. Lateral margins of interantennal projection converging ventrally. No malar sulcus or carina visible. Postorbital groove present. Scrobal depression reaching median ocellus, its sides converging dorsally; surface of depression delicate, aciculate. Mesal stripe of adpressed setation reaching upper margin of depression.

Antenna (Delvare 2017: fig. 26). Scape linear, 6.8× as long as wide. Pedicel without strong basal bottle-neck, 1.18× as long as wide. F1 1.13× as long as wide, following segments somewhat decreasing in length with F7 subquadrate. Clava short, 1.6× as long as wide. Flagellomeres bearing numerous MPS and short setae.

Mesosoma 1.37× as long as wide (Delvare 2017: figs 27‒30). Pronotum nearly as wide as mesoscutum and somewhat longer (1.12×); dorsum of pronotum mesally with two transverse rows of 6 or 7 larger areoles, their anterior margin raised, forming crests. Mesonotum with homogeneous areolation, the areoles smaller than those present on dorsum of pronotum. Posterior slope of transverse axillae vertical, separated from anterior surface by step-like margin. Setation interrupted at level of axillar grooves which are hence visible. Mesoscutellum subhorizontal between axillae and then progressively sloping; anterior margin of areoles moderately elevated. Frenal area margined anteriorly, relatively long and crenulate, more distinctly sloping than rest of mesoscutellum, without mucron. Apical margin of mesoscutellum shortly overhanging metanotum. Postscutellum rugulose. Propodeum with a narrow basal areolate stripe; plical area (surface between the oblique sublateral carinae) entirely reticulate.

Legs. Apical dorsal spine of protibia hook-like. Dorsal surface of mesotibia without spicules, with 4 short apical pegs. Metacoxa 1.83× as long as wide, punctulate basodorsally and more narrowly punctulate along lower margin of dorsal surface. Metafemur densely punctulate. Tarsal groove of metatibia visible on apical two thirds of distance between base of tibia and tarsal insertion. Claws with a basal tooth and a peg on ventral margin.

Wings (Delvare 2017: fig. 26). Fore wing about 3× as long as wide; marginal vein about one third as long as costal cell; postmarginal vein 1.6× as long as marginal vein; base of wing bare except for ventral tuft of setae at apex of costal cell and a line of microtrichiae on cubital fold beyond basal fold; wing with short setae from base of marginal vein, the setation progressively longer and denser towards apex of wing. Hind wing also bare at base, bearing 3 identical hamuli close to each other.

Metasoma (Delvare 2017: figs 26, 33). GT1 large, about 0.4× gaster length. GT1, GT5 and GT6 densely punctulate, as is syntergum laterally. Rim of spiracles on penultimate tergite obviously elevated and forming cones ( Fig. 58 ). Cercal plates protruding. Ovipositor sheaths 5.85× as long as carinate dorsal edge of syntergum and 1.62× as long as mesosoma.

Description of male from UAE (see also Figs 57‒ 64 relative to male from Sinai). Body length 6.5 mm.

Head and mesosoma with same colour, setation, sculpture and proportions as for female ( Table 1). Narrow strip of setation on bottom of scrobal depression not reaching dorsal edge of depression, separated from it by a distance equal to diameter of median ocellus. Propodeum less sloping than for female, and with raised median carina, rugulose plical surface, and surface between lateral and sublateral carinae transversely strigose.

Antenna with scape evidently excavated ventrally on anterior third and bearing a small and dull sensillar plate. All funiculars subequal and hardly longer than broad ( Fig. 59 ).

Hind wing with setation white on most of surface except towards apex.

Metasoma with 7 visible gastral tergites ( Fig. 64 ). GT1‒GT5 punctulate except for a smooth and coppery posterior stripe. GT6 with 2 dorsolateral fasciae separated by a distance about as large as width of fasciae; surface Body part Philocentrus papillus Cratocentrus inermus Philocentrus papillus

holotype ♀ holotype ♀ paratype ♂ Body 8890 10606 6525 head length 1013 1334 1013 head width 2320 2694 2214 head height 1734 1981 1600 eye length 720 943 693 eye height 1013 1287 1093 fvx width 1227 1293 1173 distance between lateral ocelli 400 455 373 lateral ocellus diameter 187 239 240 distance eye - lateral ocellus 293 240 213 oral fossa width 880 1093 880 malar space length 613 574 453 combined length pedicel + flagellum 2134 2640 1937 scape length 907 1787 827 scape widh 133 293 213 pedicel length 347 190 160 pedicel width 293 161 160 F1 length 453 357 253 F1 width 400 179 200 F7 length 400 238 187 F7 width 400 137 200 clava length 640 363 360 mesosoma length 2987 3788 3040 mesoscutum width 2187 2848 2080 pronotum length 987 1707 1175 pronotum width 2160 2788 2160 mesoscutum length 880 1045 1200 mesoscutellum length 1120 1440 1200 mesoscutellum width 1120 2160 1120 metacoxa length 1467 1400 1360 metacoxa width 800 813 720 metafemur length 2240 2413 2187 metafemur width 1387 1338 1360 fore wing length 6210 6771 5278 fore wing width 2016 2220 1734 costal cell length 2210 2551 1974 marginal vein length 694 783 427 postmarginal vein length 1113 1290 933 hind wing length 4145 5084 3308 hind wing width 1032 1421 957 metasoma length 2294 5788 2872 GT1 length 1867 2152

carinate dorsal edge of syntergum length 827 800

ovipositor sheaths length 4834 4394

between fasciae coarsely punctured. Syntergum punctured on anterior third and laterally ending in sharp apex. ST1 longer than ST2‒ST4 combined and showing a raised basal subtrapezoidal plate mesally, the plate bordered by radiating rugae posteriorly. Rest of sternal surface including sternites following St4, except for a smooth posterior strip, densely punctulate and with adpressed setation.

Variation. The males from Sinai have the dorsum of the pronotum more widely red. The stripe of setation on the bottom of the scrobal depression is separated from its dorsal edge by a greater distance, equal to about twice the diameter of the median ocellus ( Fig. 59 ).

Diagnosis (female). Mesal stripe of setation reaching dorsal edge of scrobal depression. Antenna completely black (Delvare 2017: fig. 26). Fasciae on mesoscutum, GT5 and GT6 with silvery setation (Delvare 2017: figs 26‒ 28). Metafemur densely setose and punctulate all over ( Fig. 58 ). Spiracles on GT6 with elevated rim forming truncate cones ( Fig. 58 ). Ovipositor sheaths 5.85× as long as the carinate dorsal edge of syntergum and 1.62× as long as mesosoma (Delvare 2017: fig. 26).

Recognition. Philocentrus papillus can be separated easily from P. argenteopilosus by the setation of the metafemur (Delvare 2017: fig. 26), which in the latter species is extremely sparse on the disc, densely setose only on its apicoventral part. Also, in P. argenteopilosus the mesal stripe of setation on the bottom of the scrobal depression does not reach its dorsal edge. Philocentrus papillus can be separated from P. argenteolus by its entirely silvery setation (Delvare 2017: figs 25, 26), the fasciae on GT5 and GT6 being golden in P. argenteolus . The antenna of P. papillus is completely black (Delvare 2017: fig. 26), whereas that of P. argenteolus is reddish. Finally, the spiracles of the penultimate tergite are not protruding in the latter species.

Distribution. As far as is known P. papillus has been collected only in UAE and the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt.

Host. The two specimens collected in UAE were reared from a dead twig of Euphorbia larica Boiss. (Euphorbiaceae) which was infested by the long-horn beetle Idactus iranicus Breuning (Petr Janšta, pers. comm.).

Figures

FIGURES 57–64. Philocentrus papillus Abul-Sood & Gadallahsp.nov.57–58. Holotype ♀. 59–64. Paratype ♂. 57–58. Apex of metasoma in lateral and dorsal views respectively. 59. Head in frontal view. 60. Vertex in posterolateral view. 61. Back of mesosoma in posterolateral view.62. Hind leg. 63. Fore wing.64. Metasoma in posterolateral view. Abbreviations. d-sytm-c, length of dorsal carinate edge of syntergum; sytm-ap, apical part of syntergum; sytm-bp, basal part of syntergum.