Paramblynotus conspiratus, Liu, Ronquist & Nordlander, 2007

Liu, Zhiwei, Ronquist, Fredrik & Nordlander, Göran, 2007, The Cynipoid Genus Paramblynotus: Revision, Phylogeny, And Historical Biogeography (Hymenoptera: Liopteridae), Bulletin of the American Museum of Natural History 2007 (304), pp. 1-151 : 90-91

Paramblynotus conspiratus , new species

FEMALE: Length 3.3 mm. Head and mesosoma black; metasoma dark brown. Antenna and legs yellow brown. Wings transparent.

Antenna 13-segmented; flagellum slightly widened apically. Vertex foveate-reticulate. Eye distinctly extended laterally beyond out- er margin of gena. Ocellar plate distinctly raised, foveate-reticulate, and defined laterally by carina lined by large foveae along interior side. Median frontal carina simple, not extended to lower face anteriorly, and bifurcated posteriorly to seclude a small, triangular glabrous area beneath anterior ocellus. Upper face longitudinally rugose with sparse foveae; antennal scrobe densely punctate, deeply depressed, and not well defined by a carina laterally. Gena foveaterugose, with a medial vertical carina on upper half. Lower face foveate/punctate-reticulate, with distinct transverse rugosity in upper one-fifth. Anterior tentorial pits distinct. Clypeo-pleurostomal sulcus and epistomal sulcus form a smoothly curved arch. Clypeus foveate-reticulate, anteriorly also pubescent. Lateral occipital carina not reaching vertex. Occiput longitudinally carinate.

Anterior flange of pronotum glabrous; submedian pronotal pits separated far from each other medially. Anterior plate of pronotum densely punctate with pubescence, particularly laterally, and glabrous anteromedially. Pronotum dorsomedially raised, but lower than mesoscutum; pronotal crest not raised medially. Lateral pronotal carinae distinct, reaching pronotal crest dorsomedially. Lateral surface of pronotum foveate and punctate, with superficial transverse carination. Dorsal pronotal area glabrous, present only along anterior half of posterior margin of pronotum. Mesoscutum almost flat dorsally; anteriorly and transversely costate with distinct foveae set in rows. Scutellar sulcus divided by a strong longitudinal carina into two large foveae, each being further divided by one or two weaker, oblique carinae. Mesoscutellum foveate-reticulate; posterior margin rounded in dorsal view. Axillar area with long white pubescence. Mesopleural triangle well defined ventrally by smoothly curved carina and with white pubescence. Median mesopleural impression percurrent, with evenly spaced transverse costae; upper mesopleuron glabrous with sparse anterior setigerous punctures; lower mesopleuron glabrous and pubescent ventrally, bordered by a smoothly curved carina ventrally. Metepisternum areolate-reticulate, devoid of pubescence in upper part, and pubescent ventrally. Propodeum areolate-reticulate; lateral propodeal carina percurrent and slightly curved medially; median propodeal area glabrate with superficial rugosity; median longitudinal carina and a submedian transverse carina present. Rs+M of forewing arising from middle of basal vein. Marginal cell 2.2 times as long as wide and 1.4 times as long as submarginal cell. Bulla on Sc+R 1 absent. Areolet small, but distinct.

Petiole 0.67 times as long as wide in lateral view. Relative length of T3–8: 3.1:1.0: 1.2:2.6:1.4:0.45; T3 glabrous; T4–5 finely punctate dorsomedially and otherwise glabrous; T6–7 mostly more or less densely, finely punctate, except each with a median patch of sparse pubescence in larger punctures dorsolaterally; and T8 only slightly exposed, punctate with pubescence. Legs more or less densely pubescent. Apical teeth of metatibia long, slender, and pointed apically. 1mt/2–5mt 5 0.65.

MALE: Unknown.

Paramblynotus conspiratus is unique among all species of the punctulatus group in having a mixture of characters that belong to the two major clades within this group that were previously recognized as two species groups, that is, the punctulatus group and the borneanus group ( Ronquist, 1995b). Except for the few species that do not fall into either group, the groups sensu Ronquist (1995a) still hold as two distinct clades, which we hereby refer to as the punctulatus clade and the borneanus clade. The punctulatus clade is characterized by (1) occiput glabrous, (2) pronotum not raised, (3) mesoscutum foveate-reticulate, and (4) first metatarsomere without an apical protuberance. The borneanus clade is characterized by (1) occiput longitudinally carinate, (2) pronotum raised conspicuously into a peak, (3) mesoscutum distictly transversely carinate with foveae set in between, and (4) first metatarsomere with an apical protuberance (with a few exceptions).

Paramblynotus conspiratus does not belong to either of the clades and is easily distinguished by (1) occiput longitudinally carinate, (2) pronotum not raised, (3) mesoscutum distinctly transversely carinate with foveae set in between, and (4) first metatarsomere without an apical protuberance.

TYPE MATERIAL: HOLOTYPE: ♀, China: Taiwan, Wushe (1,150 m), 1983-V-15, H. Townes coll. ( AEI).

DISTRIBUTION: China: Taiwan.

ETYMOLOGY: Derived from Latin, conspiro, breathe together.