Klyngon Hansson

Hansson, Christer & Salle, John La, 2010, The Neotropical genus Klyngon Hansson (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae), with new species and biological information, Zootaxa 2498, pp. 1-27 : 4-5

Klyngon Hansson

Klyngon Hansson, 2005: 131 . Type species Klyngon jimenezi Hansson, 2005: 132 , by original designation. The gender is neuter.

Diagnosis. Clypeus delimited laterally by more or less distinct smooth lines (i.e. not grooves) and with tentorial pits at the upper end of these lines ( Fig. 50 ), clypeus not delimited dorsally (contrary to what was stated in the original description); pronotum strongly reduced and not visible in dorsal view. Species of Klyngon have a stocky and compact build and because the pronotum is very small the head fits smoothly to the mesosoma. The occipital margin is curved to follow the curvature of the mesoscutum and the occiput is concave to fit the anterior part of the mesoscutum, which makes the head and mesosoma appear as one more or less close-fit unit. The head and mesosoma, and sometimes also the gaster, are strongly sclerotized with a strong reticulate sculpture. Several species have the scutellum extended backwards, in some species it is so strongly extended that it covers the anterior part of the gaster (e.g. Figs 1 , 40 , 49 ). Frontal suture present or absent. The number of setae on the scutellum varies from a single pair to 5 pairs, to 12 scattered setae. On the midlobe of mesoscutum number of setae varies from 1 to 4 pairs, or with 10 to 16 scattered setae. Number of setae on the submarginal vein varies from one to seven. The petiole is always short and transverse.

Identification. The variation in several key characters makes both the placement and the identification of Klyngon difficult. The presence of a single pair of setae on the scutellum, two setae on the submarginal vein, and a distinct frontal suture which is well separated from the anterior ocellus are characters that have been used on many occasions as diagnostic characters for Entedoninae . Additionally most Entedoninae have two pairs of setae on the midlobe of mesoscutum. All of these characters are variable in Klyngon , which makes it difficult to identify this genus in existing keys to North American genera of Eulophidae ( Schauff et al. 1997) or Neotropical subfamilies and tribes of Eulophidae (LaSalle et al. 2006) .

For instance in the key to eulophid genera provided by Schauff et al. (1997) one immediately encounters problems with most species of Klyngon because the combination of number of setae on scutellum and submarginal vein does not fit in any of the two alternatives in the first couplet. If one starts with couplet 106 in the same key, where the identification of the Entedoninae starts, difficulties for the same reasons continues. Some species of Klyngon would run to couplet 107, where two genera from the tribe Euderomphalini, Aleuroctonus and Entedononecremnus , key out. All species of Klyngon differ from these two genera in having the larger part of the axillae situated behind the level of anterior margin of the scutellum. The same difficulties are encountered if one attempts to identify Klyngon to subfamily in LaSalle et al. (2006). A better option is to use the online multiple entry key to the Neotropical genera of Entedoninae on the website www.neotropicaleulophidae.com. This key is under construction and not all genera are yet included, but it works well for Klyngon as this genus is included and also because this type of key is very good for groups with a large variation in characters.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Klyngon costalimai sp. nov., female paratype, length 1.9 mm.

FIGURES 48 – 50. 48. Klyngon jimenezi Hansson, female, thoracic dorsum. 49. K. serjaniae sp. nov., female, body lateral. 50. K. guimaraesi sp. nov., female, clypeus.

FIGURES 40 – 43. Thoracic dorsum. 40. Klyngon costalimai sp. nov., female. 41. K. gibberum sp. nov., female. 42. K. hortense sp. nov., male. 43. K. pegosoma sp. nov., female.