Tanyxiphium harriet ( Zeya, 2015 )

Triapitsyn, Serguei V., Aishan, Zhulidezi & Huber, John T., 2020, Description of the male of Tanyxiphium harriet (Hymenoptera: Mymaridae), with new distribution records and synonymy, Zootaxa 4896 (1), pp. 105-112 : 106-110

Tanyxiphium harriet ( Zeya, 2015)

( Figs 1–15 )

Gonatocerus harriet Zeya 2015: 87–89 , 91 (illustrations). Type locality: Mount Harriet , South Andaman Island, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India. Holotype female [NBAIR] (not examined).

Tanyxiphium harriet (Zeya) : Huber 2015: 58 (list), 59 (key); Manickavasagam & Athithya 2018: 1659 (list, distribution in India).

Tanyxiphium longissimum Huber 2015: 58 (list), 59–60. Type locality: 16°39.479’N 101°08.105’E, [251 m—elevation not indicated in the original description, taken from Google Earth], Khao Kho National Park, Phetchabun [as Petchabun on the original label ( Huber 2015)], Thailand. Holotype female [QSBG], examined ( Huber 2015). Syn. n.

Material examined. CHINA. YUNNAN, Xishuangbanna Natural Reserve , 2–9.vii.2014, X.-m. Liu [2 ♀, ICXU], 29.v–8.vi.2014 [1 ♀, ICXU] . HAINAN, Yinggeling Natural Reserve, 21–25.viii.2010, G. Zheng [1 ♀, ICXU]. IN-DONESIA. SOUTHEAST SULAWESI, North Kolaka Regency, Mekonnga Mt. , 9.4 km NE of Tinukari, 3°38.3'S 121°5.7' E, 547 m, 16–30.vii.2010, ICBG Joint LIPI—UC Davis Entomology Survey Team, Malaise trap [1 ♀, UCDC]; 9.4 km NE of Tinukari , 3°38.6'S 121°5.8' E, 400 m, 16–30.vii.2010, ICBG Joint LIPI—UC Davis Entomology Survey Team, Malaise trap [7 ♀, 3 ³, UCDC, UCRC]; Tenggara, Kabupaten, Kolaka , Mangolo Taman Nasional Rawa Aopa Watumohai, Mangolo River watershed, 9.4 km NE of Tinukari, 4°27.5'S 122°7.2' E, 30 m, 25–29.xi.2011, ICBG Joint LIPI—UC Davis Entomology Survey Team, Malaise trap [1 ♀, UCDC] . MALAYSIA. NEGERI SEMBILAN, Pasoh Forest Reserve , 26.xi–3.xii.1993, K. Maeto, Malaise trap [1 ♀, ITLJ] . THAILAND. PHETCHABUN, Kaeng Krachan National Park , 12°47'53"N 99°27'11" E, 290 m, 24–28.vi.2008, B. V . Brown, Malaise trap [1 ♀, UCRC] .

Redescription. FEMALE (non-type specimens from China, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Thailand). Body length (of dry-mounted, critical point dried specimens excluding the exserted part of ovipositor) 900–1100 µm. Head ( Figs 3, 4 ) brown or dark brown; antenna with scape and pedicel yellow or light brown, flagellum brown (in Chinese specimens, funicular segments individually progressively darker than preceding ones, Fig. 8 ); mesosoma variably colored ( Figs 1, 2 , 4 , 10, 11 ): pronotum and mesoscutum light brown or brown, scutellum yellow, light brown, or brown, frenum, dorsellum and propodeum yellow; gastral terga yellowish-brown to brown; legs light brown to brown. Antenna ( Figs 5 , 8 ) with radicle about 0.3× total length of scape, rest of scape 3.1–4.1× as long as wide, pedicel 1.8–2.1× as long as wide; F1–F4 subequal in length (F1 [in specimens from Indonesia, Fig. 5 ] or F3 [in specimens from China, Fig. 8 ] slightly longer), F5, F7 and F8 subequal in length, F6 a little shorter; mps on F5 (1 or 2), F6 (usually 0 or 1, occasionally 2 on one or both antennae), F7 (2), F8 (3); clava 3.0–3.9× as long as wide,

slightly shorter than combined length of F6–F 8 in Chinese specimens but a little longer in specimens from Indonesia, with 8 mps (3 in the middle and 5 at apex). Mesosoma ( Figs 4 , 10, 11 ) shorter than gaster ( Fig. 7 ). Fore wing ( Figs 6 , 9 ) 3.7–4.1× as long as wide; disc notably infuscate and densely setose a little beyond apex of venation, longest marginal seta about 0.3× maximum wing width, bare behind venation except for 2–4 setae behind marginal vein, cubital row of setae incomplete. Hind wing ( Fig. 6 ) 26–30× as long as wide; disc with 2 or 3 rows of setae, longest marginal seta 3.0–3.6× maximum wing width. Ovipositor ( Figs 7 , 11 ) markedly exserted beyond apex of gaster (by 1.1–1.2× entire body length), 4.0–4.8× as long as mesotibia.

Description. MALE (specimens from Indonesia). Body length (of dry-mounted, critical point dried specimens) 700–900 µm. Body ( Fig. 12 ) yellowish-brown or brown except anterior scutellum, frenum, dorsellum and propodeum yellow or light brown; scape and pedicel light brown, flagellum brown; legs light brown to brown. Fore wing ( Fig. 14 ) 3.9× as long as wide; disc notably infumate; longest marginal seta 0.4× greatest width of wing. Hind wing ( Fig. 14 ) about 28× as long as wide; disc infumate; longest marginal seta 3.6× greatest width of wing. Otherwise similar to female except for the normal sexually dimorphic features of antenna and genitalia, as follows. Antenna ( Fig. 13 ) with scape, excluding radicle, 3.4× as long as wide, smooth; pedicel as long as F1; all flagellomeres with mps, F1 the shortest, F5–F10 subequal in length and slightly longer than subequal F2–F4, F11 the longest flagellomere. Genitalia ( Fig. 15 ) as described for the genus in Huber (2015: 58) and similar to those illustrated for T. breviovipositor Huber from Colombia ( Huber 2015: 163, fig. 257).

Measurements of the slide-mounted specimen from Indonesia (in µm). Mesosoma: 437; petiole: 24; gaster: 424. Radicle: 55; rest of scape: 106; pedicel: 52; F1: 52; F2: 57; F3: 55; F4: 57; F5: 66; F6: 64; F7: 66; F8: 66; F9: 66; F10: 66; F11: 79. Fore wing: 944:240; longest marginal seta: 106. Hind wing: 769:27; longest marginal seta: 103. Genitalia: 152.

Distribution. China (Hainan, Yunnan) (new record); India (Andaman and Nicobar Islands ( Zeya 2015), Kerala ( Manickavasagam & Athithya 2018)), Indonesia (Sulawesi Island, Southeast Sulawesi) (new record), Malaysia (Negeri Sembilan) (new record), and Thailand (Chiang Mai, Phetchabun) ( Huber 2015 [as T. longissimum ]).

Discussion. We conclude that T. longissimum is identical to T. harriet , hence the synonymy. Huber (2015) based the diagnosis of T. longissimum as a separate entity from T. harriet solely on the differences in color of the head and mesosoma between these two nominal species. However, as more specimens were available for study, it became clear that the minor variation in head and mesosoma color, as recorded here, as well as in distribution of mps on the flagellar segments of the female antenna and the relative length of the ovipositor, are due to intraspecific variation. That is particularly evident in the series of specimens from Sulawesi Island ( Figs 1, 2 ), including those captured during the same collecting event. In other genera of Mymaridae with very long ovipositors, both absolute and relative length of the ovipositor can be particularly variable within the same species ( Triapitsyn & Berezovskiy 2002), which is also definitely the case in T. harriet . Female specimens from China ( Figs 8–11 ), Indonesia ( Figs 1–7 ), Malaysia and Thailand (including the holotype of T. longissimum ) differ just slightly from the holotype of T. harriet from India ( Zeya 2015), as shown in Table 1 .

longissimum syn. n.

Figures

FIGURE 12. Tanyxiphium harriet, male habitus in dorsolateral view (3°38.6'S 121°5.8'E, Southeast Sulawesi, Sulawesi Island, Indonesia).

FIGURES 1, 2. Tanyxiphium harriet, females (Southeast Sulawesi, Sulawesi Island, Indonesia), habitus: 1, dorsal view; 2, lateral view.

FIGURES 3–7. Tanyxiphium harriet, female (3°38.6'S 121°5.8'E, Southeast Sulawesi, Sulawesi Island, Indonesia): 3, head in frontal view; 4, head and mesosoma; 5, antenna; 6, fore and hind wings; 7, gaster and ovipositor.

FIGURES 8–11. Tanyxiphium harriet, female (Xishuangbanna Natural Reserve, Yunnan, China): 8, antenna; 9, fore wing; 10, mesosoma; 11, mesosoma and metasoma.

FIGURES 13–15. Tanyxiphium harriet, male (3°38.6'S 121°5.8'E, Southeast Sulawesi, Sulawesi Island, Indonesia): 13, antenna; 14, fore and hind wings; 15, genitalia.