Nixonia pretiosa Masner, 1958

Johnson, Norman F. & Masner, Lubomír, 2006, Revision of World Species of the Genus Nixonia Masner (Hymenoptera: Platygastroidea, Scelionidae), American Museum Novitates 3518 (1), pp. 1-32 : 22-23

Nixonia pretiosa Masner

Figures 56–59

Nixonia pretiosa Masner, 1958: 103 . Original description. Masner, 1965: 85 (type information).

DESCRIPTION: Holotype female. Length: 5.5 mm; head, ventral portion of mesosoma, entire metasoma black, dorsal portion of pronotum, mesonotum brownish red; femora, tibiae, tarsi, tegula reddish brown; A1–A3 reddish brown, antenna otherwise dark brown to black; palpi yellow; wings partially infuscate, brownish.

Head (figs. 56–58) moderately transverse in dorsal view, width 1.5 times length; vertex rugulose-punctate, shining; OOL obsolete, lateral ocellus contiguous with inner orbit; LOL. POL; occiput rugulose-punctate, shining; occipital carina not developed; frons (fig. 57) rugulose-punctate, shining, above toruli with dense transverse wrinkles; frons broad, IOS 1.2 times greatest length of eye; toruli separated by distance subequal to diameter of torulus, frons between toruli not projecting anteriorly, flat; rim of torulus evenly raised; apical margin of clypeus with blunt medial projection; area below eye (in normal position of malar sulcus) with granular microsculpture; sculpture of cheeks laterad of malar area with slight longitudinal orientation of sculpture; mandible moderately long, bidentate, upper tooth only slightly longer than lower tooth, without dense basal tuft of setae; maxillary palpal segment 4 distinctly expand- ed medially, subtriangular; A1 finely reticulate, greatest width at midpoint of segment; length of A3 1.2 times length of A2.

Mesosoma (figs. 56, 58) height 1.1 times length 1.5 times height; pronotal shoulders rugose-punctate; lateral surface of pronotum with fine longitudinal rugulosity; netrion with deep punctures only; mesoscutum rugosepunctate, without transverse sculpture, shining; parapsidal lines present; scutellum rugosepunctate, with fine longitudinal elements in posterior half; median propodeal tooth relatively narrow, distinctly longer than wide, with apical emargination, longitudinally carinate; upper mesepisternum with strong longitudinal sculpture; fine foveae separating mesepisternum and mesepimeron extending from base of wing to coxal cavity; lower mesepisternum finely reticulate-punctate; mesepimeral hook smooth; tegula with granular microsculpture; R 1 in forewing almost reaching costal margin; apex of forewing surpassing apex of T5; R in hindwing with tracheate section long, nearly reaching hamuli; tibiae with fine, semidecumbent spines on outer surface.

Metasoma (fig. 59) 3.0 times longer than greatest width; T1 distinctly wider than long; all terga longitudinally rugose; T6 with moderately large apical emargination medially, width of emargination greater than depth; base of T6 with anteromedial, longitudinally aciculate field of microsculpture.

DIAGNOSIS: This species is very similar to N. watshami ; it may be distinguished by the very distinctive red color of the mesosoma.

MATERIAL EXAMINED: Holotype female: ‘‘Okahandja., 13–19.i.1928.; S.W. Africa. R.E. Turner. Brit. Mus. 1928–77.; Nixonia pretiosa /, n. gen. n. sp. holotype, Det. L. Masner, 1958; Holotypus; Holo, type, B.M. TYPE, HYM., 9.546.’’ Deposited in BMNH .

Figures

Figs. 56–59. Nixonia pretiosa Masner, holotype female (BMNH 9.546). 56. Lateral habitus. 57. Head, frontal view. 58. Head and mesosoma, dorsal view. 59. Apex of metasoma, dorsal view. Scale in millimeters.