Fusicornia ardis Taekul & Johnson, 2008

Taekul, Charuwat, Johnson, Norman F., Masner, Lubomír & Shu-Pei, Chen, 2008, Revision of the world species of the genus Fusicornia Risbec (Hymenoptera: Platygastridae, Scelioninae), Zootaxa 1966, pp. 1-52 : 10

Fusicornia ardis Taekul & Johnson , new species urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:72C6DA11-D3D5-450F-9690-5CD010C694C2

urn:lsid:biosci.ohio-state.edu:osuc_concepts:229136

Figures 13–18; Morphbank 23

Description. Female body length: 2.43–2.81 mm (n=7). Male body length: 2.04–2.28 mm (n=20).

Head: Vertex between posterior ocelli: rounded. Female OOL: less than or equal one ocellar diameter. Frontal sculpture: entirely and evenly sculptured. Sculpture of central frons: reticulate punctate. Setation of central frons: moderately setose throughout. Inner orbit in frontal view: converging dorsally. Upper gena in dorsal view of female: flat to weakly concave, therefore in lateral view compound eye appearing to reach posterior margin of head. Sculpture of gena behind lower half of eye: with reticulate to coriaceous microsculpture. Setation of gena: moderately setose. Antenna: Radicle color: yellow to orange brown. Color of female A1: yellow to orange-brown. Color of female funicle (A3–A6): dark brown. Claval formula: 1-2-2-2-2-2. Claval color: dark brown to black.

Mesosoma: Pronotal cervical sulcus: absent. Mesoscutum sculpture: reticulate. Longitudinal sculpture in posterior half of mesoscutum: absent. Admedian line: present. Mesoscutal humeral sulcus: smooth. Notauli: absent. Mesoscutellum shape: rounded. Sculpture of mesoscutellum: almost entirely covered by microsculpture. Length of medial metascutellar spine: medial spine very elongate, distinctly longer than distance between median and lateral spines. Length of lateral metascutellar spine: lateral corner of metascutellum angulate, not or weakly produced into spine. Sculpture of propodeal nucha: smooth to weakly sculptured. Sculpture of suprahumeral area of pronotum: puncticulate. Sculpture in lower pronotum: reticulate to weakly rugulose. Netrion setation: sparsely setose to glabrous. Mesopleural carina: absent. Mesepimeral sulcus: absent, abbreviated. Area 2 on metapleuron: polygonal, setose. Setation of area 4 of metapleuron: setose nearly throughout. Setation in anteroventral metapleural triangle: present. Setation of propodeum anterior to spiracle: sparsely setose (less than 10) or absent. Legs: Coxae color: all coxae brown to black, fore coxa brown, mid and hind coxa yellow.

Wings: Female fore wing maculation: with distinct infuscation at level of marginal vein.

Metasoma: Length of T1: equal or more than 1.4 times width. Horn on T1 of female: absent, T1 longitudinally furrowed throughout length. Lateral setation of T1: sparsely to moderately setose (6–15/side). Medial sculpture on T3: smooth and shiny.

Diagnosis. Fusicornia ardis is distinguishable on the basis of the elongate medial and weakly produced lateral metascutellar spines ( Figs. 7, 18), the elongate T1 (length 1.4 times width), the smooth mesoscutal humeral sulcus, and the convergent inner orbits in the female ( Figs. 15–18).

Etymology. The epithet ardis, Greek for the point of an arrow, refers to the medial metanotal spine.

Link to Distribution Map. 24

Material Examined. Holotype female: NIGERIA: Ife, Osun St., IX.1974, J. T. Medler , OSUC 148952 (deposited in CNCI).

Paratypes: BENIN: 1 female, OSUC 206107 ( CNCI) . BURKINA FASO: 33 males, 4 females, OSUC 148942–148943 , 148950 , 164011–164014 , 206108–206133 ( CNCI) . IVORY COAST: 2 males, OSUC 148954–148955 ( CNCI) . KENYA: 1 female, OSUC 148951 ( CNCI) . NIGERIA: 1 female, OSUC 148956 ( CNCI) . TANZANIA: 4 males, 1 female, OSUC 232470 , 248228–248230 , 248232 ( SAMC) .

23. http://www.morphbank.net/?id=226357

24. http://atbi.biosci.ohio-state.edu/HymOnline/map-large.html?id=229136