Pediobius petiolapilus Cao & Zhu

Cao, Huan-Xi, Salle, John La & Zhu, Chao-Dong, 2017, Chinese species of Pediobius Walker (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae), Zootaxa 4240 (1), pp. 1-71 : 15-16

3. Pediobius petiolapilus Cao & Zhu , sp. n.

( Figs 3 , 33 c)

Diagnosis. Frontofacial sutures in a strong acute angle ( Fig. 33 c), extending to vertex with branches visible on vertex in dorsal view ( Fig. 3 a). Scutellum strongly reticulate, with meshes denser anteriorly. Petiole with two setae on each side, one long and the other short. Gaster nearly as long as mesosoma, much shorter than total length of mesosoma plus head; Gt6 and Gt7 about 2× as broad as long respectively, and Gt1 short, occupying about 1/4 length of gaster ( Figs 3 a–b).

Female. Body length 1.9–2.2 mm. Body large and slender.

Body more or less metallic blue-green. Face with metallic blue-green reflections slightly. Scape and pedicel metallic blue-green, flagellum brown. Legs metallic blue-green except basal three tarsomeres of fore leg infuscate, and those of mid and hind legs brownish yellow; apical tarsomeres dark brown ( Figs 3 e–g); metatibial spur brown.

Antenna with 3-segmented funicle and 2-segmented clava, and funicle clearly separated from clava ( Fig. 3 c). Scape not reaching median ocellus. Pedicel longer than broad, shorter than F1 and nearly as broad as F1. Flagellum setose; funicular segments longer than broad, increasing slightly in width ( Fig. 3 c), F1 longer than F2 and F3, and F2 as long as F3; C1 subquadrate, C2 much narrower than C1 and with a distinct terminal spine. Relative measurements of scape: pedicel: F1: F2: F3: C1: C2 = 2.0: 0.6: 1.0: 0.8: 0.8: 0.6: 0.5. Face reticulate, reticulation weak above frontofacial sutures and finely so below toruli. Toruli inserted high above lower margin of eyes. Scrobal grooves extending separately to and nearly meeting at frontofacial sutures. Interscrobal space weakly raised. Frontofacial sutures distinctly forming an acute angle of about 80° ( Fig. 33 c), and extending to vertex such that in dorsal branches visible on vertex view ( Fig. 3 a).

Head in dorsal view transverse, about 3× as broad as long. Vertex with long setae, almost entirely reticulate but reticulation obliterate behind branches of scrobal grooves that extended to vertex. Ocelli arranged in an obtuseangle triangle. POL 3× OOL. Occiput deeply excavated, with only a short carina medially that ends behind the posterior ocelli, with a long seta on each side of occipital carina.

Pronotal collar smooth, with anterior carina slightly raised anteriorly. Mesoscutum with meshes slightly transversely elongated, except for very narrow and deep notaular depressions, with both pairs of setae very long and the posterior pair of setae situated on MLM. Notauli distinct and in posterior two-thirds merging to form groove-like inner margins of deep, narrow and smooth notaular depressions. Posterior margin of MLM straight. Axilla reticulate. Scutellum longer than broad (5.2: 4.0), anterior margin nearly as long as posterior margin; strongly reticulate with smooth lateral (distinct in lateral view) and posterior margins, meshes small anteriorly and broad posteriorly; setae on scutellum very long, as long as those on MLM. Dorsellum large, with two large, irregularly sculptured lateral foveae that resemble a pair of U-shaped carinae forming two depressed submedian areas; smooth and polished between two lateral foveae; distinctly protruding in a right angle apically ( Fig. 3 a). Propodeum with submedian carinae fused in anterior third, forming a crest against protruding dorsellum, but strongly diverging straight backward in posterior two-thirds ( Figs 3 a–b); submedian area much longer than broad, irregularly sculptured laterally; plicae subparallel, callus with 7 setae. Lateral panel of pronotum, prepectus and upper mesepisternum reticulate; mesepimeron smooth; transepimeral sulcus, pleural suture and transepisternal sulcus distinct; transepimeral sulcus curved ( Fig. 3 b).

Petiole transverse, deeply sculptured and with short longitudinal ridges on dorsal surface, and with two setae on each side, one long and the other one short. Gaster acute apically and long-ovate, about 1.6× as long as broad, nearly as long as mesosoma, and much shorter than total length of mesosoma plus head; Gt1 occupying 1/4 length of gaster, smooth, with posterior margin more or less straight but very weakly protruding medially; Gt6 and Gt7 about 2× as broad as long respectively.

Fore wing hyaline, with veins pale yellow; speculum small and closed below ( Fig. 3 d); PMV subequal in length to STV. Relative measurements of SMV: MV: PMV: STV = 2.4: 6.0: 0.7: 0.7. Metatibial spur straight and short, almost as long as the width of tibia, not reaching apex of basal tarsomere ( Fig. 3 g).

Male. Unknown.

Entomology. This species is named for the two setae on each side of the petiole, from Latin petiolus = petiole and pilus = hair.

Material examined. Holotype ♀, CHINA, Anhui, Lu-An, Jinzhai, Youfangdian , 10.V.2012, coll. Kan Wang ( IZCAS) . Paratypes: 2♀, same data as the holotype ; 1♀, Jiangxi, Ganzhou, Chongyi, Mixi Forest , 9–30.IV.2013, coll. Bo He & Tian-Juan Su ( IZCAS) .

Biology. Unknown.

Distribution. CHINA: Anhui, Jiangxi.

Remarks. In the key of Bouček (1965a) to European species, the key of Kamijo (1986a) to Japanese species, and the key of Peck (1985) to Nearctic species of Pediobius , P. petiolapilus runs to P. termerus , from which females differ in the following: interscrobal space weakly raised ( Fig. 33 c) rather than sharply projected; frontofacial sutures extending to vertex and visible in dorsal view ( Fig. 3 a); scutellum strongly reticulate except smooth laterally and apically ( Fig. 3 a); petiole with two setae instead of one on each side. Based on its similarities with P. termerus , we include P. petiolapilus in the alcaeus -group, which can be separated from the other species in this group by the combination of characters given in the key (couplet 4).

Figures

FIGURE 3. Pediobius petiolapilus Cao & Zhu, sp. n., female. a: body in dorsal view; b: body in lateral view; c: antenna; d: fore wing; e: fore leg; f: mid leg; g: hind leg. Scale bar: a – b, 0.5 mm; c, e – g, 0.2 mm; d: 0.4 mm.

FIGURE 33. Pediobius spp., head in front view. a: Pediobius bisulcatus Cao & Zhu, sp. n., female; b: Pediobius elongatus Cao & Zhu, sp. n., female; c: Pediobius petiolapilus Cao & Zhu, sp. n., female; d: Pediobius prominentis Cao & Zhu, sp. n., female; e: Pediobius narangae Sheng & Wang, 1994, female; f: Pediobius tortricida Cao & Zhu, sp. n., female; g: Pediobius saulius (Walker, 1839), female; h: Pediobius saulius (Walker, 1839), male. Scale bar: 0.5 mm.