Orasema lasallei, Heraty & Baker, 2020

Heraty, John M. & Baker, Austin J., 2020, New species of Orasema (Hymenoptera: Eucharitidae) from Central and South America, Journal of Natural History 54 (9), pp. 735-754 : 738-742

Orasema lasallei sp. nov. (lasallei species group)

( Figures 1 , 2 , 3a – d )

http://zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:DFB5A4A8-6CC0-4C1F-8B5309B8A062C652

Diagnosis

This species is recognised by the antenna with 8 funiculars, basal area and speculum of fore wing bare, basal third of hind wing with sparse microsetae, face generally smooth but with the frons vertically costate, labrum with 6 – 11 marginal digits ( Figure 3a,b ), clypeus slightly rounded and projecting ventrally and with a distinct anteclypeus. As well, the head and mesosoma are blue green to darkly violaceous, the scape and legs yellow, and the gaster yellowish-brown with dark brown maculations dorsally. Of the specimens where it could be observed, the variation in labral digits ranged from 6 (1 specimen), 7 (5), 8 (7), 9 (5), 10 (3), to 11 (1).

Female. Length 3.1 – 4.9 mm.

Colour: Head and mesosoma blue green, metallic green, or darkly violaceous. Scape yellow; pedicel and anellus yellowish-brown; flagellum dark brown. Mandible yellowishbrown with dark brown margins and teeth; maxilla and labium yellow to pale brown. Coxae same colour as body or dark metallic purple. Fore wing hyaline; venation yellowish to pale brown. Petiole same as mesosoma; gaster yellowish-brown, Mt 1 brown with posterior band of yellow, remaining tergites yellow with dorsal brown band.

Head in frontal view subtriangular; 1.1 – 1.3× as broad as high; face fairly smooth, frons vertically costate and setose, lower face adjacent to clypeus smooth and setose ( Figure 3a ); scrobal depression deep, laterally rounded, with transverse carinae and a vertical median ridge; dorsal scrobal depressions absent; eyes bare, inter-ocular distance 1.4 – 1.8× eye height; malar space 0.7 – 0.9× eye height; supraclypeal area slightly longer than broad, smooth with weak sculpture along lateral margins; clypeus fairly smooth with short setae; epistomal sulcus vaguely defined and shallowly impressed; anterior tentorial pit strongly impressed; anteclypeus present, ventral margin of clypeus slightly rounded. Labrum with 6 – 11 digits. Mandibular formula 3:2 or 3:3. Palpal formula 3:3. Occiput aciculate, shallowly emarginate in dorsal view, dorsal margin abrupt; temples broad. Scape not reaching median ocellus. Pedicel small and globose. Flagellum with 8 funiculars; flagellum length 1.3 1.4 × head height; F2 broader than pedicel, 1.5 – 2.6× as long as broad, 1.1 – 1.2× as long as F3; following funiculars subequal in length, equal in width; clava subconical.

Mesosoma 1.0 – 1.3× as long as high. Mesoscutal midlobe rugose-reticulate to rugoseareolate, bare; lateral lobe coarsely rugose-areolate for the most part; notauli deep. Axilla rugose-areolate, dorsally rounded, on roughly same plane as scutellum; scutoscutellar sulcus broad, regularly foveate, reaching transscutal articulation medially; scutellar disc as long as or slightly longer than broad, mesoscutellar disc coarsely rugose-areolate; frenal line irregularly foveate; frenum rugose-areolate; axillular sulcus absent to very weakly margined; axillula strongly rugose-areolate. Propodeal disc broadly rounded, without depression or carina; shallowly areolate; callus rugose, with a few small setae; callar nib present or absent. Prepectus triangular dorsally, strongly narrowed ventrally, sculpture rugose. Mesepisternum areolate laterally, smooth ventrally, broadly rounded anterior to mid coxa. Upper mesepimeron smooth and weakly costate to costate; lower mesepimeron costate; transepimeral sulcus weakly impressed. Metepisternum laterally nearly smooth. Propleuron convex, weakly reticulate. Postpectal carina weak. Hind coxa 1.4 – 1.9× as long as broad, weakly reticulate dorsally, becoming smooth ventrally; hind femur 4.7 – 6.3× as long as broad, with short, dense setae apically; hind tibia densely setose. Fore wing 2.5 – 2.7× as long as broad, 2.6 – 2.7× as long as mesothorax; basal cell and speculum bare, costal cell and wing disc densely setose; marginal fringe relatively long; submarginal vein with small setae; marginal vein with dense short setae; stigmal vein 1.4 – 3.0× as long as broad, slightly angled; uncus weak and blunt; stigma with 3 sensilla in a straight line; postmarginal vein 1.3 – 3.6× as long as stigmal vein. Hind wing pilose apically, basal third microsetose but appearing bare, costal cell mostly bare except for several setae in extreme apex.

Metasoma: Petiole cylindrical, linear in profile, 2.1 – 3.3× as long as broad, 1.1 – 1.4× as long as hind coxa, rugose-areolate, anterior carina strong, lateral margin rounded, ventral sulcus absent. Antecostal sulcus crossed by minute carinae; acrosternite posteriorly rounded to weakly angulate; apical setae of hypopygium with four long hairs clustered on each side of midline. Ovipositor slightly curved cephalad; subapical carina weak; first (ventral) valvula with 3 – 4 strong, widely separated teeth, second (dorsal) valvula with 6 – 7 annuli that are broadly separated.

Male. Length 3.46 mm. Head width 1.2× head height; scape yellow; flagellum with 8 funiculars, clava 2-segmented, flagellum length 1.2× head height, anellus minute, difficult to distinguish, F2 2.6× as long as broad, hind femur yellow; petiole 10× as long as broad, 2.9× as long as hind coxa.

Ant Host: Two teneral adults (wings in process of unfolding) taken from nest of Pheidole vorax (Fabr.) (Myrmicinae) .

DNA Matrix Name ( Baker et al. 2020): Orasema _nsp_ ” dus ” _CRI_D4715.

Phylogenetic Position ( Baker et al. 2020): This species has variable placement in different analyses: as sister group to the susanae group in the Anchored Hybrid Enrichment (AHE) results (348 loci) or the combined Sanger and AHE results; or as sister to the straminiepes group in the Sanger Sequencing results. In all results, it is placed as a unique branch and is never included within any of the other species groups. Notably, it never groups with the festiva species group, which also have numerous digits on the labrum, suggesting that the multidigitate labrum, versus 4-digitate labrum, arose at least three times within Orasema .

Holotype: Costa Rica: Guanacaste: Santa Rosa Nat. Pk., 300 m, 10°53 ʹ 33”N, 85°45 ʹ 59”W, 1 – 22.vi.1985, D.H. Janzen & I.D. Gauld [1♀, UCRCENT00161412], deposited in CNC.

Paratypes: Costa Rica: Alajuela: 5 km W San Ramon, 1200 m, 10°05 ʹ 14”N, 84°30 ʹ 49”W vii.1997, O. Castro & P. Hanson [1♀, MUCR: UCRCENT00479322 ] . Guanacaste: P. N. Santa Rosa, 200 m, 10°53 ʹ N, 85°45 ʹ W, 24.v-14.vi.1986, P. Hanson [2♀, MUCR: UCRCENT00479339 40 ]. Santa Rosa Nat. Pk. , 300 m, 10°53 ʹ 33”N, 85°45 ʹ 59”W, 11.v-1.vi.1985, D.H. Janzen, I.D. Gauld [1♂ 2♀, UCRC: UCRCENT00408492 , UCRCENT00408494 , UCRCENT00414048 ] . Santa Rosa Nat. Pk. , 300 m, 10°53 ʹ 33”N, 85°45 ʹ 59”W, 13.vii-3.viii.1985, D.H. Janzen & I.D. Gauld [1♀, UCRC: UCRCENT00408493 ]. Santa Rosa Nat. Pk. , 300 m, 10°53 ʹ 33”N, 85°45 ʹ 59”W, 22.vi-13.vii.1985, D.H. Janzen & I.D. Gauld [1♀, UCRC: UCRCENT00408491 ]. Santa Rosa NP Hacienda , 300 m, 10°53 ʹ 33”N, 85°45 ʹ 59”W, 29.v.1978, 6.vi.1978, D. H. Janzen, dry hill [3♀, UMNH: UCRCENT00476435 ]. Limon: Hitoy Cerere Biological Reserve , 150 m, 9°40 ʹ 03 ” N, 83° 01 ʹ 47 ” W, 13.vi.2015, M. Branstetter, along stream, trop. rainforest, reared Pheidole vorax nest MGB2656 [2♀, UCRC: UCRCENT00446848 (D4715), UCRC: UCRCENT00455978 ]. San Jose: Ciudad Colón , 800 m, 9°54 ʹ 33”N, 84°14 ʹ 31”W, vi – vii.1990, Luis Fournier [1♀, USNM: UCRCENT00161411 ]. San Antonio de Escazu , 1300 m, 9°53 ʹ 00”N, 84°08 ʹ 00”W, 5.vi.1989, P. Hanson [1♀, UCRC: UCRCENT00408495 ]. El Salvador: 3 mi. W Quezaltepeque , 500 m, 13°49 ʹ 01”N, 89°18 ʹ 29”W, 23.vi.1961, M.E. Irwin [1♀, UCDC: UCRCENT00477843 ]. Honduras: Olancho: Catacamas, 15°50 ʹ 00 ” N, 85°51 ʹ 00 ” W, viii.1995, R. Cave, lowland gallery forest, Malaise Trap [1♀, MZLU: UCRCENT00242606 ]. Mexico: Chiapas: 1 mi S Rayon, 1280 m, 17° 11 ʹ 25”N, 93°00 ʹ 0”W, 16 June 1965, Burks, Meyer, Shaffner [5♀, deposited in TAMU: UCRCENT00243140 , UCRCENT00243142 – 44 , UCRC: UCRCENT00161424 ]. Veracruz: Orizaba, 1240 m, 18°50 ʹ 43”N, 97°06 ʹ 14”W, 3. [2♀, MHNG: UCRCENT00412228 – 29 ]. Nicaragua: Boaco: Camoapa, 500 m, 12°22 ʹ 00”N, 85°30 ʹ 00”W, xii.1976, W. H. Cross, door yard Gossypium hirsutum , swp [1♀, MEM: UCRCENT00242503 ].

Other material examined

Costa Rica: San Jose: San Jose , 1150 m, 9°55 ʹ 00”N, 84°04 ʹ 00”W, M. Valerio [3♀, USNM: UCRCENT00416718 – 19 ].

Etymology. Named after John La Salle of the Australian National Insect Collection for his amazing work in Chalcidoidea and the Atlas of Living Australia.

Figures

Figure 1. Orasema lasallei sp. nov.

Figure 2. Antennae. an, anellus; Fu8, funicular 8. Scale bar = 0.25 mm.

Figure 3. (a–c) Orasema lasallei sp. nov. ♀ holotype: (a) head; (b) mouthparts (c) head and mesosoma. (d) O. lasallei ♂, head and mesosoma. (e–f) Orasema janzeni sp. nov. ♀ holotype: (e) head and mesosoma; (f) lower face. (g) O. janzeni ♂: habitus.