Trichoteleia prima Talamas

Talamas, Elijah J., Masner, Lubomir & Johnson, Norman F., 2011, Revision of the Malagasy genus Trichoteleia Kieffer (Hymenoptera, Platygastroidea, Platygastridae), ZooKeys 80, pp. 1-126 : 74-76

Trichoteleia prima Talamas sp. n. Figures 11210-215Morphbank 33

Description.

Female body length: 4.01-4.45 mm (n=3). Color of head: orange throughout; dark red, becoming darker dorsally. Central keel of frons: present, extending onto interantennal process. Sculpture of medial frons in female: smooth. Number of mandibular teeth: three. Basal node on mandible: absent. Sculpture of frons below median ocellus: finely punctate throughout, surface uneven. Sculpture of posterior vertex: moderately punctate. Occipital rim: comprised of small to miniscule cells. Sculpture of gena: dorsoventrally strigose. Basiconic sensillum on A7: absent.

Color of mesosoma in female: orange throughout; variably red to black. Sculpture along posterior pronotal sulcus: striate, striae well defined. Notaulus: percurrent, reaching suprahumeral sulcus as a smooth furrow. Sculpture of medial mesoscutum: moderately punctate in posterior half, becoming denser anteriorly. Sculpture of mesoscutellum: smooth medially, sparsely punctate laterally. Postacetabular sulcus: comprised of small cells. Mesopleural carina: present. Sculpture along ventral half of prespecular sulcus: finely punctate. Sculpture of posterolateral mesepisternum: smooth. Sculpture of ventral surface of mesepisternum: smooth. Setation of ventral metapleural area: absent. Setation of metapleural triangle: sparse; moderately dense. Sculpture of metapleural triangle: rugulose. Posterior margin of metapleuron below propodeal spiracle: straight to moderately convex. Color of legs: yellow throughout.

Color of metasoma in female: dark brown to black throughout. Posterior margin of transverse sulcus on T2: strongly convex. Sublateral tergal carina on T2: absent. Microsculpture on T2: present. Microsculpture on T3: present. Microsculpture on T4: absent. Horn on T1 in female: present as a large, apically rounded protuberance. Macrosculpture of T2 in female: longitudinally striate throughout; longitudinally strigose throughout. Macrosculpture of medial T3 in female: longitudinally striate; rugulose. Macrosculpture of lateral T3 in female: longitudinally striate; longitudinally strigose. Macrosculpture of medial T4 in female: absent. Macrosculpture of lateral T4 in female: longitudinally strigose. Punctation of T4 in female: sparse in medial third, dense laterally. Macrosculpture of T5 in female: absent; longitudinally strigose laterally. Punctation of T5 in female: dense throughout; sparse along midline, otherwise dense. Shape of T5 in female: width of posterior margin less than length. Microscupture on T6 in female: present along anterior margin. Sculpture of T6 in female: finely rugulose along anterior margin, otherwise smooth with sparse punctation. Sculpture of S2: longitudinally striate medially, punctate interstitially. Prominent longitudinal median carina on S2: absent.

Wings: macropterous, apex or forewing extending beyond posterior margin of T3. Color of forewing in female: slightly infuscate throughout. Color of hind wing: slightly infuscate throughout. Density of setation in fore wing: uniform throughout. Density of setation in hind wing: uniform throughout. Length of R1: more than 1.5 times as long as r. M+Cu and RS+M in forewing: nebulous.

Diagnosis.

Trichoteleia prima is most similar to Trichoteleia levii and Trichoteleia tonsa . In these three species the short striae along the pronotal shoulder and those of the lateral pronotum form a continuous band. Trichoteleia prima is separated from the others in this cluster by the combination of a coarsely sculptured metapleural triangle and an absence of microsculpture in the posterior half of T6.

Etymology.

This species was the first that the first author examined during this revision. The adjectival epithet prima, meaning “first,” reflects this.

Link to Distribution Map.

[http://hol.osu.edu/map-large.html?id=241276]

Material Examined.

Holotype, female: MADAGASCAR: Antsiranana Auto. Prov., MA-01-01D-08, Montagne d’Ambre National Park, 12°31'13"S, 49°10'45"E, 1125m, 21. IV– 26.IV.2001, malaise trap, R. Harin’Hala, CASENT 2043321 (depos ited in CASC). Paratypes: MADAGASCAR: 4 females, CASENT 2008744, 2008754, 2134201 (CASC); OSUC 215614 (OSUC).