Gonatocerus

Triapitsyn, Serguei V., Huber, John T., Logarzo, Guillermo A., Berezovskiy, Vladimir V. & Aquino, Daniel A., 2010, Review of Gonatocerus (Hymenoptera: Mymaridae) in the Neotropical region, with description of eleven new species, Zootaxa 2456, pp. 1-243 : 94-95

Subgenus Gonatocerus ( Cosmocomoidea Howard, 1908 ), stat. rev.

Cosmocomoidea Howard 1908: 68 . Type species: Cosmocomoidea morrilli Howard , by monotypy.

Ooctonus Haliday : Girault 1929: 20.

Lymaenon ( Cosmocomoidea Howard ): Ogloblin 1959b: 50 –56; Annecke & Doutt 1961: 4.

Gonatocerus ( Gonatocerus Nees ): De Santis 1967: 103–105 (in part).

Gonatocerus ( Cosmocomoidea Howard ): De Santis 1967: 106.

Lymaenon Walker ( longicauda species group): Viggiani 1969: 39 (except Oophilus longicauda Enock [as Lymaenon longicauda (Enock) , a synonym of G. (Lymaenon) acuminatus (Walker) ] and G. (Lymaenon) thyrides (Debauche) , and also G. (Gastrogonatocerus) membraciphagus Ogloblin ).

Gonatocerus Nees (ater species group): Matthews 1986: 216 (key), 220; Huber 1988: 30, 48–51; Yoshimoto 1990; 38; Zeya & Hayat 1995: 62 –63.

Diagnosis. Face with subantennal sulci usually close together at mouth margin; back of head without sutures but sometimes (in the bucculentus subgroup of the ater species group) gena constricted next to eye by round or oval sulcus extending from mouth opening to above foramen magnum; pronotum longitudinally divided into two lobes that abut medially (except entire in the masneri species group); dorsellum triangular to rhomboidal, rarely almost straplike; propodeum almost always with 2 submedian carinae present and well developed, but in some bucculentus subgroup species the carinae very fine (only traces are visible) or apparently absent; female funicle 8-segmented; forewing relatively broad and setae behind venation absent or, if present behind marginal and stigmal veins, not as dense or as uniformly distributed as beyond venation except in the chusqueicolus subgroup and one species in the morrilli subgroup ( G. (Cosmocomoidea) cuscus Triapitsyn sp. n.) of the ater species group where they are as dense as elsewhere; ovipositor not exserted beyond apex of gaster or, if so, usually only very slightly exserted.

Gonatocerus (Cosmocomoidea) is by far the most diverse and speciose subgenus of Gonatocerus in the Neotropical region. Most species are clearly identified as belonging in this subgenus, but a few are very similar to members of G. ( Gonatocerus ) and their placement in G. ( Cosmocomoidea ) is therefore somewhat arbitrary. In the Neotropical region, the subgenus can be conveniently divided into two species groups, one of which is further subdivided into four subgroups, with their diagnostic features and included taxa as follows.

Ater species group. Pronotum divided into two abutting lobes ― 51 described species, including the taxa newly described herein, in the following four subgroups.

Ater subgroup. Propodeum lateral to submedian carinae smooth to slightly rugose, but without transverse wrinkles, carinae, or punctures ― 21 described species: G. (Cosmocomoidea) abbreviatus (Ogloblin) , G. (Cosmocomoidea) ashmeadi Girault , G. (Cosmocomoidea) atriclavus Girault , G. (Cosmocomoidea) brachyurus (Ogloblin) , G. (Cosmocomoidea) caudatus Ogloblin , G. (Cosmocomoidea) concinnus (Ogloblin) , G. (Cosmocomoidea) flagellaris (Ogloblin) , G. (Cosmocomoidea) garchamp Triapitsyn sp. n., G. (Cosmocomoidea) gracilicornis (Ogloblin) , G. (Cosmocomoidea) inflatiscapus Huber , G. (Cosmocomoidea) logarzoi Triapitsyn sp. n., G. (Cosmocomoidea) maculipennis (Ashmead) comb. n., G. (Cosmocomoidea) metanotalis (Ogloblin) , G. (Cosmocomoidea) mumu Triapitsyn sp. n., G. (Cosmocomoidea) nigrithorax (Ogloblin) , G. (Cosmocomoidea) novifasciatus Girault , G. (Cosmocomoidea) portoricensis Dozier , G. (Cosmocomoidea) rufescens (Ashmead) , G. (Cosmocomoidea) triangulifer (Ogloblin) , G. (Cosmocomoidea) triguttatus Girault , and G. (Cosmocomoidea) uat Triapitsyn.

Bucculentus subgroup. Head posteriorly with round or oval sulcus separating genae from occiput ― 9 described species: G. (Cosmocomoidea) bonariensis (Brèthes) , G. (Cosmocomoidea) bucculentus Huber , G. (Cosmocomoidea) dolichocerus Ashmead , G. (Cosmocomoidea) flagellatus Huber , G. (Cosmocomoidea) inauditus (Ogloblin) , G. (Cosmocomoidea) nasutus (Ogloblin) , G. (Cosmocomoidea) nigriflagellum (Girault) , G. (Cosmocomoidea) parcepilosus (Ogloblin) , and G. (Cosmocomoidea) quadrivittatus Dozier [subgroup placement of this species is tentative].

Chusqueicolus subgroup. Forewing with setae behind venation extending uniformly to base of marginal vein, as dense as elsewhere on the wing ― 4 described species: G. (Cosmocomoidea) blesticus (Ogloblin) , G. (Cosmocomoidea) carahuensis (Ogloblin) , G. (Cosmocomoidea) chusqueicolus (Ogloblin) , and G. (Cosmocomoidea) schajovskoii (Ogloblin) .

Morrilli subgroup. Propodeum lateral to submedian carinae with transverse wrinkles, carinae, or longitudinal rows of punctures ― 17 described species: G. (Cosmocomoidea) annulicornis (Ogloblin) , G. (Cosmocomoidea) barbos Triapitsyn sp. n., G. (Cosmocomoidea) blefuscu Triapitsyn sp. n. [subgroup placement of this species is tentative], G. (Cosmocomoidea) coxalis (Ogloblin) , G. (Cosmocomoidea) cuscus Triapitsyn sp. n., G. (Cosmocomoidea) deleoni Triapitsyn, Logarzo & Virla [subgroup placement of this species is tentative], G. (Cosmocomoidea) gerasim Triapitsyn sp. n., G. (Cosmocomoidea) grandis (Ogloblin) , G. (Cosmocomoidea) helavai Yoshimoto , G. (Cosmocomoidea) kiskis Triapitsyn sp. n. [subgroup placement of this species is tentative], G. (Cosmocomoidea) morrilli (Howard) , G. (Cosmocomoidea) quirogai (Ogloblin) , G. (Cosmocomoidea) rakitovi Triapitsyn sp. n., G. (Cosmocomoidea) seminiger (Ogloblin) , G. (Cosmocomoidea) tuberculifemur (Ogloblin) [subgroup placement of this species is tentative], G. (Cosmocomoidea) virlai Triapitsyn, Logarzo & de León, and G. (Cosmocomoidea) walkerjonesi Triapitsyn.

Masneri species group. Pronotum entire ― 2 described species, including the taxon newly described herein: G. (Cosmocomoidea) hispaniolus Triapitsyn & Huber sp. n., and G. (Cosmocomoidea) masneri Yoshimoto.

Distribution. Almost cosmopolitan (absent in the Australian region but introduced, either accidentally or purposely, into various oceanic islands, e.g. Hawaiian Islands, French Polynesia, Easter Island).

Hosts. Cicadellidae (mostly), Membracidae , and possibly Flatidae .

Comments. The specimens of G. (Cosmocomoidea) latipennis Girault , mentioned by Huber (1988) and then cited by De Santis & Fidalgo (1994) from Mexico, are all from the Nearctic part of that country, as follows: NUEVO LEÓN: Municipio Guadalupe, Rincón de la Sierra, 11.vii.1983, A. González-Hernández [1 ♂, UCRC]; Parque Ecológico Chipinque (near Monterrey), 2.xi.1982, J.T. Huber, A. González-Hernández [2 ♂, UCRC].

Likewise, the records of G. (Cosmocomoidea) capitatus Gahan , mentioned by De Santis (1979) and Huber (1988) from Mexico, are all from the Nearctic part of that country.