Helava pygmea Masner & Talamas, 2016

Talamas, Elijah J. & Masner, Lubomir, 2016, Revision of New World Helava Masner & Huggert (Platygastridae, Sceliotrachelinae), Journal of Hymenoptera Research 53, pp. 1-24 : 16

Helava pygmea Masner & Talamas sp. n.

Figures 40-44

Description.

Female body length: 0.94-1.54 mm (n=18). Male body length: 0.85-1.07 mm (n=7). Male antenna: apically clubbed. Number of antennomeres in male club: 3. Number of female clavomeres: 4. Setation of frons anterior to ocellar triangle: present. Setation of vertex posterior to lateral ocellus: dense. Hyperoccipital carina: absent. Pronotum in dorsal view: present mostly as lateral shoulders. Dorsoventral band of dense setation on posterior part of lateral pronotum: absent. Setation of pronotal cervical sulcus: uncertain, dense. Width of dorsal mesopleuron in lateral view: about equal ventrally and dorsally to 1.5 times as wide ventrally. Longitudinal striation on dorsal mesopleuron: absent. Transepisternal line: present. Mesofurcal pit: present. Notaulus: absent. Rs+M in fore wing: nebulous. Wings: macropterous. Rs+M in hind wing: nebulous. Color of legs: brownish, yellowish brown. Foamy structures of lateral propodeum: smaller than hairy metapleuron. Median tubercule on T2: present. Setation of anterior T2: interrupted medially. Lateral patch on T2: absent. Foamy structures on S1: absent. Transverse felt field on anterior S2: present as transverse strip. Shape of S2 in lateral view: broadly convex.

Diagnosis.

Helava pygmea is closest to H. simplex , with which it shares the presence of small propodeal foamy structures, fully developed wings, and a mesoscutum without notauli. The only character that reliably separates these species is the form of the basal vein (Rs+M) in the fore wing: darkly pigmented in H. pygmea and absent in H. simplex .

Etymology.

The species name " Helava pygmea " refers to the small size of the body in this species.

Link to distribution map.

http://hol.osu.edu/map-large.html?id=354391

Material examined.

Holotype, female: ECUADOR: Napo Prov., below Papallacta , 3000m, 17.II.1983, L. Masner, USNMENT00989208 (deposited in CNCI) . Paratypes: (20 females, 9 males) CHILE : 1 male, USNMENT00989196 (CNCI). COLOMBIA : 11 females, 4 males, CNC424746, 424748, 424754-424756, 424758-424763, 424768-424771 (CNCI). ECUADOR : 5 females, 3 males, CNC424747, 424749-424751, 424764, 424766-424767, USNMENT00989207 (CNCI). VENEZUELA : 4 females, 1 male, CNC424752-424753, 424757, 424765, 424942 (CNCI).

Figures

Figures 40 - 44. Helava pygmea 40 female holotype (USNMENT 00989207), head, mesosoma, metasoma, lateral view 41 male paratype (USNMENT 00989208), head, mesosoma, metasoma, dorsal view 42 female holotype (USNMENT 00989207), head, anterior view 43 male paratype (USNMENT 00989208), antenna, dorsal view 44 female holotype (USNMENT 00989207), antenna, dorsal view. Scale bars in millimeters.