Phoenoteleia rufescens (Kieffer)

Lahey, Zachary, Musetti, Luciana, Masner, Lubomir & Johnson, Norman F., 2021, Revision of Phoenoteleia Kieffer (Hymenoptera, Scelionidae, Scelioninae), Journal of Hymenoptera Research 87, pp. 575-611 : 575

Phoenoteleia rufescens (Kieffer)

Figures 55-58 , 59

Plagioscelio rufescens Kieffer, 1916: 186 (original description); Kieffer, 1926: 356, 357 (description, keyed); Kelner-Pillault, 1958: 151 (type information); Baltazar, 1966: 177 (cataloged, type information, distribution).

Phoenoteleia rufescens (Kieffer): Masner, 1976: 33 (generic transfer); Johnson, 1992: 461 (cataloged, type information).

Description.

Color of antenna in female: unknown. Color of antenna in male: radicle and A1-A6 lighter than A7-A12. Color of head: light orange. Color of mesosoma: mostly reddish-brown, with lighter areas on mesoscutum, mesopleuron, netrion, and pronotum. Color of metasoma: mostly reddish-brown, except for T3 and T4 which are lighter throughout most of their length. Color of legs: light yellow-brown, fore legs darkest. Setation of frons: long, sparse. Sculpture of frons: transversely rugose ventrally, smooth dorsally, punctate throughout. Excavation on posteromedial vertex: absent. Length of LOL: 1 OD. Notaulus: absent. Setation of mesoscutellum: present. Sculpture of mesoscutellum: granulate throughout. Form of metascutellum: transverse. Sculpture of propodeum: rugose. Setation of plical area: present. Sculpture of mesofemoral depression: smooth. Setation of mesepisternum ventral to mesofemoral depression: dense. Setation of dorsal metapleural area: present posteriorly. Setation of ventral metapleural area: present posteriorly. Sculpture of ventral metapleural area: transversely rugose anterodorsally, otherwise smooth. Sculpture of T2: longitudinally striate, interstices rugose. Relative length of hind basitarsus in male: 2.5 times as long as remaining tarsomeres.

Diagnosis.

The granulate mesoscutellum and sculpture of the triangular propodeal plate distinguishes P. rufescens from the male of P. buka sp. nov. We did not observe any characters that would reliably separate P. rufescens from the male of P. canalis .

Material examined.

Holotype, male: Philippines: Mindanao Isl., Butuan Chartered City, Baker , MNHN 0026 (deposited in MNHN).

Comments.

The holotypes of P. rufescens and P. rufa were collected on the Philippine island of Mindanao in Butuan, probably as part of the same collecting event. This led Masner (1976) to suggest that P. rufescens is the male of P. rufa . This is probably true, but we refrain from synonymizing P. rufescens with P. rufa because we did not physically examine the holotype, and the male is indistinguishable from specimens of the same sex that were collected from locations where P. rufa females were not examined (Figures 63-65 , 69 - 74 ).

In the original description of P. rufescens , Kieffer (1916) stated that the rear ocelli are separated from the inner margin of the compound eye by twice their diameter. Images of the holotype show this is not the case: the rear ocelli appear to be positioned less than 1 OD from the inner margin of the compound eye (Figure 56 ). Kieffer (1916) also mentioned that the postmarginal vein (postmarginalis) of the fore wing is absent. This is incorrect. Like all Phoenoteleia , the postmarginal vein of P. rufescens is at least twice as long as the stigmal vein.

Figures

Figure 59. Phoenoteleia rufescens (Kieffer), male holotype (MNHN 0026) head, anterior view. Scale bar in millimeters.

Figures 55 - 58. Phoenoteleia rufescens (Kieffer), male holotype (MNHN 0026) 55 head, mesosoma, metasoma, dorsal view 56 head, mesosoma, dorsal view 57 head, mesosoma, metasoma, lateral view 58 head, mesosoma, lateral view. Scale bars in millimeters.

Figures 63 - 65. Phoenoteleia sp. nr. Phoenoteleia rufescens, male (OSUC 359926; Maluku, Indonesia) 63 head, mesosoma, metasoma, dorsal view 64 mesosoma, lateral view 65 head, anterior view. Scale bars in millimeters.

Figures 69 - 71. Phoenoteleia sp. nr. Phoenoteleia rufescens, male (OSUC 331982; Milne Bay, Papua New Guinea) 69 head, mesosoma, metasoma, dorsal view 70 mesosoma, lateral view 71 head, anterior view. Scale bars in millimeters.

Figures 72 - 74. Phoenoteleia sp. nr. Phoenoteleia rufescens, male (OSUC 232280; East Kalimantan, Indonesia) 72 head, mesosoma, metasoma, dorsal view 73 mesosoma, lateral view 74 head, anterior view. Scale bars in millimeters.