Synopeas amandae Awad, 2021

Awad, Jessica, Bremer, Jonathan S., Butterill, Philip T., Moore, Matthew R. & Talamas, Elijah J., 2021, A taxonomic treatment of Synopeas Foerster (Platygastridae, Platygastrinae) from the island of New Guinea, Journal of Hymenoptera Research 87, pp. 5-65 : 5

Synopeas amandae Awad sp. nov.

Description.

Body length 0.9-1.25 mm. Body color: black. Color of legs: coxae brown, otherwise yellow. Color of mesoscutellar spine: concolorous with mesoscutellar disc.

Head. Shape of head in anterior view: slightly ovoid. Central keel: complete; partial. Sculpture on frons: reticulate microsculpture. Epitorular sculpture: minute rugulae; reticulate microsculpture. Number of clypeal setae: 4. Length of median pair of clypeal setae: longer than lateral pair. Arrangement of clypeal setae: medial setae closer to each other than to lateral setae. Shape of mandible: bidentate. Distance between lateral ocellus and compound eye (OOL): less than 1 ocellar diameter. Lateral ocellar depression: present laterally. Hyperoccipital carina: complete. Hyperoccipital carina strength: laterally weakened. Distance between lateral ocellus and hyperoccipital carina: approximately 1 ocellar diameter.

Mesosoma. Epomial carina: present, complete or nearly so. Microsculpture of lateral pronotum: present throughout. Lateral pronotal sculpture coverage: more than 3/4. Mesoscutellar spine: absent or inconspicuous. Posterior margin of lateral propodeal carina in lateral view: rounded. Mesosomal dorsum in lateral view: convex. Notauli: unmarked or faintly suggested. Parapsidal lines: very faint. Setation of mesoscutum: moderately dense. Mesoscutal lamella: broad and square. Setation of mesoscutellum: laterally dense, medially sparse.

Metasoma. Microsculpture of S2: narrow band at posterior margin. Sculpture of T2: narrow transverse band of microsculpture at posterior margin. Length of T2: shorter than mesosoma; approximately as long as mesosoma.

Wing. Length of setae on disc of forewing: longer than distance between setal bases. Density of setae on disc of forewing: dense. Arrangement of setae on disc of forewing: uniformly setose distally, proximally glabrous with linea setosa. Forewing marginal setae: setae on posterior margin distinctly longer than setae on anterior margin; approximately uniform in length on anterior and posterior margins.

Diagnosis.

Synopeas amandae has the pronotum entirely covered with reticulate microsculpture, which is not typical among the species treated here. The absent or inconspicuous mesoscutellar spine also helps to identify it. It can be distinguished from the similar S. codex by the shape of the head, which is blocky in S. codex , and by the epomial carina, which is complete or nearly so in S. amandae and absent or reduced in S. codex .

Comments.

The central keel is variable, often present only in the ventral part of the frons, but sometimes complete or nearly so, extending to the median ocellus. The length of the forewing marginal setae is only slightly longer on the posterior margin than on the anterior margin.

Etymology.

This species is named in honor of the entomologist Amanda Hodges.

Plant associations.

Reared from variously shaped galls on Nauclea sp. ( Rubiaceae ) [GALL218, GALL219, GALL223].

Material examined.

Holotype: Papua New Guinea: ♀, Morobe, Yawan , 6.14141°S, 146.87415°E, 16.XI.2010, Philip Butterill leg., Nauclea sp. 1, (FSCA 00000403) . Paratypes: Papua New Guinea: 7♀, Morobe, Yawan , 15.XI.2010, Nauclea sp. 1, (FSCA 00000037, 00000313-00000318) ; 2♀, Morobe, Yawan , 16.XI.2010, Nauclea sp. 1, (FSCA 00094594-00094595) ; 1♀, Morobe, Yawan , 25.XI.2010, Nauclea sp. 1, (FSCA 00000323) ; 1♀, Morobe, Yawan , 26.I.2011, Nauclea sp. 1, (FSCA 00000331) ; 6♀, Morobe, Yawan , 04.X.2012, Nauclea sp. 1, (FSCA 00090253, 00094584-00094588) .