Dendrocerus riograndensis Pezzini & Koehler

Pezzini, Cleder, Zilch, Kassia Cristina Freire & Koehler, Andreas, 2014, A new species of Dendrocerus (Hymenoptera, Megaspilidae) from southern Brazil, ZooKeys 425, pp. 51-57 : 52-53

Taxon classification Animalia Hymenoptera Megaspilidae

Dendrocerus riograndensis Pezzini & Koehler sp. n.

Etymology.

The specific epithet is based on the state of Rio Grande do Sul from where the type series was captured.

Diagnosis.

Male head moderately transverse; antenna with five rami on first to fifth flagellomeres (antennomeres three through seven), not articulated, remaining flagellomeres without rami. Mesoscutellum without grooves or lateral carina; propodeum without armature. Metasoma smooth and shining, without punctures.

Description.

Male: Total body length 1.32 mm, forewing length 0.85 mm. Coloration: Brownish throughout; Metasoma, mouthparts, and legs light brown; trochanters, femoral apices, tarsi, and tibial bases lighter. Wings hyaline with brown venation.

Head: Coriaceous, pubescent; moderately transverse. Ocelli forming an isosceles triangle with wider base, median ocellus bordered anteriorly by an obvious depres sion; preoccipital depression bounded by only a groove posterior to lateral ocelli and separated by a distance shorter than diameter; preoccipital suture visible until base of ocellar triangle. Compound eyes subcircular, pubescent, setae distinctly shorter than those on remainder of head. Supraclypeal depression conspicuous, with adjacent areas glabrous; intertorular carina present. Antenna flabellate, with coarse bristles (Fig. 6), with elongate rami laterally on proximal five flagellomeres (flagellomeres I–V, or antennomeres III–VII), A8-11 cylindrical and without lateral rami; scape: 18 (5); pedicel: 1 (1); A3: 2, R1: 15; A4: 2, R2: 12, A5:2, R3: 8, A6: 2, R4: 7,5; A7: 3, R5: 7; A8:5 (2); A9: 2 (1); A10: 7 (5); A11: 3 (1).

Mesosoma: Mesoscutum, axillae, and mesoscutellum pubescent, coriaceous (Fig. 7). Anterior border of mesoscutum in dorsal view strongly inclined, notauli complete, weakly crenulate; sulci between axillae and mesoscutellar disc roughly crenulate. Mesoscutellum transversely convex and longitudinally simple, not carinate laterally. Mesopleuron slightly coriaceous, with some bristles anteriorly, and separated ventrally from metapleuron by crenulate suture. Propodeum without armature. Metanotal sulci extending posteriorly, convergent medially; propodeal carina transverse, forming X-shaped structure, posterior propodeal area smooth.

Wings: Forewing without cells, marginal vein long and pubescent, membrane with numerous microtrichia, pterostigma well developed (as in all species of the family), 0.12 mm diameter, poststigmal veins well defined and long (Fig. 5); no other veins present, hind wing without venation.

Metasoma: Nine visible segments, integument smooth and shiny; fusiform, more convex ventrally than dorsally, ovoid in dorsal view.

Female: Unknown.

Biology.

Unknown.

Comments.

The number of lateral rami on the antenna, the dimensions of each flagellomere (length × width), and the form of the forewing veins serve to distinguish Dendrocerus riograndensis sp. n. from the other species of the halidayi species group. Dendrocerus sylviae belongs to the halidayi group, but only the female is known, separated from the other species by the possession of longitudinal grooves on TIII.

Distribution.

Dendrocerus riograndensis sp. n. is known presently only from the central region of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Future surveys will be needed in order to better ascertain its total potential distribution.

Material examined.

Holotype: BRAZIL. Rio Grande do Sul: Santa Cruz do Sul, (Agronomy, Development, Extension and Training Center ‘‘ADET’’, 29°48'22.92"S, 52°19'42.00"W, 102m), Malaise trap, Köhler A. Leg., 1♂, 16.XII.2011, (CESC 43389/17). Paratypes: Eight males with the same data as the holotype: BRAZIL. Rio Grande do Sul: Santa Cruz do Sul, (Agronomy, Development, Extension and Training Center ‘‘ADET’’, 29°48'22.92"S, 52°19'42.00"W, 102m), Malaise trap, Köhler A. Leg., 1♂, 16.XII.2011, (CESC 43364/20); 1♂, 20.XII.2011, (CESC 44067/11); 2♂, 27.XII.2011, (CESC 45553/14); 1♂, 03.I.2012, (CESC 46152/13); 1♂, 10.I.2012, (CESC 46511/10); 2♂, 17.I.2012, (CESC 46916/16).