Fidiobia filicornis Buhl, 2014

Popovici, Ovidiu Alin, Masner, Lubomir, Lahey, Zachary & Talamas, Elijah, 2022, Revision of the Palearctic species of Fidiobia Ashmead (Hymenoptera, Platygastroidea), Journal of Hymenoptera Research 92, pp. 23-144 : 23

5. Fidiobia filicornis Buhl, 2014

Figs 61-68 , 296 , 302

Fidiobia filicornis Buhl, 2014: 74.

Description.

Female. Body length: 0.7-08 mm. Colour of body: bicoloured, head and mesosoma dark brown to brown, metasoma brown to reddish brown with T1 and the apex of T6 lighter (Figs 61 , 62 ).

Head (Figs 66 , 67 ). Colour of head: dark brown. Sculpture of head: reticulate rugose. Sculpture of occiput: reticulate rugose. Ocellar prominence: absent. Preocellar depression: absent. Paraocellar depressions: present. OOL / ocellar diameter: OOL equal with ocellar diameter. Orientation of lower half of inner orbits: almost parallel. Sculpture of frons immediately anterior to ocellus: reticulate rugose. Sculpture of frons immediately dorsal to toruli: the same with the sculpture from the rest of frons. Epitorular carina: absent. Distance between toruli: smaller than the transverse diameter of torulus. Setation of clypeus: two setae. Malar sulcus: absent. Antenna (Fig. 64 ). Colour of A1: light brown. Colour of clava: hardly differs from the rest of the antenna. Number of antennomeres: nine. Shape of A1: more or less cylindrical. Ventral (inner) lamella on A1: present as a trace in the apical part of A1. Length of A3 of female: distinctly shorter than A2. Sensillar formula (A7:A8:A9): 2:2:1.

Mesosoma (Figs 66 , 67 ). Colour of mesosoma: dark brown. Mesosoma: weakly compressed dorsoventrally. Pronotum in dorsal view: present mostly as lateral shoulders. Transverse pronotal sulcus: present as a narrow groove along anterior rim of pronotum. Posteroventral end of transverse pronotal sulcus: not dilated. Lateral pronotal area: entirely sculptured. Antero-admedian line: absent. Mesoscutum: weakly convex. Parapsidal lines: present. Sculpture of internotaular area: smooth reticulate. Notauli: absent. Shape of notauli: NA. Outer edge of notauli: NA. Orientation of inner edge of notauli: NA. Length of notauli: NA. Length of notaulus / maximum width of notaulus: NA. Distance between notauli: NA. Transscutal articulation: complete. Scuto-scutellar sulcus: absent. Fovea on scuto-scutellar sulcus: present laterally. Mesoscutellum: convex. Shape of mesoscutellum: subrectangular. Axillular carina: posterior apex of axillular carinae touching the posterior edge of mesoscutellum. Axilloaxillular carina: present. Sculpture of mesoscutellum: absent. Posterior mesoscutellar sulcus: absent. Metascutellum: visible, partially covered by mesoscutellum. Metascutellar carina: present. Width of metasomal depression: greater than the length of lateral propodeal carina. Median carina between lateral propodeal carinae: present. Transverse carina between lateral propodeal carinae: present. Foamy structure on transverse carina between lateral propodeal carinae: present. Foamy structure on metasomal depression: absent. Lateral propodeal carinae: parallel. Foamy structure on lateral propodeal carina: present on the entire carina. Plica: visible. Posterior end of plica: fused with lateral propodeal carina. Foamy structure on plica: present, as a single flange. Foamy structure on metapleural carina: present on the entire carina. Foamy structure on ventral metapleural area: absent. Setation of dorsal metapleural area: short setae uniformly distributed. Setation of ventral metapleural area: dense, short hairs on the entire surface, uniformly distributed. Longitudinal striation on dorsal mesopleuron: present. Transepisternal line: complete, almost straight. Mesopleural carina: absent. Metapleural sulcus: present, complete. Wings (Fig. 68a, b ): macropterous. Apex of fore wing: rounded. Colour of fore wing: infuscate. Transverse brown band on fore wing: absent. Submarginal vein in fore wing: present. Length of submarginal vein in fore wing: surpassing 1/3 the length of fore wing. Spectral veins on fore wing: absent. Marginal setae of fore wing: present, well visible. Disc of fore wing: with spinulose microtrichia. Legs. Colour of fore tibia: light brown. Colour of fore tarsus: light brown. Colour of middle femora: light brown. Colour of middle tibiae: light brown. Colour of middle tarsus: light brown. Colour of hind femora: light brown. Colour of hind tibiae: light brown. Colour of hind tarsus: light brown.

Metasoma (Fig. 61 ): Tergites posterior of T2 exposed and clearly visible. Shape of T1: subrectangular. Colour of T1: light brown. Lateral setae of T1: unknown. Colour of T2: brown. Shape of T2: transverse. Anterior pits of T2: strongly transverse almost fused medially. Sculpture of T2, lateral to anterior pits of T2: absent. Colour of T3-T6: the same as T2, but the apex of T6 is lighter.

Male (Figs 63 , 69-72 ): Similar to female, but differing in the structure of the antenna (Fig. 65 ).

Material examined.

86♀ and 39♂. Togo: Holotype ♂, (Figs 69-73 ), (ZMUC).

China: 1♀ and 2♂, Beijing Prov., Mentougo 39.987°N, 115.5246°E, dry meadow, 28.vii.2002, leg. Melika G. (CNCI) .

South Korea: 2♀, Jirisan, Hamyang-gun, Macheon-myon , Samjeong-li , 35.3486°N, 127.6392°E, 24.viii-15.ix.2003, leg. Tripotin P. (MT) (CNCI) ; 9♀ and 5♂, Chungnam, Daejeon-si, Wadong , 36.3601°N, 127.2345°E, 19.vi-24.vii.2007, leg. Tripotin P. (MT) (OPPC0044, 0506, 0048, 0052, 0051, 0509, 0043, 0046, 0505 and OPPC0503, 0508, 0507, 0045, 0504) ; 15♀ and 4♂, Chungnam, Daejeon-si, Wadong , 36.3601°N, 127.2345°E, 24.vii-21.viii.2007, leg. Tripotin P. (MT) (OPPC0520, 0518, 0513, 0512, 0517, 0514, 0511, 0510, 0515, 0074, 0333, 0312, 0311, 0523, 0522 and OPPC0516, 0521, 0519, 0071) ; 5♀, Gangwon-do, Chuncheon Nam-myeon, Magog-li , Hongchen river , 37.72977°N, 127.5765°E, 12.vi-11.vii.2004, leg. Tripotin P. (MT) (OPPC 0736, 0740, 0739, 0737, 0646) ; 32♀ and 17♂, Gangwon-do, Chuncheon Nam-myeon, Magog-li , Hongchen river , 37.72977°N, 127.5765°E, 11.vii-7.viii.2004, leg. Tripotin P. (MT) (OPPC0772, 0771, 0762, 0763, 0794, 0769, 0770, 0639, 0642, 0797, 0796, 0779, 0780, 0758, 0745, 0746, 0747, 0753, 0754, 0756, 0777, 0776, 0775, 0774, 0773, 0751, 0767, 0766, 0761, 0641, 0644, 0750 and OPPC0819, 0818, 0757, 0759, 0760, 0479, 0478, 0480, 0481, 0795, 0065, 0748, 0778, 0765, 0768, 0066, 0752) ; 3♀ and 2♂, Gangwon-do, Chuncheon Nam-myeon, Magog-li , Hongchen river , 37.72977°N, 127.5765°E, 14.vii-7.viii.2004, leg. Tripotin P. (MT) (OPPC0411, 0409, 0410 and OPPC0407, 0408) ; 8♀, Gangwon-do, Chuncheon Nam-myeon, Magog-li , Hongchen river , 37.72977°N, 127.5765°E, 7.viii-14.ix.2004, leg. Tripotin P. (MT) (OPPC0419, 0414, 0415, 0413, 0412, 0416, 0742, 0476) ; 4♀ and 2♂, Jirisan, Hamyang, Songjeon-li , Munsu-sa , 35.41232°N, 127.7303°E, 28.vii-16.viii.2004, leg. Tripotin P. (MT) (OPPC0498, 0497, 0495, 0494 and OPPC0496, 0501) ; 4♀ and 1♂, Jirisan, Hamyang, Songjeon-li , Munsu-sa , 35.41232°N, 127.7303°E, 16.viii-5.ix.2004, leg. Tripotin P. (MT) (OPPC0683, 0063, 0062, 0684 and OPPC0689) ; 2♀, Jirisan, Hamyang, Songjeon-li , Munsu-sa , 35.41232°N, 127.7303°E, 17.viii-5.ix.2005, leg. Tripotin P. (MT) (OPPC0744, 0743) ; 1♀ and 2♂, Chungnam, Keum-san, Nami-myeon, Seokdong , Pohyeonsa , 36.05823°N, 127.4537°E, 31.vii-28.viii.2005, leg. Tripotin P. (MT) (OPPC0589 and OPPC0070, 0588) ; 2♂, Chungbuk, Okcheon-gun, Dongi-myeon, Soesan-li , 36.16594°N, 127.6124°E, 8-23.vii.2004, leg. Tripotin P. (MT) (OPPC0488, 0489) ; 1♂, Chungbuk, Okcheon-gun, Dongi-myeon, Soesan-li , 36.16594°N, 127.6124°E, 28.vi-8.vii.2004, leg. Tripotin P. (MT) (OPPC0488, 0489) ; 1♂, Gyeongsan-si, Daehak-ro 280, Yeungnam University , 35.82119°N, 128.7634°E, 14-15.viii.2016, Fusu L. (YPT) (OPPC0072) .

Distribution.

Togo ( Buhl 2014), China, South Korea (Fig. 302 ).

Biology.

unknown.

Diagnosis.

Fidiobia filicornis is the only known Palearctic species with 9-merous antenna in the female and 10-merous antenna in the male. As is typical for Fidiobia , the female antenna is clavate and the male antenna is clubbed, but in the male of F. filicornis the antenna is almost filiform as in F. longiclava or F. vladlubomiri (both species with 10-merous antenna in male and female). Another distinctive character among the Palearctic species with 9-merous antennae is the presence of the transepisternal line, which is narrow, deeply incised, transverse and nearly complete in F. filicornis . This species is not known from the Oriental region (Veenakumari et al. 2018), but a new species, Fidiobia setosa was recently described from India and is considered a close relative of F. filicornis . These two species can be easily separated because of the presence of a hyperoccipital carina and 10-merous antennae in F. setosa .

Comments.

Fidiobia filicornis was described from the Afrotropical region (Togo) by Buhl (2014). It was described from a singleton male specimen with distinctive filiform antenna with 10-antennomeres and without notauli. At the moment, there are no data concerning the distribution or the abundance of this species in the Afrotropical region, but it is one of the best represented species in our Palearctic material. The specimens from China are from the Sino-Japanese region but do not differ morphologically from South Korean specimens. The difference between our material and the type specimen is in the sculpture of mesoscutum, which is smoother in the latter.

Figures

Figures 61 - 68. Fidiobia filicornis: 61 female, habitus, dorsal view (OPPC 0074) 62 female, habitus, lateral view 63 male, habitus, dorsal view (OPPC 0045) 64 antenna (♀) (OPPC 0517) 65 antenna (♂) (OPPC 0818) 66 head and mesosoma, dorsal view 67 head and mesosoma, lateral view 68 a wings (OPPC 0517) 68 b WIP.

Figures 290 - 297. SEM o Fidiobia spp.: 290, 291, 292 F. hofferi 293 F. sashai 294, 295 F. synergorum 296 F. filicornis 297 F. flaviabdominalis.

Figures 301 - 303. Geographical distribution of: 301 F. communis 302 F. filicornis (Blue area-data from Buhl 2014. Red area-our data) 303 F. flaviabdominalis (Blue area-data from Veenakumari et al. 2018. Red area-our data).

Figures 69 - 73. Holotype of Fidiobia filicornis: 69, 70 habitus, dorsal view 71 habitus, lateral view 72 head and antenna 73 data labels.