Signiphora dozieri Woolley & Dal Molin, 2017

Woolley, J. B. & Dal Molin, A., 2017, Taxonomic revision of the flavopalliata species group of Signiphora (Hymenoptera: Signiphoridae), Zootaxa 4315 (1), pp. 1-150 : 40-43

Signiphora dozieri Woolley & Dal Molin , n. sp.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:1F1EF78B-272D-41C0-97A8-ED4F0860744C Figures 125–136

Diagnosis. Fore wing with discal seta; Mt8 with anterodorsal margin in female transverse, without a medial incision; Mt1 bilobed with medial portion rounded; propodeum including medial sclerite always as dark as metasoma.

The species is most similar to S. falcata and S. flavopalliat a. It may be distinguished from both by the pale meso- and metatibia in S. dozieri and from S. falcata by the entirely dark color of the propodeum (medial sclerite usually lighter in S. falcata ).

Description. Female. Length, anterior margin of pronotum to epiproct apex, 0.29–0.55 mm (n=12). Vertex, frons, face, and gena light brown, orange–brown, or pale tan, occiput entirely dusky brown, antenna uniformly pale tan or pale brown with clava often slightly darker in distal 1/3 (see discussion). Pronotum in medial 1/3 and anterior ¼–2/3 mesoscutum brown, remainder of mesoscutum, scutellum, and metanotum yellow or pale yellow. Propodeum, including medial sclerite, and metasoma brown; Mt8, epiproct and ovipositor sheaths dusky. Legs including mesotibia and metatibia pale, although metatibia often with dorsoproximal 1/2 dusky (see discussion). Fore wing infuscated from base to distal end stigmal vein with usual hyaline areas at wing base.

Head. Vertex and frons finely and transversely striate with four longitudinal rows of minute punctations. Mandible bidentate, mandibular ducts enlarged apically, pedicel length:scape length 0.61–0.78; 3 anelli, second anellus 1.5–2.0× length of first anellus, third anellus 2.0–3.0× length of first anellus; clava length:scape length 1.24–1.72.

Mesosoma. Pronotum, mesoscutum and scutellum transversely imbricate, medial sclerite propodeum weakly imbricate. Scutellum with 4 setae and 2 campaniform sensilla, medial propodeal sclerite rounded, process on medial sclerite rounded or narrowly rounded apically. Fore wing with discal seta, length:width 3.1–3.7; fore wing LMS:width 1.3–1.9; marginal vein length:stigmal vein length 2.3–2.9; marginal vein with 6 dorsal and 0–2 ventral setae; seta M3 length:marginal vein length 0.45–0.55; apical end of costal cell from between setae M1 and M2 to seta M3. Hind wing margins subparallel, hind wing length:width 7.0–8.8; hind wing width:fore wing width 0.36– 0.45; hind wing LMS:hind wing width 2.80–4.00. Mesofemur with one long and one short spine on posteroapical margin; mesotibial spur with 4–6 teeth; mesotibial spur length:basitarsus length 0.87–1.07; basitarsus length:mesotibia length 0.52–0.70.

Metasoma. Mt1 bilobed with medial portion rounded; Mt1 length:Mt2 length1.0–3.0; ovipositor with anteriormost portion lying under Mt2–Mt4; ovipositor length:metasoma length 0.54–0.71; ovipositor sheath length:ovipositor length 0.19–0.24; Ms3–Ms6 with anterior projections short to medium; Ms 6 in posterior 1/4 of metasoma and with 6 setae; Mt8 with anterodorsal margin transverse, without a medial incision.

Male. Unknown, despite the large number of specimens in various collections.

Discussion. The specimens from Brazil (USNM ENT 299599–299600) have the distal 1/3 of the antennal clava slightly darker than the proximal 2/3 and a dusky patch on the dorsoproximal 1/2 of the metatibia. Other specimens examined have a uniformly tan or pale brown antennal clava and a uniformly pale metatibia. The two specimens from Mexico, Chiapas (UCRC ENT 299620 and 299621) have darker mesotibia and metatibia than other specimens, but otherwise fit the diagnosis of this species.

Type material. HOLOTYPE ♀: in balsam ( USNM ENT 00763149 ); HAITI, Damien , coll. H.L. Dozier, 13.iii.1931, reared from Howardia biclavis (Comstock) material on ornamental shrub . Holotype deposited in USNM. PARATYPES: ♀ in balsam ( USNM ENT HAITI, Damien 00763147); Puerto Rico, Mayaguez , ex: scale on Cassia nodosa, 6-5-1937, H.K. Plank, P.R. 2020. 14 ♀ in Hoyers mounted on two slides ( UCRC ENT 299602 and UCRC ENT 299603 ); Clarendon, Jamaica, W.I., 28.ii.1968, coll. L.W. van Whervin, host purple, green (soft scale). 10 ♀ in balsam (TAMU-ENTO X0828054–X0828063) and 11 ♀ in Hoyers (8 slides, TAMU-ENTO X0828046–X0828053) . Paratypes deposited in USNM, BMNH; TAMU, CNC, UCR.

Other material examined. BRAZIL: Rio de Janeiro: 2 ♀, UCRC ENT 299599 –299600 (UCR). HAITI: 1 ♀, USNM ENT 763148 ( USNM) . MEXICO: Chiapas: 2 ♀, UCRC ENT 299620 –299621 (UCR). MEXICO: Tamaulipas: 1 ♀, TAMU-ENTO X0424833 ( TAMU) . PUERTO RICO: 3 ♀, TAMU-ENTO X0852827, X0852825, X0852826 ( FSCA) . TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO: 2 ♀, UCRC ENT 299601 ( UCR) ; BMNH(E) 990287 (BMNH). UK: CAYMAN ISLANDS: 1 ♀, TAMU-ENTO X0852769 ( FSCA) . USA: Florida: 7 ♀, TAMU-ENTO X0852817–X0852824 ( FSCA) .

Biology. This species is apparently strongly uniparental, and it appears to be a hyperparasitoid of armored scales. Paul DeBach's notes on the series from Brazil indicate that this species develops as an internal, likely hyperparasitoid of Diaspididae . Mike Rose made a series of slide-mounts of host remains and dissections of parasitoids from hosts from the material collection by Fred Bennett on Parlatoria ziziphi (Lucas) in Florida (deposited in TAMU). These preparations clearly indicated that this species was developing as a hyperparasitoid on Encarsia . Although the Encarsia sp. was developing as an internal parasitoid, Rose’s careful dissections indicate that Signiphora dozieri completes development as an external parasitoid, a type of development known to occur in other species of Signiphora developing in armored scales ( Woolley 1990). Records of this species from whitefly or soft scales are presumably due to rearing from samples mixed with armored scales.

Etymology. Named after the entomologist Herbert L. Dozier, who reared the holotype from material collected in Haiti, and who also collected many other valuable specimens of Signiphoridae and other parasitoids from the Caribbean and southern USA, almost always reared from identified host material.

Figures

FIGURES 125 – 128. Signiphora dozeri n. sp.: 125, head (TAMU-ENTO X 0828063); 126, female antenna (TAMU-ENTO X 0828063); 127, mandibles (TAMU-ENTO X 0828063); 128, middle leg (USNM ENT 763149).

FIGURES 129 – 132. Signiphora dozeri n. sp.: 129, fore wing, female (TAMU-ENTO X 0828062); 130, venation of fore wing (TAMU-ENTO X 0828062); 131, hind wing, female (TAMU-ENTO X 0828062); 132, venation of hind wing (TAMU-ENTO X 0828062).

FIGURES 133 – 136. Signiphora dozeri n. sp.: 133, female habitus (TAMU-ENTO X 0828046); 134, mesosoma of female (TAMU-ENTO X 0828047); 135, metasoma of female (TAMU-ENTO X 0828047); 136, Mt 8 of metasoma, female (TAMU- ENTO X 0828046).