Signiphora maculata Girault, 1913

Woolley, J. B. & Dal Molin, A., 2017, Taxonomic revision of the flavopalliata species group of Signiphora (Hymenoptera: Signiphoridae), Zootaxa 4315 (1), pp. 1-150 : 77-79

Signiphora maculata Girault, 1913

Figures 273–284

http://eol.org/pages/855949

Signiphora maculata Girault, 1913: 221 . Female.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:04DB756E-346A-48D0-A18B-C725E68E4A77 Thysanus maculatus: Dozier (1933) .

Signiphora maculata: De Santis (1979) .

Diagnosis. Body brown with Mt5 or Mt6–Mt7 lighter brown; mandibular ducts usually with parallel sides, not enlarged apically; scutellum with 5–7 setae; fore wing marginal vein with seta M1 (rarely M1 and M2) missing; Mt8 with anterodorsal margin transverse, without a medial incision; Mt1 bilobed with medial portion transverse.

This species is most similar to S. bennetti and S. merceti . Signiphora bennetti has Mt1 weakly bilobed or bilobed but with the medial portion rounded, the posterior 1/2 of mesoscutum, scutellum and metanotum yellow or tan, and the anterodorsal margin of Mt8 (female) with a broadly rounded medial incision. Signiphora merceti has the mandibular ducts enlarged apically, setae M1 and M2 absent, setae M3 and M4 short, and the fore wing and hind wing are infuscated from base to apex.

Description. Female. Length, anterior margin of pronotum to epiproct apex, 0.46–0.62 mm (n=15). Vertex, frons, face, and gena a uniform light brown, clypeus dark. Antenna uniformly light brown. Body uniformly brown or with Mt5 or Mt6–Mt8 noticeably lighter than preceding terga. Fore wing strongly infuscated from base to halfway between distal end of stigmal vein and wing apex except for two hyaline areas at wing base behind submarginal vein and along posterior wing margin. Infuscation of fore wing with a mottled pattern distal to middle of marginal vein. Hind wing faintly infuscated behind marginal vein.

Head. Mandibular ducts parallel-sided, occasionally enlarged apically. Pedicel length:scape length 0.61–0.75; 3 anelli, the second from 1.5–4.0× length of the first, the third from 2.3–5.0× length of the first; clava length:scape length 1.58–1.75. Vertex and frons finely and transversely striate.

Mesosoma. Pronotum and mesoscutum transversely imbricate, scutellum, metanotum, and medial sclerite of propodeum weakly imbricate. Scutellum with 6 setae (occasionally 5 or 7) and 2 or 3 campaniform sensilla. Medial propodeal sclerite rounded, process on medial sclerite rounded apically. Fore wing 2.8–3.3× as long as wide, fore wing LMS:fore wing width 1.2–1.4; marginal vein length 1.3–2.2× stigmal vein length, with 5 dorsal setae (seta M1 absent) and lacking ventral setae, or rarely with 4 dorsal setae (setae M1 and M2 absent); seta M3 length:marginal vein length 0.48–0.77; apical end of costal cell from seta M1 to between M2 and M3. Hind wing with subparallel margins; 5.9–8.3× as long as wide, 0.36–0.47× fore wing width; hind wing LMS:hind wing width 2.22–3.50. Mesofemur with 1 long spine and 1 short spine in posteroapical margin; mesotibial spur with 4 or 5 teeth; mesotibial spur:basitarsus 0.67–0.81; basitarsus:mesotibia 0.52–0.60.

Metasoma. Mt1 strongly bilobed with medial portion transverse, Mt1 length:Mt2 length 1.0–2.0; ovipositor with anterior-most portion under Mt3 to Mt4; ovipositor length:metasoma length 0.46–0.74; ovipositor sheath length:ovipositor length 0.17–0.21; Ms3–Ms6 with anterior projections medium to long; Ms 6 in posterior 1/4 or at apex of metasoma and with 6–9 setae; Mt8 with anterodorsal margin transverse, without a medial emargination.

Male. Unknown.

Type material. Signiphora maculata Girault—LECTOTYPE ♀ [here designated]: CUBA, Santiago de Las Vegas, coll. P. Cardin, 21-VI-1911, ex Lepidosaphes alba [now A. albus ], 7231, in balsam (USNM Type 14203). PARALECTOTYPES: on three slides, all with data as lectotype: 10 ♀ in balsam with lectotype (USNM Type 14203); 4 ♀ in balsam (INHS 72495); and 3 ♀ in balsam (USNM ENT 763075). Girault's type series for this species included a slide labeled “Type” (USNM Type 14203) with 11 females under a large rectangular cover slip on one slide as noted. The female at the extreme lower right (slide oriented with red USNM type label to right) is here designated lectotype and the slide has been labeled accordingly. Girault also designated a slide with four females as “Cotypes” INHS 72495 and a third slide with 3 females as “Homotypes” (USNM ENT 763075). We conclude that all 18 specimens on the three slides had equal standing as syntypes, so the type series now consists of a lectotype and 17 paralectotypes.

Other material examined. HAITI: 11 ♀, USNM ENT 763073–763074, 763076–763084 ( USNM).

Biology. The species is apparently uniparental. All material examined was reared from A. alba (Diaspididae) .

Figures

FIGURES 273 – 276. Signiphora maculata: 273, head (USNMType 14203, paralectotype female); 274, female antennae (USNMType 14203, lectotype female); 275, mandibles (USNMType 14203, lectotype female); 276, middle leg, female (USNMType 14203, paralectotype female).

FIGURES 277 – 280. Signiphora maculata: 277, fore wing, female (USNMType 14203, paralectotype female); 278, venation of fore wing (USNMType 14203, paralectotype female); 279, hind wing, female (USNMType 14203, paralectotype female); 280, venation of hind wing (USNMType 14203, paralectotype female); (M 3 = third dorsal seta, marginal vein).

FIGURES 281 – 284. Signiphora maculata: 281, female habitus (USNMType 14203, paralectotype female); 282, mesosoma of female (USNMType 14203, paralectotype female); 283, metasoma of female (USNMType 14203, paralectotype female); 284, Mt 8 of metasoma, female (USNMType 14203, paralectotype female).