Signiphora longitibia 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 : 70-73

Signiphora longitibia Woolley & Dal Molin , n. sp.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:3E2DC20F-A0CA-482F-ACAB-8B54D347E051 Figures 245–260

Diagnosis. Fore wing with discal seta; vertex, frons and mesoscutum with reticulate or transversely reticulate sculpture on vertex; mesotibia length subequal to metatibia; Mt 8 in female with anterodorsal margin with a deep, rounded, medial incision; Ms 8 in male with anterior margin with a short anterior projection.

Other species in the flavopalliata group have the mesotibia shorter than the metatibia (generally the ratio of mesotibia to metatibia is 0.66–0.75 in other species). This species is most similar to S. fax and S. flavopalliata but can be distinguished from both by the features given above. The sculpture on the vertex and mesoscutum in S. fax and S. flavopalliata is transversely imbricate.

Description. Female. Length, anterior margin of pronotum to epiproct apex, 0.46–0.73 mm (n=7). Vertex and frons brown, face and gena tan, clypeus dark brown. Antenna uniformly pale brown. Pronotum and anterior 2/3 mesoscutum brown, posterior 1/3 mesoscutum, scutellum, and metanotum pale tan. Propodeum including medial sclerite tan, medial sclerite dusky in medial portion, some specimens with the propodeum lateral to the medial sclerite dusky or medial sclerite of propodeum dusky in posterior 1/3–2/3. Metasoma uniformly brown to apex or Mt5–Mt7 occasionally lighter brown than the preceding terga. Fore wing infuscated from 1/4–1/2 the distance between distal end stigmal vein and wing apex with basal hyaline areas normal for flavopalliata group.

Head. Vertex and frons strongly reticulate. Mandible bidentate with short teeth, mandibular ducts enlarged apically. Pedicel length:scape length 0.53–0.62; 3 anelli, second anellus 2.0× length of first, third anellus 3.0× length of first; clava length:scape length 1.19–1.40.

Mesosoma. Pronotum transversely reticulate, mesoscutum strongly reticulate. Scutellum and metanotum weakly reticulate, propodeum with medial sclerite reticulate. Scutellum with 4 setae and 2 campaniform sensilla, medial propodeal sclerite rounded, process on medial sclerite narrowly rounded. Fore wing with discal seta, length:width 3.0–3.6; fore wing LMS:fore wing width 1.0–1.6; marginal vein length:stigmal vein length 2.4–2.7, marginal vein with 6 dorsal and 2 ventral setae; seta M3 length:marginal vein length 0.68–0.75; apical end of costal cell between seta M1 and M2. Hind wing margins subparallel, hind wing length:width 6.8–9.0; hind wing width:fore wing width 0.33–0.44; hind wing LMS:hind wing width 2.22–3.00. Mesofemur with one long and one short spine on posteroapical margin, mesotibial spur with 6–8 teeth; mesotibial spur length:basitarsus length 0.86– 1.00; basitarsus length:mesotibia length 0.44–0.51.

Metasoma. Mt1 bilobed with medial portion rounded or occasionally transverse (see discussion); Mt1 length:Mt2 length 1.0–2.0; ovipositor with anterior-most portion lying under Mt2 or Mt3; ovipositor length:metasoma length 0.68–1.03; ovipositor sheath length:ovipositor length 0.25–0.28; Ms3–Ms6 with anterior projections medium to long; Ms 6 in posterior 1/4 of metasoma and with 6–8 setae; Mt8 with anterodorsal margin with a deep, rounded medial incision, extending almost to posterior margin, anterior margins lateral to medial incision transverse or sloping broadly anteriorly.

Male. Length, anterior margin of pronotum to epiproct apex, 0.44–0.56 mm (n=4). As described for female except clava length:scape length 1.25–1.36. Genitalia normal for flavopalliata group, digitus with 1 apical denticle and 1 seta at its midpoint, digitus length approximately 2× its width. Ms8 with anterior margin with a pointed medial projection; Ms8 extending to cerci laterally.

Discussion. Mt1 is bilobed with a rounded medial portion in the type series and in most other specimens; one female from the Guatemala series (USNM ENT 00763145) has the medial portion of Mt1 transverse. The metasoma is uniformly brown in specimens from Mexico, in the females from Guatemala Mt5–Mt7 are lighter brown than the preceding terga. Two series of specimens from Belize, Toledo District (CNC HYMEN 00122362) and Brazil, Amazonas, Fonte Boa [prob. Fonte Boas] (CNC HYMEN 0 0 122363 and 00122364) fit the diagnosis for this species, except that the mesotibia is shorter than the metatibia (about 2/3 the length); as is typical in other species in the flavopalliata group.

Type material. HOLOTYPE ♀: in Hoyer's, UCRC ENT 299589 MEXICO, COLIMA, Manzanillo, coll. P. DeBach and M. Rose , 21-I-1975, ex:? Aleurothrixus floccosus on citrus, original material. The holotype is mounted with 15 paratypes under a single cover slip. The holotype female is at the bottom of the left-most column of 4 specimens. The slide has been labeled accordingly and is deposited in UCR . PARATYPES: 10 ♀, 5 ♂ in Hoyer's, same slide as holotype, data as holotype female. 5 ♀ and 4 ♂ in Hoyer’s (TAMU-ENTO X0828037–X0828045); Florida, Dade Co., Everglades National Park Visitor Center, 12.xii.1985, C.W. Melton and H.W. Browning, ex: whitefly on cocoa plum . Paratypes deposited UCR, TAMU, USNM, BMNH.

Other material examined. GUATEMALA: 1 mixed series. USNM ENT 763145 ( USNM). MEXICO: 1 mixed series. USNM ENT 763146 ( USNM). MEXICO: Colima: 2 ♂, 1 ♀, 1 sex unknown, all inside whitefly hosts. UCRC ENT 299595–299598 ( UCR). PERU: Huanaco: 6 ♀ and 2 sex unknown. BMNH (E) 990267– 990272 and BMNH (E) 1038875–1038876 ( BMNH).

Biology. All material examined was reared from Aleyrodidae . Rose (personal communication) recalled that the collections in Manzanillo, Colima, Mexico (type locality) were from ant-run, high density A. floccosus populations, from which four or five other species of parasitoids were reared. Other Signiphora reared from whitefly in similar circumstances are usually hyperparasitoids.

Etymology. From Latin, longus = long, plus tibia, referring to the unusually long mesotibia. The specific epithet is an adjective.

Figures

FIGURES 245 – 248. Signiphora longitibia n. sp.: 245, head (BMNH (E) 990271); 246, female antenna (TAMU-ENTO X 0828038); 247, mandibles (TAMU-ENTO X 0828038); 248, male antenna (UCR 299589).

FIGURES 249 – 254. Signiphora longitibia n. sp.: 249, fore wing, female (BMNH (E) 9900268); 250, venation of fore wing (BMNH (E) 9900268); 251, hind wing, female (BMNH (E) 9900268); 252, venation of hind wing (BMNH (E) 9900268); 253, middle leg, female (TAMU-ENTO X 0828037); 254, Mt 8 of metasoma, female (TAMU-ENTO X 0828044).

FIGURES 255 – 260. Signiphora longitibia n. sp.: 255, female habitus (TAMU-ENTO X 0828044); 256, mesosoma of female (TAMU-ENTO X 0828044); 257, metasoma of female (TAMU-ENTO X 0828044); 258, male habitus (UCR 299589); 259, male genitalia (UCR 299589); 260, Ms 8 of metasoma, male (UCR 299589).