Synopeas luli Awad, 2021

Awad, Jessica, Bremer, Jonathan S., Butterill, Philip T., Moore, Matthew R. & Talamas, Elijah J., 2021, A taxonomic treatment of Synopeas Foerster (Platygastridae, Platygastrinae) from the island of New Guinea, Journal of Hymenoptera Research 87, pp. 5-65 : 5

Synopeas luli Awad sp. nov.

Description.

Body length 1.1-1.3 mm. Body color: black; dark brown. Color of legs: coxae brown, otherwise yellow to brown. Color of mesoscutellar spine: concolorous with mesoscutellar disc.

Head. Shape of head in anterior view: slightly ovoid. Central keel: absent; partial; impressed. Sculpture on frons: reticulate microsculpture. Epitorular sculpture: minute rugulae; reticulate microsculpture. Number of clypeal setae: 4. Length of median pair of clypeal setae: equal to lateral pair. Arrangement of clypeal setae: evenly spaced; medial setae closer to each other than to lateral setae. Shape of mandible: bidentate. Distance between lateral ocellus and compound eye (OOL): approximately 1 ocellar diameter. Hyperoccipital carina: complete. Hyperoccipital carina strength: uniformly weak. Distance between lateral ocellus and hyperoccipital carina: less than 1 ocellar diameter; approximately 1 ocellar diameter.

Mesosoma. Epomial carina: present, complete or nearly so. Microsculpture of lateral pronotum: present dorsally, absent ventrally, smooth band anterior to tegula. Lateral pronotal sculpture coverage: 1/4 to 1/2. Mesoscutellar spine: short and pointed. Mesoscutellar spine in lateral view: angled posterodorsally. Posterior margin of lateral propodeal carina in lateral view: pointed dorsally and ventrally. Mesosomal dorsum in lateral view: convex. Notauli: unmarked or faintly suggested. Parapsidal lines: very faint; marked by absence of sculpture. Setation of mesoscutum: sparse. Mesoscutal lamella: broad and rounded; roughly triangular. Setation of mesoscutellum: laterally dense, medially sparse.

Metasoma. Microsculpture of S2: narrow band at posterior margin. Sculpture of T2: absent. Length of T2: shorter than mesosoma.

Wing. Length of setae on disc of forewing: longer than distance between setal bases. Density of setae on disc of forewing: moderately dense. Arrangement of setae on disc of forewing: setose distally, glabrous proximally; densely setose distally, sparsely setose proximally. Forewing marginal setae: approximately uniform in length on anterior and posterior margins.

Diagnosis.

Synopeas luli has a short, pointed mesoscutellar spine that is angled upward, and a weak but complete hyperoccipital carina. It resembles S. kiki and may be distinguished by the presence of a partial central keel on the frons and by the mesoscutellar spine, which is posterodorsally angled in S. luli and posteriorly angled in S. kiki . The forewing of S. luli has setae of approximately equal length around the wing margin, while in S. kiki , the setae are distinctly longer on the posterior margin (Fig. 8 ).

Comments.

The central keel is variable in this species. It can be absent, or present ventrally within a shallow longitudinal depression.

Etymology.

The epithet " Synopeas luli " is Numbani for “thorn” ( Evans 2008) and refers to the shape of the mesoscutellar spine. The name is to be treated as a noun in apposition.

Plant associations.

Reared from galls on Neuburgia corynocarpa ( Apocynaceae ) [GALL236] and Piper macropiper ( Piperaceae ) [GALL307].

Specimens examined.

Holotype: Papua New Guinea: ♀, Morobe, Yawan , 6.14141°S, 146.87415°E, 22.X.2012, Philip Butterill leg., Neuburgia corynocarpa (FSCA 00090412) . Paratypes: Papua New Guinea: 5♀ 3♂, Morobe, Yawan , 22.IX.2010, Neuburgia corynocarpa (FSCA 00090427, 00090437-00090438, 00094466-00094470) ; 3♀ 2♂, Morobe, Yawan , 03.XI.2010, Piper macropiper (FSCA 00090426, 00090429, 00094482-00094484) ; ♀, Morobe, Yawan , 30.III.2012, Neuburgia corynocarpa (FSCA 00090440) ; ♂, Morobe, Yawan , 14.VI.2012, Neuburgia corynocarpa (FSCA 00090439) ; 7♀ 4♂, Morobe, Yawan , 22.X.2012, Neuburgia corynocarpa (FSCA 00094524-00094528, 00094548-00094549, 00000332-00000335) .

Figures

Figure 8. Forewing of Synopeas A S. butterilli (FSCA 00090264) B S. kiki (FSCA 00090410) C S. roncavei (FSCA 00094606) D S. luli (FSCA 00094549). Scale bar: 0.2 mm.