Synopeas pulupulu 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 pulupulu Awad sp. nov.

Description.

Body length 1.6-1.8 mm. Body color: black. Color of legs: coxae brown, otherwise yellow to brown. Color of mesoscutellar spine: concolorous with mesoscutellar disc.

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

Mesosoma. Epomial carina: present, complete or nearly so. Microsculpture of lateral pronotum: present dorsally, absent ventrally. Lateral pronotal sculpture coverage: 2/3 to 3/4. Mesoscutellar spine: short and pointed. Mesoscutellar spine in lateral view: pointing posteriorly; 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. Setation of mesoscutum: moderately dense. Mesoscutal lamella: roughly triangular. Setation of mesoscutellum: present throughout.

Metasoma. Microsculpture of S2: absent. Sculpture of T2: absent. Length of T2: approximately as long as mesosoma.

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

Diagnosis.

Synopeas pulupulu has a short, pointed mesoscutellar spine and a robust, complete hyperoccipital carina. Synopeas pulupulu can be differentiated from S. roncavei and S. pattiae by the setation of the meoscutum and mesoscutellum, which are uniformly setose in S. pulupulu and medially glabrous in S. roncavei and S. pattiae . Additionally, the sculpture of the lateral pronotum in S. pulupulu is more extensive than that of S. roncavei and S. pattiae , covering more than two thirds of the sclerite.

Etymology.

The epithet " Synopeas pulupulu " is Manam for “hairy” ( Osmond and Ross 2016) and refers to the relatively dense setae on the mesoscutum. The name is to be treated as a noun in apposition.

Plant associations.

Reared from galls on Palmeria sp. ( Monimiaceae ) [GALL331].

Material examined.

Holotype: Papua New Guinea: ♀, Morobe, Yawan , 6.14141°S, 146.87415°E, 20.XI.2010, Philip Butterill leg., Palmeria sp. 1 (FSCA 00090430) . Paratype: Papua New Guinea: ♀, Morobe, Yawan , 6.14141°S, 146.87415°E, 20.XI.2010, Philip Butterill leg., Palmeria sp. 1 (FSCA 00094459) .