Conostigmus ampullaceus Dessart, 1997

Wang, Xu, Cui, Shanshan, Li, Fang, Huang, Yixin & Chen, Huayan, 2024, Three new species of Conostigmus from China and redescription of Conostigmus ampullaceus Dessart, 1997 (Hymenoptera, Megaspilidae), Journal of Hymenoptera Research 97, pp. 807-824 : 807-824

Conostigmus ampullaceus Dessart, 1997

Species comments and history.

Conostigmus ampullaceus were first described by Dessart in 1997, who illustrated the male and female antennae, wings and male head, mesosoma and metasoma for the first time. However, the morphological characteristics were represented by hand drawings, without records of the male genitalia or pictures of the female head, mesosoma, and metasoma. The present paper redescribes male and female, adds descriptions of the male genitalia and color photos of both male and female. Furthermore, this article is the first to describe the syntergal translucent patch.

Material examined.

China • 16 males, 1 female. ( AHNU) • 4 males: Guangxi, Xingan, Kitten Mountain , 1900 m, yellow pan traps, 26. VI – 27. VI. 2011, Nasen Wei, SCAU 3045398 , SCAU 3045397 , SCAU 3045396 , SCAU 3045395 ; ( AHNU) • 4 males: Guangxi, Xingan, Kitten Mountain , 1900 m, yellow pan traps, 26. VI – 27. VI. 2011, Nasen Wei, SCAU 3045394 , SCAU 3045393 , SCAU 3045392 , SCAU 3045392 ; ( AHNU) • 8 males: Guangxi, Xingan, Kitten Mountain , 1900 m, yellow pan traps, 26. VI – 27. VI. 2011, Nasen Wei, SCAU 3045399 , SCAU 3045391 , SCAU 3045390 , SCAU 3045389 , SCAU 3045388 , SCAU 3045387 , SCAU 3045386 , SCAU 3045385 ; ( AHNU) • 1 female: Guangxi, Xingan, Kitten Mountain , 1900 m, yellow pan traps, 26. VI – 27. VI. 2011, Nasen Wei, SCAU 3045599 .

Diagnosis.

Head black, mesosoma and metasoma brownish black or reddish brown; body slender; mesosoma very narrow, about 1.8 × longer than wide; metasoma 3.1 × longer than wide (2.5 × in female); facial pit present; preoccipital furrow absent. sternaulus elongate and complete; syntergal translucent patch semi-circular; parossiculi fused with the gonostipes.

Redescription.

Male. Body length: 1.6–2.4 mm.

Coloration. Colour hue pattern: head black; pronotum reddish brown; mesosoma and metasoma brownish black (propleuron and petiolus reddish brown); mandibles reddish brown and palps yellow; base of legs dark, rest of legs yellow; scape and pedicel reddish brown, F 1 – F 9 black; pterostigma, costal vein, radial vein and marginal fringes of wings brown; body pubescence yellowish; male genitalia yellow. Color intensity pattern: mesosoma lighter than metasoma; mesosoma anterodorsally lighter than mesometapleuron; scape and pedicel darker than legs.

Head (Fig. 1 D, E ). Head width, dorsal view: slightly wider than mesosoma (about 1.2 × wider than mesosoma). Head width vs. head height: HW: HH = 0.8–1.0. Head height vs. eye height: HH: EHf = 1.5–1.7. Head height vs. head length: HH: HL = 1.3–1.4. Head width vs. interorbital space: HW: IOS = 1.5–1.8. Lateral ocellar length: ocular ocellar length: LOL: OOL = 0.4–0.5. Lateral ocellar length: posterior ocellar length: LOL: POL = 0.6–0.7. Ocular ocellar length: posterior ocellar length: OOL: POL = 1.5–1.6. Head shape (anterior view): circular. Preoccipital lunula count: absent. Preoccipital carina count: absent. Preoccipital furrow count: absent. Occipital carina count: present. Occipital carina structure: complete and crenulate. Postocellar carina count: absent. Intertorular carina count: present. Intertorular area count: present. Intertorular carina shape: straight. Median process on intertorular carina count: absent. Median region of intertorular area shape: flat. Facial sulcus absent. Facial pit present. Ocellar foveae distinct, and ocellar foveae width equal to ocellus diameter.

Antennae (Fig. 1 A ). Scape length vs. pedicel length: 4.3–4.8. Scape length vs. F 1 length: 1.1–1.3. F 1 length vs. pedicel length: 3.3–4.1. Longest male flagellomere: F 1. F 1 length vs. F 2 length: 1.2–1.3. Length of pubescence on flagellomere vs. flagellomere width: flagellomeres width about twice pubescence length.

Mesosoma (Fig. 1 C, D ). Mesosoma very narrow (1.9 × longer than wide) (Length / width / height = 820 / 408 / 618 μm). AscW / PscW = 0.7–0.8. Mesoscutum 1.1 × wider than long (Length / width = 352 / 408 μm). Transscutal articulation evident. Notaulus count: present and complete. Notaulus posterior end: adjacent to transscutal articulation, posterior end of notaulus contracted and adjacent to median mesoscutal sulcus. Median mesoscutal sulcus count: present and complete. Median mesoscutal sulcus posterior end: adjacent to transscutal articulation. Scutoscutellar sulcus count: present. Scutoscutellar sulcus shape: foveolate and adjacent to transscutal articulation. Mesoscutellum 1.6 × longer than wide, and limited by a u-shaped carina. Sternaulus count: present. Sternaulus shape: elongate and complete. Pleural pit present. Mesopleural sulcus shape: straight. Lateral propodeal carina shape: inverted “ Y ”. Anteromedian projection of the metanoto-propodeo-metapecto-mesopectal complex present.

Wings (Fig. 1 F ). Forewing length: 1.5–1.8 mm, infuscate. Forewing macropterous with apex extending past petiole. Forewing with translucent stripes and dense pubescence. Pterostigma triangular, length vs. width: 2.1–2.6. Radius (387 μm), a little curved in the middle, longer (1.5 ×) than pterostigma. Hind wing without vein.

Metasoma (Fig. 1 G ). Metasoma 3.1 × longer than wide (Length / width / height = 1204 / 386 / 500 μm). Transverse carina on petiole shape: concave. Syntergum smooth, longer (1.75 ×) than wide. Gastral carinae present and less than 1 / 3 of syntergum length. Syntergal translucent patch count: present. Syntergal translucent patch shape: semi-circular. Rest of tergites smooth, but with sparse hairs.

Male genitalia (Fig. 2 ). Proximodorsal notch of cupula count: absent. Distodorsal margin of cupula shape: concave. Harpe shape: simple and not bilobed. Distal margin of harpe shape: shrinking to an acute angle. Harpe orientation: dorsomedial. Harpe shorter than gonostipes. Lateral setae of harpe count: present. Lateral setae of harpe orientation: oriented distally. Dense patch of setae on the distoventral edge of the harpe count: present. Parossiculus count or parossiculus and gonostipes fusion: present and parossiculi fused with the gonostipes. Gonossiculus and gonossiculus spine present. Gonossiculus spine length: one spine not more than 2 × as long as the other (s) (spines of similar lengths). Penisvalva curved proximally.

Female (Fig. 3 ). Body length: 2.0 mm. Mesosoma and metasoma reddish brown; scape, pedciel yellow; F 1 – F 9 from yellow to black. Lateral ocellar length: ocular ocellar length: LOL: OOL = 0.6. Ocular ocellar length: posterior ocellar length: OOL: POL = 1.1. Scape length longer than the sum of pedicel, F 1, F 2 and F 3. Forewing length: 1.4 mm; Pterostigma length vs. width: 4.6. Radius (270 μm), a little curved in the middle, longer (1.4 ×) than pterostigma. Metasoma 2.5 × longer than wide (Length / width / height = 1150 / 468 / 480 μm). The rest of the characteristics are the same as the males.

Distribution.

China ( Taiwan, Guangxi).

Biology.

Unknown.

Differences between Taiwan and Guangxi populations.

Conostigmus ampullaceus was previously recorded in Taiwan, and this article adds a new distribution record in Guangxi. No differences were found between Taiwan and Guangxi populations.

Differences between males and females.

Male and female differences are reflected in sexual dimorphism in the antennae and different genitalia.

Figures

Figure 1. Conostigmus ampullaceus Dessart, 1997, male A lateral habitus B dorsal habitus C head and mesosoma, lateral view D head and mesosoma, dorsal view E head, anterior view F wings G metasoma, dorsal view.

Figure 2. Conostigmus ampullaceus Dessart, 1997, male, genitalia A ventral view B dorsal view.

Figure 3. Conostigmus ampullaceus Dessart, 1997, female A lateral habitus B dorsal habitus C head and mesosoma, lateral view D head and mesosoma, dorsal view E head, anterior view F wings G metasoma, dorsal view.