Fidiobia nipponica Popovici, Masner & Lahey, 2022

Popovici, Ovidiu Alin, Masner, Lubomir, Lahey, Zachary & Talamas, Elijah, 2022, Revision of the Palearctic species of Fidiobia Ashmead (Hymenoptera, Platygastroidea), Journal of Hymenoptera Research 92, pp. 23-144 : 23

14. Fidiobia nipponica Popovici, Masner & Lahey sp. nov.

Figs 138-144 , 311

Description.

Females. Length of body: 1.1 mm. Colour of body: melanic species (Figs 138 , 139 ).

Head (Figs 142-144 ). Colour of head: brown. Sculpture of head: alutaceous. Sculpture of occiput: the same as the sculpture of head. Ocellar prominence: absent. Preocellar depression: present. Paraocellar depressions: present. OOL / ocellar diameter: OOL around 3 times ocellar diameter. Orientation of lower half of inner orbits: almost parallel. Sculpture of frons immediately anterior to ocellus: alutaceous. Sculpture of frons immediately dorsal to toruli: alutaceous. Epitorular carina: absent. Distance between toruli: equal to the transverse diameter of torulus. Setation of clypeus: four setae. Malar sulcus: absent. Antenna (Fig. 144b ). Colour of A1: light brown. Colour of clava: similar to or slightly darker than the rest of antenna. Number of antennomeres: ten. Shape of A1: more or less cylindrical. Ventral (inner) lamella on A1: present as a trace in the apical part of A1. Length of A3 of female: distinctly shorter than A2. Sensillar formula (A8:A9:A10): unknown.

Mesosoma (Figs 140 , 141 ). Colour of mesosoma: brown. Mesosoma: cylindrical, not compressed dorsoventrally. Pronotum in dorsal view: present mostly as lateral shoulders. Transverse pronotal sulcus: not visible. Posteroventral end of transverse pronotal sulcus: NA. Lateral pronotal area: entirely sculptured. Antero-admedian line: absent. Mesoscutum: convex. Parapsidal lines: absent. Sculpture of internotaular area: alutaceous. Notauli: present, incised. Shape of notauli: dilated posteriorly and rounded anteriorly. Outer edge of notauli: medial to axillular carina. Orientation of inner edge of notauli: converging posteriorly. Length of notauli: at most 0.3 times as long as length of mesoscutellum, measured along midline. Length of notaulus / maximum width of notaulus: 2.0-2.9 times as long as wide. Distance between notauli: greater than the broadest part of notaulus. Transscutal articulation: complete. Scuto-scutellar sulcus: present, complete. Fovea on scuto-scutellar sulcus: present laterally. Mesoscutellum: weakly convex. Shape of mesoscutellum: semicircular. Axillular carina: posterior apex of axillular carinae touching the posterior edge of mesoscutellum. Axilloaxillular carina: absent. Sculpture of mesoscutellum: absent. Posterior mesoscutellar sulcus: present. Metascutellum: entirely visible. Metascutellar carina: present. Width of metasomal depression: not visible, covered with foamy structure. Median carina between lateral propodeal carinae: absent. Transverse carina between lateral propodeal carinae: absent. Foamy structure on transverse carina between lateral propodeal carinae: NA. Foamy structure on metasomal depression: present. Lateral propodeal carinae: divergent posteriorly. Foamy structure on lateral propodeal carina: present on the entire carina. Plica: visible. Posterior end of plica: free, converging with lateral propodeal carina. Foamy structure on plica: present, as a single flange. Foamy structure on metapleural carina: present, only posteriorly. Foamy structure on ventral metapleural area: absent. Setation of dorsal metapleural area: absent. Setation of ventral metapleural area: dense, short setae on posteroventral half. Longitudinal striation on dorsal mesopleuron: present. Transepisternal line: visible as a ridge on the anteroventral mesopleuron, meeting mesopleural carina ventrally (Fig. 141 ). Mesopleural carina: present. Metapleural sulcus: present, complete. Wings. macropterous. Apex of fore wing: rounded. Colour of fore wing: infuscate. Transverse brown band on fore wing: absent. Submarginal vein in fore wing: present. Length of submarginal vein in fore wing: surpassing 1/3 the length of fore wing. Spectral veins on fore wing: absent. Marginal setae of fore wing: absent. Disc of fore wing: with spinulose microtrichia. Legs. Colour of fore tibia: yellow. Colour of fore tarsus: yellow. Colour of middle femora: yellow. Colour of middle tibiae: yellow. Colour of middle tarsus: yellow. Colour of hind femora: yellow. Colour of hind tibiae: yellow. Colour of hind tarsus: yellow.

Metasoma (Figs 138 , 139 ): Tergites posterior of T2 exposed and clearly visible. Shape of T1: subrectangular. Colour of T1: reddish-brown. Lateral setae of T1: absent. Colour of T2: brown. Shape of T2: transverse. Anterior pits of T2: merging together in a deep and transverse anterior depression. Sculpture of T2, lateral to anterior pits of T2: substrigulate on 1/2 of T2 length. Colour of T3-T6: T3 the same with T2, T4-T6 lighter than T2.

Male. unknown.

Etymology.

This species is named after the country where the type material was collected.

Material examined.

1♀. Japan: Holotype 1♀, Tochigi, Hikinuma, Shiobara , 21.viii.1985, leg. Takahaghi K. (TT) (CNCI).

Distribution.

Japan (Fig. 311 ).

Biology.

unknown.

Diagnosis.

We consider F. nipponica to be close to F. striatitergitis based on the presence of a metascutellar carina with a tooth, a posterior mesoscutellar sulcus and the very short marginal fringe of the fore wing. Although most of T2 in this species is smooth and shining, some very fine longitudinal striae can be observed laterally, but this sculpture is distinctly different than the extensive striation on T2 that is found in F. striatitergitis . The metasomal depression is completely covered with foamy structures and the large distance between the posterior ocellus and compound eye make this species easy to recognize among the Palearctic species of Fidiobia with 10-merous antennae.

Figures

Figures 138 - 144. Fidiobia nipponica: 138 habitus, dorsal view (Holotype) 139 habitus, lateral view 140 mesosoma, dorsal view 141 mesosoma, lateral view 142 head, dorsal view 143 head, frontal view 144 a head and antenna (♀) 144 b antenna (♀).

Figures 310 - 312. Geographical distribution of: 310 F. longiclava 311 F. nipponica 312 F. platystasioides.