Erythmelus (Erythmelus) verticillatus Ogloblin, 1934

Triapitsyn, Serguei V., Berezovskiy, Vladimir V., Hoddle, Mark S. & Morse, Joseph G., 2007, A review of the Nearctic species of Erythmelus (Hymenoptera: Mymaridae), with a key and new additions to the New World fauna, Zootaxa 1641 (1), pp. 1-64 : 42-43

Erythmelus (Erythmelus) verticillatus Ogloblin, 1934

( Figs 57, 58 )

Eurythmelus verticillatus Ogloblin 1934: 245–247 , plates XXII, XXIII (holotype female [MLPA], labeled: 1. “ Eurythmelus verticillatus A. O. female 26.X.1933 Loreto, Misiones Ventana, A. O. Typus”; 2. “3896/1”, examined. Also examined was the paratype female of E. verticillatus in MLPA, labeled: 1. “ Eurythmelus verticillatus A. O. female Paratipo. Loreto, Misiones 5.X.1933.”; 2. “3896/3”. The dates on the original holotype and paratype slides do not match the collection date (25.x.1933) indicated by Ogloblin (1934) in the original description of this species. Type locality: Loreto, Misiones, Argentina).

Erythmelus verticillatus Ogloblin : De Santis 1967: 108 (catalog).

Material examined. ARGENTINA. MISIONES, Loreto : 5.viii.1936, A.A. Ogloblin (ex. eggs of Miridae on Oxalis sp. ) [3 females, 3 males, MLPA] ; 12.viii.1936 (on Oxalis sp. ) [1 female, MLPA] ; 15.viii.1936 (on Oxalis sp. ) [1 female, 1 male, MLPA] ; 14.x.1936, A.A. Ogloblin (ex. eggs of Miridae on Oxalis sp. ) [6 females, 5 males, MLPA]; Jesuit ruins , 24.viii.2000, P. Fidalgo [1 female, IMLA; 2 females, UCRC] .

Redescription. FEMALE (holotype, paratypes, and non-type specimens). Body length 530–740 µm. Body mostly dark brown except base (about 2/5) of gaster yellow to light brown, hypopygium brown, midlobe of mesoscutum with a slightly lighter (brown) transverse submedian stripe, and borders of axilla and scutellum light brown. Appendages light brown to brown.

Vertex transversely striate, with several long setae.

Antenna ( Fig. 57 ) with long setae (setae exceeding width of funicular segments). Scape 5.6–5.8 x as long as wide; pedicel much longer than F1; all funicular segments longer than wide; F1 the shortest funicular segment, F2 almost as long as F3 and slightly shorter than F4, F4 as long as F5 and shorter than F6; F1–F5 without longitudinal sensilla, F6 with 2 longitudinal sensilla; clava 3.8–3.9 x as long as wide, with 5 longitudinal sensilla.

Mesosoma. Pronotum with several pairs of strong setae. Mesoscutum wider than long, its midlobe finely longitudinally striate and with 1 pair of strong setae. Axillar seta extending almost to 1/2 length of scutellum. Scutellum a little shorter than mesoscutum, posterior scutellum finely longitudinally striate. Dorsellum broadly angulate posteriorly.

Wings. Forewing ( Fig. 58 ) 5.2–5.5 x as long as wide; blade slightly infumate behind venation but otherwise hyaline, with numerous setae in the distal half; longest marginal cilia 1.5–1.7 x greatest width of wing. Hind wing 16–17 x as long as wide, a little shorter than forewing; blade mostly infumate, more so apically; longest marginal cilia 4.1–4.5 x greatest wing width.

Metasoma. Petiole wider than long. Gaster longer than mesosoma; ovipositor about 3/4 length of gaster, barely exserted beyond apical gastral tergum (by no more than 1/10 of ovipositor length) and not exserted beyond apex of hypopygium, 1.3–1.4 x length of metatibia.

Measurements of holotype (in µm). Body 677; mesosoma 246; gaster 289; ovipositor 218. Antenna: scape (including radicle) 115; pedicel 45; F1 21; F2 24; F3 27; F4 30; F5 30; F6 54; clava 130. Forewing 550:106; longest marginal cilia 157. Hind wing 470:27; longest marginal cilia 121.

Description. MALE. Body length 700–770 µm. Similar to female except for the normal sexually dimorphic features. Flagellum 11–segmented, all flagellomeres a little shorter than scape and with long setae (setae exceeding width of funicular segments). Forewing 4.4–4.6 x as long as wide; longest marginal cilia 1.4–1.5 x greatest forewing width. Gaster about as long as mesosoma. Genitalia typical for the flavovarius species group, similar to those of E. (E.) picinus (Girault) ( Fig. 51 ).

Diagnosis. Member of the flavovarius species group. Erythmelus (E.) verticillatus is unique among the species of the nominate subgenus in having funicular (female) and flagellar (male) segments with long setae that exceed the width of the segments that bear them. Its vertex is transversely striate, like in most species of Erythmelus ; the vertexal sculpture of an undescribed species of Erythmelus (Erythmelus) from South Africa, however, is cellulate. The cellulate sculpture of the vertex, mentioned by Ogloblin (1934) in the original description, is an artifact, which is probably due to the way the holotype and the paratype were slide-mounted.

Distribution. Argentina.

Host. An unidentified species of Miridae (according to the labels on the slides with some of the non-type specimens of E. (E.) verticillatus from the type locality).

Figures

FIGURES 57, 58. Erythmelus (E.) verticillatus (female, Loreto, Misiones, Argentina). 57. Antenna. 58. Forewing. Scale bars = 0.1 mm.

FIGURES 49–51. Erythmelus (E.) picinus (male, California, USA). 49. Antenna. 50. Forewing. Scale bars = 0.1 mm. 51. Genitalia.