Netomocera merida Mitroiu 2019, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Mitroiu, Mircea-Dan
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2019
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Pteromalidae
Netomocera
Netomocera merida

description: Netomocera merida sp. nov.
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 99558136-D5EB-4847-963B-3BE6E1ED90AE
Figs 107–117
Diagnosis
Both sexes
Macropterous (Figs 107, 116). Head and mesosoma black (Figs 108–109, 116). Fore wing subhyaline (Figs 115–116). Clypeal margin produced (Fig. 110). Scrobes shallow and reticulate (Fig. 108). Upper face and vertex with eight large setae. Occiput margin sharply defined (Fig. 109). Pronotal collar not unusually long or wide (Fig. 113). Mesoscutum, scutellum and axillae with shallow reticulation; scutoscutellar sutures deep, distinct; frenal area distinct, i.e., sculpture at least slightly different than on rest of scutellum (Fig. 113). Mesepimeral sulcus conspicuous (Fig. 112). Propodeum without a welldefined V-shaped area basally (Fig. 114). Visible part of petiole very short, distinctly transverse, with more or less obliterate sculpture (Fig. 114).
Female
Antenna with both fu7 and clava dark, contrasting with other funicular segments (Fig. 111). Eye height about 2.8 × malar space. Antenna moderately clavate (Fig. 111), fu7 width about 1.3× length. Setation of mesonotum not unusually dense or conspicuous (Fig. 113). Fore wing with basal third extensively setose except for narrow bare region (Fig. 115). MV about 4.3 × SV.
Male
Head without any violet reflections on vertex. Mesosoma uniformly dark brown to black (Fig. 116). Fu1 length 2.4–2.6 × width; length of pedicel plus flagellum 2.40–2.75 × head width. MV 3.2–4.1 × SV.
Etymology
The name of the species (noun in apposition) indicates the name of the Venezuelan state where the holotype was collected.
Material examined
Holotype VENEZUELA • ♀; “Venezuela: Merida – Sta. Rosa. 2000m.”; “ 15.v-15.vi.1981, Briceno & Suarez”; “Brit. Mus. 1982-347”; left fore wing glued near specimen, on rectangular card; BMNH.
Allotype VENEZUELA • ♂; “Venezuela: Merida, Tabay La Mucuy, 1900m, 18.VI-2.VIII.1989, S. & J. Peck, FIT, streamside meadow”; CNC.
Additional paratypes VENEZUELA • 2 ♂♂; “Venezuela: Miranda, Guatopo NP Aqua Blanca, 35 km N Altagracia 400m, 3-10.VI.1987, S. & J. Peck ”; CNC.
Description
Female (habitus: Fig. 107)
COLOUR. Head (Figs 108–109) black. Mandibles yellowish-brown, teeth darker. Antenna (Fig. 111) with scape, pedicel, anellus and fu1–5 yellowish-brown; fu6 slightly darker; fu7 and clava dark brown. Mesosoma (Figs 112–113) dorsally black, laterally dark brown. All legs yellowish-brown, except darker basal half of coxae and tarsal pretarsi. Fore wing (Fig. 115) subhyaline; venation light brown; setation brown. Hind wing hyaline. Metasoma with petiole black (Fig. 114). Gaster (Fig. 107) brown, ventrally paler. Body setation including large, symmetrically arranged setae dark brown.
BODY LENGTH. 2.25 mm.
HEAD. Clypeus coriaceous; apical margin produced (Fig. 110). Lower face, gena and vertex mostly coriaceous (Fig. 109). Scrobal depression and areas between scrobes and eyes reticulate, cells elongate (Fig. 108). Occiput reticulate-striate; margin sharply defined (Fig. 109). Toruli with lower margins about level with lower margins of eyes (Fig. 108). Antenna moderately clavate, with clava conspicuously asymmetric (Fig. 111). Upper face and vertex with eight large setae. Head in dorsal view with width 2.2× length (83:37) and in frontal view 1.15 × height (83:72). POL about 3.4 × OOL (24:7). Eye height about 1.4× length (48:35), about 2.8 × malar space (48:17) and 1.2× scape length (48:40). Head width subequal to length of pedicel plus flagellum (83:85). Fu1 length 1.4× width (7:5); fu7 width about 1.3× length (10.5:8.0); clava length 2.45 × width (27:11).
MESOSOMA. Pronotal collar narrower than mesoscutum, with six large setae (Fig. 113). Mesonotum moderately setose dorsally (Fig. 113). Mesoscutum and axillae coriaceous to very shallowly reticulate (Fig. 113). Scutellum shallowly reticulate except frenal area coriaceous (Figs 113–114). Upper mesepisternum alutaceous to coriaceous; lower mesepisternum reticulate (Fig. 112). Mesepimeron virtually smooth, with only short costulae and impressions near posterior margin; mesepimeral sulcus conspicuous (Fig. 112). Propodeum with intricate pattern of carinae, interspaces shiny but slightly wrinkled (Fig. 114). Macropterous; fore wing uniformly and densely setose except for small, elongate bare region (Fig. 115). Mesosoma length about 1.4× width (94:66) and about 1.4× height (94:65). Pronotal collar about 0.3 × as long as mesoscutum (8:23) and about 0.8× as wide as mesoscutum (51:66). Mesoscutum width about 2.9× length (66:23). Scutellum length 0.95 × width (38:40). Propodeum length about 0.5× scutellum length (20:38). Fore wing length about 2.6× width (160:62); MV about 4.3× SV (52:12) and about 2.7× PV (52:19).
METASOMA. Petiole transverse, mainly smooth, except for some irregular costulae (Fig. 114). Gaster ovate, length 1.65 × width (132:80) (Fig. 107); gt1 longest, width about 1.6× length (80:50), with hind margin very slightly produced; gt2–6 progressively shorter, transverse; syntergum acutely pointed. Ovipositor sheaths very slightly protruding beyond apex of gaster. Cercal setae not surpassing apex of gaster.
Male (habitus: Fig. 116)
Differs from female mainly as follows. Body length: 1.2–1.3 mm. Flagellum brown except basal segments slightly lighter (Fig. 117). Mesosoma and metasoma brown to dark brown (Fig. 116). Coxae lighter basally. Fu1 length 2.4–2.6 × width; length of pedicel plus flagellum 2.40–2.75 × as long as head width. Fore wing length 2.5 × width. MV 3.2–4.1 × as long as SV and 2.1–2.5 × PV. Gaster (inflated) length about 1.3× width, gt1 occupying about half of gaster length.
Distribution
Venezuela.
Remarks
See N. masneri sp. nov. Also similar to N. celebensis sp. nov. and N. ramakrishanai; from both these species the females of N. merida sp. nov. differ mainly in having a less strongly clavate antenna with both fu7 and the clava dark, contrasting with the other funicular segments (Fig. 111), and a darker mesosoma (Figs 112–114). The males seem most similar to those of N. formiciformis sp. nov. (see the key).
description: Published as part of Mitroiu, Mircea-Dan, 2019, Revision of Netomocera Bouček (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea: Pteromalidae), excluding the Oriental species, pp. 1-87 in European Journal of Taxonomy 568 on pages 50-53, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2019.568, http://zenodo.org/record/3517435