Gonatocerus (Cosmocomoidea) virlai Triapitsyn, Logarzo
Creators: name: Triapitsyn, Serguei V.
name: Huber, John T.
name: Logarzo, Guillermo A.
name: Berezovskiy, Vladimir V.
name: Aquino, Daniel A.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2010
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Mymaridae
Gonatocerus
Gonatocerus virlai

description: Gonatocerus (Cosmocomoidea) virlai Triapitsyn, Logarzo & de León, 2007
(Figs 492–498)
Gonatocerus sp.: Logarzo et al. 2005: 116–117 (host information); Jones, Logarzo, Virla et al. 2005: 343–344 (host information).
Gonatocerus sp. 6: Hoddle & Stouthamer 2005: 339; Hoddle & Triapitsyn 2005: 341–342; de León et al. 2006a: 41–42; de León et al. 2006d: 54; de León et al. 2006e: 57–58 (molecular data); de León & Morgan 2006: 61 (molecular data); Triapitsyn 2006b: 112; Triapitsyn 2007: 59; de León et al. 2007: 74 (molecular data); de León & Morgan 2007: 83 (molecular data); de León et al. 2008: 99, 104–105 (molecular data).
Gonatocerus virlai Triapitsyn, Logarzo & de León in Triapitsyn et al. 2007: 62–67. Holotype female [MLPA] (examined). Type locality: Tafí Viejo, Tucumán, Argentina.
Gonatocerus virlai Triapitsyn, Logarzo & de León: Triapitsyn et al. 2008: 5, 22 (molecular data); Luft Albarracin et al. 2009: 10 (list; distribution and host associations in Argentina).
Material examined. ARGENTINA. CORRIENTES, Yapeyú, exposed to sentinel eggs of Tapajosa rubromarginata (Signoret) 4–9.x.2006, emerged 23–25.x.2006, G.A. Logarzo [14 ♀, 2 ♂, UCRC]. LA RIOJA, Castro Barros, Los Molinos, 7.i.2001, P. Fidalgo, J. Torréns, G. Fidalgo [1 ♀, UCRC]. SALTA, Rosario de la Frontera, Lumbrera (at Río Juramento), 24.79°S 65.03°W, 730 m, 21.iii.2003, J. Munro [1 ♀, UCRC].
Description. See Triapitsyn et al. (2007) for a detailed description and diagnosis.
Diagnosis. Gonatocerus (Cosmocomoidea) virlai is a member of the morrilli subgroup of the ater species group. Females are characterized by the following unique combination: head, as well as mesosoma and metasoma (Fig. 494) mostly light brown except trabeculae and vertex between the ocelli dark brown, mesoscutum posteriorly and scutellum anteriorly with irregular brownish spots, and middle gastral terga brown; scape and pedicel light brown, flagellum brown to dark brown; legs light brown; antenna (Fig. 492) with pedicel longer than F1, F2 much longer than F1 and slightly shorter than F3 (F3 and F4 equal in length and the longest funicle segments), F5 a little longer than F6, F7 slightly longer than F6 and notably longer than F8; mps on F2 (0 or 1), F3 (1 or 2), F4 (2), F5 (2), F6 (2), F7 (2); propodeum (Fig. 493) with curved submedian carinae, more or less smooth between submedian carinae but between submedian and lateral carinae with conspicuous transverse wrinkles; forewing (Fig. 495) with disc slightly infumate throughout, bare behind submarginal and marginal veins except for a few setae just behind apex of marginal vein; ovipositor not exserted beyond gastral apex, ovipositor length: mesotibia length ratio about 1.0:1. Body color of the male usually a little, but sometimes notably, darker than in female, particularly mesonotum and gastral terga mostly brown, with some light brown. Also illustrated here are the antenna (Fig. 496), genitalia (Fig. 497), and forewing (Fig. 498) of the male.
Distribution. NEOTROPICAL: Argentina (Triapitsyn et al. 2007).
Hosts. Tapajosa rubromarginata (Signoret), as well as Dechacona missionum (Berg) and Molomea consolida Schröder (the latter two from sentinel eggs only) (Proconiini); also Ciminius platensis (Berg) and Plesiommata mollicella (Fowler) (Cicadellini, from sentinel eggs only) (Cicadellidae) (Triapitsyn et al. 2007). Homalodisca vitripennis (Germar), Oncometopia tucumana (Schröder), Tapajosa similis (Melichar), and Tretogonia notatifrons Melichar (Proconiini) were laboratory and apparently factitious hosts (Triapitsyn et al. 2007).
Comments. The colonies of G. virlai, maintained on eggs of H. vitripennis in the quarantine facilities in California and Texas, USA (Triapitsyn et al. 2007), have been since discontinued.
description: Published as part of Triapitsyn, Serguei V., Huber, John T., Logarzo, Guillermo A., Berezovskiy, Vladimir V. & Aquino, Daniel A., 2010, Review of Gonatocerus (Hymenoptera: Mymaridae) in the Neotropical region, with description of eleven new species, pp. 1-243 in Zootaxa 2456 on pages 229-231, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.894928