Pleurotroppopsis nitifrons
Creators: name: Cao, Huan-Xi
name: Dale-Skey, Natalie
name: Burwell, Chris J.
name: Zhu, Chao-Dong
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2022
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Eulophidae
Pleurotroppopsis
Pleurotroppopsis nitifrons

description: Pleurotroppopsis nitifrons (Bouček, 1976)
(Fig. 13)
Cotterellia nitifrons Bouček, 1976: 677–678. Holotype ♀, NHMUK (B.M. TYPE HYM. 5.2397, examined).
Pleurotroppopsis nitifrons (Bouček, 1976), Bouček, 1988: 711.
Diagnosis. FEMALE. Antenna with scape predominantly white, brown in apical 1/3 only. Fore wing weakly infuscate, with small speculum. Tibiae brown without metallic tinge; all tarsomeres white except for brown claws. Frontovertex with a median groove below anterior ocellus. Face between frontal carina and toruli weakly depressed; upper margin of scrobes not incised medially, and frontal carina straight. Ocelli in a strongly acute-angled (equilateral) triangle. MLM with transverse rugosity anteriorly and engraved reticulation posteriorly, without a median groove (Fig. 13b). Scutellum with punctures along sublateral grooves but without posterior transverse groove (Fig. 13b). Axilla with superficial reticulation, almost smooth, with one seta (Fig. 13b). Dorsellum polished. Submedian areas of propodeum with superficial reticulation, almost smooth (Fig. 13b). Gt 1 with polished dorsal surface (Fig. 13a). Metafemur without teeth along ventral margin.
MALE. Unknown.
Material examined. Type material. Holotype ♀, 20873, Malaysia Barat: Ptg. Bendahari, Province Wellesley, ex. within mines of Promecotheca cumingi, 21.III.1973, coll. Jabatan Pertanian (NHMUK, B.M. TYPE HYM. 5.2397); paratype ♀, same data as holotype (NHMUK).
Other material examined. 1♀, India: Calicut Dist., Kerala, ex. leaf miner of Piper nigrum, det. Bouček (NHMUK).
Biology. The type series were recorded from the coleopteran leafminer Promecotheca cumingii Baly (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Hispinae) (Bouček 1976).
Distribution. India (new distribution record); Malaysia (Bouček 1976).
Remarks. Pleurotroppopsis nitifrons is likely close to P. maculatipennis and P. japonica based on the lack of a posterior groove on the scutellum, dorsellum polished, and metafemur smooth without teeth along the ventral margin. The possible close relationship between these three species is supported by the parsimony analysis based on morphological characters (Fig. 19) but requires further molecular evidence because the phylogeny is not well resolved based only on morphological characters. Females of P. nitifrons can be distinguished from those of P. japonica and P. maculatipennis by their sculptured posterior dull part of the axilla. In addition, P. nitifrons females have the mesoscutum with engraved reticulation that is much less transverse and the scutellum has denser and more distinct engraved reticulation that is weakly longitudinal. See also remarks under P. japonica.
description: Published as part of Cao, Huan-Xi, Dale-Skey, Natalie, Burwell, Chris J. & Zhu, Chao-Dong, 2022, Review of the genus Pleurotroppopsis Girault (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) with interspecific phylogenetic relationships based on morphological characters, pp. 451-484 in Zootaxa 5190 (4) on pages 471-472, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5190.4.1, http://zenodo.org/record/7138395