Notanisus oulmesiensis
Creators: name: Gibson, Gary A. P.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2015
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Pteromalidae
Notanisus
Notanisus oulmesiensis

description: Notanisus oulmesiensis species group
Diagnosis. Both sexes. Fore wing (Figs 20, 25, 27, 36, 44, 50, 60, 69, 76, 84) with stigmal and postmarginal veins both very short, the marginal vein about 6–8× stigmal vein length; bare basad level of parastigma; costal cell slender, bare dorsally but ventrally with variable number of inconspicuous setae within about basal third (Figs 25, 36, 50, 60, 69, 76, 84) to half (Fig. 27) and only very rarely with 1 or 2 setae within about apical third. Female. Antenna with clava either tapered apically into somewhat curved, finger-like projection (Figs 6, 19, 28, 43) or with a more spiniform, setose terminal process (Figs 31, 59, 68, 83), but at least preclaval funicular ventrally extended as process under clava for most of length excluding terminal process. Eye at most very sparsely and inconspicuously setose. Mesoscutum anteriorly between incomplete notauli similarly densely sculptured as pronotum dorsomedially, more minutely punctate-reticulate compared to obviously larger mesh-like reticulation posteriorly. Pronotum (except N. gracilis) with variably developed smoother, shinier, and usually differently colored regions posterolaterally (Figs 23, 33, 38, 55, 63, 80), sometimes differentiating distinct “shoulder-like” angulations. Axilla not uniformly sculptured, variably broadly reticulate anterodorsally but with obliquely angled posterior surface much more finely sculptured to smooth and shiny (Figs 22, 40, 57, 65, 81). Fore wing disc usually comparatively sparsely setose (except N. gracilis, Fig. 27), and dorsally usually with variably distinct, elongate bare region beyond level of stigmal vein (Figs 26, 45, 61, 70, 85) (ventral surface of region always with setae and dorsal surface sometimes with one or two setae in region, e.g. Figs 61, 85) and often with obviously shorter, less conspicuous setae posterior of cubital fold and/or distally (Figs 25, 45, 70, 85); with variably developed infuscate region posterior to venation, but without well delineated anterior and posterior hyaline spots behind marginal vein. Male. Antenna 11-segmented, either ramose (Fig. 75) or pedicellate (Fig. 49).
Remarks. Of the above diagnostic features, the only one shared by all members of the oulmesiensis group and by no other species of Notanisus is conspicuously reduced stigmal and postmarginal veins in both sexes. Based on the description and images of N. gracilis, females of this species differ from other oulmesiensis -group females in at least three features, the absence of posterolaterally differentiated regions on the pronotum, a ventrally more extensively setose costal cell (Fig. 27), and a uniformly setose fore wing disc (Fig. 27). These features could indicate N. gracilis is the basal lineage of the oulmesiensis -group. Alternatively, the reduced stigmal and postmarginal veins of N. gracilis could represent an independent convergence rather than a putative synapomorphy supporting common ancestry with other oulmesiensis -group species.
The only previously described species of Notanisus from Africa are N. cyaneus (Risbec, 1952) and N. sylvaticus (Risbec, 1952). Although I did not examine type material of these two species, they are not members of the oulmesiensis group because the marginal vein is described as three times as long as the postmarginal vein in N. cyaneus and twice the length of the stigmal vein in N. sylvaticus. Similarly, the stigmal vein is illustrated and/or described as comparatively long in the three described species from the Australasian region (Bouček 1988, fig. 405) and N. grandis (Senatos 1996, fig. 1).
description: Published as part of Gibson, Gary A. P., 2015, The presence of Notanisus Walker (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae) in North America and revision of the oulmesiensis species group, pp. 422-450 in Zootaxa 3948 (3) on pages 427-428, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3948.3.4, http://zenodo.org/record/253777