Ooderella ambigua Gibson, 2017, n. sp.
Creators: name: Gibson, Gary A. P.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2017
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Eupelmidae
Ooderella
Ooderella ambigua

description: Ooderella ambigua n. sp.
Figs 10–18
Type material. Holotype ♀ (CNC). “ BRAZIL: MG | Tiradentes | nr Omegamine | 19-24.II.1990 | S.A. Marshall / HOLOTYPE | Ooderella | ambigua | Gibson”. Holotype point-mounted by mesosternum; entire; uncontorted.
Paratypes (5♀). Argentina. Rio Negro, INTA Stn., 18 km W. General Roca, 6–8.XI.1997, C.&M. Vardy (1♀ CNC). Bolivia. Santa Cruz, Quebrada Isiri, 20 km S Camiri, 865m, 18.VIII–IX.2000, Irwin & Hauser (1♀ UGIC [debu00147818], CNC-Photo 2016-77). Brazil. Campinas, II.1924, F.X. Williams (1♀ BPBM). Uruguay. Rocha, 38 km SW Aguas Dulces, R 10, 4.II. 1989, C.&L. O’Brian & G. Wibmer (1♀ CASC). Venezuela. Merida, Tabay La Mucuy, 1900m, 18.VI–2.VIII.1989, S.&J. Peck, FIT, streamside meadow (1♀ CNC, Photo 2016-78).
Etymology. From the Latin word ambiguus (uncertain), in reference to the uncertain relationships and generic status of this species as discussed for the genus.
Description. FEMALE (habitus: Fig. 14). Length = 2.0–3.0 [2.7] mm. Head (Figs 10–12, 14) brown to dark brown with only slight, limited greenish or coppery to reddish-violaceous lusters under some angles of light; in lateral view (Fig. 11) lenticular with frontal surface evenly curved so broadest near middle, about 1.7× as high as long; in frontal view about 1.1× as wide as high; in dorsal view (Fig. 12) about 1.7× as wide as long with interocular distance about 1.25× head width, without differentiated ocellocular mark, and with OOL: POL: LOL: MPOD = 11: 21: 14: 8. Frontovertex with vertex and ocellar triangle meshlike coriaceous to alutaceous (Fig. 12), but ventral to ocelli (Fig. 10) varying from almost entirely coriaceous, except smoother and shinier along inner orbits, to almost entirely smooth and shiny with only subeffaced sculpture and scattered setiferous pits with dark, hairlike setae. Scrobal depression (Fig. 10) bell-shaped, the lateral margin incurved slightly above torulus such that distinct parascrobal region delineated along inner orbit, and as high or slightly higher than wide, extending to within anterior ocellus by distance similar to MPOD but less than LOL or POL; strongly reticulate-rugulose dorsally to more reticulate-imbricate ventrally and uniformly concave, not transversely delineated above toruli or interantennal prominence by change in sculpture; interantennal prominence uniformly convex and tapered dorsally (Fig. 10). Interantennal prominence, lower face and about ventral half of parascrobal region with white lanceolate setae (Figs 11, 13: insert), and meshlike reticulate to reticulate-imbricate except interantennal prominence somewhat more finely sculptured. Mandible (Fig. 13: insert) with acute ventroapical tooth and with broad dorsoapical margin variably distinctly incurved to incised so as to be indistinctly tridentate. Labial and maxillary palps brown. Antenna (Fig. 13) dark brown except scape and pedicel often with some greenish luster; length of flagellum + pedicel about 1.3× as long as head width; scape slightly compressed and curved, similarly slender throughout though slightly broader near middle; length[width] ratio of scape: pedicel: funiculars: clava = 60[10]: 23[9]: 6[7], 13[8], 15[9], 19[10], 15[12], 13[13], 12[13], 11[14]: 34[15].
Mesosoma orangish-brown to variably dark brown, but usually somewhat lighter in color than head except for dark region on pronotum posterolaterally anterior to spiracle and dorsal surface usually with some metallic lusters, most commonly on propodeum (Fig. 16) but also pronotal collar (Fig. 12), inner inclined surface of lateral lobe, and scutellum (Fig. 15). Legs (Fig. 14) similar in color to mesosoma except trochantelli, meso- and metatibiae apically, and meso- and metatarsi variably extensively paler basally. Pronotum in dorsal view (Fig. 12) with collar transverse-quadrangular, about 2.5× as wide as long, and abruptly differentiated from neck by angular anterior margin, this highest (somewhat protuberant) medially on either side of deep mediolongitudinal furrow such that dorsal surface shallowly concave (Fig. 15) and with a couple of long white setae. Mesoscutum (Fig. 15) flat anteriorly and with lateral lobes acutely angled over almost entire length and increasing in height posteriorly where M-like in cross-section with abruptly inclined inner and outer surfaces near transscutal articulation; reticulate over about anterior two-thirds to three-quarters but posteriorly and inclined surface of each lateral lobe much more finely meshlike coriaceous; extensively setose with white setae, the setae anteriorly hairlike and directed posteriorly but posteromedially (more ventrally on inner inclined surface of lateral lobe) setae directed medially to anteromedially and slender-lanceolate and therefore more conspicuous (Fig. 15). Scutellar-axillar complex (Fig. 15) about 1.6× as long as basal width with hairlike setae of similar color as cuticle along lateral margins of axillae and scutellum, except each axilla with a couple of slender-lanceolate white setae along anterior margin; axillae elongate-slender, narrower than scutellum, and reticulate; scutellum similarly reticulate as axillae, elongate-oval, about 3.6× as long as wide, with distinctly differentiated, shiny and only finely meshlike coriaceous frenal area. Tegula (Figs 15, 17) uniformly setose with dark setae. Fore wing (Figs 14, 15) extending conspicuously beyond base of gaster but right-angle bent at level of anterior margin of propodeum, the apical portion somewhat longer than basal portion; basal portion brownish-hyaline, consisting of ventrally setose costal cell, dorsally setose submarginal vein, and mostly bare basal cell; apical discal portion about 4× as long as basal width and tapered apically to narrowly rounded apical margin, brownish-infuscate, entirely setose with dark setae, and with venation extending along anterior margin to apical margin, with obliquely angled stigmal vein near apical third differentiating marginal and postmarginal veins. Mesopleurosternum (Fig. 17) with mesopectus anterolaterally uniformly setose with ventrally projecting white lanceolate setae, but acropleuron entirely bare and longitudinally strigose with striations curved around posterior margin. Metacoxa (Fig. 17) densely setose with lanceolate white setae along dorsal and ventrolateral margins but bare longitudinally on outer surface. Propodeum (Fig. 16) with posterior margin carinate laterally and with carina of either side recurved anteriorly, sinuately, near midline to form short median carina as part of short, narrow, inclined plical region differentiated from comparatively highly convex callar regions by anteriorly widened depressions along foramen, but with lighter-colored cuticle forming triangular region between separately incurved parts of carinae so that posterior margin evenly Π-like incurved; callus bare anterior of spiracle but with region of dense white lanceolate setae medially between spiracle and ventral margin.
Gaster (Figs 14, 18) dark brown except usually with some green to bluish luster on syntergum and Gt1 under some angles of light, and ovipositor sheaths pale apically; finely, meshlike coriaceous-reticulate with mostly white setae in more than one row across each tergite dorsally; syntergum (Fig. 18) entirely dark, about as long as penultimate tergite with dorsal surface uniformly convex and narrowed to truncate posterior margin having row of dark setae along posterior margin (Fig. 18: insert); ovipositor sheaths extending only slightly beyond syntergum, by distance less than 0.25× length of metatibia.
Distribution (Map 1E). Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Uruguay, Venezuela.
Remarks. Females of O. ambigua are readily differentiated from all other Ooderella by their right-angle bent fore wings (Figs 14, 15) and apparently plesiomorphic structured syntergum (Fig. 18: insert), and from other New World species by their bare acropleuron (Fig. 17) and uniformly setose mesoscutum without differentiated tufts of setae posteriorly (Fig. 15), as well as other more subtle features discussed for the genus.
description: Published as part of Gibson, Gary A. P., 2017, Revision of world Ooderella Ashmead (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea: Eupelmidae), with description of the first males for the genus, pp. 1-74 in Zootaxa 4289 (1) on pages 18-20, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.828791