Robertsia vaamondei
Creators: name: Noort, Simon Van
name: Rasplus, Jean-Yves
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2005
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Agaonidae
Robertsia
Robertsia vaamondei

description: Robertsia vaamondei van Noort & Rasplus sp. nov.
(Figs. 3, 7, 11, 15, 19, 23, 27, 31, 35, 39, 43, 47, 51, 55, 59 & 61)
Holotype Ψ: PAPUA NEW GUINEA, East New Britain, North Baining Mountains, Raunsepna, 4°26'S 151°47'E, 1000 m. alt, 26 February 1999, C. L. Vaamonde, ex Ficus xylosycia. Deposited in SAMC.
Paratypes: 288Ψ, 50ɗ: same data as holotype. Deposited in BPBM, JYRC, MCZC, NHML, SAMC.
Etymology. Named in honour of Carlos Lopez­Vaamonde (Institute of Zoology, University of Cambridge) in recognition of his collecting efforts in Papua New Guinea.
Diagnosis. Female: head extremely narrow (2.3X longer than wide), sub­parallel sided; mandibles widely spaced; clypeal margin with a quadrate medial protrusion; vertex 0.45X eye length in lateral view. Male: mandible narrow, strongly curved, ending in a strong apical tooth, with blunt subapical protrusion on inner margin, excavated on inner side; pronotum elongate, barrel­shaped; propodeal spiracles situated almost 3X their own diameter from anterior propodeal margin.
Affinities. Robertsia vaamondei is most similar to R. weibleni, from which it can be separated in females by a clypeal margin that has a quadrate medial protrusion as opposed to a short, sharp medial point; a parallel­sided head as opposed to a head that tapers anteriorly; mandibles which are widely separated at the base; and a longer vertex relative to eye length. Except for the vertex these characters will distinguish the males as well. In addition, shape of the head and mandibles easily separate males of the two species.
Description of female. Colour and size. Dark brown, head and pronotum approaching black; antennae, mandibles, and legs lighter brown; tarsi yellowish­brown. Total length, with head in prognathous position, 3.0– 3.5 mm. Habitus (Figs. 3 & 47)
Head (Figs. 7, 11, 15). Elongate, dorsally smoothly and evenly convex, in lateral cross­section representing half tube shape; 2.3X longer than wide across the compound eyes; sides sub­parallel, converging slightly towards the mouth (Fig. 7); ventrally, posterior third of head with medial triangular excavation deepening and widening towards vertex (Fig. 11). Ventral tentorial pits not discernable. Vertex in lateral view 0.45X eye length (Fig. 11). Eye 1.8X longer than wide, 0.27X as long as head length. Shortest distance between eyes 1.2X eye length (Fig. 7). Cheek length (from eye to base of mandible) twice eye length. Malar groove strongly sinusoidal, reaching base of mandible (Fig. 11). Toruli situated anteriorly, approximately equidistant from clypeal margin as from sides of head in dorsal view; in close apposition, divided by inter­antennal carina that anteriorly fades close to toruli. Clypeus not defined by lateral sutures, but with two parallel shallow excavations extending from each torulus to clypeal margin. Clypeal margin with quadrate medial protrusion and a strong seta on either side (Fig. 7). Mandible broad, strongly curved, scythe­like, with a strong apical tooth and two smaller inner subapical teeth clearly visible in dorsal view (Fig. 7); ridge present on leading ventral edge. Mandibles widely separated at base (by more than basal width of mandible). Antennal formula 11153; funicle segments subequal in size. Scape 2.3X times pedicel length.
Mesosoma (Figs. 23, 27 & 31). Pronotum narrow and extremely elongate, 2.3X as long as wide, as long as head; smooth, except for anterior quarter which has fine striations (Fig. 23). Mesoscutum 1.9X as wide as long; smooth, but with fine striations still discernable anteriorly and laterally. Notauli faint with row of setae present along suture. Scutellum as wide as long, axillae widely spaced, delimited by fine sutures. Propodeum 1.4X wider than long. Propodeal spiracles situated less than their diameter from anterior propodeal margin (Fig. 23). Propleura large and evident in lateral view (Fig. 27), ventrally meeting at an angle anteriorly (Fig. 31). Prosternum flat and elongate rhomboidal. In lateral view propleura, pronotum and fore coxa with fine striations, together forming a distinct longitudinal concavity with ridges delimiting concavity dorsally and ventrally. Fore femur 5X longer than wide (Fig. 27). Foretibia longer than foretarsus, with two to three apical teeth and two subparallel rows of 7 and 7–9 teeth converging towards base of tibia (Fig. 19). Forewing 3X longer than wide. Submarginal, marginal, postmarginal and stigmal veins in the ratio 6:3:1:1.
Metasoma (Fig. 3). As wide as high, 0.7X as long as mesosoma. Ovipositor valves do not extend beyond end of metasoma. Hypopygium truncate.
Description of male. Colour and size. Head and pronotum black; rest of body dark brown; antennae, legs and mandibles light brown, tarsi yellowish­brown. Total length, with head in prognathous position, 2–2.3 mm. Habitus (Figs. 35 & 55).
Head (Figs. 35 & 39). Elongate, 1.3X longer than wide across the compound eyes; sides parallel, but curving inwards anteriorly and posteriorly; ventrally, in posterior third with broad triangular excavation deepening and widening towards vertex, anterior twothirds medially concave. Ventral tentorial pits in close apposition, situated closer to hypostomal margin than basal width of mandible. Vertex in dorsal view convex. Eye large, 1.5X longer than wide, 0.38X head length, as long as cheek length (from eye to base of mandible in lateral view). Malar groove weakly sinusoidal, extending from base of mandible to eye. Toruli situated anteriorly, 0.13X head length from clypeal margin; separated from each other by less than torulus width; interantennal carina weak. Clypeus not defined by lateral sutures. Clypeal margin with weak flattened medial protrusion and a strong seta on either side. Mandibles widely spaced; narrow, strongly curved, ending in strong apical tooth, with blunt subapical protrusion on inner margin, excavated on inner side. Antennal formula 11153; first three funicle segments slightly longer than wide, third and fourth segments as long as wide. Scape length 3X pedicel length.
Mesosoma (Fig. 43). Pronotum elongate, 1.4X longer than wide, 0.8X head length; with fine reticulate striations. Mesonotum (scutum, scutellum and metanotum) reduced to a single fused narrow transverse band 0.2X propodeal length. Propodeum 1.6X wider than medially long. Propodeal spiracles situated close to middle of propodeal length, almost 3X their own diameter from anterior propodeal margin. Prosternum posteriorly extending as a keel between fore coxae. Fore femur 2.9X longer than wide. Fore tibia 1.3X longer than fore tarsus, with an apico­ventral diagonal row of 8 slender teeth.
Metasoma (Fig. 35). As wide as high; about as long as mesosoma.
description: Published as part of Noort, Simon Van & Rasplus, Jean-Yves, 2005, Revision of the Papua New Guinean fig wasp genus Robertsia Bou ek (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea: Pteromalidae: Sycoecinae), pp. 1-35 in Zootaxa 929 on pages 8-10, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.171118