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

description: Notanisus vanharteni n. sp.
Figs. 62–76
Type material. Holotype ♀ (CNC). UNITED ARAB EMIRATES: 24.36N 55.01E, in light trap, 27.V–26.VI, 2006, Malaise trap, Anthony van Harten, 10024 (point-mounted; entire).
Paratypes (9♂ CNC). UNITED ARAB EMIRATES: same data as holotype (1♂). Al-Ajban, 24.36N 55.01E, 01.IV–02.V.2006, Malaise trap, A. van Harten, UAE #5653 (3♂); same data except collected, 26.VI–25.VII.2006, UAE #4682 (1♂); same data except collected 09.XI–07.XII.2005, light traps & MT (1♂). SSW of ad-Dhaid, 24– 30.V.2006, light trap, coll. AvH, UAE #6161 (1♂). Fujairah, 25.08N 56.21E, 20–27.V.2006, light trap, Anthony van Harten, 10028 (1♂). Sharjah Desert Park, 25.17N 55.42E, 06–30.IV.2005, light trap, Anthony van Harten (1♂).
Etymology. Named in honor on Antonius (Anthony) van Harten, who collected the type series of two of the species described herein, and in recognition of his collecting efforts that were instrumental in the description of the arthropod biodiversity of U.A.E.
Description. FEMALE (Fig. 62). Length about 2.8 mm. Head with face and frontovertex variable in color depending on angle of light, mostly uniformly reddish-coppery from direct view (Fig. 64) but increasingly green with less distinct reddish-coppery luster from increasingly oblique angle; frontovertex distinctly differentiated by difference in sculpture at level about midway between toruli and anterior ocellus, with larger, and more isodiametric meshlike reticulations dorsad level and smaller, more transverse reticulations ventrad level, the sculpture between frontovertex and torulus in particular more transverse reticulate-rugose; in lateral view lower face and gena posterior to malar sulcus similarly strongly sculptured and colored; in dorsal view OOL almost 1.3× maximum diameter of posterior ocellus. Antenna (Fig. 68) with scape, pedicel, and basal five funiculars lighter yellow compared to darker brown apical three funiculars and clava; fl1slightly but distinctly longer than wide, fl4 about 0.7× length of fl2 and fl3, and funiculars increasing in width and beyond fl4 decreasing in length such that apical funicular slightly transverse in dorsal view; apical funicular ventrally extending under clava as apically tapered, ventrally bare and shiny, finger-like projection to claval apex; clava with slender, terminal, setose, spiniform process. Mandible with two similar teeth ventrally and shallowly concave, obliquely angled margin dorsally.
Pronotal collar (Fig. 63) in lateral view shallowly concave and in dorsal view not distinctly “shoulder-like” posterolaterally; almost uniformly coarsely punctate-reticulate mediolongitudinally, the reticulations only slightly larger posteriorly than anteriorly, and similarly reddish-coppery as face, with extreme posterior margin greenish and large, elongate-triangular, blue to purple or reddish-violaceous regions posterolaterally, these virtually smooth except for some effaced meshlike sculpture, with numerous distinct setae, and with longitudinal inner margins conspicuously differentiating quadrangular median sculptured region over length of collar. Mesoscutum (Fig. 63) anteriorly between incomplete notauli similarly reddish-coppery and punctate-reticulate as pronotum, but posteriorly with much larger reticulations and more reddish-violaceous along transscutal articulation and posteriorly on lateral lobes; scutellar-axillar complex (Fig. 65) reddish-coppery except anterior crenulate region between axillae bright green to bluish-green, axilla with reticulate dorsal surface longer than medial crenulate region between axillae, and with obliquely angled posterior surface increasingly finely sculptured to smooth ventrally, and scutellum comparatively flat dorsally, punctulate anteromesally, but with larger, more distinctly reticulate sculpture laterally and with transverse reticulations posteriorly. Tegula yellow. Macropterous; fore wing (Fig. 69) marginal vein about 7.5× length of stigmal vein; apex of postmarginal vein indistinct, but at most extending only slightly beyond level of uncus; uncus (Fig. 70) diverging from stigmal vein before apex so as to differentiate distinct stigma similar in length to uncus, and apex separated from posterior margin of postmarginal vein by distance at most equal to width of postmarginal vein or uncus and much less than width of uncus plus stigma; costal cell ventrally with up to 8 setae within about basal third; disc (Fig. 69) with oval brown region behind venation to medial fold and with somewhat lighter brownish infuscation posterior to cubital fold, but narrowly hyaline along marginal vein, with distinct brown setae except for much shorter, more spiculate setae apically and behind medial fold, and with narrow bare band along parastigma and marginal vein, and elongate bare region dorsally beyond stigmal vein (Fig. 70); marginal fringe distinct only along posteroapical margin. Prepectus extensively setose with relatively inconspicuous, short white setae. Mesepimeron bare along posterior margin (Fig. 66). Metapleuron bare, with about ventral half reticulate and dorsal half smooth and shiny (Fig. 66). Metasternum comparatively long, with base of mesocoxa distinctly anterior to, and apex of mesocoxa about level with base of metaxcoxa. Legs (Fig. 62), including coxae, mostly orange to somewhat brownish-orange, but basal three tarsomeres of meso- and metatarsi white; metacoxa dorsobasally with patch of several short white setae. Propodeum (Fig. 67) with crenulate band along anterior margin recurved posteromedially into anteriorly broad, posteriorly tapered, V-shaped rugose region on either side of complete median carina; panels otherwise smooth and shiny, and callus smooth and shiny; callus anteriorly and propodeal plical region posteriorly and laterally between foramen and spiracle purple to blue or reddish-violaceous under some angles of light, but callus posterior to level of spiracle and plical region anteriorly variably extensively green or with some coppery luster depending on angle of light.
Petiole (Fig. 67) dorsally brown with slight greenish luster, shiny and almost smooth though with subeffaced sculpture, and about 1.4× as long as median width. Gaster (Fig. 62) uniformly dark brown; presyntergal tergites isodiametric meshlike coriaceous except smooth along posterior margins, with Gt2 slightly longer than Gt3.
MALE (Fig. 71). Length = 1.4–3.0 mm. Head (Fig. 72) color variable, sometimes with frontal surface mostly green though usually variably extensively blue to bluish-green ventrally and more distinctly green with slight coppery luster dorsally, and vertex usually with some reddish-violaceous luster, at least in region of ocellar triangle; sculpture of face and frontovertex similar to female. Antenna (Figs 71, 75) with scape and pedicel often yellowish but at least scape somewhat lighter brown than flagellum; 11-segmented with flagellum having 6 long rami; fl1 anelliform; fl2–fl7 each with long ramus, with f12–fl5 anelliform, fl6 slightly longer than wide and fl7 about 3–4× as long as wide; fl8 about 4–5.5× as long as fl7 and about 1.5–1.8× as long as fl9 (terminal flagellomere); flagellum (Fig. 75) with conspicuous, long white setae along inner surfaces of rami and funiculars, and more uniformly around clava. Mandible similarly structured as for female. Maxillary and labial palpi yellowish-brown to dark brown but at least apical maxillary palpomere white.
Pronotum green to bluish-green or with coppery to reddish-violaceous lusters medially and posterolaterally, the color difference sometimes differentiating posterolateral regions similar to female but uniformly mesh-like reticulate (Fig. 72). Mesonotum mostly green with some coppery luster to variably extensively coppery to reddishviolaceous; mesoscutum meshlike reticulate, with smaller reticulations anteriorly between incomplete notauli and large reticulations posteriorly; scutellum (Fig. 73) somewhat flatter dorsally than female and more uniformly meshlike reticulate, though reticulations larger laterally and posteriorly and all much smaller than on mesoscutum posteriorly; axilla similarly mesh-like reticulate anteriorly as female but more distinctly coriaceous posteroventrally. Fore wing (Fig. 76) with marginal vein about 5.7–7× as long as stigmal vein; hyaline; disc with much broader bare region behind parastigma and marginal veins than female and comparatively inconspicuously setose with short white setae and marginal fringe distinct only along posteroapical margin; uncus slender and more distantly separated from wing margin than for female. Prepectal, mesepimeral and metapleural setation, metapleural sculpture, and relative placement of mesocoxa as for female (Fig. 74). Legs (Fig. 71) with coxae dark with distinct metallic luster; femora and tibiae brown to dark brown and at least metafemur and sometimes all femora and tibiae with variably distinct purple luster, except basal four tarsomeres of middle and hind legs white and apical tarsomeres dark brown. Propodeum (Fig. 73) with similar colors as female and with complete median carina, but median sculptured region much less developed than for female, distinctly coriaceous to shallowly reticulate anteriorly between spiracles and usually narrowly on either side of median carina, the panels otherwise shiny and smooth or with at most subeffaced mesh-like sculpture.
Petiole (Figs 73, 74) sometimes dark brown, but usually with variably distinct blue to bluish-green lusters under at least some angles of light, smooth and shiny, and about 1.6–2× as long as wide.
Biology. Unknown.
Remarks. Notanisus vanharteni and N. yemenensis comprise a species pair from the Arabian Peninsula that are more similar to N. kansensis and N. oulmesiensis than the Sub-Saharan African species (see under latter species). Females are quite similar, but the unique female of N. yemenensis differs conspicuously from that of N. vanharteni in head and mesosomal color, structure and sculpture of the differentiated posterolateral region of the pronotum, sculpture pattern of the median sculptured region of the propodeum, and structure of the stigmal vein. Additional females are required to evaluate variation and which features are truly differential. Distinct color, structural or color features do not appear to distinguish males of the two species and for this reason a separate description or images of the single N. yemenensis male is not given.
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 443-444, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3948.3.4, http://zenodo.org/record/253777