Monodontomerus rhinokopia Chitty & Duran 2025, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Chitty, Jacky S
name: Duran, Daniel P
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2025
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Torymidae
Monodontomerus
Monodontomerus rhinokopia

description: Monodontomerus rhinokopia Chitty & Duran sp. nov.
Materials
Type status: Holotype. Occurrence: individualCount: 1; sex: female; lifeStage: adult; occurrenceID: 30678388-0D4C-55DB-96A7-15A1E3970644; Location: higherGeographyID: North America; country: Canada; stateProvince: British Columbia; locality: Kaslo; verbatimLocality: Kaslo / 2 VII 03 BC; Event: samplingProtocol: unknown; verbatimEventDate: 2 VII 03; Record Level: institutionID: http://grscicoll.org/institution/smithsonian-institution-national-museum-natural-history; institutionCode: NMNH; basisOfRecord: PreservedSpecimen
Type status: Paratype. Occurrence: individualCount: 1; sex: male; lifeStage: adult; occurrenceID: 822A10B4-2C76-5314-971C-9322ED6027EE; Location: higherGeographyID: North America; country: Canada; stateProvince: British Columbia; locality: Kaslo; verbatimLocality: Kaslo / 2 VII 03 BC; Event: samplingProtocol: unknown; verbatimEventDate: 2 VII 03; Record Level: institutionID: http://grscicoll.org/institution/smithsonian-institution-national-museum-natural-history; institutionCode: NMNH; basisOfRecord: PreservedSpecimen
Type status: Paratype. Occurrence: individualCount: 2; sex: female; lifeStage: adult; occurrenceID: F1CF48C5-AF55-5539-B9D6-D664F6453E57; Location: higherGeographyID: North America; country: Canada; stateProvince: British Columbia; locality: Kaslo; verbatimLocality: Kaslo / 2 VII 03 BC; Event: samplingProtocol: unknown; verbatimEventDate: 2 VII 03; Record Level: institutionID: http://grscicoll.org/institution/smithsonian-institution-national-museum-natural-history; institutionCode: NMNH; basisOfRecord: PreservedSpecimen
Description
Figures
Figs 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11
Body length 3.9 mm, excluding ovipositor (6.9 mm including ovipositor). Colour metallic-blue body, coxae and femora; scape infused metallically distally; tibia and tarsi pale testaceous.
Head: Width height ratio 5: 4, clypeus lying within imaginary line drawn between lateral corners of oral fossa; intermalar distance about 2 x malar distance; malar sulcus present, strongly developed and straight; mandibles each with 3 teeth; toruli about own diameter above ventral margin of eye; lower face not bulging in profile; eye appearing almost asetose, but with spare setae not as long or as dense as on cheek or dorsum of head; scape not reaching midocellus, about 3 x length of pedicel (Fig. 7).
Antenna: Antennal formula is 11173 and typical of genus, F 1 - F 7 subquadrate (Fig. 7).
Mesosoma: Mesepimeron appearing highly polished overall with sculpturing above ventral margin, transepimeral sulcus incomplete (Fig. 5); frenal area 0.3 x length of scutellum, appearing polished overall, but faint alutaceous sculpture may be seen medially in some lighting and sculpture more pronounced laterally, apical rim of scutellum produced posteriorly with punctures wider at apex than laterally (Fig. 6), dorsellum with longitudinal irregular carinae (Fig. 8), ventral margin slightly produced medially as tooth subtended by pits, pits of dorsal margin extending beyond dorsolateral corners, pits of dorsal margin not extending along median carina to ventral margin (Fig. 8); propodeum with median depression triangular and extending almost to nucha, lateral margins converging strongly, lateral areas strongly reticulate, median carina of propodeum not dorsally divided (Fig. 8).
Forewing: Costal cell on anterior margin above with setal row in distal half, costal cell on anterior margin below with two complete setal rows and additional setae in proximal 1 / 5 and distal 1 / 3, cubital and basal vein setose, basal cell with partial setal row, dorsal admarginal setae reaching to marginal vein and parastigma, stigma and uncus elongate, marginal vein about 0.5 x length of costal cell, post marginal vein about 0.5 x length of marginal vein, distal portion of post marginal vein is subequal to its proximal portion (Fig. 6).
Leg: Metacoxa width is about 0.6 x its height; hind femur about 4 x as long as wide, hind femoral tooth as seen in Figure 5; length of femur and tibia subequal (Fig. 5).
Metasoma: Mt 1 completely sculptured dorsally; Mt 5 acutely curved in profile; ovipositor 1.0 x length of body (Fig. 5).
Male: Body length 2.8 mm, scape metallic-green, in profile slightly curved and of about even thickness; venter of scape a flat, curved, asetose and highly polished area; foreleg unmodified (Fig. 9).
LATERAL (Fig. 5) Measurements – 1 mm every 768 pixels.
All dimensions in mm.
Body length – 3.068, Ovipositor length – 3.068, Mesepimeron height – 0.519, Mesepimeron width – 0.215, Mesepisternum height – 0.711, Mesepisternum width – 0.256, Postmarginal vein length – 0.260, Marginal vein length – 0.525, Costal cell length – 1.217, Metafemur length – 1.167, Metafemur height – 0.297, Metacoxae height – 0.862, Metacoxae width – 0.526, Metatibia length – 1.039, Metatarsi length – 1.144, Flagellum length – 0.109, Pedicel length – 0.099, Eye height – 0.527.
DORSAL (Fig. 6) Measurements – 1 mm every 756 pixels.
Scutellum length – 0.649, Frenal area length – 0.211.
ANTERIOR (Fig. 7) Measurements – 0.5 mm every 1470 pixels.
Malar distance – 0.199 Intermalar distance – 0.662 Scape – 0.321 Pedicel – 0.110.
LATERAL MALE (Fig. 9) Measurements - 1 mm every 1098 pixels.
Body length – 2.815, Metasoma - 1.113, Metafemur length – 0.804, Metafemur width – 0.211, Head Length – 0.661, Postmarginal vein length – 0.200, Marginal vein length – 0.369, Costal cell length – 0.984, F 7 length – 0.085, F 7 width – 0.102, Scape length – 0.283.
Variation
The female paratype and particularly the male paratype have somewhat less irregular dorsellum carinae than the holotype. A species which also possessed irregular dorsellum carinae, Monodontomerus bakeri, is mentioned in Grissell (2000) to have some variation in its dorsellum, based on size. This possibly could be the case in this species as well, given the male’s smaller body.
The medial scutellum of the male paratype appears polished under all lighting, with sculpture laterally, whereas both the holotype and female paratype appear medially sculptured under certain lighting. It is also unknown whether this represents variation or sexual dimorphism, given that only one male is known.
While still incomplete in the female paratype, the transepimeral sulcus can very faintly be traced to the ventral margin under some lighting, but no groove is present.
Diagnosis
Monodontomerus rhinokopia sp. nov. (Figs 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11) can be distinguished from all other species in the genus by the following combination of characteristics: face not bulging in profile, malar sulcus well defined and straight (Fig. 5), F 1 - F 7 subquadrate (Fig. 7), longitudinal irregular carinae on its dorsellum (Fig. 8), sculpture of mesepimeron confined to ventral margin (Fig. 5), apical rim of scutellum produced posteriorly and not emarginate, costal cell on anterior margin above with row in distal half and lacking setae basally, dorsal admarginal setae reaching both marginal vein and parastigma (Fig. 6) and Mt 1 reticulately sculptured dorsally.
It can be distinguished from M. bakeri by possessing the following combination of characteristics: malar sulcus strongly defined and straight, toruli about own diameter above ventral margin of eye (Fig. 7), lower face not bulging in profile (Fig. 5), apical rim of scutellum produced posteriorly with punctures wider at apex than laterally, pits of dorsal margin extending beyond dorsolateral corners (Fig. 8), costal cell on anterior margin above with setal row in distal half, costal cell on anterior margin below with two complete setal rows and additional setae in proximal and distal 1 / 3, dorsal admarginal setae reaching to marginal vein and parastigma, Mt 1 completely sculptured dorsally (Fig. 6); Mt 5 acutely curved in profile (Fig. 5).
It can be distinguished from M. clementi by possessing the following combination of characteristics: clypeus lying within imaginary line between oral fossa and not protruding (Fig. 7), sculpture of mesepimeron confined to ventral margin, groove of transepimeral sulcus not extending to ventral margin (Fig. 5), frenal area either polished or polished at some angles, costal cell on anterior margin above with row in distal half and lacking setae basally, dorsal admarginal setae reaching both marginal vein and parastigma (Fig. 6), Mt 1 not polished anteromedially.
It can be distinguished from M. dianthidii by possessing the following combination of characteristics: colour steely blue-black body, F 1 - F 7 subquadrate instead of wider than long (Fig. 7), apical rim of scutellum not emarginate, median carina of propodeum not dorsally divided (Fig. 8), additional setae found in proximal 1 / 3 on anterior margin costal cell below and the following male characteristics: area below toruli not bump-like and polished, setae in facial area unmodified (Fig. 11).
It can be distinguished from M. tectus by possessing the following combination of characteristics: colour steely blue-black body, F 3-7 subquadrate instead of wider than long (Fig. 7), upper mesepimeron without sculpture in anterodorsal corner (Fig. 5), dorsellum slightly projecting ventrally as tooth, lateral margins of propodeum converging strongly, median carina of propodeum lacking V-shaped raised area composed of fine longitudinal carinae (Fig. 8), costal cell below with additional setae in basal 1 / 3 (Fig. 6) and the following characteristics in males: scape green and lightly curved in profile (Fig. 9).
In addition, see modified key couplets of Grissell (2000) below.
Etymology
The name of Monodontomerus rhinokopia is derived from its lack of a “ nose-like ” bulging face, like that of a similar species Monodontomerus bakeri. " Rhinokopia ", derived from the verb rhinokopeo, is the Greek word for a judicial punishment in which the nose is amputated; often applied to disposed emperors of the Byzantine Empire.
Distribution
Little is known about this species, as all known specimens have been collected from a single location and lack a host record. The type locality is Kaslo in British Colombia.
Taxon discussion
When a malar sulcus is present in M. bakeri, it is almost always greatly curved and poorly defined. Grissell (2000) examined over 200 specimens of M. bakeri and found only a single specimen with a well-developed malar sulcus, but it was also greatly curved and differed in no other respects from the species other than a yellow scape. M. rhinokopia shares none of the former defining traits of M. emarginatus, now synonymised with M. bakeri. (Grissell 2000).
As only one male is known from this species, further specimens would help elucidate what differences are simple variance versus sexual dimorphism.
description: Published as part of Chitty, Jacky S & Duran, Daniel P, 2025, Two new species of Monodontomerus (Hymenoptera, Torymidae) from the Pacific Northwest of North America and a revised key to the genus, pp. e 122993 in Biodiversity Data Journal 13 on page e122993, DOI: 10.3897/BDJ.13.e122993