Plutothrix skywalkeri Tselikh, Lee et Ku 2024, sp. n.
Creators: name: Tselikh, E. V.
name: Lee, J.
name: Ku, D-S.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Pteromalidae
Plutothrix
Plutothrix skywalkeri

description: Plutothrix skywalkeri Tselikh, Lee et Ku, sp. n.
https://zoobank.org/NomenclaturalActs/ 5D3E074E-D3F7-476C-887B-E7099EDAF153
Figs 38–44
TYPE MATERIAL. Holotype – ♀, South Korea: Gyeongsangnam-do, Goseong-gun, Hail-myeon, Suyang-ri, 34°58ʹ34.8ʺN, 128°12ʹ08.3ʺE, 18. VI 2022, coll. E. V. Tselikh (NIBR). Paratype – ♀, South Korea: Gyeongsangnam-do, Goseong-gun, Hail-myeon, Suyang-ri, 23. VI 2023, coll. E. V. Tselikh (ZISP).
DESCRIPTION. FEMALE. Body length 4.00– 5.30 mm; fore wing length 2.80– 3.50 mm.
Head metallic bluish-green with diffuse coppery lustre; antenna with scape yellowish-brown; pedicel and flagellum dark brown. Mesosoma including propodeum metallic bluish-green with diffuse coppery lustre. All coxa metallic bluish-green; all femora brown; all tibiae and tarsi yellowish-brown. Fore wing with long fuscous cloud below stigmal vein, venation yellowish-brown. Metasoma with Mt2 basally metallic blue with diffuse coppery lustre, apically dark brown, Mt3-Mt6 dark brown.
Head reticulate; clypeus smooth and shiny. Mesosoma reticulate, but scutellum finely reticulate; dorsellum and propodeum alutaceous; upper mesepimeron with lower part alutaceous, upper part smooth; metapleuron reticulate. Metasoma weakly alutaceous and shiny.
Head in dorsal view 2.19–2.20 times as broad as long and 1.35–1.37 times as broad as mesoscutum; in frontal view 1.24–1.26 times broader than high. POL 0.90–0.93 times OOL. Eye height 1.40–1.42 times eye length and 2.55 times as long as malar space. Distance between antennal toruli and lower margin of clypeus 0.66–0.68 times distance between antennal toruli and median ocellus. Antenna with scape 0.75–0.78 times as long as eye height and 1.05–1.10 times as long as eye length; pedicel 2.00–2.16 times as long as broad and 0.58–0.60 times as long as F1; combined length of pedicel and flagellum 1.41–1.43 times breadth of head; flagellum almost filiform; all anelli transverse; F1–F6 longer than broad; F1 with 3-4 rows of sensilla; clava 2.90–3.06 times as long as broad and shorter than F5-F6, with large micropilosity area on C2–C4.
Mesosoma 1.67–1.70 times as long as broad. Scutellum 1.09–1.12 times as long as broad, frenal area distinct. Propodeum without nucha, 0.32–0.33 times as long as scutellum; median carina present. Fore wing 2.65–2.74 times as long as maximum width; basal cell entirely pilose; basal vein pilose; speculum closed below; PST 0.55 times as long as M, M 0.80–0.86 times as long as P and 2.21–2.25 times as long as S.
Metasoma lanceolate, 7.27–7.78 times as long as broad, 2.28–2.39 times as long as mesosoma and 1.74–1.75 times as long as mesosoma and head; Mt2 deeply emarginate medially, Mt8 3.50–4.00 times as long as broad. Ovipositor sheath projecting beyond apex of metasoma.
MALE. Unknown.
DIAGNOSIS. Plutothrix skywalkeri sp. n. belong to a group of species that have a fore wing with long fuscous cloud below stigmal vein. This species is very similar to P. yodai sp. n.; the differences between these species are given in the key.
BIOLOGY. Unknown.
DISTRIBUTION. South Korea.
ETYMOLOGY. The species is named in honour of George Lucas' “Star Wars” character – “Anakin Skywalker”.
description: Published as part of Tselikh, E. V., Lee, J. & Ku, D-S., 2024, REVIEW OF THE SOUTH KOREAN SPECIES OF PLUTOTHRIX FÖRSTER, 1856 (HYMENOPTERA: PTEROMALIDAE), WITH DESCRIPTION OF THREE NEW SPECIES, pp. 1-18 in Far Eastern Entomologist 508 on pages 10-12, DOI: 10.25221/fee.508.1, http://zenodo.org/record/14658692