Corresponding author: Carolyn Trietsch (
Academic editor: M. Yoder
Trietsch C, Deans AR, Mikó I (2015) Redescription of
Ceraphronoids have been reared from hosts spanning a large variety of orders, including
Alan P. Dodd described the species
Air-dried point-mounted specimens were obtained from the Canadian National Collection of Insects
Air-dried point-mounted specimens and glycerol-stored specimens were examined using an Olympus SZX16 stereomicroscope with an Olympus SDF PL APO 1X PF objective (115×) and an Olympus SDF PL APO 2X PFC objective (230× magnification). Blue-Tack (Bostik, Inc., Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, USA) was used to stabilize specimens while making observations and images. Measurements were taken using a KR 851 stage micrometer (1mm in 100 divisions) attached to the same microscope. Bright field images were taken with an Olympus DP71 digital camera attached to an Olympus ZX41 compound microscope. Images were subsequently aligned and stacked using Zerene Stacker Version 1.04 Build T201404082055.
For the male and female species descriptions, 87 morphological characters were scored based on observations of air-dried point mounted specimens and glycerol stored specimens. Following the Phenotypic Quality Ontology Phenotypic Quality Ontology Biospatial Ontology OBO Relation Ontology Ontology for Biomedical Investigations Information Artifact Ontology
Semantic statements were generated in Protégé Version 5.0.0 (Build beta-17) to build an ontology where phenotypes are represented semantically. Standardizing taxonomic data through ontology-based semantic representation could benefit future systematic work by allowing taxonomic data sets from different sources to be easily integrated, expediting computerized searches across these data sets (
Color and sculpture. Color hue pattern male: cranium, mesosoma, F1-9, pedicel, distal region of hind femur, abdomen brown; scape, forelegs and midlegs, tibia of hind leg yellow; hind coxa and petiole neck white. Color hue pattern female: cranium except supraclypeal depression and mesosoma except posteroventral region metallic brown/purple; F9, distal and proximal region of scape, supraclypeal depression, abdomen, dorsal proximal regions of femur and tibia brown; F1-F5, pedicel, scape except distal and proximal regions, posteroventral region of mesosoma, petiole neck white; F6-F8 variable white or brown. Foveolate sculpture on body count: present on mesosoma and frons; present on frons. Occipital carina sculpture: crenulate.
Head morphometrics. Cephalic size (csb): Mean: 300–450 μm. Head height (lateral view) vs. eye height (anterior view): HH:EHf = 1.0–2.0. Head height vs. head length: HH:HL = 1.0–1.5. Head width vs. interorbital space: HW:IOS = 2.0–2.5. Head width vs. head height: HW:HH = 1.0–1.5. Male ocular ocellar line vs. lateral ocellar line: OOL:LOL = 1.0–2.0. Male ocular ocellar line vs. posterior ocellar line: OOL:POL = 0.5–2.0. Female ocular ocellar line vs. lateral ocellar line: OOL 1.5–2.5 × as long as LOL.
Head and antenna. Median flange of occipital carina count: absent. Submedial flange of occipital carina count: absent. Dorsal margin of occipital carina vs dorsal margin of lateral ocellus in lateral view: occipital carina is ventral to lateral ocellus in lateral view. Preoccipital lunula count: present. Preoccipital carina count: present. Preoccipital furrow count: present. Preoccipital furrow anterior end: Preoccipital furrow ends inside ocellar triangle. Postocellar carina count: absent. Transversely reticulate region on frons count: present. Transversely reticulate region on frons extent: restricted to lateral branches of supraclypeal depression. Rugose region on frons count: absent. White, thick setae on frons count: present. Ventromedian setiferous patch and ventrolateral setiferous patch count: absent. Antennal scrobe count: absent. Facial pit count: no external corresponding structure present. Supraclypeal depression count: present. Supraclypeal depression structure: absent medially, represented by two grooves laterally of facial pit. Intertorular area count: present. Intertorular carina count: present. Median region of intertorular area shape: flat. Transverse frontal carina count: absent. Ventral margin of antennal rim vs dorsal margin of clypeus: not adjacent. Torulo-clypeal carina count: present. Subtorular carina count: absent. Mandibular tooth count: 2. Female first flagellomere length vs pedicel: F1 as long as pedicel (1.0–1.1). Female ninth flagellomere length: F9 less than F7+F8; F9 = F7+F8. Male first flagellomere length vs male second flagellomere length: 1.0–1.1. Length of setae on male flagellomere vs. male flagellomere width: setae shorter than width of flagellomeres; setae as long as width of flagellomeres. Sensillar patch of the male flagellomere pattern: F5–F9.
Mesosoma and metasoma. Ventrolateral invagination of the pronotum count: present. Anterior mesoscutal width vs. posterior mesoscutal width: AscW/PscW = 0.8–0.9. Mesoscutal length vs anterior mesoscutal width: MscL/AscW = 1.0–2.0. Weber length: WL = 400–550 μm. Notaulus posterior end location: adjacent to transscutal articulation. Median mesoscutal sulcus posterior end: adjacent to transscutal articulation. Scutoscutellar sulcus vs transscutal articulation: adjacent. Axillular carina count: absent. Speculum ventral limit: not extending ventrally of pleural pit line. Epicnemial carina count: complete. Epicnemium posterior margin shape: anterior discrimenal pit absent; epicnemial carina curved. Sternaulus count: present. Sternaulus length: short, not reaching 1/2 of mesopleuron length at level of sternaulus. Mesometapleural sulcus count: present. Metapleural carina count: present. Transverse line of the metanotum-propodeum vs. antecostal sulcus of the first abdominal tergum: adjacent sublaterally. Lateral propodeal carina count: present. Lateral propodeal carina shape: straight (left and right lateral propodeal carinae compose a carina that is not broken medially). Anteromedian projection of the metanoto-propodeo-metapecto-mesopectal complex count: absent. Posterior margin of nucha in dorsal view shape: concave. Transverse carina on petiole shape: concave.
Abdomen and male genitalia. S1 length vs. shortest width: S1 wider than long. Distal margin of male abdominal sternum 9 shape: straight. Proximolateral corner of abdominal sternum 9 shape: blunt. Cupula length vs. gonostyle-volsella complex length: cupula less than 1/2 the length of gonostyle-volsella complex in lateral view. Proximodorsal notch of cupula count: present. Proximodorsal notch of cupula shape: arched. Distodorsal margin of cupula shape: straight. Proximodorsal notch of cupula width vs length: wider than long. Proximolateral projection of the cupula shape: blunt. Distoventral submedian corner of the cupula count: absent. Dorsomedian conjunctiva of the gonostyle-volsella complex count: present. Dorsomedian conjunctiva of the gonostyle-volsella complex length relative to length of gonostyle-volsella complex: dorsomedian conjunctiva extending 2/3 of length of gonostyle-volsella complex in dorsal view. Distal end of dorsomedian conjunctiva of the gonostyle-volsella complex shape: acute. Parossiculus count (parossiculus and gonostipes fusion): present (not fused with the gonostipes). Apical parossiculal seta number: one. Distal projection of the parossiculus count: absent. Distal projection of the penisvalva count: absent. Dorsal apodeme of penisvalva count: absent. Harpe length: harpe shorter than gonostipes in lateral view. Distodorsal setae of sensillar ring of harpe length vs. harpe width in lateral view: setae as long or shorter than harpe width. Distodorsal setae of sensillar ring of harpe orientation: medially. Sensillar ring area of harpe orientation: medially. Lateral setae of harpe count: present. Lateral setae of harpe orientation: oriented distally.
Specimens (3 males, 7 females): AUSTRALIA: 3 females. PSUC_FEM 35246, 45237, 83872. AUSTRALIA: Queensland: 3 males, 4 females. PSUC_FEM 36035, 45221, 45227, 45257, 84276, 91442, 98392. A full list of the locality data for each specimen is provided in Table
Specimens will be deposited at the Canadian National Collection of Insects Frost Entomological Museum
A list of the locality data for the specimens examined.
Materials examined | |
---|---|
Specimen ID | Locality data |
PSUC_FEM 98392 | Australia: QLD: Wooroonooran National Park |
PSUC_FEM 45257 | Australia: QLD: Wooroonooran National Park |
PSUC_FEM 91442 | Australia: QLD: Wooroonooran National Park |
PSUC_FEM 45237 | Australia: QLD: Tully River Falls Road Misty Mountains Trail 12.IX.2004, s.s. Q-11 L. Masner, rainforest |
PSUC_FEM 36035 | Australia: QLD: Wooroonooran National Park: |
PSUC_FEM 35246 | Australia: QLD: Tully River Falls Road Misty Mountains Trail 12.IX.2004, s.s. Q-11 L. Masner, rainforest |
PSUC_FEM 83872 | Australia: QLD: Tully River Falls Road Misty Mountains Trail 12.IX.2004, s.s. Q-11 L. Masner, rainforest |
PSUC_FEM 45221 | Australia: QLD: Wooroonooran National Park: |
PSUC_FEM 84276 | Australia: QLD: Wooroonooran National Park: |
PSUC_FEM 45227 | Australia: QLD: Ella Bay Nat. Park |
Bright field image of
Bright field images of
Bright field images of
Another phenotype that both males and females share is the presence of foveolate sculpturing, a feature which has not been described before in
Bright field images of
In comparing the antennae of different female specimens, it was observed that there was variation in the coloration of the apical flagellomeres (Fig.
It is known that the antennae play important roles in the courtship of parasitic wasps in general (
Bright field images of
Bright field images of
Conceived the project: IM. Character concept generation, semantic statement generation, specimen visualization and creation of plates: CT, IM. Specimen measurements: CT. Wrote the manuscript: CT. Commented on the final stage of the manuscript: ARD, IM.
Special thanks to Lubomír Masner for collecting, mounting and sorting the specimens, and to Andrew Bennett at the Canadian National Collection of Insects for the use of the specimens. The authors would also like to thank Joseph F. Muratore for his valuable assistance with translations, James P. Balhoff for his input in using OWL Manchester syntax, and Matthew J. Yoder for his assistance with MX and
Semantic representation of phenotypic character states
Table
A complete list of the phenotypic character states used and their corresponding semantic representations.