Perserimerus marginalis Lotfalizadeh & Rasplus, sp. nov., by present designation.

The generic name is composed of the Latin prefix “Pers”, referring to the old name of Iran (Persia) and the genus “Erimerus”. Masculine gender.

Body metallic green, laterally with coopery to dark blue-violet (Fig. 1A), dorsally with coopery reflection (Fig. 1B). Head and mesosoma finely reticulate, metasoma alutaceous. Head 1.36× as broad as high; 1.88× as broad as long. Occipital carina not developed. Anterior margin of clypeus nearly straight. Scrobes bare and finely sculptured relative to the rest of face. Toruli inserted above the ventral level of eye. OOL about 0.56× as long as LOL. POL about 3× as long as OOL. Antenna (Fig. 2A) with scape not reaching anterior ocellus; flagellum with three anelli and five funiculars, all funiculars transverse. Clava four segmented with fourth segment forming distinct terminal spine (Fig. 2A, C; tsc). Pronotum forming a collar. Mesonotum 1.27× as long as broad. Notauli complete. Propodeum with delicate reticulate sculpture, without median carina. Fore wing (Fig. 1A) bare in basal half with speculum reaching stigmal vein; marginal vein 1.8× as long as postmarginal vein and 4.5× as long as stigmal vein; marginal and postmarginal veins distinctly triangularly enlarged, marginal vein about 2.6× as long as its broadest part (Fig. 2B); stigmal vein very short and stigmal uncus nearly closes to postmarginal vein. Hind femur simple, without subapical tooth; hind tibia with one apical spur. Metasoma sessile, with short petiole; tip of hypopygium almost reaching two-thirds of metasoma (Fig. 1A); Gt₁–Gt₆ not incised medially. Ovipositor 0.31× as long as gaster. OI 0.79.

Figure 1. 

Perserimerus marginalis, female holotype A habitus, lateral view B habitus, dorsal view.

Figure 2. 

Perserimerus marginalis, female holotype A antenna, lateral view B fore wing, venation C head, lateral view (anl_{1, 3} – anellus 1, 3; clv_1,3 – clavomere 1, 3; fu_1,5 – funicular 1, 5; mv – marginal vein; pmv – postmarginl vein; st – stigma; stv – stigmal vein; tsc – terminal spine).

In the key to genera of Toryminae by Grissell (1995), the new genus run to the Afrotropical and Australian genus Echthrodape Burks (couplet 30) by having marginal and postmarginal vein conspicuously thickened relative to submarginal vein (marginal and postmarginal veins distinctly triangularly enlarged, 2.25× and 2.6× as long as broad, respectively). However, Perserimerus, gen. nov., clearly differs from Echthrodape by the presence of three anelli, a well-developed terminal spine on clava, the absence of occipital carina, the marginal vein reaching margin of wing and malar space not longer than the breadth of oral fossa. Further, Echthrodape exhibits uniformly widened marginal and postmarginal veins (Grissell 1995; figs 374–375), while in Perserimerus, gen. nov., marginal and postmarginal veins are triangularly thickened (Fig. 2B).

Perserimerus, gen. nov., is similar to Erimerus as for both genera the reduction of a few apical flagellar segments to anelli, clava with terminal spine and hind tibia with only one spur are characteristic. However, none of the Erimerus species has marginal and postmarginal vein widened throughout. Furthermore, Erimerus has body including metasoma densely reticulated and hence dull and not shiny.

Unknown.

Holotype : Iran • ♀; Sistan & Bluchestan province, near to Hamun Lake, 30.iv.2015, sweeping net on Tamarix, E. Rakhshani leg. (deposited in HMIM).

The species name refers to the unique shape of the marginal and postmarginal veins.

Female (Fig. 1A): Body length including ovipositor 1.24 mm; length of ovipositor 0.18 mm.

Colour. Head, mesosoma, metasoma and all coxae metallic green, dorsally with coppery, laterally with coopery to dark blue violet reflection (Fig. 1A). Pedicel brown with metallic reflection. Scape, tegula, all femora distally, entire fore- and mesotibia, metatibia apically and distally, tarsi and wing venation pale yellow. Flagellum dark brown with apical part of clava bright brown to yellow, pro- and mesofemur and metatibia medially brown. Metafemur dark with metallic reflection. Fore wing hyaline, setae brown.

Head. Head 1.36× as broad as high; 1.88× as broad as long; 1.12× as broad as mesonotum at its widest part in dorsal view. Temple short, strongly converging, 0.23× as long as eye. Eyes separated by 1.06× their own height, eye 1.78× as high as long. Head with fine reticulate sculpture with thin, short, pale setae on face, vertex and temple; scrobes more finely reticulate, without setae. Clypeus with anterior margin nearly straight; ventral part of clypeus smooth. Malar space 0.41× as long as eye height. Occipital carina absent (Fig. 1B). POL 3× OOL, OOL 0.56× LOL.

Antenna (Fig. 2A). Scape 5.38× as long as broad, not reaching ventral margin of anterior ocellus; pedicel 1.25× as long as broad; toruli inserted slightly above ventral level of eye. Combined length of pedicel and flagellum shorter than breadth of head (0.78× as long as breadth of head). Flagellum with three ring-like anelli, distinctly wider than long; first anellus (anl₁) smaller, other gradually larger toward third one; remaining flagellomeres distinctly transverse, with Fu₁ 1.66× as broad as long, as wide as pedicel; fu₂–fu₅ of about same dimensions, 2.00–2.33× as broad as long, bearing only one row of MPS; clava 2× longer than broad, with three clavomeres (clv₁–clv₃) and terminal spine; antennal formula 1,1,3,5,3 (Fig. 2A).

Mesosoma (Fig. 1A, B). Mesosoma 1.35× as long as broad. Pronotum 0.82× as broad as mesoscutum. Pronotum and mesoscutum entirely reticulate, and covered with thin, short, pale setae. Notauli complete, distinct and not obliterated by sculpture. Mesoscutellum 1.11× as long as broad, without frenal area, broadly abutting mesoscutum and separating axillae. Mesoscutellum and axilla more sparsely covered with setae. Hind leg with coxa 1.85× as long as broad, alutaceous, with sparse setae dorsally and ventrally; metafemur 3.8× as long as broad, simple, without subapical tooth; metatibia 4.25× as long as broad, with one apical spur. Fore wing 1.94× as long as wide, hyaline, with dense brown setae on distal half; speculum broad and reach below marginal vein; costal cell bare; marginal vein 1.8× as long as postmarginal vein and 4.5× as long as stigmal vein; marginal and postmarginal veins distinctly triangularly enlarged, 2.25× and 2.6× as long as broad, respectively; stigmal vein very short and stigma nearly closes to marginal and postmarginal veins (Fig. 2B).

Metasoma (Figs 1A, B) excluding ovipositor 1.14× as long as mesosoma. Petiole very short. Gaster with shallow alutaceous sculpture; Gt₁–Gt₆ not incised medially; tip of hypopygium almost reaching two-third of gaster; ovipositor short, 0.31× as long as gaster. OI 0.79.

Male. Unknown.

Palaearctic: Iran.

This species was swept on Tamarix and could be parasitoid of associates of this shrub, such as gall-makers or other phytophages.

Holotype : Iran • ♀; Isfahan province, Tiran-Daran Highway (32°42'36"N, 51°11'07"E), ex Iris oratoria oothecae, Z. Mirzaee (deposited in HMIM). Paratypes: Iran • same as holotype (23♀♀, 1♂, HMIM; 1♀, 1♂, SMNS; 1♀, CBGP); Khuzestan province, Deh-dez (31°44'37"N, 50°11'52"E), ex I. oratoria oothecae (19♀♀, 5♂♂), Z. Mirzaee (HMIM).

The species name refers to the mantid host.

Head almost circular in frontal view, about 1.13× as broad as high (Fig. 4C); 2.14× as broad as long. Anterior margin of clypeus straight and recessed relative to oral margin. Scrobes bare and finely sculptured relative to the rest of face. Toruli inserted above ventral level of eye. OOL about 0.85× as long as LOL. POL about 2.82× as long as OOL (Fig. 5B). Antenna in female with scape not reaching anterior ocellus; flagellum with one anellus and seven funicular segments, all funicular segments transverse (Fig. 4A). Pronotum and mesoscutum reticulate, mesoscutellum coriaceous and less sculptured in contrast to aforementioned (Fig. 5B). Fore wing (Fig. 5C) with speculum reaching end of marginal vein; costal cell dorsally with 1–2 rows of setae along anterior margin, cubital cell without setae and basal cell at most with few setae along anterior margin; basal and cubital line of setae complete; marginal vein less than 2× as long as postmarginal vein and more than 2.5× as long as stigmal vein. All tarsi slightly longer than tibiae, metafemur simple, without any tooth. Metasoma with hypopygium reaching near to end of gaster (Fig. 3A); Gt₁ incised medially, Gt₂–Gt₃ distinctly emarginate medially, Gt₄–Gt₅ slightly emarginated (Fig. 5D). Ovipositor about 0.65× as long as body; OI 2.3.

Figure 3. 

Microdontomerus iriphagus A female habitus, lateral view B male habitus, lateral view.

Figure 4. 

Microdontomerus iriphagus A female antenna, lateral view B male antenna, lateral view C male head, frontal view (anl₁ – anellus 1; clv_1,3 – clavomere 1, 3; fu_1,7 – funicular 1, 7).

Figure 5. 

Microdontomerus iriphagus, female A mesosoma, lateral view B mesosoma, dorsal view C fore wing D metasoma, dorsal view E propodeum, dorsal view.

Microdontomerus iriphagus, sp. nov., was reared from oothecae of Iris oratoria (Linnaeus, 1785) (Mantodea) in 2018–2019 and has already been reported as Microdontomerus sp. by Mirzaee et al. (2021). It is similar to M. iridis, but M. iriphagus possesses one anellus while M. iridis has two anelli Fig. 4A, B; also M. iriphagus differs from M. iridis in having brownish-yellow metasoma with a pair of oval pale-yellow spots on all tergites (Fig. 5D) (entirely metallic in M. iridis), yellowish legs (Fig. 3A) (at least metallic coxae in M. iridis), pale scape (Fig. 4A) (dark-brown in M. iridis). Microdontomerus iriphagus has also shorter ovipositor with OI about 2.3 (OI-2.5 to 2.9 in M. iridis) and OOL only about 0.85× LOL (about the same in M. iridis).

Microdontomerus iriphagus, sp. nov., is similar to M. gurcukoyensis Doğanlar, 2016 in having yellowish antennae and legs but these species can be easily separated by the coloration of their metasoma (brownish and yellowish basally in M. gurcukoyensis); the scape yellowish and the metallic flagellomeres (yellowish in M. gurcukoyensis), with whitish-yellow fore coxa (concolorous with body in M. gurcukoyensis). The ovipositor of M. iriphagus is also slightly longer with an OI about 2.3, while M. gurcukoyensis has an OI=1.66 (Doğanlar 2016).

Female (Fig. 3A): Body length excluding ovipositor 2.10 mm (including ovipositor 3.50 mm [3.2–4.4 mm]); length of ovipositor 1.40 mm.

Colour. Head, mesosoma, meso- and metacoxa metallic green (except distal part); metasoma brownish-yellow laterally, pale-yellow dorsally on all tergites, with pair of dark brown spots dorsolaterally on each tergite. Spots connecting medially on Gt₁ and G_t6-7 (Fig. 5D). Scape, tegula, legs (except most of meso- and metacoxa and metafemur) pale yellow. Tarsomeres brownish distally. Metafemur rightly brown yellow. Distal part of scape brown with slight metallic reflection, pedicel black with distinct metallic reflection, flagellum dark brown; ovipositor brownish yellow, ovipositor sheath dark brown. Fore wing hyaline, wing venation yellowish-brown, setae dark-brown.

Head. Head 1.13× as broad as high (Fig. 4C); 2.14× as broad as long in dorsal view and 1.83× in lateral view (Fig. 5A); 1.10× as broad as mesonotum at its widest part in dorsal view. Without occipital carina. Temple short, strongly converging, 0.3× as long as eye. Eyes separated by 1.17× their own height, eye 1.45× as high as long. Head reticulate with thin, short, silvery setae on face; scrobes more finely reticulate, without setae. Torulus separated by 1× their own diameter; clypeus with anterior margin nearly straight and recessed relative to corners of oral fossa; ventral part of clypeus finely reticulate. Malar space 0.5× as long as eye height. POL 2.82× OOL, OOL 0.85× LOL (Fig. 5B).

Antenna (Fig. 4A). Scape 3.2× as long as broad and pedicel about as long as broad, the former not reaching ventral margin of anterior ocellus; torulus inserted above ventral level of eye. Combined length of pedicel and flagellum as long as breadth of head. Flagellum with one anellus; all flagellomeres distinctly transverse, with fu₁ the smallest, 0.71× as long as broad, 1.4× as wide as pedicel, and bearing only few MPS; fu₂–fu₆ of about same dimensions, 0.55× as long as broad.

Mesosoma (Figs 5A, B) 1.31× as long as broad. Pronotum 0.73× as broad as mesoscutum. Pronotum and mesoscutum entirely and uniformly reticulate, and covered with thin, short, silvery setae (Fig. 5B). Mid lobe of mesoscutum posteriorly and entire mesoscutellum flattened dorsally. Notaulus distinctly impressed and obliterated by sculpture. Mesoscutellum 0.9× as long as broad, broadly abutting mesoscutum and separating axillae. Frenal area not separated but relatively distinct with coriaceous sculpture (Fig. 5E). Propodeum delicately reticulate, without median carina (Fig. 5E). Profemur 3.6× as long as broad. Metacoxa reticulate, covered by setae dorsally and ventrally, 2.3× as long as broad; metafemur 2.8× as long as broad, without any tooth; metatibia 4.68× as long as broad; metatarsus long, as long as metatibia (Fig. 3A). Fore wing 2.25× as long as wide, hyaline, with densely setose on disc; speculum reaching end of marginal vein; costal cell dorsally with 1–2 rows of short setae along anterior margin, and 3–4 rows at end of cell, basal and cubital cell bare; basal and cubital line of setae complete; marginal vein 1.93× as long as postmarginal vein and 2.7× as long as stigmal vein; venation pale brown (Fig. 5C).

Metasoma (Fig. 5D) 1.3× as long as mesosoma, with superficially alutaceous sculpture dorsally and lateraly. Petiole very short. Gt₁ incised medially, Gt₂–Gt₃ distinctly emarginate medially, Gt₄–Gt₅ slightly emarginate medially. Tip of hypopygium almost reaching near to apex of gaster (Fig. 3A). OI 2.3.

Male (Fig. 3B). Length of body 1.68 mm (1.6–2.2 mm). Similar to females except following: metasoma concolor of mesosoma except brownish-yellow sub-basal band, laterally extending from Gt₁ to proximal part of Gt₃. Funicular segments less transverse than in the female. Fu₂–fu₇ about 0.60–0.71× as long as broad, with first flagellomere shortest; clava 1.86× as long as broad (Fig. 4B). Pro- and metafemur distinctly swollen, respectively 2.94 and 2.27× as long as broad, the latter distinctly serrate posteriorly.

Palaearctic: Iran.

This species represents an association with an uncommon host for Erimerinae, the mantids ootheca of Iris oratoria (Linneaus, 1758) (Mantodea), as well as another species of the genus Microdontomerus in the Mediterranean basin, Microdontomerus iridis (Picard 1930) (Janšta et al. 2016).

Holotype : Iran • ♀; South-Khorasan province, Khoosf (32°77'N, 58°85'E, 1300 m), 5.iv.2018, galls on Haloxylon ammodendron; Tavakkoli-Korghond, G. leg. (deposited in HMIM). Paratypes: Iran • same as holotype, 1♀ (deposited in HMIM).

A reference to the four pale-yellow oval spots on the gastral tergites that is characteristic of this species.

Head about 1.18× as broad as high and 1.66–1.72× as broad as long. Anterior margin of clypeus straight and slightly protruded relative to corners of oral fossa. Scrobes bare and finely sculptured relative to the rest of face. Toruli inserted distinctly above ventral level of eye. POL about 3.05× as long as OOL and OOL about 0.72× as long as LOL. Antenna with scape not reaching anterior ocellus; flagellum with one anellus and seven funicular segments, all funicular segments transverse. Mesonotum entirely reticulate. Fore wing with speculum reaching end of marginal vein; costal cell dorsally with three rows of setae along anterior margin, cubital cell without setae and basal cell at most with few setae along anterior margin; basal and cubital line of setae complete; marginal vein 1.33× as long as postmarginal vein and 2.66× as long as stigmal vein. All tarsi slightly longer than tibiae, metafemur simple, without any tooth. Metasoma with hypopygium reaching almost end of gaster; Gt₁ incised medially, Gt₂ –Gt₃ distinctly emarginate medially, Gt₃–Gt₄ with a pair of whitish spots, Gt₄ –Gt₅ slightly emarginate. Ovipositor 0.95× as long as body; OI 3.75.

Female (Fig. 6A): Body length including ovipositor 5.25 mm; length of ovipositor 2.5 mm.

Figure 6. 

Microdontomerus quadrimaculatus, female A female habitus, lateral view B fore wing venation C head, frontal view D female antenna, lateral view E head, lateral view F fore wing (anl₁ – anellus 1; clv_1,3 – clavomere 1, 3; fu_1,7 – funicular 1, 7).

Colour. Head, mesosoma, meso- and metacoxa and metasoma metallic blue-green with coppery reflection (Fig. 6A). Gt₃–Gt₄ with a pair of pale-yellow oval spots. Pedicel concolorous with body with metallic green reflection, flagellum dark-brown with slight metallic reflection. Scape, tegula, all femur distally, metatibia and tarsi pale yellow. Pro- and metacoxa concolorous with body, mesocoxa brown. Fore wing hyaline, wing venation pale yellow, setae brown.

Head (Fig. 6C). Head 1.18× as broad as high; 1.66× as broad as long in dorsal view and 1.74× in lateral view (Fig. 6E); 1.04× as broad as mesonotum at its widest part in dorsal view. Head reticulate with thin, short, silvery setae on face, vertex and temple which are slightly longer than two meshes of the reticulation; scrobe more finely reticulate, without setae. Eyes separated by 0.82× their own height, eye 1.88× as high as long. Clypeus with anterior margin distinctly straight and slightly protruded relative to corners of oral fossa; ventral part of clypeus smooth (Fig. 6C). Malar space 0.29× as long as eye height. Occipital carina absent. POL 3.05× OOL, OOL 0.72× LOL.

Antenna (Fig. 6D). Scape 5.33× as long as broad, not reaching ventral margin of anterior ocellus; pedicel 1.16× as long as broad; torulus inserted distinctly above ventral level of eye. Combined length of pedicel and flagellum 0.70× as long as breadth of head. Flagellum with one ring-like anellus; remaining flagellomeres distinctly transverse, with fu₁ the smallest, 0.57× as long as broad, wider than pedicel, and bearing only few MPS; fu₂–fu₇ of about same dimensions, 0.58–0.65× as long as broad.

Mesosoma (Fig. 7A). Mesosoma 1.3× as long as broad. Pronotum 0.81× as broad as mesoscutum. Pronotum and mesoscutum entirely reticulate, and covered with thin, short, silvery setae. Notaulus complete and distinctly impressed. Mesoscutellum as long as broad, without frenal area. Mesoscutellum and axilla more sparsely covered with setae. Propodeum mainly smooth, slightly reticulate laterally, with incomplete and barely visible median carina in basal part (Fig. 7C). Hind leg with coxa reticulated, covered by setae dorsally and ventrally, 1.8× as long as broad; metafemur 3.20× as long as broad, without any tooth; metatibia 4× as long as broad; metatarsus long, 1.16× as long as metatibia. Fore wing 2.4× as long as wide, hyaline, densely setose on disc; speculum reaching end of marginal vein; costal cell dorsally with three rows of setae along anterior margin, basal and cubital cell bare; basal and cubital line of setae complete; marginal vein 1.33× as long as postmarginal vein and 2.66× as long as stigmal vein; venation pale yellow (Figs 6A, F).

Figure 7. 

Microdontomerus quadrimaculatus, female A mesosoma, dorsal view B metasoma, dorsal view C propodeum, dorsal view.

Metasoma (Fig. 6B). Metasoma 1.23× as long as mesosoma (but somewhat collapsed), with very shallow alutaceous sculpture. Petiole very short, strongly transverse. Gt₁ incised medially, Gt₂–Gt₃ distinctly emarginate medially, Gt₄–Gt₅ slightly emarginate medially. Tip of hypopygium almost reaching apex of gaster. OI 3.75.

Palaearctic: Iran.

This species was reared from galls of Stefaniola similata Mamaev, 1972 (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) on Haloxylon ammodendron C.A. Mey in the eastern Iran.