Erythmelus (Erythmelus) irba Zeya, Anwar & Ahmad, 2022

Bin Zeya, Shahid, Tarique Anwar, Prince, Ahmad, Zubair, A. Ghramh, Hamed, Rehman Khan, Farmanur & S. Khan, Farhat, 2022, The family Mymaridae (Hymenoptera, Chalcidoidea) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia - II: new records, and description of a new species of Erythmelus Enock, Journal of Insect Biodiversity and Systematics 8 (4), pp. 527-539 : 529-532

Erythmelus (Erythmelus) irba Zeya, Anwar & Ahmad sp. nov. ( Fig. 2)

https://zoobank.org/NomenclaturalActs/ 486C85CA-2F7A-41F9-A3FB-8AF01737514D

Material. Holotype ♀ (on slide under 3 coverslips, ZDAMU, registration No. HYM.CH.853), SAUDI ARABIA: ASIR: Abha, Raidah , vi.2011, Coll. Z. Ahmad.

Diagnosis. Erythmelus (Erythmelus) irba belongs to the ‘ helopeltidis ’ species group of Erythmelus s. str. based on long ovipositor extending beyond the base of gaster. It is most similar to E. angelovi Donev 1985 in having quite similar antennal configurations but differs by having fore wing disc bare in basal half, setose in apical half and, with brownish tinge in middle whereas in the latter species fore wing disc with a few setae near posterior margin of basal half and apically, and, without brownish tinge.

It can be distinguished from all other species in the group are: apex of pedicel, scape and F1 with thick setae; pedicel 1.5× as long as F1; fore wing with brownish tinge medially, 4.2× as long as broad with longest marginal seta 0.9× maximum wing width.

Description. Female. Body length 770 µm. Body largely dark brown except for gaster in basal third pale yellow; ovipositor sheath brown. Antenna brown. Fore wing infumate, darker behind submarginal vein except for two narrow longitudinal clear areas, more hyaline just beyond apex of venation. Hind wing hyaline medially, otherwise faintly infumate. Fore leg with coxa dark brown to yellowish-brown apically, femur pale brown, tibia and tarsus yellow; mid leg with coxa dark brown, femur brown to dark brown, tibia and tarsus brown; hind leg with coxa yellowish-brown to dark brown apically, femur basally pale yellow, otherwise dark brown, tibia in basal half or so pale yellow, rest dark brown, tarsus brown.

Head. Head almost quadrate. Antenna with scape 7.5× as long as broad; pedicel distinctly longer than F1–F5 individually; funicular segments all at least 2× as long as broad; F3 the shortest; F6 with 2 mps; clava 3.5× as long as broad, slightly longer than F4–F6 combined, with 5 mps ( Fig. 2A).

Mesosoma. Scutellum with faint transversely-curved reticulations; frenum with fine, longitudinal striations. Fore wing 5× as long as broad; longest marginal seta 1.2× greatest wing width ( Fig. 2B). Hind wing 17× as long as broad, disc with a row of microtrichia near anterior margin in addition to marginal row of microtrichia; longest marginal seta 3.5× as long as greatest wing width ( Fig. 2B).

Metasoma ( Fig. 2C). Metasoma slightly longer than mesosoma; ovipositor 1.1× as long as gaster, strongly exserted beyond gastral tergum and hypopygium, 1.8× as long as mesotibia and 1.7× as long as metatibia.

Measurements (µm). head width/height, 200/200; antennal segments length/width—scape including radicle, 205/28; pedicel, 65/33; F1, 50/15; F2, 43/16; F3, 35/16; F4, 40/18; F5, 48/20; F6, 68/23; clava, 178/50; mesosoma, 488; mesoscutum, 213; scutellum, 45; frenum, 125; metanotum, 25; propodeum, 80; fore wing length/width, 900/183; longest marginal seta, 225; hind wing length/width, 850/50; longest marginal seta, 175; protibia, 225; mesotibia, 313; metatibia, 325; metasoma, 500; ovipositor, 550.

Male. Unknown.

Distribution. Saudi Arabia.

Etymology. The species name is an arbitrary combination of letters and is treated as a noun in apposition.