Ooderella thegalea Gibson, 2017, n. sp.

Ooderella thegalea n. sp.

Figs 147–155

Type material. Holotype ♀ (CNC). “ VENEZUELA: Aragua | Tiara env. 1250m | 12.IV.1994, forest | L. Masner, s.s. / HOLOTYPE | Ooderella | thegalea | Gibson ”. Holotype point-mounted by mesosternum; entire; uncontorted.

Etymology. From the Greek word thegaleos (pointed, sharp), in reference to the anterolaterally pointed pronotum of females of this species, one of the differentiating features.

Description. FEMALE (habitus: Fig. 154). Length = 3.4 mm. Head (Figs 147–149) dark with green luster under most angles of light except scrobal depression more distinctly blue to purple and interantennal prominence and frons with more coppery to reddish-violaceous lusters; in lateral view (Fig. 148) highly convex and broadest dorsally, only about 1.1× as long as high; in frontal view (Fig. 147) about 1.4× as wide as high; in dorsal view (Fig. 149) about 1.4× as wide as long with interocular distance slightly greater than 0.4× head width, without lightercolored or sulcate ocellocular mark, though under some angles of light with very slight angulation (Fig. 149) or abrupt change of color from vertex (green) to frons (dark) at level of ocellocular mark of other species, and OOL: POL: LOL: MPOD = 12: 15: 11: 9. Frontovertex with vertex coriaceous-alutaceous to near level of posterior ocelli but smooth and shiny posterior and lateral of ocelli and on frons except for setiferous pits in line along inner orbit, along dorsal margin of scrobal depression, in Π-like line on either side of and around posterior margin of anterior ocellus to scrobal depression, and with 4 (left side) and 3 (right side) setiferous pits between the two longitudinal setal lines. Scrobal depression (Fig. 147) dorsally abruptly angled to and therefore distinctly delimited from frons, broadly Π-shaped with lateral margin curved out from torulus toward lower inner orbit such that distinct parascrobal regions lacking, and dorsal margin broadly arched between inner orbits and separated from anterior ocellus by about 1.5× an ocellar diameter; meshlike coriaceous to coriaceous-imbricate similarly to interantennal prominence. Interantennal prominence and lower face with brownish, slender-lanceolate setae. Mandibular dentition not clearly visible, but apparently tridendate. Labial and maxillary palps brown. Antenna (Fig. 150) with inner surface of scape mostly yellow (Fig. 147) but dorsal and ventral margins dark and outer surface dark brown dorsally and lighter brown ventrally, otherwise dark with greenish luster on pedicel and basal flagellomeres, where usually with more distinctly contrasting white-reflective setae; length of pedicel + flagellum about 2× head width; scape moderately compressed basally with ventral margin sinuate so as to be broadest subbasally and narrowed apically; length[width] of scape: pedicel: funiculars: clava = 66[16]: 22[10]: 14[9], 35[9], 39[10], 42[12], 29[14], 26[16], 19[16], 17[16]: 43[17].

Mesosoma (Figs 152–155) dark brown except mesoscutal lateral flanges yellowish-hyaline, pronotum somewhat lighter brown except for dark region posterolaterally anterior to spiracle, mesoscutum yellowish-brown anteriorly, and metanotum light brown, but with green to bluish-green lusters on mesonotum (Figs 152, 153) and on acropleuron (Fig. 155) under some angles of light. Legs (Fig. 154) extensively dark brown except following paler, more brownish yellow: trochanter, trochantellus, dorsal surface of tibia and apical four tarsomeres of front leg, trochantellus, ventral surface of femur, knee, tibia apically and tarsus of middle leg, and ventral surface of coxa, trochanter, trochantellus, most of tibia, and tarsus of hind leg. Pronotum in dorsal view (Figs 149, 152) transversequadrangular with dorsal surface almost bare with very sparse, inconspicuous dark setae, and flat but inclined anterolaterally on either side of deep mediolongitudinal furrow such that anterolateral corners project, tuberclelike, toward head. Mesoscutum (Fig. 152) flat anteriorly and with lateral lobes carinately angled only near extreme posterior margin; meshlike reticulate; with inconspicuous posteriorly directed setae of similar color as cuticle except dense lanceolate white setae forming reflective patches antero- and posteromedially, the anterior region consisting of medially directed setae so as to form contiguous paramedial patches, and the posterior region with posteromedially directed setae extending to posterior margin. Scutellar-axillar complex (Fig. 153) about 1.7× as long as basal width with hairlike setae of similar color as cuticle along lateral margins of axillae and scutellum; axillae and scutellum anteriorly longitudinally reticulate-strigose, with scutellum elongate tear-drop shaped, about 2.9× as long as greatest width, and frenal area distinctly coriaceous. Tegula with dense dark setae along inner margin posteriorly forming distinct setal tuft at most about as long as apical width of tegula (Figs 154, 155). Fore wing (Fig. 153) extending posteriorly to about middle of propodeum, about 3.1× as long as greatest width, flat, hyaline; submarginal vein extending almost two-thirds length of wing with dorsal setae long but apical-most seta not extending to apical margin of wing; costal cell, membrane behind submarginal vein, and apically narrowly rounded membrane distal to submarginal vein bare. Mesopleurosternum (Fig. 155) with region of dense white lanceolate setae forming setal tuft anteriorly on acropleuron and dorsally on mesopectus, and mesopectus ventral to setal tuft with similar though somewhat less dense region of white lanceolate setae, including some noticeably longer setae along acropleural sulcus; acropleuron smooth and shiny medially but longitudinally reticulate-strigose beyond setal tuft to level almost equal with posterior margin of tegula, much more finely, longitudinally coriaceous-strigose widely along dorsal margin, and broadly meshlike coriaceous along posterior margin. Metacoxa densely setose with white lanceolate setae dorsally and ventrolongitudinally, but bare mediolongitudinally on outer surface. Propodeum (Fig. 153) comparatively long with anterior and posterior margins similarly incurved at midline such that recurved margins contiguous and forming median carina over most of length, meshlike coriaceous-alutaceous, and with a couple of white lanceolate setae anterior to spiracle and region of dense white lanceolate setae posterolaterally.

Gaster (Figs 151, 154) similarly dark as mesosoma except ovipositor sheaths beyond syntergum yellow and tergites with some metallic lusters, including more coppery luster on penultimate tergum and green on syntergum under some angles of light; quite distinctly meshlike coriaceous with long brownish setae, mostly in single transverse row dorsally across tergites except for more extensively setose syntergum; syntergum (Fig. 151) longer than basal width or than penultimate tergite, with dorsal surface in single plane such that syntergal flange poorly differentiated as posteriorly rounded bare region behind setae; ovipositor sheaths projecting only slightly beyond syntergal flange.

Distribution (Map 2C). Venezuela.

Remarks. Ooderella thegalea, O. spinositegula and O. melanosceles comprise a species trio, as discussed under the latter species. The only known female differs from those of the other two species in having somewhat shorter fore wings, not extending to the posterior margin of the propodeum (Fig. 153). It also lacks distinct ocellocular marks (Fig. 149), which are possessed by females of the other two species of a similar size (Figs 47, 120), though small females of O. spinositegula lack distinct marks. The tegular tufts of setae are only about as long as the maximum width of the tegula (Fig. 155), similar to O. melanosceles (Fig. 51) and shorter than for O. spinositegula (Fig. 126). Because only a single female is known, it is uncertain whether other described color and setal differences may be useful for differentiation, such as the outer surface of the scape being darker than the inner surface and the frons being somewhat more extensively setose than for females of the other two species, which either lack or have only one or two setiferous pits between the row along the inner orbit and the row on either side of the anterior ocellus.