Four new species and four newly recorded species of Omphale Haliday 1833 (Eulophidae) from China

NEWS - Researchers describe Omphale longigena, Omphale longitarsus, Omphale rectisulcus and Omphale xanthosoma as new species to science and four of their relatives (O. brevibuccata Szelényi, O. connectens Graham, O. melina Yefremova & Kriskovich and O. obscura Förster) are reported from China for the first time; and a male O. melina is reported for the first time in the world.

Omphale Haliday 1833 (Hymenoptera, Eulophidae, Entedoninae) includes 271 species worldwide, a cosmopolitan distribution and the second largest genus in Entedoninae. To date, 203 species from the Americas and Europe are divided into 18 groups.

Prior to this study, only 11 species were known from China: O. longiventris (Ling, 1994), O. pulchra (Ling, 1994), O. gibsoni Hansson 2004, O. longiseta Hansson 1996, O. masneri Hansson 1996, O. mellea Hansson 1996, O. salicis (Haliday, 1833), O. stelteri (Boucek, 1971), O. straminea Hansson, 1996, O. sulciscuta (Thomson, 1878) and O. theana (Walker, 1839). There are no further reports of Omphale from China.

O. longigena is named for its elongated gena, distributed in Shandong and Guangdong, China. This species is similar to O. litera Jamali & Zeya 2022, but differs in that the antennal torulus is located completely below the lower margin of the eye (vs. above the lower margin of the eye in O. litera).

Scape 6.3 × equal in length and width (vs. 4.2 ×), hind legs yellow, except for dark brown tarsal claws (vs. hind legs with coxa, femur at base three-quarters and last tarsomere brown). The most reliable other characteristic to distinguish the two species is the position of the antennal torulus.

O. longitarsus gets its epithet due to its elongated tarsus and distribution in Xizang, China. This species should be included in the Aetius group and can be separated from the other species by its slender antennae, flagellomeres with a markedly reduced width from F1 to F5, F1 0.9 × longer and 1.5 × wider than F2. All legs with apical tarsomeres overhanging and elongated, almost half the length of the entire tarsus.

O. rectisulcus gets its epithet due to its straight frontal sulcus, distribution in Sichuan and Jiangxi, China. This species should be included in the huggerti group and is closest to O. aperta Hansson 2004, but differs by the almost oval cliche (vs. almost semicircular in O. aperta). Forewings with 7 admarginal setae arising from MV and membrane just below MV (vs. 6), speculum closed (vs. open below), PMV distinctly longer than STV (vs. shorter). Propodeum without median carina (vs. with median carina).

O. xanthosoma gets its epithet due to yellow body, distribution in Hainan, China. This species should be included in the obscurinotata group and is similar to O. mellea Hansson, but differs by the brown longitudinal line along the median part of the mesoscutum and mesoscutellum (vs. only scutellum occasionally has a median infusate line in O. mellea).

Forewings hyaline, without infusate part (vs. hyaline, infusate close to STV). Antennae with slender flagella, F2 and F3 both almost as long as F1 (vs. more robust flagella, F2 and F3 both shorter than F1).

O. xanthosoma also appears similar to O. melina but is distinguished by a single pair of setae on the middle lobe of the mesoscutum and a narrow STV (vs. a middle lobe of the mesoscutum with two pairs of setae and an enlarged STV in O. melina).

O. xanthosoma also resembles O. ochra Hansson & Shevtsova 2012 and O. rodopiensis Yefremova, Yegorenkova & Boyadzhiev 2017, but differs by a mostly yellow and non-metallic mesoscutum, a long PMV, 1.9 × as long as the STV (vs. a mesoscutum with at least 1/2 golden green anteriorly, PMV 0.7–0.9 × as long as the STV in O. ochra and O. rodopiensis).

Original research

Li M-R, Wang J-S, Jing Z-J, Meng Q-F, Zhao H-R, Li X-P, Liu S-D, Li C-D (2024). Four new species and four newly recorded species of Omphale Haliday (Hymenoptera, Eulophidae) from China, with a key to Chinese species. ZooKeys 1215: 209-234, DOI:10.3897/zookeys.1215.130669

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