Revision of the Paridris nephtaspecies group (Hymenoptera, Platygastroidea, Platygastridae)

Abstract The Paridris nephta group is revised (Hymenoptera: Platygastridae). Fifteen species are described, 14 of which are new: Paridris atroxTalamas, sp. n.(Yunnan Province, China), Paridris bununTalamas, sp. n.(Taiwan), Paridris ferusTalamas, sp. n.(Thailand), Paridris kagemonoTalamas, sp. n.(Japan), Paridris minatorTalamas, sp. n.(Laos, Thailand), Paridris mystaxTalamas, sp. n.(Laos, Thailand), Paridris nephta(Kozlov) (Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Far Eastern Russia), Paridris nilakaTalamas, sp. n.(Thailand), Paridris reptilisTalamas, sp. n.(Taiwan), Paridris rugulosusTalamas, sp. n.(Laos, Vietnam), Paridris solarisTalamas, sp. n.(Laos, Thailand, Vietnam), Paridris teresTalamas, sp. n.(Vietnam), Paridris toketokiTalamas, sp. n.(Taiwan), Paridris verrucosusTalamas, sp. n.(Guangdong Province, China), Paridris yakTalamas, sp. n.(Thailand).

Transverse carina of T2 (trc; Fig. 12) Transverse pronotal carina (tpc; Fig. 7) Morphological terms used in this revision were matched to the Hymenoptera Anatomy Ontology (HAO, Yoder et al. 2010) (Appendix I). Identifiers (URIs) in the format http://purl.obolibrary.org/obo/HAO_XXXXXXX represent anatomical concepts in HAO version http://purl.obolibrary.org/obo/hao/2011-05-18/hao.owl. They are provided to enable readers to confirm their understanding of the anatomical structures being referenced. To find out more about a given structure, including, images, references, and other metadata, use the identifier as a web-link, or use the HAO:XXXXXXX (note colon replaces underscore) as a search term at http://glossary. hymao.org. Notable changes in term usage from a previous taxonomic work (Talamas et al. 2011) are given in Appendix I.
The description of surface sculpture is presented in two formats. Areas of the exoskeleton in which the sculptural elements are inseparable are described simply as "sculpture". For areas in which the sculptural elements vary independently, sculpture is divided into three categories: punctation: round depressions associated with setae; macrosculpture: raised or sunken patterns of texture that are oriented linearly or radially with respect to punctation or the axes of the body; microsculpture: unoriented, very fine wrinkles or pustulations that occur on, in, or between elements of macrosculpture and punctation.
Information Management: The locality data reported for primary types are not literal transcriptions of the labels: some abbreviations are expanded; additional data from the collectors are also included. The holotypes should be unambiguously identifiable by means of the unique identifier or the red holotype label. The numbers prefixed with "OSUC " and "CASENT " are unique identifiers for the individual specimens (note the blank space after the acronyms). Details on the data associated with these specimens may be accessed at the following link, purl.oclc.org/NET/hymenoptera/ hol, and entering the identifier in the form. This monograph also features simultaneous publication and distribution of taxonomic and occurrence records through the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) using DarwinCore Archives as in Talamas et al. (2011). All new species have been prospectively registered with Zoobank (Polaszek et al. 2005) and other taxonomic names have been retrospectively registered therein. All names are also registered in the Hymenoptera Name Server (hns.osu.edu). Life sciences identifiers, lsids, may be resolved at the URLs specified in the footnotes or at lsid.tdwg.org.
Cybertools: The species descriptions are generated by a database application, vS-ysLab (purl.oclc.org/NET/hymenoptera/vSysLab), designed to facilitate the generation of taxon by character data matrices, to integrate these with the existing taxonomic and specimen-level database, and to export the data both as text and as input files for other applications. The output is in the format of "Character: Character state(s)." Imaging: Images were produced using Combine ZP and AutoMontage extendedfocus software. The individual images are archived at the image database at The Ohio State University (purl.oclc.org/NET/hymenoptera/specimage) and with MorphBank (www.morphbank.net). The latter also contains collections of images organized by plate.
Species Concept: For the purpose of this revision, species are defined as taxa diagnosable by putative autapomorphies or a unique combination of fixed character states.

Comments on Paridris Kieffer
The genus Idris was described by Arnold Förster in 1856, and the name has been used as the root for a number of generic names in Platygastroidea. Wheeler (1935) proposed that it would be a useful root for names within the Formicidae, relieving the stress on roots such as -myrmex and -myrma. According to Wheeler, the name is a substantive noun, derived from classical Greek, meaning "the knowing or provident one." As such, it may be either masculine or feminine in grammatical gender. While workers in Platygastroidea have treated the name and its derivatives as masculine, myrmecologists have used names with this root as feminine nouns. Here, we continue our tradition and use Paridris as a masculine noun.
The Nearctic Paridris brevipennis Fouts has one documented host association with Gryllus pennsylvanicus Burmeister (label data of a specimen in the USNM reported by Masner and Muesebeck, 1968). Based on this information, we speculate that the species of the P. nephta group are also parasitoids of gryllid eggs.
With the exception of Masner (1976), previous workers treated Paridris within only a restricted geographical context (Mani and Sharma 1982, Galloway and Austin 1984, Kozlov and Kononova 1985, Kozlov and Kononova 1990, Kononova and Petrov 2000, Lê 2000, Mineo 2005, Rajmohana 2006, Kononova and Kozlov 2008). Perhaps unsurprisingly, the characters they used for identification of the genus are insufficient when the world fauna is considered: the length of R1 (postmarginal vein) is variable; the shape of the metascutellum is highly variable, and in females may be entirely obscured by the horn of T1; the lateral ocellus is often close to the inner orbit of the compound eye; and the horn of T1 is missing in some members of the P. nephta species group.
Previous authors have mentioned that Paridris may be confused with Probaryconus (Galloway and Austin 1984) and Anteris Förster (Masner 1976). Masner (1976) indicated that Anteris and Neotropical Paridris are close to each other, and indeed they are highly similar in most of the external characters typically used for identification. Based on a yet unpublished phylogeny, we consider many of the similarities between these two genera to be convergent and not indicative of close relationship.
Separation of Paridris from Probaryconus is a more complicated matter because both are polytypic. Probaryconus has neither notauli ( Fig. 9-10) nor an externally developed metascutellum (Figs 9-10), and always has spines, points, or dense tufts of setae on the propodeum (Figs 9-10). The epomial carina (Fig. 7) is present in Probaryconus (always absent in Paridris), with the exception of one widespread species group (Fig. 8) that also has setose eyes and a strongly reduced postmarginal vein. The transverse carina of T2 (Fig. 12) unambiguously identifies Paridris but is not present in all species (e.g. the P. nephta species group). In some Neotropical and Oceanic species of Paridris, the lateral propodeal carinae form two points lateral to the metasomal depression, similar to the propodeal points in Probaryconus Kieffer. The following key separates Probaryconus and Anteris from Paridris with the fewest characters possible.

Diagnosis of nephta species group
The P. nephta species group can be separated from the remainder of Paridris by the combination of the following characters: occipital carina reaching base of mandible; mesoscutal suprahumeral sulcus absent mesal to notaulus; scutoscutellar and posterior scutellar sulci comprised of deep cells; metascutellum bispinose, glabrous; mesepisternum below femoral groove with coarse rugose sculpture; paracoxal and metapleural sulci not fused in dorsal half of metapleuron (Fig. 32); posterior margin of metapleuron with triangular point above metapleural sulcus; propodeum coarsely punctate rugose; plica indistinguishable or poorly distinguished from background sculpture of propodeum; anterior T2 without transverse carina; T6 evenly rounded, without dense microsculpture; felt field on S2 punctate, present throughout length of sternite. Sexual dimorphism combined with the small number of males prevented us from associating males with females for all but two species, P. mystax and P. nephta. Consequently, only females are treated in the key and descriptions. Males for P. mystax and P. nephta have been entered as determined material, but not as paratypes for P. mystax. Four other male morphotypes have been imaged and can be found online at specimage.osu.edu and www.morphbank.net 8,9,10,11 .
Diagnosis. Paridris atrox may be separated from the other members of the P. nephta species group by the absence of notauli and the presence of striation on S3.
Etymology. Paridris atrox is named for the severe appearance of its head, its mandibles in particular. The specific epithet is adjectival, and means "fearsome" in Latin.

Paridris bunun
Diagnosis. Paridris bunun is most similar to P. minator, though the two have widely disjunct distributions, Taiwan and Southeast Asia, respectively. The two may be separated by the medially smooth T3 and short R1 (postmarginal vein) of P. bunun and the longer setation of the body in P. minator. P. bunun is a much larger species than P. minator, but it is known from a single specimen and thus we are not able to assess its size variation. Some species of the P. nephta group are known to exhibit significant size variation (e.g. P. nilaka) and thus size should be used cautiously. Etymology. The species is named for the Bunun tribe of Taiwan that historically occupied the region where it was collected. The name is treated as a noun in apposition.
Link Diagnosis. Paridris ferus and P. reptilis are the only brachypterous species known in the P. nephta group. Aside from this character, these two species are not particularly similar and may be separated by the presence of a basiconic sensillum on A7, the smooth form of the metapleural sulcus and longitudinal striation of S3 in P. ferus.
Etymology. The adjectival epithet "ferus" means "wild" or "untamed" in Latin and refers to the "savage" appearance of this species.
Link Diagnosis. Paridris kagemono is most similar to P. nephta. It may be separated from it, and all other members of the P. nephta species group, by the presence of microsculpture between the striae of the frons.
Etymology. The epithet "kagemono" means "supernatural creature of the night" in Japanese. It is used as a noun in apposition.
Link Diagnosis. Paridris minator is similar to P. solaris in size, habitus and distribution and to P. bunun in its diagnostic characters. It is best separated from P. solaris by the presence of a basiconic sensillum on A7 and from P. bunun by the coarse punctation of the head and prominent striae of lateral T3.
Etymology. The Latin epithet "minator" means "threatener" and is given to this species for its fierce appearance.
Link Diagnosis. Paridris mystax is one of the most distinctive species and can be easily identified by the dense setation throughout the ventral metapleural area and on the ventrolateral frons.
Etymology. The epithet "mystax", meaning "hair on the upper lip" in Greek, is given to this species for the conspicuous setation of the ventral frons.

Paridris nilaka
Etymology. The epithet "nilaka" means "black" in Thai, and is used as a noun in apposition.
Link  Diagnosis. Paridris reptilis and P. ferus are the only known brachypterous species in the P. nephta group. Paridris ferus has a basiconic sensillum on A7 and lacks interstitial microsculpture on T2. Paridris reptilis does not have a sensillum on A7 and T2 is densely microsculptured.
Etymology. The adjectival epithet "reptilis", meaning "crawling" in Latin, refers to the reduced wing size in this species.  Diagnosis. Paridris rugulosus is most similar to P. toketoki and may be separated by the smooth surface of the lateral pronotum.
Etymology. The Latin adjectival epithet "rugulosus" refers to the rugulose sculpture of the head and dorsal mesosoma in this species. Diagnosis. Paridris solaris is most similar to P. minator. It may be separated from it by the absence of a basiconic sensillum on A7.
Etymology. The adjectival epithet "solaris" means "of the sun" in Latin and references the bright yellow-orange color present in many individuals of this species.
Link Comments. The color of specimens of P. solaris varies significantly according to geographical location. Those from Vietnam are typically yellow throughout (Fig. 79) and those from Thailand are variably orange, red, and black (Fig. 81). Talamas Comments. The sole specimen of this species was damaged during examination after it was imaged. The head, propleuron and forelegs are now mounted on the point separate from the remainder of the body; A7-12 of the right antenna are lost.  Diagnosis. Paridris verrucosus is the only species in the P. nephta group with microsculpture on S3.

Paridris teres
Etymology. The adjectival epithet "verrucosus" means "full of warts" in Latin; it is given to this species for the dense microsculpture of the metasoma.
Diagnosis. Paridris yak is a large distinctive species best identified by its reduced or absent notaulus, dorsally rugose frons and dorsally pointed axillular carina.
Etymology. The word "yak" is Thai for a mythological ogre. It is treated as a noun in apposition.