The family Mymarommatidae, represented by an unidentified species of Palaeomymar Meunier related to P. goethei (Girault), is reported for the first time from the Hawaiian Islands

Beardsley, John W.

Huber, John T.

Perreira, William D.

Proceedings of the Hawaiian Entomological Society

ScholarSpace at University of Hawai'i at Manoa

MYMAROMMATOIDEA OF HAWAII 61PROC. HAWAIIAN ENTOMOL. SOC. (2000) 34:61–63Mymarommatoidea, a Superfamily of HymenopteraNew for the Hawaiian IslandsJohn W. BeardsleyDepartment of Entomology, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HIPresent address: 1026 Oak Dale Lane, Arcadia, CA, 91006John T. HuberCanadian Forestry Service, Natural Resources CanadaCorrespondence address: Biological Resources Program, ECORC, K.W. Neatby Building, C.E.F.,Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0C6, CanadaandWilliam D. PerreiraDepartment of Entomology, University of Hawaii, Honolulu, HIPresent address: P.O. Box 61547, Honolulu, HI, 96839Abstract. The family Mymarommatidae, represented by an unidentified species ofPalaeomymar Meunier related to P. goethei (Girault), is reported for the first timefrom the Hawaiian Islands.The first Hawaiian specimen of Palaeomymar Meunier was collected in 1981 by sweep-ing. The specimen was critical point dried and point mounted. During insect survey workon Molokai, one of us (WDP) collected ten additional specimens using yellow sticky boardtraps hung five to seven feet above the ground in roadside trees. Specimens were removedfrom the traps with lighter fluid, cleared briefly in 10% KOH, and slide mounted in Canadabalsam. The specimens are deposited in the Bernice P. Bishop Museum, (BPBM), HawaiiDepartment of Agriculture, Honolulu (HDOA), and Canadian National Collection of In-sects (CNCI), Ottawa.Family MymarommatidaeThe small family Mymarommatidae (Mymarommidae or Mymaromminae of authors)formerly was classified either in the Chalcidoidea (Debauche 1948, Gauld and Bolton 1988)or in the fossil family Sephitidae of the Proctotrupoidea (Nikol’skaya 1987). It is now oftenplaced in its own superfamily, and is probably the sister group to the Chalcidoidea (Gibson1986, 1993).Although mymarommatids superficially resemble Mymaridae (Chalcidoidea) in size andgeneral appearance, they differ from all chalcidoids in lacking a prepectus, lacking sensoryridges (longitudinal multiporous plate sensilla) from the funicle segments, and possessing atwo-segmented gastral petiole (Fig. 1). The structure of mymarommatid wings is unique inthat the hind wing is reduced to a very short, bifurcate halterlike structure without mem-brane, and the forewing (Fig. 1) has reticulate pattern on its surface. The structure of thehead is also unique. The front of the head consists of a single hemispherical sclerite bearingthe mouthparts, antennae, and eyes. The back of the head is a flat plate separated laterallyand dorsally from the rest of the head by a bellows-like membrane.Mymarommatidae is an ancient family whose fossils have been described from Creta-ceous and more recent amber. Palaeomymar Meunier (junior syn. Mymaromma Girault)has eight extant species. It is worldwide in distribution and occurs on all continents andassociated continental islands including, for the Pacific region, Japan, Taiwan, Philippines,62 BEARDSLEY  ET AL.New Caledonia, Australia, and New Zealand. Specimens are almost always collected inmoist forest habitats. One specimen from North America was reared from a bracket fungus(Gibson 1993), but the hosts and biology of mymarommatids are otherwise unknown andthe family is rarely collected.Mymarommatids have been collected only from Norfolk Island of the small oceanicislands in the south Pacific. The Hawaiian specimens are the first to be collected fromoceanic islands of the north Pacific. Very likely, intensive collecting using passive tech-niques such as yellow pan traps, sticky board traps or fine-mesh Malaise traps will demon-strate their presence on additional Pacific islands, particularly those that are well forested.Females of the unidentified Hawaiian specimens have six funicle segments and anunsegmented clava, whereas males have filiform antennae with 10 flagellar segments. Thespecies thus appears to be most closely related to P. goethei Girault (1920) from Australiawhich also has six funicle segments in females (males are unknown). All remaining de-scribed species of Palaeomymar have seven funicle segments in females and, where malesare known, 11 flagellar segments.Material examined. Molokai I.: nr. Kamalo Bridge, el. 3', W.D. Perreira, 1–15.iii.1996(12, BPBM); Mapulehu near Ililiopae Heiau, el. 10–40', 27.x–10.xi.1995 (14, HDOA),24.xi–8.xii.1995 (14, BPBM), 8–22.xii.1995 (2 2 and 2 4, BPBM, CNCI), 1–15.iii.1996(14, BPBM), and 24– 26.iv.1996 (12, CNCI), W.D. Perreira (BPBM, CNCI). Oahu I.:Pearl Harbor, West Loch, 5', 5– 14.i.1998, W.D. Perreira (14); Waimea Falls, 11.vii.1981,G. Gordh (12, CNCI).AcknowledgmentsWe thank K. Bolte, Canadian Forest Service, for preparing the forewing illustration andGary Gibson, ECORC, Agriculture and Agrifood Canada, Ottawa, for pointing out the rela-tionships of the Hawaiian specimens.ReferencesDebauche, H.R. l948. Etude sur les Mymarommidae et les Mymaridae de la Belgique (HymenopteraChalcidoidea). Mem. Mus. R. Hist. Nat. Belg. 108: 1–248, 24 pls.Gauld, I. and B. Bolton. 1988. The Hymenoptera. Oxford University Press, Oxford. 332 pp.Gibson, G.A.P. 1986. Evidence for the monophyly and relationships of Chalcidoidea, Mymaridae andMymarommatidae (Hymenoptera: Terebrantea). Canad. Entomol. 118: 205–240.Gibson, G.A.P. 1993. Superfamilies Mymarommatoidea and Chalcidoidea. Pp. 570–655, in Goulet,H. and J.T. Huber (eds.), Hymenoptera of the world: an identification guide to families. Publ. 1894/E. Canada Communications Group  Publishing, Ottawa. 668 pp.Girault, A.A. 1920. New genera and species of chalcid-flies from Australia. Insecutor Insc. menstr. 8:37–50.Nikol’skaya, M.N. 1987. Family Serphitidae Pp. 1179–1180, in Medvedev, G.S. (ed.), Keys to theinsects of the European part of the USSR. Vol. III, Hymenoptera. Part II. (English translation fromRussian). Oxonian Press, New Dehli. 1341 pp.MYMAROMMATOIDEA OF HAWAII 63Fig. 1. Palaeomymar sp. from Hawaii. Forewings and middle of body showing two-segmented petiole.64 BEARDSLEY  ET AL.

Mymarommatoidea, a Superfamily of Hymenoptera New for the Hawaiian Islands

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Mymarommatoidea, a Superfamily of Hymenoptera New for the Hawaiian Islands

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