Multivariate ratio analysis reveals <i>Trigonoderus pedicellaris</i> <scp>T</scp> homson ( <scp>H</scp> ymenoptera, <scp>C</scp> halcidoidea, <scp>P</scp> teromalidae) as a valid species

Abstract

Abstract We demonstrate by multivariate ratio analysis ( MRA ) the validity of two female colour morphs as separate species in what was previously regarded as a single species, Trigonoderus cyanescens ( F örster, 1841) ( H ymenoptera: P teromalidae). As a result, T. pedicellaris T homson, 1878 stat.r ., is resurrected from synonymy under T. cyanescens and T. filatus binubilatus Erdős, 1960 syn.n. is synonymized with T. cyanescens . More than 20 characters were measured as part of two MRA dataset analyses. The first analysis excluded all measurements related to the gaster, whereas the second included gaster length, gaster breadth and seventh gaster tergite breadth. The first analysis revealed that the best separating morphometric ratios for the two species are head breadth:metatibia length and OOL :parastigma length , whereas the second analysis revealed OOL :gaster length as the second best separating ratio. The measurement error of all characters was below the admissible level of 30%. Gaster length proved to be a good character for separating the two groups, showed the lowest measurement error, and its percentage coefficient of variation was not greater than for other characters. This indicates that gaster length should not be discarded out‐of‐hand as a morphometric character in P teromalidae. The variables that gave the best separating ratios included different body parts; therefore we suggest that the body of a specimen should be taken as a whole for use in MRA analyses, where each distance measurement can interact freely with any other. A key, figures and re‐descriptions of T. cyanescens and T. pedicellaris are provided.