Bracon pallicarpus dorytomovorus Samartsev & Dokuchaev, 2024

Samartsev, Konstantin G. & Dokuchaev, Nikolai E., 2024, A new subspecies of Bracon pallicarpus Thomson, 1892 (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Braconinae) parasitising larvae of Dorytomus cinereus Hochhuth (Coleoptera, Curculionidae) in Magadan Province, Russia, Journal of Insect Biodiversity and Systematics 10 (1), pp. 11-30 : 16-20

Bracon pallicarpus dorytomovorus Samartsev & Dokuchaev ssp. nov.

( Figs 14–28, 30, 33, 35)

Material examined. Holotype. ♀ ( ZISP INS_HYM_0002250 ), Russia, Magadan Province, Dukcha River floodplain , 59° 37.653' N, 150° 56.226' E, Dorytomus cinereus larvae in Salix rorida catkins, 22 vi 2019, reared 8 i 2020, NE Dokuchaev leg .; Paratypes. Same locality and collector as for holotype: 1 ♀ ( ZISP INS_HYM_0002254 ), 22 vi 2019, reared 14 xii 2019; 1 ♀ ( ZISP INS_HYM_0002252 ), 22 vi 2019, reared 14 i 2020; 1 ♀ ( ZISP INS_HYM_0002251 ), 22 vi 2019, reared 20 v 2020; 1 ♀ ( ZISP INS_HYM_0002253 ), 22 vi 2019, reared before 27 v 2020; 1 ♂ ( ZISP INS_HYM_0002255 ), 26 vi 2019, reared 18 xii 2019; 1 ♂ ( ZISP INS_HYM_0002256 ), 26 vi 2019, reared 22 xii 2019; 1 ♂ ( ZISP INS_HYM_0002258 ), 26 vi 2019, reared 25 v 2020; 1 ♀ ( ZISP INS_HYM_0002257 ), 26 vi 2019, reared 27 v 2020.

Additional material. Same data as for holotype: 1 ♂ pupa, 1 ♀ adult, 1 ♀ pupa ( ZISP Hym.KS _0005239– Hym. KS_0005241, respectively), 22 vi 2019; 1 ♀ pupa ( ZISP Hym. KS_0005242), 26 vi 2019; 1 ♀ pupa, 2 ♂ pupae ( ZISP Hym. KS_0000066), 5 ix 2019.

Distribution. Russia: Magadan Province (new record).

Etymology. The name “ dorytomovorus ” is composed of the host generic name “ Dorytomus ” formed from the Greek words (and since that followed by the connecting vowel “o”) and the Latin suffix “vorus” referring to the trophic relationships of the new subspecies.

Description Female. Fore wing length 2.5–3.1 mm. Head. Width of head (dorsal view) 1.8–1.9 × its median length, transverse diameter of eye 1.6–2.0 × as long as temple. Eyes with sparse, short setae. OOL 2.4–2.9 × OD; POL 1.6–1.9 × OD; OOL 1.4–1.6 × POL. Frons not impressed behind antennae, with shallow mid-longitudinal groove. Longitudinal diameter of eye in lateral view 1.4–1.5 × its transverse diameter; transverse diameter of eye 1.5–1.9 × minimum width of temple; hind margins of eye and temple parallel or weakly broadened ventrally. Face medially weakly and widely convex, face width 1.6 × combined height of face and clypeus, 1.8–1.9 × width of hypoclypeal depression. Longitudinal diameter of eye 2.6–2.9 × as long as malar space (front view). Malar space 0.70–0.85 × base of mandible. Malar suture absent. Clypeus prominent, dorsally evenly rounded, with weakly protruding ventral rim; clypeal sulcus smoothed. Height of clypeus 0.30–0.35 × width of hypoclypeal depression. Width of hypoclypeal depression 1.6–1.9 × distance from depression to eye. Antenna 0.7–0.8 × as long as fore wing, with 23 antennomeres. Scape 1.6–1.9 × as long as maximum wide (lateral view). First flagellomere 2.2–2.9 × as long as its apical width, 1.0–1.2 × as long as second flagellomere. Middle and penultimate flagellomeres 1.8–2.0 × and 1.7–1.9 × as long as wide, respectively. Mesosoma 1.4–1.5 × as long as its maximum height. Transverse pronotal sulcus deep and smooth. Mesoscutum with setae only along notauli. Width of mesoscutum 1.1–1.2 × its median length (dorsal view). Notauli weakly impressed anteriorly and absent posteriorly. Scutellar sulcus crenulate, about 0.1 × as long as scutellum. Mesepimeral sulcus smooth. Mesopleural pit deep. Metapleural sulcus smooth. Propodeal spiracle round, located behind middle of propodeum. Propodeum apically with short branching keel and without mid-longitudinal impression. Wings. Angle between veins C+SC+R and 1-SR about 65–75°. Pterostigma 2.7–3.4 × as long as wide. Vein r arising from basal 0.35–0.40 of pterostigma. Vein 1-R1 1.2– 1.3 × as long as pterostigma. Marginal cell 5–10 × as long as distance from its apex to apex of wing. Vein 3-SR 1.9–2.1 × vein r, 0.5–0.6 × vein SR1, 1.2–1.5 × vein 2-SR. Vein 1-M 0.75–0.85 × vein 1-SR+M, 1.9–2.2 × vein m-cu, 2.2–2.4 × vein cu-a. Vein 1-SR+M weakly curved anteriorly. Vein 2-SR+M 0.2–0.4 × vein 2-SR, 0.4–0.8 × vein m-cu. Vein cu-a weakly antefurcal. Hind wing vein 1-1A 1.1–1.3 × vein cu-a; vein 2-1A absent; vein R1 3.2–4.1 × as long as vein r-m; vein r-m antefurcal. Legs. Fore tibia with wide row of long thick setae. Hind femur 3.9–4.1 × as long as wide. Hind tibia without subapical row of thick setae, 8–9 × as long as wide, 1.5–1.6 × as long as hind femur. Inner spur of hind tibia 0.3–0.4 × as long as hind basitarsus. Hind tarsus 0.90–0.95 × as long as hind tibia; hind tarsomeres with dense setae ventrally and thick setae apico-ventrally. Fifth segment of hind tarsus 0.4–0.5 × as long as hind basitarsus, 0.90–0.95 × as long as second segment. Claws with large, protruding and blunt basal lobes. Metasoma with 7 visible tergites. Median length of T1 1.0–1.1 × its apical width (lectotype female: about 1.15–1.20 ×). Dorsolateral carinae of T1 weakly separated; dorsal carinae absent; median area of T1 separated by crenulate furrow. T2 medially 0.70–0.85 × as long as T3. Basal width of T2 1.7–2.0 × its median length. Median area of T2 absent; spiracle located in middle of T2. Suture between T2 and T3 deep, curved, and weakly crenulate. Apical margins of T3 to T6 thin. Ovipositor sheath 2.35–2.45 × as long as hind tibia, 0.68–0.73 × as long as fore wing. Apex of ovipositor with developed (weak) dorsal nodus and ventral serration. Sculpture. Mostly smooth. Face, malar space, and frons granulate; genae smooth or weakly coriaceous in lower half. Propodeum smooth to weakly coriaceous, with short rugae apically. T1 laterally weakly rugulose, its median area obliquely rugulose; T2 rugulose medially, granulate-rugulose laterally; T3 weakly granulate to smooth; T4 weakly granulate anteriorly or entirely smooth, T5–T7 (almost) smooth. Colouration. Body almost entirely brownish black; maxillary palps and tegulae dark brown; fore femur apically and all tibiae basally yellowish brown. Wing membrane almost hyaline or weakly darkened, somewhat darker apically; pterostigma brown, veins brown, proximally pale or yellowish brown.

Male. Fore wing length 2.3–2.5 mm. Transverse diameter of eye (dorsal view) 1.8–1.9 × as long as temple. OOL 2.4–2.5 × OD; POL 2.1–3.5 × OD; OOL 0.7–1.1 × POL. Longitudinal diameter of eye in lateral view 1.5–1.6 × its transverse diameter, 3.1–3.5 × as long as malar space (front view). Width of hypoclypeal depression 1.5–1.6 × distance from depression to eye. Antenna about 0.9 × as long as fore wing, with 23 antennomeres. Mesosoma 1.6 × as long as its maximum height. Marginal cell 5.8–5.9 × as long as distance from its apex to apex of wing. Vein 3-SR 1.5–1.7 × vein r, 0.45–0.50 × vein SR1, 1.1–1.4 × vein 2-SR. Vein 2-SR+M 0.35–0.45 × vein 2-SR. Vein 2-SR+M 0.70–0.75 × vein m-cu. Hind wing vein 1- 1A 1.3–1.5 × as long as vein cu-a. Hind femur and hind tibia 3.7–3.8 × and 7.7–8.4 × as long as wide, respectively. Fifth segment of hind tarsus 0.8–0.9 × as long as second segment. Median length of T1 about 1.2 × its apical width. T2 medially 0.85–0.90 × as long as T3. Basal width of T2 1.5–1.6 × its median length. Otherwise similar to female.

Cocoon. Robust, with dense, non-transparent, pale brownish wall; otherwise of usual for the braconine wasps oblong oval shape with circular subapical emerging hole ( Shaw & Huddleston, 1991); (2.3) 3.0– 3.4 × as long as wide and (1.05) 1.3–1.5 × as long as fore wing.

Diagnosis. Papp (2000) considered B. pallicarpus to be a member of the B. obscurator group. This species group, which establishment was not well justified (see discussion), comprise quite different species. In addition, among the Palaearctic species of the genus Bracon , a number of species are habitually similar to B. pallicarpus . These species are associated by the filiform antennae with not thickened flagellomeres, the small hypoclypeal depression, the not or weakly shortened marginal cell of the fore wing, the mostly smooth propodeum, the partly sculptured metasomal tergites, the deep second metasomal suture, and the relatively long ovipositor (about as long as metasoma or somewhat longer). The differences between B. pallicarpus , its related species, and the members of the B. obscurator group are summarised in Table 2 . It can be noted that B. pallicarpus is most similar to B. conjugellae Bengtsson , B. flavinus Fahringer , B. fukushimai Tobias , B. mediator Nees , B. momphae Papp , and B. pulcher Bengtsson. Differences between these six species and two subspecies of B. pallicarpus are presented in the key below (the differences between the new subspecies and the nominate subspecies are given in the last pair of couplets of the key).