Spathius parimbecillus, Tang & Belokobylskij & Chen, 2015

Tang, Pu, Belokobylskij, Sergey & Chen, Xue-Xin, 2015, Spathius Nees, 1818 (Hymenoptera: Braconidae, Doryctinae) from China with a key to species, Zootaxa 3960 (1), pp. 1-132 : 83-86

Spathius parimbecillus sp. nov.

( Fig. 30 )

Description. Female. Body length 5.0 mm; fore wing length 3.3 mm.

Head. Antennae slender, filiform, 41-segmented. Scape 1.5 × as long as its maximum width. First flagellar segment 6.3 × as long as its apical width, 1.1 × as long as second segment. Head width (dorsal view) 1.4 × median length. Head behind eyes (dorsal view) roundly narrowed; transverse diameter of eye 1.6 × length of temple. Ocelli medium-sized, arranged in triangle with base 1.3 × its sides; POL: Od: OOL = 6: 5: 14. Vertex smooth. Frons finely striate. Eye glabrous, 1.3 × as high as broad. Malar space 0.4 × eye height and 0.8 × basal width of mandible. Temple smooth. Face strongly transversely striate and with fine rugosity; its width 1.1 × eye height and 1.2 × height of face and clypeus combined. Clypeal suture distinct, but shallow, without additional carina. Clypeus flat, with narrow ventral flange. Occipital carina complete dorsally, not joined below with hypostomal carina being obliterated on short distance upper base of mandible.

Mesosoma. Length of mesosoma 2.6 × its height. Pronotal keel posterior branch distinctly separated from posterior margin of pronotum. Lateral areas of pronotum distinctly striate. Mesoscutum not highly and roundly elevated above pronotum, its median lobe protruding forwards, convex-rounded anteriorly (dorsal view), without anterolateral corners. Mesoscutum with sparse long and almost erect setae situated widely along notauli and narrowly marginally; densely granulate, with additional short rugosity on lateral lobes. Notauli deep anteriorly and shallow posteriorly, wide, complete, coarsely crenulate. Prescutellar depression shallow, with three carinae, finely rugulose, 0.4 × as long as scutellum. Scutellum finely granulate-coriaceous, almost flat, with lateral carinae. Mesopleuron smooth. Subalar depression shallow, wide, almost smooth. Precoxal sulcus weakly curved, coarsely crenulate, running along almost entire lower part of mesopleuron. Propodeum without tubercles, mainly irregularly rugose-reticulate with a few striation; basal carina long, 2.4 × as long as anterior fork of areola; areola long and narrow.

Wings. Fore wing 4.6 × as long as wide. Vein r arising behind middle of pterostigma. 3-SR: r: SR1: 2-SR = 14: 3: 23: 12. Second submarginal cell not narrowed distally, its length 3.4 × maximum width, 0.9 × length of first subdiscal cell. Vein m-cu postfurcal. Vein CU1a postfurcal. Hind wing vein M+CU 0.5 × as long as vein 1-M. Vein m-cu distinctly antefurcal, strongly oblique towards base of wing.

Legs. Hind coxa dorsally transversely and semi-circularly striate, almost entirely finely granulate in lower half, without basoventral tooth and corner. Hind femur almost smooth, elongate-oval, 3.2 × as long as wide. Hind tibia apically with two spines on outer margin. Dorsal surface of hind tibia with rather long, sparse and semi-erect setae, their length 1.8–2.3 × maximum width of tibia. Hind tarsus as long as hind tibia. Hind basitarsus 0.7 × as long as second-fifth segments combined. Second segment of hind tarsus 0.6 × as long as basitarsus, 1.6 × as long as fifth segment (without pretarsus).

Metasoma. Petiole (lateral view) almost straight, more or less regularly thick, weakly widened in apical 0.2 (dorsal view), with indistinct spiracular tubercles in basal third; sparsely and finely striate and finely coriaceous and granulate between striae in basal and apical third, only finely granulate-coriaceous on median third. Length of petiole 8.6 × its apical width (dorsal view), 3.0 × length of propodeum. Second tergite with separate laterotergite. Second suture indistinct. Median length of second and third tergites combined 3.1 × basal width of second tergite, 1.3 × their maximum width. Second tergite; third tergite finely semi-circularly transversely aciculate. Rest tergites smooth. Ovipositor sheath 3.3 × as long as petiole, 1.6 × as long as metasoma, 3.3 × as long as mesosoma, 1.5 × as long as fore wing.

Colour. Head yellowish brown. Mesosoma and petiole almost reddish brown. Remaining tergites darker than petiole. Antenna brownish yellow, faintly infuscate towards apex. Palpi pale yellow. Legs brownish yellow, fore and middle coxae and trochanters pale yellow, hind coxa and femur reddish brown. Ovipositor sheath brown or pale brown, almost black apically. Fore wing more or less faintly infuscate. Pterostigma dark brown, basally shortly yellow.

Variation. Body length 4.2–7.3 mm; fore wing length 2.9–5.0 mm. Antennae 49-segmented. First flagellar segment 5.0 × as long as its apical width, as long as second segment. Face width equal to eye height and 1.1 × height of face and clypeus combined. Mesoscutum densely granulate, with short rugosity on lateral lobes. Fore wing 4.3 × as long as maximum width. Length of second submarginal cell 3.9 × its maximum width, 1.1 × length of first subdiscal cell. Hind femur 3.5 × as long as wide. Length of petiole 7.8 × its apical width (dorsal view), 2.8 × length of propodeum. Median length of second and third tergites combined 2.9–3.2 × basal width of second tergite, 1.4 × their maximum width. Ovipositor sheath 3.9 × as long as petiole, 1.7 × as long as metasoma, 3.7 × as long as mesosoma, 1.7 × as long as fore wing. Head blackish brown or black. Mesoscutum, scutellum and mesopleuron dark reddish brown or black. Propodeum black. Petiole reddish brown.

Male. Unknown

Material examined. Holotype: female, China, Guangdong Prov., Fogang Guanyinshan , 15–16.IX.2007, Xu Zaifu, No. 200711666 ( ZJUH) . Paratypes: 1 female, China, Guangdong Prov., Fogang Guanyinshan , 29.VII.2003, Chen Jujian, No. 20048680 ( ZISP) ; 1 female, Guangdong Prov., Nanling , 16–21.IX.2008, Xu Zaifu, No. 200809164 ( ZJUH) ; 1 female, Zhejiang Prov., Xitianmushan Jinshanmen , 4.VIII.1998, Zhao Mingshui, No. 20002616 ( ZJUH) ; 1 female, Hainan Prov., Yinggeling, 24–26. V .2007, Liu Jingxian , No. 200704131 ( ZJUH) ; 1 female, Hainan Prov., Yinggeling, 28. V –3. VI .2007, Weng Liqiong , No. 200804060 ( ZJUH) ; 1 female, Hainan Prov., Yinggeling , 16.XI.2008, Tan Jiangli, No. 200805780 ( ZISP) ; 1 female, Hainan Prov., Wuzhaishan , 29.X.2007, Liu Jingxian, No. 200710027 ( ZJUH) .

Comparative diagnosis. This new species belongs to the S. imbecillus Enderlein species group. Spathius parimbecillus sp. nov. is similar to S. imbecillus Enderlein , but differs in having the face strongly transversely striate with fine rugosity (coarsely reticulate-rugose with fine transverse striation in S. imbecillus ), lateral areas of pronotum distinctly striate (complete smooth in S. imbecillus ), propodeum mainly irregularly rugose-reticulate with a few striae (strongly and characteristically transversely carinate in S. imbecillus ), metapleuron entirely areolate-reticulate with rugosity (mostly smooth in S. imbecillus ), and scutellum coriaceous or granulate-coriaceous with striation laterally (shining and virtually smooth in S. imbecillus ).

Etymology. From “par” (Greek for “near”), and the specific name “imbecillus ”, because of its similar to S. imbecillus .

Distribution. China (Guangdong, Zhejiang, Hainan).

Figures

FIGURE 30. Spathius parimbecillus sp. nov. A, habitus, lateral aspect; B, head, frontal aspect; C, head, dorsal aspect; D, petiole, lateral aspect; E, fore wing; F, mesosoma, lateral aspect; G, mesoscutum, dorsal aspect; H, metasoma, dorsal aspect. Scale bar 0.5 mm.