Spathius parallelus, 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 : 79-83

Spathius parallelus sp. nov.

( Fig. 29 )

Description. Female. Body length 4.9 mm; fore wing length 3.5 mm.

Head. Antennae slender, weakly setiform, more than 37-segmented (apical segments missing). Scape 1.5 × as long as its maximum width. First flagellar segment 4.4 × as long as its apical width, 1.1 × as long as second segment. Head not depressed, its width (dorsal view) 1.4 × median length. Head behind eyes roundly narrowed. Transverse diameter of eye 2.1 × length of temple. Ocelli arranged in triangle with base 1.2 × its sides; POL: Od: OOL = 2: 2: 5. Vertex smooth. Frons densely and transversely striate. Eye glabrous, 1.2 × as high as broad. Malar space 0.4 × eye height and 0.8 × basal width of mandible. Temple smooth. Face entirely coarsely rugose-reticulate, clypeus rugose-striate; its width 1.1 × eye height and 1.2 × height of face and clypeus combined. Clypeal suture distinct. Occipital carina complete dorsally, not joined below with hypostomal carina being obliterated on short distance upper base of mandible.

Mesosoma. Length of mesosoma 2.4 × its height. Pronotal keel distinct, its posterior branch slightly fused with posterior margin of pronotum; anterior branch fine and situated submedially. Pronotal lateral depression wide, partly delineated by carinae, densely and coarsely crenulate. Mesoscutum rather highly and perpendicularly elevated above pronotum. Mesoscutum with sparse and semi-erect setae along notauli and laterally; distinctly densely granulate, with short carinae along notauli and laterally, with wide and only granulate median areas on lateral and median lobes; with two convergent posteriorly carinae and narrow rugosity between them in medioposterior half. Notauli complete, wide, deep anteriorly and shallow posteriorly, coarsely crenulate. Prescutellar depression distinct, deep, with three carinae, 0.3 × as long as scutellum. Scutellum coriaceous-granulate, weakly convex, with distinct lateral carinae. Mesopleuron mostly smooth. Subalar depression shallow, rather wide, densely and coarsely rugose-striate. Precoxal sulcus shallow, wide, weakly oblique, crenulate, running along anterior 0.6 of lower part of mesopleuron. Propodeum without tubercles, densely and coarsely rugose-reticulate, densely granulate basally or in basal half, with areas more or less distinctly delineated by carinae; basal carina 1.5 × as long as anterior fork of areola; areola large and pentagonal; petiolate area distinctly separated from areola.

Wings. Fore wing 3.8 × as long as wide. Vein r arising from middle of pterostigma. 3-SR: r: SR1: 2-SR = 14: 4: 28: 13. Second submarginal cell not narrowed distally, its length 3.2 × maximum width, 1.2 × length of first subdiscal cell. Vein cu-a almost interstitial. Vein m-cu postfurcal. Hind wing vein M+CU 0.5 × as long as vein 1-M. Vein m-cu interstitial, strongly oblique towards base of wing.

Legs. Hind coxa finely rugose and granulate, with basoventral tooth and corner. Hind femur almost smooth, 3.2 × as long as wide. Hind tibia apically with four spines on outer margin. Dorsal surface of hind tibia with rather long, sparse and semi-erect setae, their length 1.7–2.0 × maximum width of tibia. Hind tarsus 0.9 × as long as hind tibia. Hind basitarsus 0.8 × as long as second-fifth segments combined. Second segment of hind tarsus 0.4 × as long as basitarsus, 1.1 × as long as fifth segment (without pretarsus).

Metasoma. Petiole (lateral view) ventrally straight and distinctly arched dorsally, with small spiracular tubercles in basal third; distinctly and entirely striate, with dense rugulosity between striae. Length of petiole 2.0 × its apical width (dorsal view), 1.6 × length of propodeum. Second-fourth tergites with separated laterotergites. Second suture indistinct. Median length of second and third tergites combined 1.5 × basal width of second tergite, 1.1 × as long as their maximum width. Second and third tergites densely and anastomose striate, with very dense rugulose microsculpture between striae, reticulate-punctate subapically, apically narrowly smooth; fourth tergite very dense reticulate-areolate, with short striation basally, finely reticulate to smooth apically. Fifth tergite very finely and sparsely coriaceous-reticulate in basal half. Remaining tergites smooth. Ovipositor sheath 3.3 × as long as petiole, 1.1 × as long as metasoma, 2.0 × as long as mesosoma, 0.8 × as long as fore wing.

Colour. Body yellowish brown. Mesosoma reddish brown; pronotum and mesopleuron dark brown. Metasoma almost black, with yellowish spots apically on each tergites. Antenna yellowish brown, faintly darkened toward apex. Palpi pale yellow. Legs yellowish brown, fore and middle coxae and all trochanters pale yellow; hind coxa dorsally and hind femur medially with reddish brown spots; all tibiae basally and submedially reddish brown; all tarsi pale reddish brown. Ovipositor sheath dark brown. Fore wing faintly infuscate. Pterostigma brown.

Variation. Body length 4.6–5.6 mm; fore wing length 3.4–3.9 mm. First flagellar segment 4.3–4.6 × as long as its apical width, as long as second segment. Transverse diameter of eye 2.0–2.2 × length of temple. Eye 1.3 × as high as broad. Basal carina of propodeum 1.3–1.6 × as long as anterior fork of areola. Fore wing 3.6–3.9 × as long as maximum width. Length of second submarginal cell 3.0 × its maximum width. Hind femur 2.9 × as long as wide. Length of petiole 2.2 × its apical width (dorsal view), 1.8 × length of propodeum. Ovipositor sheath 3.2 × as long as petiole, 1.0–1.2 × as long as metasoma.

Male. Body length 3.4–4.8 mm; fore wing length 2.8–3.3 mm. Hind femur 2.8–3.0 × as long as wide. Length of petiole 2.6–2.8 × its apical width (dorsal view), 1.8 × length of propodeum. Median length of second and third tergites combined 1.9–2.1 × basal width of second tergite, 1.3–1.4 × their maximum width. Black areas on metasomal tergites sometimes wide. Sometimes mesosoma or all body pale. Otherwise similar to female.

Material examined. Holotype: female, China, Zhejiang Prov., Gutianshan , 1.VIII.1990, Ma Yun, No. 906224 ( ZJUH) . Paratypes: 1 male, China, Zhejiang Prov., Tianmushan, 2–4. VI .1990, He Junhua, No. 905038 ( ZJUH) ; 1 female, 1 male, Guangdong Prov., Shixing Chebaling , 21.VIII.2003, Xu Zaifu, Nos. 20052313 and 20052345 ( ZJUH) ; 1 female, Guangdong Prov., Yunnan Tongledashan , 12–13.VIII.2003, Xu Zaifu, No. 20054591 ( ZJUH) ; 1 male, Guangdong Prov., Shixing Chebaling , 21.VIII.2003, Xu Zaifu, No. 20051980 ( ZISP) ; 1 female, Hainan Prov., Bawangling, 9–10. VI .2007, Liu Jingxian, No. 200703451 ( ZJUH) ; 1 female, Hainan Prov., Diaoluoshan, 16–17. VI .2006, Liu Jingxian, No. 200802142 ( ZISP) ; 1 female, Hainan Prov., Jianfengling, 7. VI .2007, Liu Jingxian, No. 200702482 ( ZJUH) .

Comparative diagnosis. This new species belongs to the S. leucippus Nixon species group. Spathius parallelus sp. nov. differs from all members of S. leucippus species group in the short temple (long in all other species), ovipositor much shorter than body (almost as long as body length in all other species), petiole strongly widened towards apex (slightly widened towards apex in all other species), legs without dark spots (with more or less dark spots in all other species), mesoscutum elevated almost perpendicularly above pronotum (roundly, not perpendicularly above pronotum in all other species), and acrosternite of first segment short (long in all other species).

Etymology. From “parallelus ” (Greek for “parallel”), because of its metasoma parallel-sided in posterior half.

Distribution. China (Zhejiang, Guangdong, Hainan).

Figures

FIGURE 29. Spathius parallelus sp. nov. A, habitus, lateral aspect; B, head, frontal aspect; C, head, dorsal aspect; D, fore wing; E, petiole, lateral aspect; F, mesosoma, lateral aspect; G, mesoscutum, dorsal aspect; H, metasoma, dorsal aspect. Scale bar 0.5 mm.