Spathius neleiformis, 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 : 74-76

Spathius neleiformis sp. nov.

( Fig. 25 )

Description. Female. Body length 4.8 mm; fore wing length 3.1 mm.

Head. Antennae weakly setiform, more than 37-segmented (apical segments missing). Scape 1.6 × as long as its maximum width. First flagellar segment 5.0 × as long as its apical width, 1.25 × as long as second segment. Subapical segments 4.0 × as long as their width. Head width (dorsal view) 1.6 × its median length, 1.25 × as wide as mesoscutum. Head behind eyes (dorsal view) distinctly roundly narrowed; transverse diameter of eye 1.8 × length of temple. Ocelli medium-sized, arranged in triangle with base 1.1 × its sides; POL: Od: OOL = 3.5: 4.0: 9.0. Vertex entirely smooth; frons densely transversely curvedly striate, smooth laterally. Eye with sparse and very short setae, 1.25 × as high as broad. Malar space 0.35 × eye height and 0.9 × basal width of mandible. Temple mainly smooth. Face densely, distinctly and linearly transversely striate, with additional reticulation. Face width 1.1 × eye height and 1.2 × height of face and clypeus combined. Hypoclypeal depression medium sized and suboval, its width equal to distance from edge of depression to eye, 0.45 × width of face. Occipital carina complete dorsally, ventrally obliterated on short distance, but almost joined by additional ruga with hypostomal carina upper base of mandible.

Mesosoma. Length of mesosoma about 2.0 × its height. Pronotal keel rather high, its posterior branch fused with posterior margin of pronotum on wide distance, anterior branch high and situated submedially. Mesoscutum highly and roundly elevated above pronotum, its median lobe distinctly convex anteriorly and without anterolateral corners. Mesoscutum densely granulate, with short or very short and dense rugae situated along notauli, with two distinct and convergent posteriorly carinae in medioposterior 0.4; mostly glabrous, with rather dense, short and semi-erect pale setae arranged in narrow stripes along notauli and in single line laterally. Notauli anteriorly deep, wide, coarsely crenulate, shallow posteriorly. Prescutellar depression rather deep, short, with four carinae, almost smooth between carinae, 0.3 × as long as scutellum. Scutellum mainly smooth, partly with very fine reticulation, weakly convex, with fine lateral carinae. Mesopleuron mainly smooth. Subalar depression shallow, narrow, distinctly striate with rugosity. Precoxal sulcus deep, oblique in anterior 0.7, shallow and upcurved in posterior 0.3, coarsely and rather densely crenulate, running along entire lower length of mesopleuron. Propodeum with short and wide lateral tubercles, with basolateral areas distinctly delineated by carinae and finely reticulate medially and striate along carinae, rest part of propodeum mainly and rather densely reticulate-rugose, without granulation; areola narrow and long; basal carina present in basal 0.2, about 0.5 × as long as anterior fork of areola.

Wings. Fore wing 4.4 × as long as wide. Vein r arising from middle of pterostigma. 3-SR: r: SR1: 2-SR = 24: 4: 42: 17. Second submarginal cell not narrowed distally, its length 3.2 × maximum width, 1.3 × length of first subdiscal cell. Vein CU1a not interstitial, arising from anterior third of posterior margin of first subdiscal cell. Hind wing vein M+CU 0.6 × as long as vein 1-M. Vein m-cu weakly antefurcal, straight, distinctly oblique towards base of wing, weakly infuscate.

Legs. Hind coxa dorsally transversely curvedly striate, smooth or almost smooth at rest part, with distinct basoventral corner and tooth. Hind femur entirely smooth, 3.2 × as long as wide. Hind tibia apically with four spines on outer side. Dorsal surface of hind tibia with long, rather sparse and semi-erect setae, their length 0.5–1.1 × maximum width of tibia. Hind tarsus 0.9 × as long as hind tibia. Hind basitarsus 0.7 × as long as second-fifth segments combined. Second segment of hind tarsus 0.5 × as long as basitarsus, 1.15 × as long as fifth segment (without pretarsus).

Metasoma. Petiole (lateral view) weakly curved ventrally, dorsally evenly and rather distinctly arched, thickened in basal third; widened in apical one-sixth (dorsal view), with spiracular tubercles in weakly widened basal third. Length of petiole 2.5 × its apical width, 1.7 × length of propodeum. Second tergite with separate laterotergite. Median length of second and third tergites combined 1.7 × basal width of second tergite, almost as long as their maximum width. Second suture absent. Petiole coarsely and sparsely longitudinally striate, with dense and distinct reticulation between striae. Remaining tergites smooth, but second tergite finely reticulate-striate basally. Ovipositor almost straight. Ovipositor sheath 3.5 × as long as petiole, 1.3 × as long as metasoma, 2.1 × as long as mesosoma, 1.1 × as long as fore wing.

Colour. Head reddish brown to dark reddish brown, paler around eyes, yellowish dorso-laterally. Mesosoma and petiole black, metasoma behind petiole dark reddish brown. Antenna reddish brown to dark brown, yellow to brownish yellow basally, apically without pale segments. Palpi whitish yellow. Legs yellowish brown to pale brown, all trochanters whitish yellow, hind femur light reddish brown, hind tibia basally brownish, pale yellow in subbasal third, then light brown; hind tarsus dark reddish brown. Ovipositor sheath brown, pale basally. Fore wing faintly and evenly infuscate. Pterostigma brown, yellow in basal quarter.

Variation. Body length 4.7–5.0 mm; fore wing length 3.3 mm. First flagellar segment 5.0–5.3 × as long as its apical width. Transverse diameter of eye 1.8–2.0 × length of temple. Mesosoma with reddish spots; length of mesosoma 1.85–1.95 × its height. Basal carina of propodeum 0.35–0.40 × as long as anterior fork of areola. Hind femur 3.0–3.3 × as long as wide. Length of petiole 2.2–2.5 × its apical width, 1.70–1.75 × length of propodeum. Median length of second and third tergites combined 1.5 × basal width of second tergite, 0.9 × as long as their maximum width. Ovipositor sheath 3.2–3.4 × as long as petiole, 1.4–1.6 × as long as metasoma, 1.9–2.1 × as long as mesosoma, 0.9–1.0 × as long as fore wing.

Male. Unknown.

Material examined. Holotype. female, China, Yunnan Prov., Hekou , 20–21.VII.2003, Xu Zaifu, No. 20055254 ( ZJUH) . Paratypes: 1 female, China, Yunnan Prov., Hekou , 20–21.VII.2003, Xu Zaifu, No. 20055256 ( ZISP) ; 1 female, Yunnan Prov., Hekou , 20.VII. 2003, 107 m, Jiang Qian, No. 20045469 ( ZJUH) .

Comparative diagnosis. This new species belongs to the S. fasciatus Walker species group. Spathius neleiformis sp. nov. is very similar to S. neleus Nixon , but differs in having the head behind eyes (dorsal view) distinctly narrowed and distinctly transverse (weakly narrowed and subcubical in S. neleus ), setae on mesoscutum rather short, semi-erect and sparse (long, almost erect and rather dense in S. neleus ), median mesoscutal lobe without transverse striation and with very short rugae along notauli (with vague transverse striation and with long rugae along notauli in S. neleus ), and hind femur elongate-oval (subclavate in S. neleus ). New species differs from S. fasciatus Walker in having the head behind eyes (dorsal view) short and distinctly narrowed (long and weakly narrowed in S. fasciatus ), first flagellar segment slender (thick in S. fasciatus ), second tergites with separate laterotergites and aciculate on wide basal area (without separate laterotergites and smooth in S. fasciatus ), and basal carina of propodeum short (longer in S. fasciatus ).

Etymology. From “neleus ”, the name of the most similar species, and “formis” (Latin for “form”) because they are morphologically similar species.

Distribution. China (Yunnan).

Figures

FIGURE 25. Spathius neleiformis sp. nov. A, habitus, lateral aspect; B, head, dorsal aspect; C, head, frontal aspect; D, mesosoma, lateral aspect; E, fore wing; F, petiole, lateral aspect; G, mesoscutum, dorsal aspect; H, metasoma, dorsal aspect. Scale bar 0.5 mm.