Spathius virgulatus, 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 : 121-123

Spathius virgulatus sp. nov.

( Fig. 46 )

Description. Female. Body length 4.0 mm; fore wing length 3.0 mm.

Head. Antennae slender, setiform, 33-segmented. Scape 1.4 × as long as its maximum width. First flagellar segment 4.0 × as long as its apical width, as long as second segment. Head not depressed, its width (dorsal view) 1.5 × median length. Head behind eyes roundly narrowed. Transverse diameter of eye 2.5 × length of temple. Ocelli medium-sized, arranged in triangle with base 1.2 × its sides; POL: Od: OOL = 5: 5: 8. Vertex mostly coriaceous-granulate. Frons densely and transversely striate. Eye glabrous, 1.3 × as high as broad. Malar space 0.4 × eye height and 1.1 × basal width of mandible. Temple finely coriaceous-granulate. Face finely rugose-granulate, clypeus rugose-striate; its width equal to 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 2.1 × its height. Pronotal keel distinct, its posterior branch widely fused with posterior margin of pronotum; anterior branch situated in posterior 0.3 of pronotum. Mesoscutum highly and roundly elevated above pronotum, with sparse and semi-erect setae along notauli and laterally; densely and coarsely granulate, without short rugae near notauli and laterally. Notauli shallow and narrow, complete, coarsely crenulate. Prescutellar depression shallow, with five strong carina, 0.4 × as long as scutellum. Scutellum densely granulate, weakly convex, with lateral carinae. Mesopleuron entirely granulate. Subalar depression shallow, wide, sparsely striate. Precoxal sulcus deep, wide, almost straight, crenulate, running along anterior 0.6 of lower part of mesopleuron. Propodeum without tubercles, but with areas distinctly delineated by carinae, basolateral areas densely granulate and striate along carina, densely rugose posteriorly; areola transversely striate; petiolate area distinctly separated from areola; basal carina 1.4 × as long as fork of areola.

Wings. Fore wing 2.8 × as long as wide. Vein r arising slightly behind middle of pterostigma. 3-SR: r: SR1: 2-SR = 21: 5: 35: 17. Second submarginal cell not narrowed distally, its length 3.1 × maximum width, 1.6 × length of first subdiscal cell. Vein cu-a distinctly postfurcal. Vein m-cu postfurcal. Hind wing vein M+CU 0.6 × as long as vein 1-M. Vein m-cu antefurcal, slightly curved towards base of wing.

Legs. Hind coxa dorsally striate and with granulation, coriaceous-granulate laterally and ventrally, with basoventral tooth and corner. Hind femur coriaceous, 3.2 × as long as wide. Hind tibia apically with four spines on outer margin. Dorsal surface of hind tibia with short, sparse and semi-erect setae, their length 0.6–0.8 × maximum width of tibia. Hind tarsus 0.8 × as long as hind tibia. Hind basitarsus 0.6 × as long as second-fifth segments combined. Second segment of hind tarsus 0.5 × as long as basitarsus, 0.9 × as long as fifth segment (without pretarsus).

Metasoma. Petiole (lateral view) slightly curved ventrally, dorsally regularly arched in basal half, with spiracular tubercles in basal third; densely and coarsely striate, with reticulation between striae. Length of petiole 1.7 × its apical width (dorsal view), 1.4 × length of propodeum. Second and third tergites with separated laterotergites. Second suture absent. Median length of second and third tergites combined 1.1 × basal width of second tergite, 0.7 × their maximum width. Second-fourth tergites densely striate, with rugulosity between striae. Fifth tergite finely coriaceous in basal half. Remaining tergites smooth. Ovipositor sheath 1.2 × as long as petiole, 0.4 × as long as metasoma, 0.6 × as long as mesosoma, 0.3 × as long as fore wing.

Colour. Head and mesocutum yellowish brown; scutellum and propodeum reddish brown; mesopleuron brown; petiole dark brown; second and third tergites dark brown in basal three-quarters, yellowish brown in apical quarter; remaining tergites dark brown in basal halves, yellowish brown in apical valves. Antenna yellowish brown basally, regularly infuscate toward subapex, eight apical segments pale yellow. Palpi pale yellow. Legs yellow, all tarsi brown. Ovipositor sheath light brown, black apically. Fore wing faintly infuscate. Pterostigma brown, pale yellow basally.

Variation. Body length 2.8–3.6 mm. Scape 1.5 × as long as its maximum width. Transverse diameter of eye 2.8 × length of temple. Malar space 0.3 × eye height and equal to basal width of mandible. Length of mesosoma 2.2 × its height. Fore wing length 3.0 mm. Length of second submarginal cell 3.0–3.2 × its maximum width. Hind femur 3.0 × as long as wide. Second segment of hind tarsus 0.6 × as long as basitarsus. Length of petiole 1.6–1.8 × its apical width (dorsal view), 1.5 × length of propodeum. Median length of second and third tergites combined 1.0–1.2 × basal width of second tergite, 0.8 × their maximum width.

Male. Unknown

Material examined. Holotype: female, China, Hainan Prov., Diaoluoshan , 16–17.VII.2006, Liu Jingxian, No. 200802143 ( ZJUH) . Paratypes: 1 female, China, Hainan Prov., Diaoluoshan , 16–17.VII.2006, Liu Jingxian, No. 200802175 ( ZJUH) ; 2 females, Hainan Prov., Jianfengling Tianchi , 12–15.VII.2006, Chen Tianfei, Nos. 200803138 and 200803196 ( ZJUH, ZISP) ; 1 female, Hainan Prov., Jianfengling Tianchi , 12–15.VII.2006, Liu Jingxian, No. 200803623 ( ZJUH) ; 1 female, Hainan Prov., Jianfengling Tianchi , 24.XI.2008, Tan Jiangli, No. 200806056 ( ZJUH) ; 2 females, Hainan Prov., Jianfengling Tianchi , 12–15.VII.2006, Zhang Wenyong, Nos. 200803427 and 200803532 ( ZJUH) ; 1 female, Hainan Prov., Jianfengling , 4–7. VI.2007, Zeng Jie, No. 200710938 ( ZJUH) .

Comparative diagnosis. This new species belongs to the S. piperis Wilkinson species group. Spathius virgulatus sp. nov. is similar to S. piperis Wilkinson , but differs in having the vertex mostly coriaceous-granulate (striate in S. piperis ), mesoscutum without strong rugosity on coarsely granulation (with strong rugosity in S. piperis ), mesopleuron only entirely granulate (granulate and with striation in S. piperis ), and basolateral areas of propodeum most densely granulate (transverse rugose in S. piperis ).

Etymology. From “virgulatus ” (Latin for “striped”), because of its metasoma distinctly striped.

Distribution. China (Hainan).

Figures

FIGURE 46. Spathius virgulatus 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.