Spathius tanae, 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 : 117-119

Spathius tanae sp. nov.

( Fig. 44 )

Description. Female. Body length 3.8 mm; fore wing length 2.6 mm.

Head. Antennae slender, weakly setiform, more than 30-segmented (apical segments missing). Scape 1.2 × as long as its maximum width. First flagellar segment 5.6 × as long as its apical width, 1.3 × as long as second segment. Head slightly depressed, its width (dorsal view) 1.2 × median length. Head behind eyes convex in anterior half, roundly narrowed in posterior half; transverse diameter of eye 1.1 × length of temple. Ocelli medium-sized, arranged in triangle with base 1.4 × its sides; POL: Od: OOL = 6: 3: 9. Vertex with dense transverse striation, without additional ground sculpture between striae. Frons very densely and finely striate. Eye glabrous, 1.3 × as high as broad. Malar space 0.4 × eye height and 0.9 × basal width of mandible. Temple semi-circularly densely striate, almost smooth below. Face transversely striate, with dense microsculpture between striae; its width 1.1 × eye height and 1.3 × height of face and clypeus combined. Clypeal suture distinct. 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 2.7 × its height. Pronotal keel with single, very high and far separated from posterior part of pronotum branch. Pronotal lateral depression rather narrow, deep, marginate, smooth, with several sparse striae. Mesoscutum weakly and roundly elevated above pronotum. Mesoscutum with sparse and semi-erect setae along notauli and laterally; entirely densely granulate. Notauli wide, deep, complete, coarsely crenulate. Prescutellar depression long, rather deep, with 3 strong carinae, 0.3 × as long as scutellum. Scutellum granulate, flat, with lateral carinae. Mesopleuron coarsely striate in upper half, granulate in lower half. Subalar depression shallow, wide, densely and coarsely striate. Precoxal sulcus deep, almost straight, crenulate and granulate, running along anterior 0.7 of lower part of mesopleuron. Propodeum without tubercles, coarsely striate-rugose and granulate; with areas indistinctly delineated by carinae.

Wings. Fore wing 4.2 × as long as wide. Vein r arising before middle of pterostigma. 3-SR: r: SR1: 2-SR = 14: 3: 18: 11. Second submarginal cell not narrowed distally, its length 3.7 × maximum width, 1.2 × length of first subdiscal cell. Vein cu-a slightly postfurcal. Vein m-cu 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 densely and distinctly granulate, without basoventral tooth and corner. Hind femur coriaceous, 2.9 × as long as wide. Hind tibia apically with five spines on outer margin. Dorsal surface of hind tibia with long, sparse and semi-erect setae, their length 1.4–1.6 × maximum width of tibia. Hind tarsus 0.9 × as long as hind tibia. Hind basitarsus 0.4 × as long as second-fifth segments combined. Second segment of hind tarsus 0.6 × as long as basitarsus, 1.5 × as long as fifth segment (without pretarsus).

Metasoma. Petiole (lateral view) almost straight ventrally, arched dorsally, weakly thickened in basal fifth; distinctly widened in apical quarter (dorsal view), with small spiracular tubercles in basal third; densely rugulose, with striation laterally and apically. Length of petiole 2.9 × its apical width (dorsal view), 1.7 × length of propodeum. Second tergite with separate laterotergite. Second suture indistinct. Median length of second and third tergites combined 1.3 × basal width of second tergite, 0.7 × their maximum width. Second and third tergites entirely semi-circularly and finely transversely aciculate; fourth-sixth tergites in apical halves finely transversely aciculate, almost smooth in basal half. Ovipositor sheath 2.0 × as long as petiole, 0.8 × as long as metasoma, 1.1 × as long as mesosoma, 0.6 × as long as fore wing.

Colour. Mesosoma and petiole black, head and remaining metasomal tergites reddish brown. Antennae yellowish brown, darkened toward apex. Palpi reddish brown, apical segment of maxillary palpi yellow. Tegula black. Legs reddish brown, fore and middle coxae pale yellow; all tarsi (except dark fifth segment) yellow; hind tibia entirely (including base) reddish brown. Ovipositor sheath white yellow in basal half, brown to dark brown in apical half. Fore wing distinctly infuscate, with hyaline transverse stripes apically, near base of pterostigma and subbasally. Pterostigma brown, white in basal quarter.

Male. Unknown.

Material examined. Holotype: female, China, Hainan Prov., Bawangling , 26.XI.2008, Tan Jiangli, No. 200805701 ( ZJUH).

Comparative diagnosis. This new species belongs to the S. ruficeps (Smith) species group. Spathius tanae sp. nov. is similar to S. manni Brues , but differs in having the precoxal sulcus running along anterior 0.7 of lower part of mesopleuron (running along entire lower length of mesopleuron in S. manni ), propodeum with areas indistinctly delineated by carinae (with areas distinctly delineated by carinae in S. manni ), head slightly depressed (not depressed in S. manni ), and middle coxa pale yellow (reddish brown in S. manni ).

Etymology. This species is named in honour of Dr Tan Jiangli, the collector of the type specimen.

Distribution. China (Hainan).

Figures

FIGURE 44. Spathius tanae sp. nov. A, habitus, lateral aspect; B, head, dorsal aspect; C, head, frontal 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.