Spathius subcyparissus, 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 : 111-112

Spathius subcyparissus sp. nov.

( Fig. 41 )

Description. Female. Body length 6.0 mm; fore wing length 4.5 mm.

Head. Antennae slender, weakly setiform, 50-segmented. Scape 1.6 × as long as its maximum width. First flagellar segment 3.8 × as long as its apical width, 1.2 × 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 1.7 × length of temple. Ocelli arranged in triangle with base 1.3 × its sides; POL: Od: OOL = 6: 5: 12. Vertex smooth. Frons densely and transversely striate. Eye glabrous, 1.3 × as high as broad. Malar space 0.5 × eye height and 0.8 × basal width of mandible. Temple smooth. Face entirely coarsely rugose-reticulate, clypeus rugose-striate; its width equal to eye height and equal to 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 2.2 × its height. Pronotal keel distinct, its posterior branch fused with posterior margin of pronotum at short distance; anterior branch fine and situated submedially. Pronotal lateral depression wide, partly delineated by carinae, densely and coarsely crenulate. Mesoscutum rather highly and roundly 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 six carinae, 0.3 × as long as scutellum. Scutellum coriaceous-granulate, weakly convex, with distinct lateral carinae. Mesopleuron weakly sculptured or almost smooth medially. Subalar depression shallow, rather wide, coarsely rugose-striate. Precoxal sulcus shallow, weakly curved, finely crenulate, running along entire length 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 1.3 × 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 before middle of pterostigma. 3-SR: r: SR1: 2-SR = 14: 4: 23: 10. Second submarginal cell not narrowed distally, its length 3.0 × maximum width, 1.2 × length of first subdiscal cell. Vein cu-a slightly postfurcal. Vein m-cu postfurcal. Hind wing vein M+CU 0.6 × as long as vein 1- M. Vein m-cu weakly antefurcal, strongly oblique towards base of wing.

Legs. Hind coxa transversely striate dorsally, densely granulate laterally and ventrally, with basoventral tooth and corner. Hind femur almost smooth, finely striate dorsally, 2.8 × as long as wide. Hind tibia apically with four spines on outer margin. Dorsal surface of hind tibia with long, sparse and semi-erect setae, their length 1.2–1.6 × 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) straight ventrally and distinct arched dorsally, with small spiracular tubercles in basal third; distinctly and entirely striate, with dense rugulosity between striae. Length of petiole 2.1 × its apical width (dorsal view), 1.8 × length of propodeum. Second-fourth tergites with separated laterotergites. Second suture indistinct. Median length of second and third tergites combined 1.3 × basal width of second tergite, as long as their maximum width. Second and third tergites densely and anastomose striate, with very dense rugulosity between striae, reticulate-punctate subapically, apically narrowly smooth; fourth tergite very dense semi-circularly anastomose striate, with very dense rugulose microsculpture between striae. Fifth tergite finely and sparsely coriaceous-reticulate basally, finely semi-circularly striate apically. Remaining tergites smooth. Ovipositor sheath 4.2 × as long as petiole, 1.6 × as long as metasoma, 2.6 × as long as mesosoma, 1.2 × as long as fore wing.

Colour. Head pale yellow, with brown or brownish frons at least medially, vertex with brown patch behind ocelli and on temples medially. Mesosoma dark reddish brown to almost black, with large yellow or pale yellow: areas along notauli and sometimes on anterior part of median lobe of mesoscutum, pronotum in lateral upper corner, propleuron posteriorly, most part of meso- and metapleuron, and propodeum laterally in anterior 0.7–0.8. Petiole black; second and third tergites mostly black with yellow narrow lateral (partly) and wide posterior parts, second tergite without yellow spots; fourth tergite black in basal 0.4–0.5, then medially brown and widely yellow laterally; following tergite brown, often laterally more or less widely yellow, apex of metasoma yellow. Scape and pedicel almost entirely brownish; basal half of flagellum brownish yellow to pale brown, apical half almost black. Palpi pale yellow. Fore and middle coxae and trochanters pale yellow; all femora yellow basally and apically and more or less widely brown medially; all tibiae more or less widely pale yellow, basally on short area and rather widely medially infuscate to almost black or dark brown; fore tarsus with almost black two basal segments and light reddish brown remaining segments; middle and hind tarsi mostly yellowish brown or pale brown, with first and often second segments distinctly infuscate in basal half. Ovipositor sheath brown or dark brown, but medially widely pale brown. Fore wing faintly infuscate, with more or less distinct maculation. Pterostigma dark brown, yellow in basal 0.25–0.30 and apically.

Variation. Body length 5.2–5.8 mm; fore wing length 4.0– 4.4 mm. Antennae 48–54-segmented. Transverse diameter of eye 1.8 × length of temple. Mesosoma 2.1 × as long as its height. Basal carina of propodeum 1.5 × as long as anterior fork of areola. Fore wing 3.6 × as long as maximum width. Length of second submarginal cell 3.2 × its maximum width. Hind femur 2.9 × as long as wide. Length of petiole 2.2 × its apical width (dorsal view). Median length of second and third tergites combined 1.4 × basal width of second tergite. Ovipositor sheath 4.5 × as long as petiole, 1.7 × as long as metasoma, 2.8 × as long as mesosoma, 1.3 × as long as fore wing.

Male. Unknown

Material examined. Holotype: female, China, Zhejiang Prov., Gutianshan , 2.VII.2005, Wu Qiong, No. 200615961 ( ZJUH) . Paratypes: 1 female, China, Zhejiang Prov., Gutianshan , 2.VII.2005, Wu Qiong, No. 200615963 ( ZJUH) ; 1 female, Zhejiang Prov., Gutianshan , 3.VII.2005, Wu Qiong, No. 200616494 ( ZISP) ; 1 female, Guangdong Prov., Shixing Chebaling , 22–28.VII.2008, Wen Min, No. 200807885 ( ZJUH) ; 1 female, Guangdong Prov., Shixing Chebaling , 22–28.VII.2008, Hong Chundan, No. 200807854 ( ZJUH) .

Comparative diagnosis. This new species belongs to the S. leucippus Nixon species group. Spathius subcyparissus sp. nov. is similar to S. cyparissus Nixon , but differs in having the petiole wide and 2.1 × as long as apical width (narrow and 2.6 × as long as apical width in S. cyparissus ), second tergite almost entirely dark (with two rather large medioposterior yellow spots in S. cyparissus ), pronotal carina fused medially on narrow area with posterior margin of pronotum (rather distinctly separated in S. cyparissus ), lateral lobes of mesoscutum with short lateral rugae and with wide only granulate median areas (with long rugae and narrow granulate areas in S. cyparissus ), vertex smooth (transverse striate in anterior 0.6 in S. cyparissus ), hind femur wide, 2.8 × as long as maximum width (narrow, 3.4 × as long as maximum width in S. cyparissus ), and mesopleuron weakly sculptured or almost smooth medially (entirely coarsely rugose-striate in S. cyparissus ).

Etymology. From “sub” (Latin for “under”) because it is similar to to S. cyparissus Nixon.

Distribution. China (Zhejiang, Guangdong).

Figures

FIGURE 41. Spathius subcyparissus sp. nov. A, habitus, lateral aspect; B, head, dorsal aspect; C, head, frontal aspect; D, fore wing; E, petiole, lateral aspect;F, mesoscutum, dorsal aspect; G, mesosoma, lateral aspect; H, metasoma, dorsal aspect. Scale bar 0.5 mm.