Spathius quasiasander, 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 : 97-99

Spathius quasiasander sp. nov.

( Fig. 35 )

Description. Female. Body length 3.9 mm; fore wing length 2.9 mm.

Head. Antennae weakly setiform, more than 27-segmented (apical segments missing). Scape 1.8 × as long as its maximum width. First flagellar segment 5.5 × as long as its apical width, as long as second segment. Subapical segments about 4.5 × as long as their width. Head width (dorsal view) 1.5 × its median length, 1.2 × as wide as mesoscutum. Head behind eyes (dorsal view) roundly narrowed; transverse diameter of eye 1.9 × length of temple. Ocelli medium-sized, arranged in almost equilateral triangle; POL: Od: OOL = 3.0: 3.0: 7.0. Vertex entirely smooth; frons distinctly, densely and almost entirely transversely striate. Eye glabrous, 1.25 × as high as broad. Malar space 0.4 × eye height and 0.7 × basal width of mandible. Temple entirely smooth. Face with dense, distinct and weakly curved transverse striae with fine reticulation, smooth on wide vertical median stripe. Face width equal to eye height and 1.25 × height of face and clypeus combined. Hypoclypeal depression large and round, its width 0.8 × distance from edge of depression to eye, 0.4 × width of face. Occipital carina complete dorsally, ventrally not joined with hypostomal carina obliterating upper base of mandible.

Mesosoma. Length of mesosoma 2.1 × its height. Pronotal keel distinct, its posterior branch distinctly fused with posterior margin of pronotum on short distance; anterior branch situated near middle of pronotum. Mesoscutum highly and roundly elevated above pronotum, its median lobe convex anteriorly and without anterolateral corners. Mesoscutum densely granulate, granules on median lobe situated in curved lines; with rather long and dense rugae situated along notauli and laterally, with two distinct and weakly convergent posteriorly almost straight carinae in medioposterior half; mostly glabrous, with rather sparse, long and semi-erect pale setae arranged rather wide along notauli and in single line laterally. Notauli anteriorly distinct, wide, crenulate, deep anteriorly and shallow posteriorly. Prescutellar depression rather shallow, not long, with three carinae, almost smooth, 0.3 × as long as scutellum. Scutellum entirely densely granulate, weakly convex, with distinct lateral carinae. Mesopleuron almost entirely granulate, partly with curved striation. Subalar depression rather shallow, wide, sparsely and curvedly striate-rugose. Precoxal sulcus distinct and coarsely crenulate-rugose, deep, wide, straight, oblique along anterior 0.6 and shallow, wide and weakly curved along posterior 0.4 of lower part of mesopleuron. Propodeum with short and rather wide lateral tubercles, with basolateral areas distinctly delineated by carinae and granulate with rugosity, rest part of propodeum mainly smooth to finely reticulate and with sparse striae; areola rather narrow and relatively short; basal carina present in basal quarter, about as long as anterior fork of areola.

Wings. Fore wing 3.5 × as long as wide. Vein r arising almost from middle of pterostigma. 3-SR: r: SR1: 2- SR = 27: 5: 37: 20. Second submarginal cell not narrowed distally, its length 3.1 × maximum width, 1.5 × 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 distinctly antefurcal, distinctly oblique towards base of wing and almost straight, faintly infuscate.

Legs. Hind coxa dorsally densely granulate with fine transverse striation, densely granulate to reticulate-coriaceous below at rest part, with distinct basoventral corner and tooth. Hind femur mainly smooth, very finely longitudinally striate dorsally, 3.4 × as long as wide. Hind tibia apically with two spines on outer side. Dorsal surface of hind tibia with not long, rather sparse and semi-erect setae, their length 0.8–1.2 × maximum width of tibia. Hind tarsus almost as long as hind tibia. Hind basitarsus 0.7 × as long as second-fifth segments combined. Second segment of hind tarsus 0.45 × as long as basitarsus, 1.3 × as long as fifth segment (without pretarsus).

Metasoma. Petiole (lateral view) weakly curved ventrally, dorsally weakly and evenly arched, weakly thickened submedially; widened in apical fifth (dorsal view), with small spiracular tubercles in weakly widened basal third. Length of petiole 3.1 × its apical width, 1.8 × length of propodeum. Second tergite without separate laterotergites. Median length of second and third tergites combined 1.6 × basal width of second tergite, 0.8 × as long as their maximum width. Second suture absent. Petiole distinctly and rather densely longitudinally striate, with dense and fine reticulation between striae. Remaining tergites entirely smooth. Ovipositor straight. Ovipositor sheath 3.1 × as long as petiole, 1.2 × as long as metasoma, 1.9 × as long as mesosoma, 0.9 × as long as fore wing.

Colour. Body dark reddish brown to reddish brown, with pale spots on head upper eyes and on mesoscutum along notauli. Antennae yellowish brown basally, brown to dark brown on rest part, without pale subapical segments. Palpi pale yellow. Legs pale yellow to whitish yellow, middle and hind femora in apical halves, hind tibia on short submedian sport and hind tarsus brown. Ovipositor sheath brownish yellow in basal half and brown to dark brown on apical half. Fore wing faintly infuscate, with brownish spots near 1-M vein and below pterostigma. Pterostigma brown, pale in basal third and apically.

Variation. Body length 3.0– 3.9 mm; fore wing length 2.4–3.0 mm. First flagellar segment 5.0–5.5 × as long as its apical width. Transverse diameter of eye 1.7–1.8 × length of temple. Length of mesosoma 2.0–2.1 × its height. Basal carina of propodeum 0.6 × as long as anterior fork of areola. Hind femur 3.3–3.6 × as long as wide. Length of petiole 2.9–3.2 × its apical width, 1.80–1.85 × length of propodeum. Sometimes second tergite striate at short basolateral areas. Ovipositor sheath 2.5–3.0 × as long as petiole, 1.2–1.3 × as long as metasoma, 1.8–1.9 × as long as mesosoma, 0.8–0.9 × as long as fore wing.

Male. Unknown.

Material examined. Holotype. female, China, Hainan Prov., Diaoluoshan , 16–17.VII.2006, Liu Jingxian, No. 200802260 ( ZJUH) . Paratypes: 1 female, China, Hainan Prov., Jianfengling Tianchi , 22–23.X.2007, Liu Jingxian, No. 200710731 ( ZJUH) ; 1 female, Hainan Prov., Jianfengling, 5–7. VI .2007, Weng Liqiong , No. 200806464 ( ZISP) ; 1 female, Hainan Prov., Diaoluoshan , 16–17.VII.2006, Liu Jingxian, No. 200802279 ( ZJUH) .

Comparative diagnosis. This new species belongs to the S. fasciatus Walker species group. Spathius quasiasander sp. nov. is similar to S. asander Nixon , but differs in having the frons with distinct striation (very finely striate in S. asander ), mesoscutum almost perpendicularly elevated above pronotum (very gradually in S. asander ), scutellum densely and distinctly granulate (with trace of sculpture in S. asander ), mesopleuron distinctly and entirely sculptured (mainly smooth in S. asander ), and setae on dorsal surface of hind tibia shorter (long in S. asander ). This new species also similar to Chinese S. beatus Chao , but differs from it in having the malar space dark (pale in S. beatus ), apical segments of antenna without pale segments (with pale segments in S. beatus ), posterior branch of pronotal carina fused with posterior margin (separated in S. beatus ), scutellum coarsely granulate (finely coriaceous to smooth in S. beatus ), and ovipositor long (short in S. beatus ).

Etymology. From “quasi” (Latin for “near”) and the name of the most related species.

Distribution. China (Hainan).

Figures

FIGURE 35. Spathius quasiasander sp. nov. A, habitus, lateral aspect; B, head, frontal aspect; C, head, dorsal 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.