Spathius basalis, 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 : 27-29

Spathius basalis sp. nov.

( Fig. 6 )

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

Head. Antennae slender, weakly setiform, 23-segmented. Scape 1.3 × as long as its maximum width. First flagellar segment 4.7 × 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 × as long as its sides; POL: Od: OOL = 12: 7: 30. Vertex densely striate, finely granulate laterally. Frons densely coarsely striate. Eye glabrous, 1.3 × as high as broad. Malar space 0.4 × eye height and 0.8 × basal width of mandible. Temple finely rugose-striate. Face densely and finely rugose-reticulate, with granulation between rugulosity; 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 1.9 × its height. Pronotal keel distinct, its posterior branch widely fused with posterior margin of pronotum; anterior branch situated submedially on pronotum. Mesoscutum highly and roundly elevated above pronotum. Mesoscutum with sparse and semi-erect setae along notauli and laterally; densely granulate, with two convergent posteriorly carinae and narrow rugosity between them in medioposterior half. Notauli complete, wide, shallow, densely crenulate. Prescutellar depression shallow, with six carinae, 0.3 × as long as scutellum. Scutellum densely granulate, flat, with distinct lateral carinae. Mesopleuron entirely coriaceous-granulate. Subalar depression shallow, wide, very sparsely rugose-striate. Precoxal sulcus shallow, wide, straight, distinctly crenulate and granulate, running along anterior 0.6 of lower part of mesopleuron. Propodeum with distinct tubercles, distinctly granulate in basal half, with areas distinctly delineated by carinae; basal carina 0.7 × as long as anterior fork of areola; areola narrow and long.

Wings. Fore wing 3.8 × as long as wide. Vein r arising weakly before middle of pterostigma. 3-SR: r: SR1: 2- SR = 20: 6: 28: 18. Second submarginal cell not narrowed distally, its length 3.5 × maximum width, 1.5 × length of first subdiscal cell. Vein cu-a postfurcal. Vein m-cu postfurcal. Vein CU1a not interstitial, arising from anterior 0.3 of distal vein of subdiscal cell. Hind wing vein M+CU 0.5 × as long as vein 1-M. Vein m-cu distinctly antefurcal, weakly curved towards base of wing.

Legs. Hind coxa densely granulate, finely striate dorsally, with basoventral tooth and corner. Hind femur coriaceous, 3.0 × 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 0.8–0.9 × 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, 0.8 × as long as fifth segment (without pretarsus).

Metasoma. Petiole (lateral view) straight ventrally and distinct arched in basal third dorsally, with spiracular tubercles in basal third; densely striate, with rugulosity between striae. Second tergite entirely and third in basal half with separate laterotergites. Length of petiole 1.9 × its apical width (dorsal view), 1.6 × length of propodeum. Second suture absent. Median length of second and third tergites combined 1.3 × basal width of second tergite, 0.8 × as long as their maximum width. Second and third tergites rather densely and small reticulate-areolate. Remaining tergites reticulate-coriaceous, smooth apically on narrow area. Ovipositor sheath 1.8 × as long as petiole, 0.6 × as long as metasoma, as long as mesosoma, 0.4 × as long as fore wing.

Colour. Body yellowish brown; scutellum dark brown; mesopleuron reddish brown. Petiole dark reddish brown; remaining tergites dark brown. Antenna brownish yellow basally, darken toward apex. Palpi pale yellow. Legs pale yellow; hind femur dark brown in apical two-thirds; hind tibia in apical third and all fifth segments of tarsi brown. Ovipositor sheath brown, almost black apically. Fore wing faintly infuscate, with distinct maculation. Pterostigma brown, pale in basal 0.3.

Variation. Body length 2.9–3.8 mm; fore wing length 2.4–2.9 mm. First flagellar segment 4.6–5.0 × as long as its apical width, 1.3–1.5 × as long as second segment. Transverse diameter of eye 1.8 × length of temple. Mesosoma 1.8–2.0 × as long as its height. Prescutellar depression with five carinae. Basal carina of propodeum 0.8 × as long as anterior fork of areola.

Male. Unknown.

Material examined. Holotype: female, China, Hainan Prov., Jianfengling , 7.VI.2007, Liu Jingxian, No. 200702543 ( ZJUH) . Paratypes: 1 female, China, Hainan Prov., Jianfengling, 7. VI .2007, Liu Jingxian , No. 200702566 ( ZJUH) ; 1 female, Hainan Prov., Jianfengling Tianchi , 12–15.VII.2006, Weng Liqiong, No. 200803262 ( ZJUH) ; 1 female, Hainan Prov., Diaoluoshan , 16–17.VII.2006, Liu Jingxian, No. 200802192 ( ZJUH) ; 1 female, Guangdong Prov., Yunan Tongledashan , 12–13.VIII.2003, Xu Zaifu, No. 20054691 ( ZJUH) .

Comparative diagnosis. This new species belongs to the S. spilopterus Cameron species group. Spathius basalis sp. nov. is similar to S. decebalus Nixon , but differs in having the hind coxa with basoventral tooth and corner (without corner and tooth in S. decebalus ), palpi pale yellow (darkened in S. decebalus ), hind tibia in apical third brown and pale yellow on remaining part (entirely dark in S. decebalus ), and antenna distinctly darkened toward apex (hardly darken apically in S. decebalus ).

Etymology. From “basalis ” (Latin for “basal”), because of its hind coxa with basoventral tooth and corner.

Distribution. China (Hainan, Guangdong).

Figures

FIGURE 6. Spathius basalis 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.