Spathius clavator, 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 : 35-37

Spathius clavator sp. nov.

( Fig. 9 )

Description. Female. Body length 5.3 mm; fore wing length 4.0 mm.

Head. Antennae filiform, more than 26-segmented (apical segments missing). Scape 1.6 × as long as its maximum width. First flagellar segment 6.7 × as long as its apical width, 1.2 × as long as second segment. Head width (dorsal view) 1.45 × its median length, 1.2 × as wide as mesoscutum. Head behind eyes (dorsal view) weakly and roundly narrowed; transverse diameter of eye 1.6 × length of temple. Ocelli medium-sized, arranged in almost equilateral triangle; POL: Od: OOL = 3.0: 3.0: 11.0. Vertex almost entirely smooth; frons entirely, coarsely, rather sparsely and straight transverse striate. Eye glabrous, 1.2 × as high as broad. Malar space 0.4 × eye height and 0.7 × basal width of mandible. Temple mainly smooth. Face sparsely, distinctly and curvedly transversely striate with additional fine reticulation, only finely granulate medially. Face width 1.1 × eye height and 1.2 × as long as height of face and clypeus combined. Hypoclypeal depression medium-sized and round, its width almost equal to distance from edge of depression to eye, 0.45 × width of face. Occipital carina complete dorsally, ventrally not joined with hypostomal carina being obliterated upper base of mandible.

Mesosoma. Length of mesosoma 1.9 × its height. Pronotal keel distinct, its posterior branch coarse, connected on wide territory with posterior margin of pronotum; anterior branch of carina distinct and situated submedially. Mesoscutum highly and roundly elevated above pronotum, its median lobe weakly convex anteriorly and without anterolateral corners. Mesoscutum distinctly and densely granulate, its median lobe anteriorly with granules partly situated in fine transverse lines, with long and dense rugae along notauli and laterally, with two distinct and weakly convergent posteriorly undulate carinae in medioposterior half; mostly glabrous, with rather dense, long and semi-erect pale setae arranged in wide stripe along notauli and in narrow stripe laterally. Notauli distinct, wide, coarsely densely crenulate, deep anteriorly and more shallow posteriorly. Prescutellar depression rather deep, long, with four carinae, finely rugulose-granulate, 0.3 × as long as scutellum. Scutellum entirely densely and distinctly granulate, without rugae, weakly convex, with lateral carinae. Mesopleuron entirely densely granulate with fine striation partly. Subalar depression shallow, rather narrow, coarsely rugose-striate and with granulation. Precoxal sulcus deep, wide, sinuate, shallow and oblique in anterior 0.6, sparsely crenulate with striation in posterior 0.4, running along entire lower part of mesopleuron. Propodeum with distinct and rather wide lateral tubercles, with basolateral areas distinctly delineated by carinae and densely granulate with distinct rugosity along carinae, rest part of propodeum sparsely striate and finely coriaceous; areola rather wide and medium-sized; basal carina present in basal 0.2, 0.5 × as long as anterior fork of areola.

Wings. Fore wing 4.0 × as long as wide. Vein r arising from middle of pterostigma. 3-SR: r: SR1: 2-SR = 24: 7: 37: 21. Second submarginal cell not narrowed distally, its length 3.2 × 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 0.7 × as long as vein 1-M. Vein m-cu antefurcal, strongly oblique towards base of wing, faintly infuscate.

Legs. Hind coxa dorsally transversely striate with dense distinct granulation, distinctly densely granulate laterally, but finely granulate below, with distinct basoventral corner and tooth. Hind femur subclavate, densely and very finely granulate with fine striation dorsally, smooth on rest part, 3.7 × as long as wide. Hind tibia apically with three slender spines on outer side. Dorsal surface of hind tibia with long, dense and semi-erect setae, their length 0.9–1.3 × maximum width of tibia. Hind tarsus 0.9 × as long as hind tibia. Hind basitarsus 0.55 × as long as second-fifth segments combined. Second segment of hind tarsus 0.6 × as long as basitarsus, 1.2 × as long as fifth segment (without pretarsus).

Metasoma. Petiole (lateral view) very weakly curved ventrally, dorsally distinctly arched in basal 0.5 and almost straight in apical 0.5, thickened in basal 0.4; weakly widened in apical fifth (dorsal view), with spiracular tubercles in weakly widened basal third. Length of petiole 2.7 × its apical width, 1.7 × length of propodeum. Second tergite with laterotergites separated in basal half only. 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 additional dense and fine reticulation between striae. Second tergite basally finely aciculate. Remaining tergites smooth. Ovipositor straight. Ovipositor sheath 2.6 × as long as petiole, 1.2 × as long as metasoma, 1.8 × as long as mesosoma, 0.8 × as long as fore wing.

Colour. Head and mesonotum yellow to brownish yellow, face reddish brown. Remaining mesosoma and all metasoma reddish brown to dark reddish brown, tergites behind petiole brownish yellow apically. Antennae yellow to brownish brown, brown in apical third, possibly without pale segments (apical segments missing). Palpi whitish. Legs yellow to whitish yellow, all femora in apical thirds brown, hind coxa entirely yellow, hind tibia yellow, brown on short median area, brownish basally. Ovipositor sheath yellow to brownish yellow in basal 0.5 and brown to dark brown in apical 0.5. Fore wing very faintly infuscate, with more distinct brownish spots around vein 1-SR, 1-M and below pterostigma. Pterostigma brown, pale yellow in basal quarter.

Male. Unknown.

Material examined. Holotype. female, China, Hainan Prov., Jianfengling Mingfenggu , 25.X.2007, Liu Jingxian, No. 200709690 ( ZJUH).

Comparative diagnosis. This new species belongs to the S. fasciatus Walker species group. Spathius clavator sp. nov. is similar to S. angustifemur Belokobylskij et Maeto , but differs in having the petiole and second tergite wide (slender in S. angustifemur ), ovipositor sheath shorter (longer in S. angustifemur ), mesopleuron medially distinctly and widely rugosity-granulate (smooth in S. angustifemur ), temple short (long in S. angustifemur ), scutellum distinctly densely granulate (mainly smooth in S. angustifemur ), head, mesoscutum and hind coxa yellow to brownish yellow (reddish brown to dark reddish brown in S. angustifemur ). The differences between S. clavator sp. nov. and S. hikoensis Belokobylskij are shown in the key.

Etymology. From “clavator ” (Latin for “club”) because of the shape of hind femur.

Distribution. China (Hainan).

Figures

FIGURE 9. Spathius clavator sp. nov. A, habitus, lateral aspect; B, head, frontal aspect; C, head, dorsal aspect; D, petiole, lateral aspect; E, mesosoma, lateral aspect; F, mesoscutum, dorsal aspect; G, fore wing; H, metasoma, dorsal aspect. Scale bar 0.5 mm.