Zele curvatus Fang, van Achterberg & Chen, 2025

Fang, Yu, van Achterberg, Cornelis, Tang, Pu & Chen, Xue-xin, 2025, Revision of genus Zele Curtis (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Euphorinae) from China, with description of nineteen new species, ZooKeys 1248, pp. 125-208 : 125-208

Zele curvatus Fang, van Achterberg & Chen sp. nov.

Fig. 10

Type material.

Holotype. China – Jilin Prov. • ♀; Yanbian, Huangsongpu Forest Farm ; 4 Oct. 2004; Yu-zhou Du, Zhi-jie Wang leg.; ( ZJUH) No. 202401067. GenBank accession no. PV 356317 .

Diagnosis.

Eyes comparatively large (Fig. 10 G ), in dorsal view of ♀ ~ 3.6 × as long as temple; first metasomal tergite ~ 2.3 × longer than its apical width and moderately narrowed in front of dorsope; dorsope large and space between dorsope approximately equal to width of dorsope (Fig. 10 J ); temple directly narrowed and lowered behind eye (Fig. 10 G, H ); hind tarsus mainly white; ovipositor sheath ~ 0.30 × as long as fore wing; vein r of hind wing vaguely present (Fig. 10 D ); outline of propodeum rather curved in lateral view (Fig. 10 B ); subbasal carina of propodeum rather arched and median carina in front of carina comparatively long.

Comparative diagnosis.

Very similar to Z. cristatus but differs mainly by the large eyes (smaller in Z. cristatus ), large dorsope and space between dorsope approximately equal to width of dorsope (hardly visible in Z. cristatus ) and propodeum more curved in lateral view (convex in Z. cristatus ).

Description.

Holotype, ♀, length of fore wing 7.1 mm, of body 7.6 mm, and antenna 1.2 × as long as fore wing.

Head. Antennal segments 40, third segment 1.1 × longer than fourth segment and third, fourth and penultimate segments 3.4 ×, 3.2 ×, and 1.6 × longer than wide, respectively; length of maxillary palp 1.4 × longer than height of head; frons smooth and behind antennal sockets impressed; POL: diameter of posterior ocellus: OOL = 12: 11: 5; vertex convex, punctulate and densely setose (Fig. 10 G ); clypeus strongly convex in lateral view, punctate apically (Fig. 10 H ); face widely smooth but punctulate near antennal sockets, it widened ventrally (Fig. 10 F ), minimum width of face 1.2 × height of face; length of eye 3.6 × temple in dorsal view (Fig. 10 G ); length of malar space 0.2 × basal width of mandible.

Mesosoma. Length of mesosoma 1.75 × its height; side of pronotum densely striate-rugose ventrally and posteriorly, crenulate medially; epicnemial area rather smooth anteriorly, rugose posteriorly; precoxal sulcus narrowly crenulate dorsally, coarsely reticulate-punctate ventrally; dorsal of mesopleuron smooth and shiny, finely punctulate (Fig. 10 B ); mesosternum finely punctulate and matt; metapleuron smooth anteriorly but striate-rugose posteriorly; mesoscutal lobes widely punctulate and shiny; notauli distinctly widely crenulate; scutellar sulcus deep and narrow, with one long median carina and two short carinae laterally; scutellum rather convex and weakly punctate; metanotum with small smooth knob medio-posteriorly and without median carina in front of it; propodeum reticulate-rugose, subbasal transverse carina straight to curved, evenly dome-shaped and finely sculptured, medio-longitudinal carina present; in lateral view propodeum gradually lowered posteriorly, posterior of not distinctly separated from antero-dorsal part distinctly (Fig. 10 B, C ).

Wings. Fore wing (Fig. 10 D ): r: 3 - SR: SR 1 = 9: 16: 90; 2 - SR: 3 - SR: r-m = 15: 16: 13; cu-a vertical, interstitial. Hind wing (Fig. 10 D ): r present; M + CU: 1 - M = 60: 10; 1 r-m 2.5 × 1 - M.

Legs. Hind coxa largely punctulate dorsally; length of fore femur 7.0 × its width (Fig. 10 K ); length of fore tibial spur 0.3 × fore basitarsus (Fig. 10 M ); lengths of hind femur and basitarsus 6.6 × and 11.0 × their widths, respectively (Fig. 10 L ).

Metasoma. First tergite 2.3 × longer than its apical width, it narrowed medially, its surface smooth, except some rugulosity behind spiracles; dorsope comparatively large, oval, area dorsope behind depressed (Fig. 10 J ), laterope comparatively narrow but deep (Fig. 10 I ); second tergite mainly bare, smooth; ovipositor comparatively robust basally; length of ovipositor sheath 0.30 × as long as fore wing, sheath with moderately erect and medium-sized setae (Fig. 10 E ).

Colour. Head, antenna, hind femur and metasoma (except first metasomal tergite dark brown) brownish yellow; mesosoma black; face, mandible, palpi, fore and middle legs and hind trochanters light brown; hind coxa and basal 1 / 2 of hind tibia and ovipositor sheath dark brown; hind tarsus white; veins (except dark brown veins C + SC + R, M + CU 1, 1 - M and cu-a) and pterostigma pale brown.

Distribution.

China (Jilin).

Biology.

Unknown.

Etymology.

Named after the evenly dome-shaped subbasal carina of the propodeum; curvatus is Latin for curved.

Figures

Figure 10. Zele curvatus sp. nov., holotype, ♀ A. Habitus, lateral aspect; B. Mesosoma, lateral aspect; C. Mesosoma, dorsal aspect; D. Wings; E. Ovipositor sheath; F. Head, anterior aspect; G. Head, dorsal aspect; H. Head, lateral aspect; I. First metasomal tergite, lateral aspect; J. First metasomal tergite, dorsal aspect; K. Fore femur, lateral aspect; L. Hind femur, lateral aspect; M. Fore tibial spur and fore basitarsus. Scale bars: 500 μm.