Zele fuscatus 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

publication ID	https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1248.158182
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:5C45F816-3D1E-4443-A7B3-8365D411639D
DOI	https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.16746253
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/77FF7752-5E7D-5B47-A6BD-73AEE6C65A61
treatment provided by	ZooKeys by Pensoft
scientific name	Zele fuscatus Fang, van Achterberg & Chen
status	sp. nov.

Treatment

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

Fig. 16 View Figure 16

Type material.

Holotype. China – Shaanxi Prov. • ♀; Xunyangba, Ningshan ; 33.55°N, 108.55°E; alt. 1481 m; 20 May – 23 Jun. 2016; Jiang-li Tan, Qing-qing Tan leg.; Black Malaise trap; ( ZJUH) No. 202315004 GoogleMaps . Paratype. China – Shaanxi Prov. • 1 ♀; same data as for holotype; ( NWU) No. 202315003 GoogleMaps .

Diagnosis.

Malar space 0.4 × as long as basal width of mandible; pterostigma of ♀ dark brown (Fig. 16 D View Figure 16 ); ventral 1 / 2 of temple yellowish, strongly contrasting with blackish mesosoma (Fig. 16 G, C View Figure 16 ); face 1.4 × wider than high (Fig. 16 F View Figure 16 ); first tergite ~ 2.4 × longer than its apical width; dorsope of first tergite small and area between dorsope much wider than dorsope (Fig. 16 J View Figure 16 ); hind tarsus mainly white; ovipositor sheath ~ 0.45 × as long as fore wing.

Comparative diagnosis.

Similar to Z. petiolatus but differs mainly by longer malar space (shorter in Z. petiolatus ), wide face (narrow in Z. petiolatus ) and dark brown pterostigma (pale brown in Z. petiolatus ).

Description.

Holotype, ♀, length of fore wing 7.2 mm, of body 8.4 mm.

Head. Antenna incomplete, third segment nearly as long as fourth segment and third and fourth segments 3.0 × and 3.1 × longer than wide, respectively; length of maxillary palp 1.4 × longer than height of head; frons partly rugulose and behind antennal sockets impressed; POL: diameter of posterior ocellus: OOL = 10: 8: 11; vertex finely punctulate and densely setose; clypeus strongly convex in lateral view, weakly punctate (Fig. 16 H View Figure 16 ); face almost smooth, widened ventrally, minimum width of face 1.4 × height of face (Fig. 16 F View Figure 16 ); length of eye 2.0 × temple in dorsal view (Fig. 16 G View Figure 16 ); length of malar space 0.4 × basal width of mandible.

Mesosoma. Length of mesosoma 1.7 × its height; side of pronotum largely reticulate-crenulate and matt, with some striae ventrally; epicnemial area mainly reticulate-rugose; precoxal sulcus comparatively carinate dorsally, largely reticulate-rugose; remainder of mesopleuron smooth with few sculptured (Fig. 16 B View Figure 16 ); mesosternum coarsely punctate; metapleuron narrowly smooth anteriorly, largely rugose-reticulate; mesoscutal lobes punctate and shiny; notauli rather widely crenulate, mesoscutum medio-posteriorly widely crenulate-rugose. scutellar sulcus deep and wide, with a long median carina; scutellum slightly convex, smooth; metanotum with small posterior knob and with three rather long carinae; propodeum mainly rugulose, subbasal carina of propodeum mainly straight to curved posteriad; medio-longitudinal carina complete, and mostly well developed; in lateral view propodeum gradually lowered posteriorly except for dorsal part in front of subbasal carina and this dorsal part comparatively large (Fig. 16 B, C View Figure 16 ).

Wings. Fore wing (Fig. 16 D View Figure 16 ): r: 3 - SR: SR 1 = 7: 15: 91; 2 - SR: 3 - SR: r-m = 27: 22: 11; 1 - CU 1: 2 - CU 1 = 5: 70; cu-a nearly vertical, postfurcal. Hind wing: r absent; M + CU: 1 - M = 82: 20; 1 r-m 2.0 × 1 - M.

Legs. Hind coxa widely punctate dorsally; length of fore femur 7.4 × its width (Fig. 16 K View Figure 16 ); length of fore tibial spur 0.3 × fore basitarsus (Fig. 16 L View Figure 16 ); lengths of hind femur and basitarsus 7.0 × and 12.1 × their widths, respectively (Fig. 16 M View Figure 16 ).

Metasoma. First tergite 2.4 × longer than its apical width, it narrow medially, its surface finely strigate basally and shiny; dorsope elliptical and comparatively small, area behind dorsope depressed (Fig. 16 J View Figure 16 ), laterope small and sublateral (Fig. 16 I View Figure 16 ); second tergite mainly bare, smooth and shiny; ovipositor comparatively robust basally; length of ovipositor sheath 0.45 × as long as fore wing, sheath with long semi-erect setae (Fig. 16 E View Figure 16 ).

Colour. Mesosoma, hind coxa, hind tibia (except apical 1 / 6) and part of hind femur and apical 1 / 2 of first metasomal tergite, ovipositor sheath (but apex pale brown) mainly black; head, face, legs except hind leg yellowish; hind tarsus largely white, but its telotarsus dorsally and base of basitarsus brownish yellow; pterostigma dark brown; wings subhyaline with slight infuscation.

Variation. Vein 1 r-m of hind wing 2.0–2.3 × as long as vein 1 - M; fore femur of ♀ 7.4–7.6 × longer than wide; hind femur of ♀ 6.8–7.0 × longer than wide;

Distribution.

China (Shaanxi).

Biology.

Unknown.

Etymology.

Named after the dark mesosoma, strongly contrasting with the ventral half of the yellowish temple; fuscatus is Latin for darkened.