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

Fig. 26

Type material.

Holotype. China – Hubei Prov. • ♀; Shennongjia, Qianjiaping ; 26 Aug. 1982; Jun-hua He leg.; ( ZJUH) No. 825529 . Paratypes. China – Hubei Prov. • 2 ♀♀; topotypic and same date; Nos. 825551, 825470 ; • 2 ♀♀; Shennongjia, Qianjiaping ; 26 Aug. 1982; Shang-bo Shi leg.; ( ZJUH) Nos. 870107, 870106 . • 1 ♀; Shennongjia, Dashennongjia ; 27 Aug. 1982; Jun-hua He leg.; ( ZJUH) No. 825695 . • 1 ♀; Jiuhu ; 27 Aug. 1982; Shang-bo Shi leg.; ( ZJUH) No. 870113 . – Shaanxi Prov. • 1 ♀; Mt. Taibai ; 20 Aug. 2003; Zai-fu Xu leg.; ( ZJUH) No. 20059093 .

Diagnosis.

Hind coxa densely punctate-rugulose, rather matt, and without distinct smooth interspaces (Fig. 26 A ); first tergite 2.4 × longer than its apical width; hind tarsus mainly whitish, but base of basitarsus infuscated; dorsope of first tergite small and narrow elliptical, area between dorsope much wider than dorsope (Fig. 26 K ); hind tibia (except apical 1 / 3) ivory; frons usually partly rugose (Fig. 26 G ); base of hind basitarsus only infuscated; ovipositor sheath 0.45–0.58 × as long as fore wing.

Comparative diagnosis.

Very similar to Z. peronatus but differs mainly by the hind coxa densely punctate-rugulose, rather matt, and without distinct smooth interspaces (punctate and with small smooth interspaces, rather shiny in Z. peronatus ), small and narrow elliptical dorsope in first tergite (large and oval in Z. peronatus ) and ivory hind tibia (except apical 1 / 3) (mostly dark brown or brown in Z. peronatus ).

Description.

Holotype, ♀, length of fore wing 8.5 mm, of body 8.9 mm, and antenna 1.2 × as long as fore wing.

Head. Antennal segments 46, third segment 1.1 × longer than fourth segment and third, fourth and penultimate segments 3.8 ×, 3.5 ×, and 2.0 × longer than wide, respectively; length of maxillary palp 1.2 × longer than height of head; frons sculptured and behind antennal sockets impressed; POL: diameter of posterior ocellus: OOL = 9: 9: 6; vertex convex, distinctly punctate and densely setose (Fig. 26 H ); clypeus rather convex in lateral view, largely smooth, only punctate medially (Fig. 26 I ); face largely punctate and matt, rugulose near antennal sockets, and slightly narrowed ventrally (Fig. 26 G ), minimum width of face 1.3 × height of face; length of eye 2.2 × temple in dorsal view (Fig. 26 H ); length of malar space 0.2 × basal width of mandible.

Mesosoma. Length of mesosoma 1.8 × its height; side of pronotum largely reticulate-rugose, narrowly punctate posteriorly; epicnemial area reticulate-rugose; precoxal sulcus densely reticulate-rugose dorsally, narrowly reticulate-punctate ventrally; mesopleuron densely triple-punctate (Fig. 26 B ); mesosternum punctulate and shiny; dorsal of metapleuron mainly rugose, postero-dorsally canaliculate; mesoscutal lobes punctate and comparatively shiny; notauli anteriorly widely and distinctly crenulate, mesoscutum medio-posteriorly narrowly crenulate-rugose and without longitudinal carina; scutellar sulcus deep and rather wide with a long median carina; scutellum rather convex and punctulate; metanotum with three short converging carinae; propodeum widely reticulate-rugose, subbasal carina of propodeum irregular submedially, anterior area comparatively conspicuously rugulose; propodeum without long straight median carina; in lateral view propodeum gradually lowered posteriorly, posterior of subbasal carina weakly separated from antero-dorsal part and robust (Fig. 26 B, C ).

Wings. Fore wing (Fig. 26 D ): r: 3 - SR: SR 1 = 10: 32: 145; 2 - SR: 3 - SR: r-m = 30: 32: 26; 1 - CU 1: 2 - CU 1 = 5: 85; cu-a vertical, antefurcal. Hind wing (Fig. 26 E ): r present; M + CU: 1 - M = 75: 10; 1 r-m 3.7 × 1 - M.

Legs. Hind coxa densely punctate-rugulose dorsally; length of fore femur 6.0 × its width (Fig. 26 L ); length of fore tibial spur 0.4 × fore basitarsus (Fig. 26 M ); lengths of hind femur and basitarsus 6.5 × and 10.8 × their widths, respectively (Fig. 26 N ).

Metasoma. First tergite 2.4 × longer than its apical width, its surface coarsely reticulate-rugose; dorsope elliptical and comparatively small, area in front of dorsope depressed (Fig. 26 K ), laterope comparatively narrow (Fig. 26 J ); second tergite mainly bare, smooth; ovipositor comparatively slender basally; length of ovipositor sheath 0.58 × as long as fore wing, sheath with long semi-erect setae (Fig. 26 F ).

Colour. Head in dorsal view, mesosoma, metasoma and ovipositor sheath largely black; face, clypeus, mandible (except black apex), palpi, fore and middle legs yellowish, hind coxa and femur reddish brown; antenna, pterostigma, veins C + SC + R, 1 - M and cu-a of fore wings, mainly dark brown; hind tibia brown but apical 1 / 3 blackish; hind tarsus largely whitish yellow, but its telotarsus dorsally brown.

Variation. Vein 1 r-m of hind wing 3.6–4.2 × as long as vein 1 - M; fore femur of ♀ 5.5–6.0 × longer than wide; hind femur of ♀ 6.5–6.7 × longer than wide; first metasomal tergite 2.3–2.5 × as long as its apical width.

Distribution.

China (Hubei, Shaanxi).

Biology.

Unknown.

Etymology.

Named after the densely punctate-rugulose hind coxa; sculpticoxis is Latin for sculptured coxa.

Figures

Figure 26. Zele sculpticoxis sp. nov., holotype, ♀ A. Habitus, lateral aspect; B. Mesosoma, lateral aspect; C. Mesosoma, dorsal aspect; D. Fore wing; E. Hind wing; F. Ovipositor sheath; G. Head, anterior aspect; H. Head, dorsal aspect; I. Head, lateral aspect; J. First metasomal tergite, lateral aspect; K. First metasomal tergite, dorsal aspect; L. Fore femur, lateral aspect; M. Fore tibial spur and fore basitarsus; N. Hind femur, lateral aspect. Scale bars: 500 μm.