Apanteles basicavus Liu & Chen

Liu, Zhen, He, Jun-Hua & Chen, Xue-Xin, 2015, The lacteus-, laspeyresiella - and mycetophilus - groups of Apanteles Foerster, 1862 (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Microgastrinae) in China, with descriptions of eight new species, Zootaxa 3949 (3), pp. 370-392 : 371-373

Apanteles basicavus Liu & Chen , sp. n.

Figure 1

Description. Female. Body length ca. 3.5 mm, fore wing length ca. 4.1 mm.

Head. Rather transverse in dorsal view, 2.1× as wide as long but only 0.8× as wide as mesoscutum. Temple gradually rounded, less constricted than usual ( Fig. 1 a). Head elongated in lateral view, 2.5× higher (including glossa) than wide, eye 2.2× times as high as wide (11.0:5.0), gena slightly longer than basal width of mandible (11:10). Face nearly quadrate, 0.9 × as high as wide, inner margin of eyes parallel. Clypeo-facial suture nearly lying on a line joining the eyes below. Maxillar palpi slightly longer than height of eye. Ocelli on a obtuse triangle ( Fig. 1 a), the posterior transverse tangent to the anterior ocellus cutting the posterior pair, distance between fore and a hind ocellus shorter than diameter of hind ocelli (5.0:6.0), POL:OD:OOL= 7.0:5.3:12.5. Face smooth, shiny with indistinct punctation. Antenna as long as head, thorax and T1. 1st antennomere 3.3× as long as broad (10:3.1), penultimate antennomere, 1.3× longer than wide.

Mesosoma. Stout, length to breadth and height 33.8:21.2:24.9. Pronotum smooth, shiny, both upper and lower furrows present and distinct. Disc of mesonotum highly polished, satin-like, with shallow, indistinct punctation except bigger, somewhat confluent punctation in anterior part of imaginary middle notaulice. Scutellar sulcus somewhat straight. Scutellum more polished than mesonotum, without punctation. Lateral polished field of scutellum reaching far up to base of scutellum, anterior part of the field crenulo-rugulose. Anterior of propodeum polished, with shallow punctures, posterior part of propodeum strongly rugose around nucha. Mesopleuron highly polished, its anterior half with punctation with setae.

Legs. Hind coxa as long as T1–2 combined. Spurs of tibiae nearly equal in length (2/5 length of basitarsus). Hind basitarsus as long as tarsal segments 2–4 combined.

Wings. Pterostigma 2.8× as long as its widest part. Vein 1-R1 (metacarp) as long as pterostigma, it is 3.4× as long as its distance from the apex of the marginal cell. Vein r arising behind the midpoint of pterostigma, longer than width of pterostigma, vein r almost 2× as long as vein 2-SR, both veins both veins indistinctly angled at their meeting, vein 2-M a little shorter than vein 2-SR. 1st discal cell nearly as long as wide. 1st submarginal cell of hind wing only a little wider than high (5.0:4.0). Vannal lobe of hind wing beyond its widest part straight, without setae.

Metasoma. 0.8× as long as head and thorax together (32.5:43.1). T1 narrowed posteriorly, suddenly constricted at hind half, basal width 1.7× hind width, basal 2/5 distinctly concave and polished, turned-over part rugulopunctate laterally, polished medially, but strongly rugose at hind. T3 1.6× as long as T2 (22.9:14.1), tergites after T1 highly polished and shiny. Ovipositor sheath nearly 1.5× as long as hind tibia (36.6:24.9).

Colour. Body black. Flagellum evenly dark brown, scape and pedicel darker than flagellum. Palpi brown, basally dark. Tegulae black. Coxae, hind femur and basal 4/5 of mid femur dark brown, other parts of legs brownish yellow to brown. Spurs of tibiae pale. Tergites after T1 with long white setae. Fore wing membrane hyaline, milky white. Vein C+SC+R, 1-R1 and pterostigma evenly brownish yellow with a small pale spot basally, veins of fore and hind wings almost depigmented.

Variation. Body length 3.5–4.0 mm. Pterostigma of some individuals whitish with darker border.

Male. Unknown.

Host. Unknown.

Material examined. Holotype: ♀, Dongliao, Jilin, 1988. VII.22–31, Lou Xiaoming, No. 888101. Paratypes: 1♀, Fuxin, Liaoning, 1995. VII.16–23, Lou Juxiang. No. 961255; 1♀, Tonghua, Jilin, 1994. VII.5–6, Lou Juxian, No. 977125.

Distribution. China (Provinces: Jilin, Liaoning).

Etymology. The specific name “ basicavus ” derives from the Latin adjective “basis” and “cavus”, referring to T1 concave basally.

Remarks. This species is very similar to A. frustratus Papp within the lacteus -group ( Nixon, 1965), but differs from the latter by the clypeo-facial suture nearly lying on the line joining the eyes below (in the latter species distinctly below); the ovipositor sheath 1.5× the length of hind tibia (in the latter species as long as hind tibia); and T3 1.6× as long as T2 (in the latter species only somewhat longer than T2).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Apanteles basicavus Liu & Chen, sp. n. a head, dorsal view; b fore wing; c head, lateral view; d head, frontal view; e mesosoma, dorsal view; f habitus, lateral view; g hind wing; h propodeum and T 1 – 3, dorsal view. Scale line = 0.5 mm.