Tersilochus (Tersilochus) scutatus Khalaim & Sheng

Khalaim, Andrey I. & Sheng, Mao-Ling, 2015, Contribution to the study of Chinese Tersilochinae (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae), Zootaxa 4013 (2), pp. 280-286 : 283-286

Tersilochus (Tersilochus) scutatus Khalaim & Sheng , sp. nov.

( Figs 10–13 , 15–17 )

Comparison. Differs from its Palaearctic congeners by the combination of an unusually long clypeus ( Fig. 15 ) and very short ovipositor with neither teeth nor dorsal subapical notch ( Fig. 13 ).

Description. Female (holotype). Body length 3.1 mm. Fore wing length 2.7 mm.

Head roundly constricted behind eyes in dorsal view; temple 0.8× as long as eye width. Mandible with upper tooth somewhat longer than lower tooth. Clypeus lenticular, 2.2× as broad as long ( Fig. 15 ), in profile convex, smooth in lower part and very finely granulate in upper half, with fine but sharp punctures in upper 0.7. Malar space about as long as basal width of mandible. Antennal flagellum ( Fig. 11 ) tapered towards apex, with 17–19 flagellomeres (17 flagellomeres in holotype); subbasal flagellomeres 1.5–1.7×, and subapical flagellomeres 1.3– 1.4× as long as broad; flagellomeres 3 to 6 bearing subapical finger-shaped structures on outer surface ( Fig. 11 ).

Face and frons distinctly granulate, dull, with dense indistinct punctures. Vertex granulate, posteriorly almost smooth, without distinct punctures. Temple finely granulate (centrally almost smooth, weakly shining), with fine and sparse punctures. Occipital carina complete.

Notaulus as weak or moderately strong wrinkle extending from anterolateral margin of mesoscutum. Mesoscutum distinctly granulate, dull, anteriorly with dense indistinct punctures. Scutellum with lateral longitudinal carinae developed only at its extreme base. Foveate groove situated in anterior half of mesopleuron, weak and short, oblique, with transverse wrinkles. Mesopleuron peripherally granulate; centrally smooth, mostly finely and sparsely punctate. Metapleuron distinctly granulate, impunctate. Propodeum with basal keel which is 0.3–0.4× as long as apical area but sometimes indistinct and substituted by longitudinal wrinkles ( Fig. 16 ). Dorsolateral area finely granulate, dull, with fine and sparse punctures. Propodeal spiracle separated from pleural carina by 1.5–2.5× diameter of spiracle. Apical area flat or weakly impressed along midline, anteriorly pointed or rounded, finely granulate or uneven, impunctate, sometimes with fine transverse striae. Apical longitudinal carinae complete, reaching transverse carina anteriorly.

Fore wing ( Fig. 12 ) with second recurrent vein (2 m-cu) distinctly postfurcal; intercubitus (2rs-m) thick, shorter than or as long as abscissa of cubitus between intercubitus and second recurrent vein (abscissa of M between 2 rs-m and 2 m-cu). First abscissa of radius (Rs +2 r) longer than width of pterostigma. Metacarpus (R 1) not reaching apex of fore wing. Postnervulus intercepted below middle. Hind wing with nervellus (cu 1& cu-a) slightly reclivous. Legs slender. Hind femur 4.1× as long as broad and 0.9× as long as tibia.

First tergite slender, 3.5–4.0× as long as broad posteriorly, entirely smooth, with petiole round in cross-section. Glymma situated in apical 0.65 of first tergite, small, joining by sharp furrow to ventral part of postpetiole. Second tergite 1.25–1.4× as long as anteriorly broad ( Fig. 17 ). Thyridial depression very short, strongly transverse. Ovipositor very short, weakly upcurved, rather evenly tapered at apex, with neither teeth nor dorsal subapical depression ( Fig. 13 ); sheath about half as long as first tergite.

Head, mesosoma and first tergite black; palpi, mandible (base and teeth blackish) and tegula brownish yellow; lower 0.2–0.3 of clypeus yellowish brown or brown. Antenna brownish black. Pterostigma brown. Legs brownish yellow; all coxae darkened with brown (hind coxa brownish black). Metasoma behind first tergite yellow-brown ventrally to brown dorsally, or more or less entirely brown or dark brown.

Male. Unknown.

Variation. First tergite is somewhat slenderer in specimens from China (about 4.0× as long as broad posteriorly, petiole in dorsal view weakly separated from postpetiole—as in Fig. 17 ) and relatively robust in samples from the Russian Far East (about 3.5× as long as broad posteriorly, petiole in dorsal view distinctly wider than postpetiole). Otherwise this is very uniform species with minor variation in structure and coloration.

Etymology. Named from the Latin scutatus (armed with a long wooden shield), in reference to its unusually long clypeus.

Material examined. Holotype female ( ZISP) Russia, Primorskiy Reg., 20 km SE Ussuriysk, Gornotaezhnoe, 24.VI.1981, coll. D.R. Kasparyan.

Paratypes. Russia, Primorskiy Reg.: 1 ♀ ( ZISP) same data as holotype, but 24.VI.1981. 1 ♀ ( ZISP) 30 km SE Ussuriysk, Ussuriysk Nature Reserve, forest, 14.VI.1993, coll. S.A. Belokobylskiy. China, Liaoning Prov.: 3 ♀ (2 ♀ GSFPM, 1 ♀ ZISP) Qipanshan, Shenyang, 29.V.2012, coll. Shu-Ping Sun.

Distribution. Russian Far East (Primorskiy Reg.), China (Liaoning).

Figures

FIGURES 9 – 14. Tersilochus curvator Horstmann, ♀ (China): 9 — metasoma with ovipositor, lateral. Tersilochus scutatus sp. nov., ♀, paratype (China): 10 — habitus, lateral; 11 — antennae, lateral; 12 — fore wing; 13 — apex of metasoma with ovipositor, lateral. Tersilochus spasskensis Khalaim, ♀ (China): 14 — habitus (without apices of wings), lateral.

FIGURES 15 – 17. Tersilochus scutatus sp. nov., ♀, paratype (China): 15 — head, frontal; 16 — propodeum, dorsolateral; 17 — base of metasoma, dorsal.