Atanycolus yangi Cao, Xie et Wang, 2024

Cao, Liang-Ming, Xie, Ji-Yu, Wang, Xin-Geng, Wang, Xiao-Yi, Poland, Therese M., Petrice, Toby R. & Yang, Zhong-Qi, 2024, Description of a new species of the genus Atanycolus Foerster (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) parasitizing Lamprodila nobilissima bellula (Lewis) (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) in China, Zootaxa 5448 (2), pp. 248-260 : 251-259

Atanycolus yangi Cao, Xie et Wang , sp. nov.

( Figs 5–25 )

Type materials. Holotype, 1♀, China, Beijing City, Haidian District, Minzhuang Road , N39°58′15″, E116°12′45″, 11.vii.2023, collected when it was searching for hosts on a trunk of P. persica, Xie Ji-yu & Cao Liang-ming leg. Paratypes, 4♀♀ 4♂♂, same data as the holotype .

Female. Body length 7.5–10.1 mm, fore wing length 6.3–8.5 mm.

Color ( Figs 10–19 ). Body generally reddish orange. Head shining orange, antenna, eyes, ocelli, apical mandible black, maxillary palpus and labial palpus brown. Mesosoma reddish orange with propleuron slightly lighter, tegula and axilla black. Wings blackish, apical half infuscate. Fore leg generally orange, fore tarsus, trochanter and femur dorsally brown; middle leg generally black, trochantellus and mid tibia 1/8 apically 1/7 basally orange, mid tarsus darkish brown; hind leg black. Epipleuron of first metasomal tergite and sternum white, median rectangular area black; second metasomal tergite orange, with marginal parts and sternum white, triangular medio-basal area and antero-lateral areas of second tergite black; third metasomal tergite orange with antero-lateral triangular areas black; ovipositor sheath dark brown.

Head ( Figs 11 , 13–14 ). In dorsal view, head width 1.3 × median length, vertex smooth and shining, with sparse long setae; median length of vertex 2.3 × median length of frons; ocellar triangle regular triangular, convex, OOL: OD: POL = 10: 2: 3; length of eye: length of temple = 1. In anterior view, width of head median 1.2 × height of head; minimum distance between eyes 1.3 × height of eye; face smooth, covered with more setae than frons and vertex; height of clypeus 0.26 × its width; mandible robust and obtuse triangular; width of malar space 0.45 × height of eye. In lateral view, maximum height of head (including mandible) 1.1 × maximum length of head. Antenna with 52 antennomeres, scape 1.6 × its maximum width and 2.0 × length of 1st flagellomere; 1st flagellomere 1.2 × its maximum width, 1.4 × 2nd flagellomere; last flagellomere acute apically

Mesosoma ( Figs 11 , 15 ). In dorsal view, mesosoma smooth with sparse setae; median length of mesoscutum 0.96 × its width; middle lobe of mesoscutum evenly rounded anteriorly and quadrate posteriorly; notauli weak, parallel; scutellar sulcus 0.44 × maximum width of mesoscutum and 1.3 × median length of scutellum, with weak carinae; scutellum smooth with sparse long setae, length 0.5 × basal width; metanotum 0.37 × median length of scutellum, median area convex transversely, with two longitudinal carinae sub-bilaterally; propodeum smooth with long white setae evenly. In lateral view, length of mesosoma 2.3 × its height; mesoscutum rapidly elevated above pronotum; mesopleuron smooth with sparse long setae; metapleuron with long dense white setae.

Wings ( Fig. 18 ). Length of fore wing 3.0 × its maximum width; pterostigma 2.9 × as long as its maximum width; vein 1- R 1 1.7 × length of pterostigma; vein r originates at median pterostigma; vein SR1 1.8 × vein 3-SR; vein 3-SR 3.0 × vein r; vein r 0.6 × vein 2-SR; meeting point of veins 2-SR, 2-M and 2-SR+M less sclerotized, veins interrupted; vein 1-SR+M curved slightly; vein 1-SR 0.4 × length of vein 1-M; vein r-m interrupted both ends, straight; veins 3-M and CU1a extending to wing margin. Length of hind wing 3.9 × its maximum width; vein M+CU 0.38 × length of vein 1-M; 1-SR curved, extending to anterior margin; vein 2-M developed.

Legs ( Fig. 12 ). Fore femur 0.9 × as long as fore tibia and 4.0 × as long as its width, fore tibia 8.0 × its width, spur 0.43 × as long as basitarsus of fore leg, ratio of fore tarsomeres I– V = 35: 30: 22: 11: 13; middle femur 0.78 × middle tibia, spur 0.33 × as long as basitarsus of middle leg, ratio of middle tarsomeres I– V = 30: 20: 15: 8: 15; hind femur 3.3 × its width, 0.7 × as long as hind tibia, ratio of hind tarsomeres I– V = 35: 23: 15: 6: 19.

Metasoma ( Figs 15 , 17 ). Oblong; first tergite 0.7 × its maximum apical width in dorsal view (excluding epipleuron); epipleuron developed and triangular, 2.5 × its maximum width; first tergite with median shaded area shinning and smooth, lateral grooves weak and median large area convex, medio-longitudinal carina absent. Second tergite with triangular convex medio-basal area narrow and slender, baso-lateral areas convex, shining and smooth. Suture between 2 nd and 3 rd tergites 1.3 × median length of 3 rd tergite, baso-lateral areas of third tergite convex. 4 th –7 th tergites smooth and shining, with spare setae. Length of ovipositor sheath 1.45 × as long as median length of metasoma, 1.1 × as long as length of fore wing. Ovipositor with minute six teeth ventro-apically, ovipositor with a dorsal nodus.

Male ( Figs 20–25 ). Body length 5.8–6.7 mm, fore wing length 4.6–5.5 mm.

Head with basal scape orange dorsally. Mesoscutum black, with notauli and medio-posterior area orange, scutellum black; median metanotum and propodeum black; mid leg generally orange, tarsus, trochanter and femur dorsally brown; basal 1/3 of hind tibia orange; second metasomal tergite dark brown to black, third metasomal tergite black bilaterally.

Epipleuron of first metasomal tergite slender, lateral grooves relatively wide and sparsely crenulate; triangular medio-basal area of second tergite with two oblique long and sparsely crenulate grooves laterally. Suture between 2 nd and 3 rd tergites shorter and wider, with 7–8 crenulations. 3 rd and 4 th tergites with triangular medio-basal areas.

Otherwise, similar to female.

Distribution. China (Beijing).

Host confirmation. Lamprodila nobilissima bellula (new and first host record). The type specimens of A. yangi sp. nov. were not reared directly from a host, but collected from an infested tree trunk. Only two species of woodborers were found infesting the surveyed trees, A. bungii and L. nobilissima bellula . The larvae of A. bungii (i.e., roundheaded borer) and L. nobilissima bellula (i.e., flatheaded borer) are easily distinguished. Because of their concealment under the bark or wood, there are two methods to determine the host-parasitoid association: 1) dissecting tree trunks in the field to collect parasitized hosts directly, and 2) rearing parasitoids on host-infested logs in the laboratory. During the dissections, all A. bungii were found alive in the phloem and xylem of the trunks, while some L. nobilissima bellula were found paralyzed in the phloem but still remained fresh, indicating they were newly parasitized and injected with parasitoid venom. During the laboratory rearing, small peach logs were infested by either A. bungii or L. nobilissima bellula larvae and exposed to A. yangi sp. nov females. The female wasps only drilled into logs that were infested with L. nobilissima bellula larvae ( Figs 8, 9 ), and parasitoid offspring developed successfully to adults from parasitized L. nobilissima bellula larvae. The offspring sex ratio (female to male) was 1.25 based on the type materials. Afterward, dissections confirmed that A. yangi sp. nov. is a solitary ectoparasitic larval parasitoid of L. nobilissima bellula . The author Zhong-Qi Yang also stated that he has collected many adults of this species from Fenghuang Montane in Beijing, but there was no flatheaded borer in that tree, only larvae of A. bungii were present, we still cannot confirm A. bungii was not its host.

Etymology. The new species name is derived from the last name of Prof. Zhong-qi Yang, in memory of his 40 years’ work on parasitoid taxonomy and biological control of forest insect pests.

Remarks. The new species resembles several Oriental and Palaearctic species in this genus, which can be separated with the key as described below. All these species have the same characteristics of females having second metasomal tergite smooth, not sculptured, third metasomal tergite smooth, with antero-lateral triangular areas undeveloped ( Fig. 17 ).

Figures

FIGURES 5–9. Atanycolus yangi sp. nov. adult female on trunk of P. persica. 5, Female resting on trunk of P. persica. 6, Female drilling into trunk of P. persica with ovipositor. 7, Male resting on trunk of P. persica. 8–9, Female drilling into log under laboratory rearing conditions.

FIGURES 10–12. Female of Atanycolus yangi sp. nov. 10, Habitus in dorsal view. 11, Head and mesosoma in dorsal view. 12, Habitus in lateral view.

FIGURES 13–15. Female of Atanycolus yangi sp. nov. 13, Head in lateral view. 14, Head in anterior view. 15, Mesosoma in lateral view.

FIGURES 16–19. Female of Atanycolus yangi sp. nov. 16, Antenna in lateral view. 17, Metasoma in dorsal view. 18, Wings. 19, Ovipositor tip in lateral view.

FIGURES 20–21. Male of Atanycolus yangi sp. nov. 20, Habitus in dorsal view. 21, Habitus in lateral view.

FIGURES 22–25. Male of Atanycolus yangi sp. nov. 22, Head and mesosoma in dorsal view. 23, Head and mesosoma in lateral view. 24, Metasoma in dorsal view. 25, Wings.