Cardiochiles weidholzi Fischer, 1958

Edmardash, Yusuf A., Gadallah, Neveen S. & Sharkey, Michael J., 2018, Revision of the subfamily Cardiochilinae Ashmead, 1900 (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) in Egypt, with new records and a new species, Journal of Natural History 52 (5 - 6), pp. 269-297 : 281-282

Cardiochiles weidholzi Fischer, 1958

( Figure 1 (c), 2(d), 4(e))

Cardiochiles weidholzi Fischer, 1958 . Polskie Pismo Ent. 28(2): 30, ♂. ‘ Fayoum , Ägypten ’ (Wien, ♂) (Leg. Priesner) – wiedholzi [sic!] ( Shenefelt 1973) .

Diagnosis

Generally reddish to bright orange; head slightly swollen behind eyes ( Figure 1 (c)); propodeum with distinctly small areola not extending to its basal margin ( Figure 1 (c)); lateral propodeal carina clearly reaching lateral sides; apical third of fore wing weakly infuscate ( Figure 2 (d)); stem of T1 0.1× as wide as bulb ( Figure 1 (c)); median field of T2 1.5× as broad as high ( Figure 1 (c)); ovipositor sheath 0.9 – 1.0× as long as hind tibia.

Abbreviated description of female

Length of body: 7.1 mm; Length of fore wing: 4.2 mm.

Body generally reddish to bright orange; stemmaticum, scape, pedicel, hind leg (especially the apical 2/3 of tibia), transverse band on posterior margin of metasomal T3 and anterior margin of T4, ovipositor sheath (especially the apex), and apical 2/3 of hind tibia are all dark brown; the rest of the antenna is slightly paler than scape and pedicel. Fore wing: hyaline and weakly infuscated apically, pterostigma almost black except basal orange area; parastigma and tegula are entirely orange; the veins are orange except veins M+Cu, 1-CUa, 1-Cub and 2CUa brownish; in general, veins of the basal part more clearly visible than apical ones. Head: antenna with 31 flagellomeres; scape 2.5× as long as wide, F1 about 2.2× as long as wide; galea 0.2× as long as height of eyes; glossa normally bilobed to less than 0.2× of its total length; clypeus 2.5× as broad as high; face about 1.6× as broad as high; OOL:AOL:POL: ØOD = 7:2:3:2. Fore wings: 1-SR+M 2.42× as long as m-cu; 2-SR+M 0.85× as long as mcu; 1-M straight, 1-SR nearly straight, junction of 4SRb and 5-SR lacking a sharp angle, m-cu 0.66× as long as 1-M; discal cell 0.56× as long as wide; 1-A absent; 1-2A +3A spectral; 1-Cua 0.4× as long as 1-Cub; 2r 0.42× as long as inside height of SMC2, arising 0.4 along the length of stigma basally; stigma 5.0× as long as wide; angle between 4SRa and Rs 110°; angle between Rs and r-m 90°; spectral node of 3r absent; SMC2 0.46× as long as wide; 2 + 3-SR slightly arched at the base. Legs: Fore tibial spur 0.3× as long as basitarsus; hind tibia 5.0× as long as wide apically; inner hind tibial spur 1.5× as long as outer spur, 0.55× as long as basitarsus. Metasoma: T1 about 1.69× as long as broad; stem 0.46× as long as bulb; median field of T2 2.62× as broad as high; ovipositor sheath 0.9× as long as hind tibia.

Remarks

This is the first description of the previously unknown female of this species. Male

Differs from female in the following combination of characters: darker infuscation of fore wing, mid leg darker, metasoma entirely dark brown except for the reddish sides of T1; propodeum black, with areola more distinct than that of female; metasoma more compressed and elongated. This is in addition to some morphometric characters: length of body: 7.0 mm, antenna with 32 flagellomeres, eyes in dorsal view about 1.9× as long as temple; OOL:AOL:POL:ØOD = 9:2:3:3; fore wing with 1-SR+M 2.6× as long as m-cu; 2- SR+M 0.95× as long as mcu; angle between 4SRa and Rs 118°; fore tibial spur 0.4× as long as basitarsus; hind tibia 4.2× as long as wide apically; inner hind tibial spur 1.8× as long as outer spur; T1 about 2.0× as long as broad; median field of T2 2.1× as broad as high.

Material examined

1♀, Kom Oshiem (Fayoum) (29.529°N; 30.926°E), 1 August 1953 (Leg. Z. A) [ EFC]; 1♂, Kom Oshiem (= Com Oshiem) (Fayoum) (29.529°N; 30.926°E), 4 September 1953 (Leg. Aly) [ EFC]; 2♀, 1 ♂ Kom Oshiem ( Fayoum ) (29.529°N; 30.926°E), 24 October 2013 (Leg. Edmardash) sweeping net [ EFC] .

Distribution

So far endemic to Egypt ( Fischer 1958; Yu et al. 2012).

Host records

Unknown.

Figures

Figure 1. Dorsal habitus. (a) Cardiochiles priesneri (1× scale line); (b) C. pseudofallax (0.8× scale line); (c) C. weidholzi (0.9× scale line); (d) Schoenlandella acrenulata (1× scale line); (e) S. deserta (1.2× scale line); (f) S. glabra (1× scale line); (g) S. maculata (1× scale line); (h) S. obscuriceps (0.9× scale line); (i) S. pseudoglabra (1× scale line); (j) S. variegata (1× scale line).

Figure 2. Fore wing, apical two-thirds. (a) Bohayella temporalis (after Fischer 1958); (b) Cardiochiles priesneri; (c) C. pseudofallax; (d) C. weidholzi. (all ≈ 1× scale line).