Cardiochiles pseudofallax Telenga, 1955

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 : 279-281

Cardiochiles pseudofallax Telenga, 1955

( Figures 1 (b), 2(c), 4(a), 5(d))

Cardiochiles pseudofallax Telenga, 1955 . Fauna SSSR. 5(4): 266, ♂ (trans., 1964 Israel Program Sci. Transl.)

Diagnosis

Almost entirely black with few paler areas, mesosoma distinctly dark; head slightly swollen behind eyes ( Figure 1 (b)); propodeum with relatively large areola extending near to basal margin ( Figure 1 (b)); lateral propodeal carina clearly reaching lateral sides; apical third of fore wing heavily infuscate ( Figure 2 (c)); stem of T1 0.4× as wide as bulb; median field of T2 2.62× as broad as high; ovipositor sheath 0.8× as long as hind tibia ( Figure 5 (d)).

Abbreviated description of female

Length of body: 7.0 mm; length of fore wing: 4.2 mm.

Almost entirely blackish species; with the following parts slightly paler, reddish brown or reddish: scape (especially foreface), mesoscutum (especially the lateral lobes), apical 2/3 of fore femur, fore tibia, basal 0.2 of hind femur, metasomal T1 (especially laterally), tip of ovipositor sheath. Fore wing: hyaline and very heavily infuscated at apical third, pterostigma almost black except for extreme basal whitish area; parastigma and tegula entirely brown; the veins 1-SR, 1-M and M+Cu are orange, veins C+Sc+R and 1-R1 brownish, the rest of veins paler. Head: OOL:AOL:POL:ØOD = 14:7:6:2. Fore wing: 1-SR +M 5.83× as long as m-cu; 2-SR+M 2.5× as long as mcu; 1-M straight, 1-SR strongly curved, junction of 4SRb and 5-SR lacking a sharp angle, m-cu 0.25× as long as 1-M; discal cell 0.56× as long as wide; 1-A absent; 1-2A + 3A spectral; 1-Cua 0.33× as long as 1-Cub; 2r 0.37× as long as inside height of SMC2, arising 0.5 along the length of stigma apically; stigma 3.83× as long as wide; angle between 4SRa and Rs 102°; angle between Rs and r-m about 90°; spectral node of 3r absent; SMC2 0.53× as long as wide; 2 + 3-SR obviously curved at the base. Legs: Fore tibial spur 0.5× as long as basitarsus; hind tibia 3.8× as long as wide apically; inner hind tibial spur 1.36× as long as outer spur, 0.56× as long as basitarsus. Metasoma: stem of T1 0.3× as long as bulb; median field of T2 1.5× as broad as high; ovipositor sheath 0.8× as long as hind tibia.

Remarks

The female specimen (from Kulch) with lighter metasoma, especially T4 – 7.

Male

Unknown to us.

Material examined

1♀, Dakhla Oasis (Western desert) (25.206°N; 29.370°E), 17 April 1917 (Leg. L.H.G) (det. P. Marsh, internal numbering of the repository is 2698) [ PPDD]; 1♀, Kulch, 26 April 1918 (Leg. Seabrook) (det. P. Marsh, Number 65, a paper label with the specimen, probably had been written by P. Marsh, reading the following statement exactly: “ Transverse & lateral keels present. Head wide behind eyes. 1st abd. seg. (convergent) ”) [ PPDD] .

Distribution

Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Turkey and Turkmenistan ( Telenga 1955; Yu et al. 2012), Egypt (new record).

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).

Figure 5. Apex of metasoma showing ovipositor sheath and hypopygium. (a) Schoelandella maculata (1× scale line); (b) S. obscuriceps (0.8× scale line); (c) Cardiochiles priesneri (1× scale line); (d) C. pseudofallax (1× scale line).