Enicospilus melanothoracicus, Pham & Pham & Matsumoto & Shimizu & Broad, 2023

Pham, Nhi Thi, Pham, Phu Van, Matsumoto, Rikio, Shimizu, So & Broad, Gavin R., 2023, A review of the genus Enicospilus Stephens (Ichneumonidae: Ophioninae) from Vietnam, with descriptions of ten new species, European Journal of Taxonomy 873 (1), pp. 1-151 : 89-91

Enicospilus melanothoracicus sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:21308D96-984C-47C7-B7FC-1147F57B98BD

Fig. 49

Diagnosis

Interocellar area black; clypeus convex, ventral margin acute; mandible short, twisted 80–85°, outer surface without a diagonal setose groove; fore wing fenestra with proximal, central and distal sclerites, central sclerite small, oval, positioned at centre of fenestra; mesopleuron and metapleuron densely striate.

Differential diagnosis

The new species can be recognized from E. xanthocephalus Cameron, 1905 by the acute ventral margin of the clypeus, the proximal sclerite joining the proximal margin of the fenestra, the size and position of the central sclerite, the presence of the distal sclerite that joining the proximal sclerite and the colouration.

Etymology

The Greek adjective ‘ melanos ʼ means ‘blackʼ, combined with adjective derived from the Greek noun thorax, the specific epithet ‘ melanothoracicus ʼ meaning ‘with black thoraxʼ, referring to the black pattern of the thorax.

Material examined

Holotype

VIETNAM • ♀; Vinh Phuc Province, Me Linh Station for Biodiversity ; 20 Mar. 2021; Tran D.D. leg.; Malaise trap; IEBR

Paratypes

VIETNAM • 1 ♀; Thai Nguyen Province, Vo Nhai, Than Sa ; 16 Oct. 2004; Ta H.T. and Hoang V.T. leg.; light trap; IEBR • 1 [sex unknown]; Ninh Binh, Trang An Landscape Complex ; 23 Jun. 2017; Pham T.N. leg.; hand net; IEBR .

Description

Female (holotype)

MEASUREMENTS. Body length 13.2 mm, fore wing length 9.8 mm.

HEAD with FI = 0.5, GOI = 3.0 ( Fig. 49d ). Lower face 0.6× as wide as high, moderately shiny ( Fig. 49b ). Clypeus 1.4× as wide as high, convex in profile, smooth, ventral margin acute ( Fig. 49b ). Malar space 0.2× as long as basal mandibular width ( Fig. 49b ). Mandible twisted by ca 85°, short, strongly narrowed apically, outer surface without diagonal setose groove ( Fig. 49b ). Upper tooth of mandible about 1.2× as long as lower tooth ( Fig. 49b ). Frons and vertex polished, gena shiny with fine setae ( Fig. 49c–d ). Posterior ocellus close to eye ( Fig. 49c ). Occipital carina complete, ventral end meeting hypostomal carina at about 0.7 × basal mandible width from base of mandible. Antenna with 45 flagellomeres; F1 1.8× as long as F2; F20 2.9× as long as wide.

MESOSOMA. Moderately shiny ( Fig. 49e ). Pronotum finely striate medially ( Fig. 49e ). Mesoscutum 1.4× as long as maximum width, evenly rounded in profile. Notaulus absent. Scutellum moderately convex, shiny with small punctures anteriorly, posteriorly with several rugae, lateral longitudinal carinae present along entire length of scutellum. Epicnemium matt, ventrally densely punctate, dorsally densely striate ( Fig. 49e ). Epicnemial carina moderately strong, present on ventral half of mesopleuron, dorsal end not bent towards anterior margin of mesopleuron ( Fig. 49e ). Mesopleuron densely striate ( Fig. 49e ). Submetapleural carina broadened anteriorly ( Fig. 49e ). Metapleuron densely striate ( Fig. 49e ). Propodeum evenly rounded in profile; anterior transverse carina complete; anterior area longitudinally striate; spiracular area smooth; posterior area weakly rugose; propodeal spiracle elliptical and joining pleural carina by ridge ( Fig. 49e ).

WINGS ( Fig. 49f ). Fore wing with AI = 1.74, CI = 0.22, DI = 0.41, ICI = 0.43, SDI = 1.1, SI = 0.25, SRI = 0.33; vein 1m-cu&M strongly arcuate; vein 2r&RS relatively straight, thickened medially, with posterior bulb; vein RS strongly curved; fenestra and sclerites of discosubmarginal cell as in Fig. 49f ; proximal sclerite triangular, strongly pigmented, confluent with weak distal sclerite; central sclerite small, oval, positioned in centre of fenestra; proximal corner of marginal cell evenly hirsute; posterodistal corner of second discal cell ca 50° and that of subbasal cell ca 85°; vein 1cu-a sub-interstitial to M&RS. Hind wing with NI = 2.0; vein RS straight; vein RA with 5 uniform hamuli.

LEGS. Hind leg with coxa in profile 1.9× as long as high; basitarsus 1.7× as long as second tarsomere; fourth tarsomere 2.0× as long as wide; tarsal claws with proximal pecten longer than distal ones.

METASOMA. With DMI = 1.3, PI = 2.9, THI = 3.6; thyridium oval; ovipositor sheath not longer than posterior height of metasoma.

COLOUR ( Fig. 49a ). Reddish brown except for apex of mandible, face and frons medially, interocellar area, three longitudinal stripes of mesoscutum, of which two lateral stripes meet at black area in front of scutellum, mesosternum, ventral 0.8 of mesopleuron, ventral 0.8 of metapleuron and metasoma from T5 onwards black. Wings hyaline; sclerites pigmented and amber; veins dark brown, pterostigma reddish brown.

Variation in female

Fore wing length 9.1–9.6 mm, AI = 2.00–2.10, CI= 0.29–0.33, DI = 0.42–0.48, ICI = 0.32–0.34, SDI = 1.00–1.07, SI = 0.24, SRI = 0.35–0.42. Hind wing with NI = 1.7–1.8, vein RA with 5–6 uniform hamuli. Female paratype from Thai Nguyen Province has 44 flagellomeres. Lower face of the paratype from Ninh Binh Province (sex unknown since its terminal metasomal tergites are missing) about 0.7 × as broad as high and FI = 0.6.

Male

Unknown.

Distribution

Currently known from Thai Nguyen and Vinh Phuc provinces in the northeast and from Ninh Binh Province in the northwest Vietnam.

Figures

Fig. 49. Enicospilus melanothoracicus sp. nov., holotype, ♀ (IEBR). a. Habitus. b. Head, frontal view. c. Head, dorsal view. d. Head, lateral view. e. Mesosoma, lateral view. f. Central part of fore wing. Scale bars = 0.5 mm.