Brachyplatycerus De Santis, 1972

Zhen, Wenquan, Xue, Hao, Zu, Guohao & Zhang, Lianzhong, 2023, First report of Brachyplatycerus De Santis (Hymenoptera, Encyrtidae) from China, with description of a new species, Zootaxa 5231 (2), pp. 179-182 : 180

Genus Brachyplatycerus De Santis

Brachyplatycerus De Santis, 1972: 50 .

Type species: Brachyplatycerus minutus De Santis , by original designation.

Female. Overall length about 0.70–0.98mm. Body stout; head with frontofacial ridge; frontovertex very broad, with sparse long setae; occiput deeply cupped, with sharp edge; ocelli forming an obtuse triangle, the posterior ocellus very close to the eye margin and the occipital margin; mandible bidentate; palpal formula 4-3. Antenna with scape distinctly broadened; funicle 4-segmented, F1 and F2 distinctly shorter than last two funicular segments; clava 3- segmented, slightly longer than funicle, with apex obliquely truncate. Pronotum, mesoscutum and mesoscutellum with sparse long setae; mesoscutellum smooth, without sculpture or with very shallow sculpture; axillae narrow, meeting in the middle; propodeal spiracles large, circular. Fore wing with some infuscation; marginal vein punctiform, shorter than stigmal vein, postmarginal vein very short to absent; apex of stigmal vein and apex of postmarginal vein connected by a naked, hyaline streak. Mid tibial spur slightly shorter than mid basitarsus. Metasoma oval, equal in length to mesosoma; hypopygium extending to apex of gaster; ovipositor slightly exserted.

Male. Unknown.

The above description is based on the original description ( De Santis 1972) and the newly described species.

Comments. Noyes & Hayat 1984 stated Brachyplatycerus is related to Pentelicus , but did not discuss the reason. We suspect this is based on a shared carinate facial impression, similar fore wing venation and a characteristic naked streak from the apex of the postmarginal vein to the apex of the stigmal vein. In addition, Brachyplatycerus can be distinguished from Pentelicus by the 4-segmented funicle, the absence of a very shallow median longitudinal ridge or carina along the mesoscutellum, and also the absence of deep piliferous punctures on the head and dorsum of the mesosoma.