Dolabraulax flavus, Wang, Yi-Ping, Chen, Xue-Xin, Wu, Hong & He, Jun-Hua, 2010

Wang, Yi-Ping, Chen, Xue-Xin, Wu, Hong & He, Jun-Hua, 2010, Two genera of Braconinae (Hymenoptera, Braconidae) in China, with descriptions of four new species, ZooKeys 61, pp. 47-62 : 50-51

Dolabraulax flavus sp. n. Figs 2 a–h

Type specimens examined:

Holotype: ♀, Guan Xian, Sichuan, 4-VIII-1980, He Jun-hua, No. 802020. Paratypes: 1♀, Guan Xian, Sichuan, 4-VIII-1980, He Jun-hua, No. 802020; 1♂, Emeishan, Sichuan, 7-VIII-1980, He Jun-hua, No. 802092; 1♀, Shaoguan, Guangdong, 12-V-1992, Chen Xue-Xin No. 921492; 1♀, Meifeng, Fujian, 27-VI-1962, Zhao Xiu-fu, No. 20004179.

Description.

Length of body 2.3 mm, fore wing 3.0 mm, and ovipositor sheath 4.1 mm.

Head (Figs 2 a–b, d): Antennae with 29 segments; first flagellomere parallel-sided, 2.9 times as long as its maximum width, 1.1 and 1.2 times as long as the second and third flagellomeres, respectively; second and third ones 2.7 and 2.8 times as long as their maximum width, respectively; median flagellomeres 2.6 times as long as their maximum width; terminal flagellomere tapering apically, approximately 3.2 times as long as its basal width; medio-transversal clypeal carina with a row sparse short setae; height of clypeus: inter-tentorial distance: tentorio-ocular distance = 9: 14: 22; malar space 0.34 times as long as height of eye; face with sparse long setae, relatively dense laterally; height of face: width of face: width of head = 12: 15: 17; frons smooth and shiny, weakly impressed, and without longitudinal ridge medially; shortest distance between posterior ocelli: diameter of posterior ocellus: shortest distance between posterior ocellus and eye = 2: 1: 7; vertex smooth and shiny, with sparse long setae medially.

Mesosoma (Figs 2c, e): Mesosoma 1.6 times as long as its maximum height, smooth and shiny with sparse long setae mid-posteriorly; notauli deeply impressed half of the anterior and flat posteriorly with sparse long setae along its whole length; middle lobe of mesoscutum rather raised anteriorly and protruding in front of the lateral lobes; scutellar sulcus relatively wide and deep, with distinctly crenulate; metanotum with a strongly raised area medially; propodeum glabrous, with a mid-longitudinal impressed area and carina, arising from the 1/3 of the hind margin, with sparse setae, relatively densely setose laterally.

Wing (Fig. 2f): Length of fore wing veins SR1: 3-SR: r = 40: 11: 6; vein 1-SR+M of fore wing weakly bent only medially; length of fore wing veins 2-SR: 3-SR: r-m = 10: 11: 7; length of veins of hind wing SC+R1: 2-SC+R: 1r-m = 12: 5: 4; vein 2-SR+R of hind wing distinctly longitudinal; vein C+SC+R of hind wing with short thickened humeral bristles apically.

Leg: Length of fore femur: tibia: tarsus = 20: 24: 29; length of hind femur: tibia: basitarsus = 25: 38: 15, and 3.9, 10.5 and 7.0 times their maximum width, respectively; tibia of hind leg with weakly longitudinal groove medially; spurs of hind leg 0.34 and 3.0 times as long as its basitarsus; tarsal claws simple but with basal lobe.

Metasoma (Fig. 2g, h): Metasoma distinctly longer than head and mesosoma combined, more or less parallel-sided; first tergite 1.4 times as long as its maximum apical width, with strongly raised area medio-apically, crenulate laterally, occupying three-fifths of its entire length; second tergite with medio-basal glabrous band hardly reaching the suture between second and third tergites, and lateral depressed longitudinal grooves crenulate laterally, the remainder with rugulose sculpture; suture between second and third tergites deep and crenulate, wide medially and narrow laterally; third tergite with distinct raised areas antero-laterally, smooth and shiny, with sparse setae apically; fourth tergite with transversal impressed groove basally; fourth-seventh tergites uniformly smooth and shiny, with sparse short setae apically; hypopygium acute apically, distinctly extending beyond apex of metasoma; ovipositor sheath 1.8 times as long as fore wing, with dense setae; ovipositor with teeth apico-ventrally and without dorsal notch pre-apically.

Colour:

Head dark yellow; antenna yellowish brown; face yellow; frons and vertex yellowish brown; mesosoma blackish brown; fore leg pale yellow, middle and hind legs dark yellow; pterostima yellowish brown; wings membrane pale grey, and veins dark yellow; metasomal tergites yellowish brown dorsally and pale yellow apically and ventrally; ovipositor sheath yellowish brown.

Male:

Similar to the female, but relatively small, length of body 2.2 mm, metasoma dark yellow.

Biology:

Unknown.

Distribution:

China (Fujian, Guangdong and Sichuan).

Etymology:

The new species is named after the colour of body, which is largely yellowish.

Diagnosis:

This species is similar to Dolabraulax implicatus Quicke, but differs from the latter by characters listed in the key above.