Malasigalphus roa Sharkey, 2008

Quicke, Donald L. J., Sharkey, Michael J., Laurenne, Nina M. & Dowling, Ashley, 2008, A preliminary molecular phylogeny of the Sigalphinae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), including Pselaphanus Szépligeti, based on 28 S rDNA, with descriptions of new Afrotropical and Madagascan Minanga and Malasigalphus species, Journal of Natural History 42 (43 - 44), pp. 2703-2719 : 2710-2713

Malasigalphus roa Sharkey sp. nov.

( Figures 13–16 )

Material examined

Holotype: female: Madagascar, Tulear Province , Parc National Andohahela , Ihazofotsy Parcelle III, 7–17 December, 2003, elevation 80m., 24 ° 50.099S, 46 ° 29.219E, Malaise trap in dry spiny forest, coll. M. Irwin, F. Parker, R. Harin’Hala, MA-02-21-41, California Academy of Sciences.

Description

Female: length of body 8.4mm, of fore wing 9.9mm.

Head: antenna with 42 flagellomeres (right antenna broken after scape); occipital carina complete, head rugose and setose except for small, smooth glabrous area anterad median ocellus; ocelli on a raised triangular area (stemmaticum); area between antennae elevated and with two longitudinal carinae; occipital carina straight/transverse dorsally, not rounded as it is laterally; maxillary palpi about equal to head height; second labial palpomere greatly swollen apically, palpomere about as wide apically as it is long.

Mesosoma: entirely rugose or rugose-crenulate, except anterior and lateral areas of mesoscutum smooth with punctures; medial triangular cell of metanotum with strong complete medial longitudinal carina; propodeum with medial area outlined by strong irregular carinae ( Figure 13 ), spiracle large and more than twice as long as wide. Forewing: ( Figure 14 ). Legs: Tarsal claws cleft ( Figure 15 ).

Metasoma: first three metasomal median tergites rugose to minutely areolate rugose and moderately setose, setosity denser distally; first median tergite approximately 1.2× longer than maximum width (1.42mm: 0.89mm; basal measurement starts at apex of tendon); first median tergite with pair of strong percurrent longitudinal carinae, delimiting elevated medial region ( Figure 16 ); lateral and apical margins of third median tergite, except basal 1/4, with a wide lamellate flange apically which is weakly notched medially for reception of the ovipositor.

Colour: mostly red-brown except as follows; palpi, stigma and extreme base of wings, apices of median tergites 1–3 yellow, the colour change is abrupt on median tergites 1 and 2 and gradual towards apex of tergite 3 ( Figure 16 ); anterior margins of meso- and metapleura, scutellar sulcus, and basal 3/4 of metasomal median tergites 1–3 all brownish black; fore wing mostly hyaline basal to the apex of the stigma, infuscate around parastigma and apex of wing (the transition from hyaline to infuscate is gradual not acute as in M. petiolaris ), stigma and veins immediately apical and posterior to stigma, yellow (since the wings in Figure 14 are illuminated from below, the yellow coloration is not as striking in the image as it is in natural light); hind wing mostly hyaline except costal margin basal to hamuli infuscate and hint of infuscation apically.

Notes

The new species is easily distinguished from M. petiolaris , the only other known species, in colour, and dimensions of the first metasomal median tergite. In M. roa the apices of the first three metasomal median tergites, those forming the carapace, are all yellow, whereas in M. petiolaris only the first tergite is yellow apically and the second and third median tergites are uniformly black. The length–width ratio of the first median tergite of M. roa is 1.2 and for M. petiolaris it is 2.7.

Etymology

Roa is Malagasy for two and refers to the fact that this is the second species to be discovered in this genus which is restricted to Madagascar.

Figures

Figures 12–13. Dorsal habitus. (12) Male M. petiolaris; (13) female M. roa sp. nov.

Figures 14–16. Female M. roa sp. nov. (14) wings; (15) foretarsal claws; and (16) carapace, median tergites 2 and 3.