Megischus aplicatus Hong, van Achterberg & Xu

Hong, Chun-dan, van Achterberg, Cornelis & Xu, Zai-fu, 2010, A new species of Megischus Brulle (Hymenoptera, Stephanidae) from China, with a key to the Chinese species, ZooKeys 69, pp. 59-64 : 61-63

Megischus aplicatus Hong, van Achterberg & Xu sp. n. Figs 112

Male.

Length of body 25.7 mm, and of fore wing 13.9 mm.

Head.

Antenna with 41 segments; first antennal segment 1.6 times as long as wide and twice as long as second segment, third segment 2.4 times as long as wide and 0.8 times as fourth segment; frons (Fig. 1) strongly rugose, rugae laterally curved upwards; three anterior coronal teeth large, two posterior ones connected and somewhat sinuate; vertex (Fig. 2) with 4 strongly curved carinae, followed by irregularly transversely striate area, striae coarser laterally and largely interrupted medio-dorsally, resulting in a more or less longitudinal impression, sculpture disappearing near occipital carina, leaving a narrow smooth area; area along inner orbit with one distinct longitudinal carina on each side; temple (Fig. 3) largely smooth and shiny, roundly convex occipital carina strongly developed.

Mesosoma.

Neck (Fig. 4) rather short and robust, medio-dorsally rather shallowly concave, laterally with pairs of strong carinae, neck at much lower level than middle part of pronotum; pronotal fold absent (Fig. 4-5); middle and posterior part of pronotum strongly punctate dorsally and laterally, punctures bearing setae and with smooth interspaces; lateral oblique groove of pronotum smooth and shallowly impressed (Fig. 5), ventral area below it punctate and setose; propleuron coriaceous and densely setose; prosternum irregularly punctate, punctures posteriorly more dense and with setae; mesoscutum (Figs 6) shiny, foveolate and with smooth interspaces, laterally foveolate, largely coalescent, areolate; notauli and median groove indistinct and formed by some small foveolae; axillae foveolate and setose; scutellum (Fig. 6) medially largely smooth and laterally sparsely foveolate; mesopleuron robust, dorsal part finely setose, convex part evenly punctate and with smooth interspaces, each puncture bearing a whitish seta, metapleuron medially distinctly convex and densely foveolate-rugose, with fine setosity, ventral part largely smooth and with both dorsal anterior depression and ventral one rather deep; propodeum (Fig. 7) densely reticulate-foveolate.

Wings.

Fore wing (Fig. 8): vein 1-M distinctly curved, 2.2 times as long as vein 1-SR and 0.9 times vein m-cu; vein 2-SR 1.1 times as long as vein r; vein r ends 0.5 times length of pterostigma behind level of apex of pterostigma; vein 1-SR 0.95 times as long as parastigmal vein; vein cu-a postfurcal and subvertical; vein 3-CU1 largely nebulous.

Legs.

Hind coxa rather strong, annular, coarsely punctate and setose; hind femur (Fig. 10) sparsely punctate and with whitish setae, area in between smooth and shiny, ventrally with two large teeth and some denticles in between; hind tibia robust, ventrally mostly straight and 1.3 times as long as hind femur, basal narrow part about 0.6 times as long as widened part, outer side obliquely carinate, inner side apically densely setose; hind basitarsus (Fig. 11) subparallel-sided, 3.5 times as long as its apical width and 4.7 times as long as second tarsus.

Metasoma.

First tergite largely smooth and shiny (Fig. 9), 5.2 times as long as its maximum width, 1.4 times as long as second tergite and 0.5 times as long as remainder of tergites; remainder of tergites smooth; pygidial process (Fig. 12) distinct and tubular apically.

Colour.

Head orange brown; pronotum, mesosoma, first tergite and hind legs largely dark brown or black; metasoma except first tergite brown to blackish; wing membrane light brownish, wing venation and pterostigma dark brown.

Material examined:

Holotype male, China: Hubei, Shennongjia National Nature Reserve, viii.1982, Coll. Shi Shang-bo, No. 870112 (ZJUH).

Female.

Unknown.

Host.

Unknown.

Distribution:

China (Hubei).

Comments:

The new species runs in the key by van Achterberg (2002) combined with the revision by van Achterberg and Yang (2004) to Megischus ptosimae Chao. It differs as indicated in the included key to Chinese species.

Etymology:

The name of this species derives from the Latin “a-” and “plicatus” which means without fold, because this species has no pronotal fold on the pronotum.