Phanerotoma caudatoides, Achterberg, 2021

Achterberg, Cornelis van, 2021, The tribe Phanerotomini (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Cheloninae) of the Arabian Peninsula, with special reference to the United Arab Emirates and Yemen, ZooKeys 1014, pp. 1-118 : 1

Phanerotoma caudatoides sp. nov. Figs 69-70 , 71-81

Type material.

Holotype, ♀ (RMNH), " Yemen (6381), Ta’izz, light tr[ap], x.2000, A. van Harten & A.R. Al Yarimi, RMNH’02”.

Diagnosis.

Hypopygium of ♀ with long spine-like, acute triangular protuberance (Fig. 74 ); ocelli medium-sized (POL shorter than diameter of posterior ocellus; Fig. 78 ); medially third tergite 1.0-1.2 × longer than second tergite, medio-posteriorly yellowish brown and widely excavated (Fig. 73 ), laterally nearly straight (Fig. 73 ); width of clypeus 0.9 × minimum width of face; pale basal part of pterostigma medium-sized and contrasting with dark brown middle of pterostigma (Fig. 71 ); head distinctly excavated posteriorly (Fig. 78 ); vein cu-a ca. 0.7 × as long as vein 1-CU1; vein 2-SR straight; vein 1-SR+M approx. as wide as vein 2-SR (Fig. 71 ); whitish blister of middle tibia medium-sized and contrasting with its rather dark brown surroundings (Fig. 76 ); apical half of hind tibia with large dark brown patch laterally and yellowish or brownish ventrally; inner tooth of mandible ca. 0.5 × apical tooth (Fig. 77 ); third tergite of ♀ at least partly dark brown medially and pale yellowish laterally; exerted ovipositor sheath 0.5-0.6 × length of metasomal carapace; length of body of ♀ ca. 5 mm. Very similar to P. caudata Granger, 1949, from Madagascar, but P. caudatoides has vein 2-CU1 of fore wing curved (above level of 1-CU1), vein cu-a approx. ½ as long as vein 1-CU1, vein 2-SR evenly and strongly curved, vein 1-SR+M narrower than vein 2-SR and ocelli rather small (POL equal to diameter of posterior ocellus) and length of third metasomal tergite 0.7 × basal width and laterally slightly curved. Also related to P. nitidiventris Zettel, 1990, from South Africa and Ethiopia; the latter is a new record and based on specimens in RMNH collected by C.J. Zwakhals. Phanerotoma nitidiventris has the third tergite 1.4-1.6 × as long as second tergite, vein 1-CU1 of fore wing widened, antenna (except scapus and pedicellus) often dark brown and vein 2-CU1 of fore wing curved (above level of 1-CU1). The name is confusing because only the antenna (except scapus and part of pedicellus) are usually blackish ventrally.

Description.

Female, holotype, length of body (excluding ovipositor) 4.9 mm; antenna 4.5 mm; fore wing 4.1 mm; visible part of ovipositor sheath 1.2 mm (only at apex some erect setae).

Head. Width 1.7 × median length in anterior view and part of head above eye in lateral view 0.4 × height of eye (Fig. 80 ); antenna with 23 cylindrical segments, slender medially and 1.1 × longer than fore wing, five apical antennal segments small and moniliform (Fig. 81 ), with short bristle apically and apical segment without spine, third, fourth and penultimate segments 4.2, 4.0 and 1.3 × longer than wide in lateral view, respectively; area of stemmaticum mainly superficially granulate; OOL: diameter of posterior ocellus: POL = 17: 5: 5; length of eye 1.7 × temple in dorsal view (Fig. 78 ); frons with few longitudinal rugae medially, with satin sheen, rugose laterally and without median carina; vertex rugose and with satin sheen; temple longitudinally rugose, rather shiny, gradually narrowed behind eyes; face transversely or obliquely rugose and with obsolescent median bump and rather shiny; clypeus smooth, convex medially, shiny and 0.9 × minimum width of face, intertentorial distance 2.6 × minimum width between clypeus and eye, long erect setose and with 3 indistinct blunt teeth medio-ventrally (Fig. 77 ); eye medium-sized, strongly convex and in lateral view 1.6 × wider than temple (measured medially; Fig. 80 ), in anterior view its height 0.7 × minimum width of face; upper condyle of mandible near lower level of eyes (Fig. 79 ); malar space rugose, rather shiny and 0.5 × as long as basal width of mandible; lower tooth of mandible 0.5 × length of apical tooth, robust (Fig. 77 ).

Mesosoma (Figs 69 , 72 ). Length 1.4 × its width in lateral view; side of pronotum rugose medially and posteriorly, coriaceous antero-laterally and dorsally partly smooth; propleuron posteriorly convex and converging to median sulcus; mesosternum superficially granulate and with satin sheen; mesoscutum densely and finely rugulose, rather dull; scutellum slightly convex, longitudinally rugose and rather matt; scutellar sulcus rather wide, with nine carinae (Fig. 72 ); metanotum with median carina medially, posteriorly with small tooth and finely serrate posteriorly; propodeum rugose, anterior face long, with transverse carina, no median carina, and latero-posteriorly weakly tuberculate. Wings. Fore wing 3.3 × longer than its maximum width; 1-R1 1.5 × as long as pterostigma; distance between wing apex and marginal cell apex 0.2 × length of 1-R1; r issued far beyond middle of pterostigma and 0.2 × 3-SR; 2-SR strongly curved and subparallel with posterior margin of pterostigma (Fig. 71 ); SR1 curved; m-cu interstitial; parastigma large; 1-CU1 0.4 × as long as vein 2-CU1, cu-a 0.7 × 1-CU1; r:3-SR:SR1 = 5:25:70; 2-SR:3-SR:r-m = 32:25:8; r-m reclivous; 2-M slightly curved, oblique (Fig. 71 ). Hind wing: M+CU:1-M:1r-m = 14:12:10. Legs. Hind femur matt, 3.8 × as long as wide and robust; middle tibia slender and with slightly developed pale yellowish blister; inner spur of middle tibia 0.4 × its basitarsus; hind tibia slender (Fig. 75 ); hind coxa largely coriaceous and matt, but dorsally mostly smooth and rather shiny.

Metasoma (Figs 73 , 74 ). Nearly parallel-sided in dorsal view, 1.8 × as long as wide and 1.4 × as long as mesosoma; first and second tergites densely irregularly longitudinally rugose; second metasomal suture medium-sized and straight; third tergite 1.2 × longer than second tergite and straight laterally, convex medially, deeply emarginate posteriorly in dorsal view (Fig. 73 ), acute posteriorly in lateral view (Fig. 74 ), densely reticulate-rugose and with satin sheen (Fig. 73 ), lateral lamella wide laterally and latero-apically but medio-apically narrow; ovipositor sheath narrow, apically parallel-sided and pale yellowish, its visible part 0.32 × as long as fore wing and 0.58 × metasomal carapace and sparsely setose part 0.3 × fore wing and only apically with few erect setae; hypopygium of ♀ with long narrow triangular and in lateral view spine-like protuberance apically (Fig. 74 ) and rather sparsely setose.

Colour. Brownish yellow (including most of hind femur, hind tarsus largely, tibiae subbasally and apically brown); apex of antenna and parastigma posteriorly brownish; stemmaticum, scutellum laterally, posterior face of propodeum, pterostigma (but basally and apically pale yellowish), vein 1-M and triangular patch of third tergite dark brown; remainder of third tergite brown medio-posteriorly and laterally pale yellowish; clypeus, palpi, pronotum, tegulae, remainder of legs, first and second tergites, and metasoma ventrally pale yellowish or ivory; wing membrane with brown patch below pterostigma and first subdiscal cell brownish.

Male.

Unknown.

Biology.

Unknown.

Distribution.

Yemen.

Etymology.

The suffix - oides (Greek for like, resembling) is added to the specific name caudata, indicating a similarity to P. caudata Granger.

Figures

Figures 69, 70. Phanerotoma caudatoides van Achterberg, sp. nov., ♀, holotype 69 habitus lateral 70 antenna lateral.

Figures 71 - 81. Phanerotoma caudatoides van Achterberg, sp. nov., ♀, holotype 71 wings 72 mesosoma dorsal 73 first-third metasomal tergites dorsal 74 metasoma lateral 75 hind leg lateral 76 middle tibia lateral 77 mandible ventral 78 head, dorsal 79 head anterior 80 head lateral 81 apical third of antenna lateral.