Venanides curticornis (Granger, 1949) Granger, 1949

Rousse, Pascal & Gupta, Ankita, 2013, Microgastrinae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) of Reunion Island: a catalogue of the local species, including 18 new taxa and a key to species, Zootaxa 3616 (6), pp. 501-547 : 542

Venanides curticornis (Granger, 1949) comb. nov.

( Fig. 19 )

Apanteles curticornis Granger, 1949

Diagnosis. Mesopleuron, scutellum and propodeum almost entirely smooth. Mesoscutum finely and sparsely punctate. All terga polished. Tergum 1 with a large basal triangular groove. Ovipositor short.

Description. cf. Granger, 1949: 246 for details.

Material examined. HOLOTYPE Ƥ (MNHN) Verbatim label data: Madagascar Bekily Reg. sud de l’île, IX.36, A. Seyrig; complete. Other material ( Reunion) 13 Etang Salé, alt. 10m, VI.2008, leg. IDR; 1Ƥ St Philippe / Mare Longue, alt. 320m, II.2001, leg. Cirad.

Distribution records. Madagascar. Reunion (new record).

Comments. The examination of the holotype of A. curticornis Granger showed it totally matches Mason’s generic definition of Venanides .

Genus Wilkinsonellus Mason (Mason 1981, Austin and Dangerfield 1992)

Ocelli disposed in an equilateral triangle. Propleuron with a broad dorsally-directed lobe overlapping the lower corner of pronotum. Mesoscutum densely aciculate to punctate. Scutellum strongly convex and sculptured. Propodeum strongly declivous and rugose, with a strong mid-longitudinal carina and two diagonal carinas diverging forwardly from metasomal foramen. Fore wing with areolet open (r–m absent). Hind wing with vannal lobe convex to straight, hairy throughout its margin. Hind coxa very large, strongly and coarsely sculptured above, variously punctate to rugulose laterally and below. Tergum 1 about 5x longer than wide, bearing a narrow midlongitudinal groove for most of its length, the groove somewhat narrower in the middle. Tergum 2 polished, with two sub-parallel to posteriorly diverging grooves defining more or less acutely a median area. Hypopygium short, not folded medially. Ovipositor and ovipositor sheath short, sheath with minute hairs apically.

This is a small genus, with a tenth of known species in Africa and Indo-Australasian areas. Their ecobiology is totally unknown. Wilkinsonellus spp. are readily identifiable due to the unique shape of tergum 1. One new species is described here.

Figures

FIGURE 19. Venanides curticornis (Granger) comb. nov. a: female, habitus; b: propodeum and terga 1 – 3.