Notioperilitus morabinarum ( Blackith, 1967 ) Belokobylskij, 2018

Belokobylskij, Sergey A., 2018, Notioperilitus gen. nov., a new braconid genus (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Euphorinae) from Australia, parasitoid of adult Morabinae (Orthoptera: Eumastacidae), with remarks on the generic placement of two Afrotropical euphorine species, Zootaxa 4441 (2), pp. 298-310 : 300-304

Notioperilitus morabinarum ( Blackith, 1967) , comb. nov.

( Figs 1–20 )

Perilitus morabinarum Blackith, 1967: 9 ; Shenefelt, 1969: 119; van Achterberg & Steiner, 1996: 249; Yu et al. 2012.

Material examined. Paratypes (all from MNHN): 1 female, " ♀ ", " Musèum Paris EY 10710", " Perilitus morabinarum , ex undescribed morabine grasshopper. P25. Alligator Gorge, S. Australia . Adult 31.V. [19]66. R.E. Blackith", "Paratype", " Perilitus morabinarum Blackith, 1967 "; 1 female, same labels, except "Musèum Paris EY10709"; 1 male, same labels, except "♂", "Musèum Paris EY10711".

Redescription. Female. Body length 2.8 (3.0 according to original description) mm; fore wing length 2.1 (2.3 according to original description) mm.

Head. Head width (dorsal view) 1.7 × its median length. Temple behind eye (dorsal view) parallel-sided in anterior half and strongly roundly narrowed in posterior half. Transverse diameter of eye (dorsal view) 1.4–1.5 × length of temple. Ocelli arranged in triangle with base 1.25 × its sides, without groove between lateral ocelli; POL 1.3–1.4 × OD, almost 0.8 × OOL. Eyes 1.25 × as high as broad. Malar space 0.13–0.15 × height of eye, about 0.6 × basal width of mandible. Face without medial tubercle near antennal sockets, minimum width of face 0.8 × its maximum width at level of antennal sockets, almost equal to its median height, 0.6 × eye height. Tentorial pits small and deep, distance between pits 3.3–3.5 × distance from pit to eye. Width of clypeus 1.4–1.5 × its median height, about 0.9 × minimum width of face.

Antenna filiform, about 0.8 × as long as body. Scapus 1.4 × longer than its maximum width. First flagellar segment 4.0 × longer than its apical width, 1.1 × longer than second segment. Penultimate segment 2.7 × longer than its width, 0.8 × as long as apical segment.

Mesosoma 1.5 × longer than maximum height. Median length of mesoscutum 0.75 × its maximum width. Prescutellar depression (scutellar sulcus) with weak rugulosity and several incomplete carinae, 0.25–0.30 × as long as scutellum. Scutellum 1.2–1.3 × longer than its maximum width anteriorly.

Wings. Fore wing 2.8 × longer than its maximum width. Radial (marginal) cell strongly shortened. Metacarpus (1-R1) about 0.3 × as long as pterostigma and distance from apex of radial cell to apex of wing. Radial vein (r) arising weakly before middle of pterostigma. First radial abscissa (r) 0.3 × as long as maximum width of pterostigma, 0.1 × as long as second abscissa (3-SR+SR1), 0.25 × as long as first radiomedial vein (2-SR). Second radial abscissa (3-SR+SR1) weakly evenly curved. Recurrent vein (m-cu) 0.7 × as long as first radiomedial vein (2- SR), 0.35 × as long as second radial abscissa (3-SR+SR1). Discoidal (first discal) cell 1.15 × longer than its maximum width. Distance from nervulus (cu-a) to basal vein (1-M) about 0.5 × nervulus (cu-a) length. Hind wing 4.2 × longer than wide. Second abscissa of mediocubital vein (1M) 0.25 × as long as first abscissa (M+CU), 0.9 × as long as nervellus (cu-a), 1.5 × longer than basal vein (1r-m).

Legs. Fore femur 5.7 × longer than maximum width. Hind femur 5.5 × longer than maximum width. Hind tarsus 0.85 × as long as hind tibia. Second segment of hind tarsus about 0.5 × as long as first segment, 1.3 × longer than fifth segment (without pretarsus).

Metasoma 1.1–1.2 × longer than head and mesosoma combined. First tergite long, distinctly and more or less uniformly widened from base to apex, with distinct spiracular tubercles. Length of first tergite 1.9–2.0 × its maximum apical width, about 1.7 × length of propodeum medially; maximum width of tergite 1.3 × its width at level of spiracles, 3.0 × its minimum width. Length of second and third tergites combined 1.3 × basal width of second tergite. Ovipositor sheath 0.75 × as long as metasoma, 2.0 × longer than first tergite, 1.2 × longer than mesosoma, 0.55 × as long as fore wing.

Sculpture and pubescence. Vertex and temple smooth; frons densely rugulose-reticulate with granulation laterally and almost smooth medially; face entirely densely rugose-granulate. Mesosoma and hind leg sculpture as in genus description. First metasomal tergite almost entirely distinctly and irregularly striate with dense rugulosity, finely sculptured basally, smooth in small medioapical area. Remaining tergites entirely smooth. Hind tibia dorsally with rather sparse, short and semi-erect pale setae ( Fig. 14 ).

Colour. Body yellow to brownish-yellow, dorsally faintly darker. Palps pale yellow. Antenna brown to dark brown, three basal segments yellow to brownish-yellow. Legs yellow, apical tarsal segments darkened. Ovipositor sheaths brown. Wings hyaline. Pterostigma brown, yellow basally and apically.

Male. Body length 2.6 (3.0 according to original description) mm; fore wing length 2.0 mm. Antenna 18–19- segmented. Metasoma narrow. Length of first tergite 1.65 × its maximum apical width; maximum width 1.4 × its width at level of spiracles. Length of second and third tergites combined 1.1 × basal width of second tergite. Body (especially metasoma basally and propodeum) darkened. Otherwise similar to female.

Cocoon ( Fig. 21 ). Singular, elliptic shape, brown to dark reddish-brown, sparsely covered by white loose silk. Length about 3.0 mm. The species is gregarious ( Blackith, 1967).

Figures

FIGURES 1–3. Notioperilitus morabinarum (Blackith, 1967), comb. nov. (female, holotype).(© Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, 2018). 1. Habitus of parasitoid, cocoon and host. 2. Habitus, lateral view. 3. Head and antennae, front view.

FIGURES 4–14. Notioperilitus morabinarum (Blackith, 1967), comb. nov. (female, paratype). 4. Habitus, lateral view. 5. Head and mesonotum, dorsal view. 6. Head, front view. 7. Frons, dorsal view. 8. Head, lateral view. 9. Head, latero-posterior view; 10. Apical segments of antenna. 11. Basal segments of antenna. 12. Mesosoma, lateral view. 13. Mesosoma, dorsal view. 14. Hind tibia and tarsus.

FIGURES 15–21. Notioperilitus morabinarum (Blackith, 1967), comb. nov. (female, paratype). 15. Wings. 16. Propodeum and first metasomal tergite, dorsal view. 17. Metasoma, dorsal view. 18. First metasomal tergite, ventral view. 19. First metasomal tergite, lateral view. 20. Metasoma, lateral view. 21. Cocoon.