Neurateles asiaticus, Watanabe, 2016

Watanabe, Kyohei, 2016, Discovery of the Genus Ratzeburg, 1848 (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae, Orthocentrinae), from the Eastern Palearctic Region, with Description of a New Species from Japan, Bulletin of the Kanagawa Prefectural Museum (Natural Science) 45, pp. 81-84 : 82

Neurateles asiaticus sp. nov.

[Japanese name; Haraboso-hae-himebachi]

( Figs. 1–9 )

Type series. Holotype. Female, Tochigi Pref., Nasushiobara City, Shiobara , Oonuma , 6-15, VI, 2008, Takeshi Matsumura leg. (Malaise trap) (KPM-NK 5002134) . Paratypes. 1 female, same data of holotype (KPM-NK 5002135) ; 1 female, Tochigi Pref., Nasushiobara City, Shiobara, Kotaki, 24–30, VII, 2008, Takeshi Matsumura leg. (Malaise trap) (KPM-NK 5002136) .

Description. Female (n=3). Body length 4.6–5.1 (HT: 5.0) mm. Body polished, smooth and punctate, covered with silver setae.

Head 0.7–0.8 (HT: 0.8) times as long as wide. Clypeus united with face, length of this combined area 0.8 times as long as width below each antennal socket, transversely striated, convex in lateral view, without anterior tentrial pits ( Fig. 5 ). Frons weakly concave above each antennal socket. Malar space 1.2–1.3 (HT: 1.2) times as long as basal width of mandible. Eye bare ( Figs. 5, 6 ). Inner eye margin not convergent ventrally ( Fig. 5 ). Minimum length between lateral ocellus and eye 1.2–1.4 (HT: 1.4) times as long as minimum length between each lateral ocellus. Occipital carina absent ( Fig. 6 ). Occiput weakly concave medially. Antenna with 25–26 (HT: 26) flagellomeres ( Fig. 7 ). First flagEllomErE 2.6–3.0 (HT: 2.6) timEs as long as depth and 1.2–1.3 (HT: 1.3) times as long as second flagEllomErE.

Mesosoma. Lateral aspect of pronotum covered with shallow punctures anteriorly ( Fig. 8 ), smooth posteriorly. Epomia, notauli and epicnemial carina absent ( Fig. 8 ). Mesoscutum and scutellum finely and sparsely punctate ( Fig. 8 ), without large hairless area. Mesopleuron smooth except for irregular rugae below subalar prominence. Lower division of metapleuron covered with longitudinal striae ( Fig. 8 ). Propodeum granulate with a few transverse stiriae, without carinae except for with lateromedian longitudinal carinae posteriorly ( Figs. 8, 9 ). Fore wing 3.4–3.7 (HT: 3.7) mm. Vein cu-a of fore wing inclivous, its anterior end opposite to posterior end of vein Rs + M ( Fig. 2 ). Vein 1- cu of hind wing longer than vein cu-a of hind wing ( Fig. 2 ). Hind femur 3.4 times as long as maximum width in lateral view. First tarsomere of hind tatsus 1.9-2.0 (HT: 1.9) times as long as second tarsomere.

Metasoma. T 1 1.7 times as long as maximum width, its basal half convex, covered with irregular rugae ( Fig. 9 ). Median dorsal carina of T 1 absent ( Fig. 9 ). Glymma present ( Fig. 8 ). T 2 1.1 times as long as maximum width. Apex of cercus with long setae. Ovipositor sheath 0.5 times as long as hind tibia. Ovipositor upcurved, its apex needle-like ( Fig. 3 ).

Colouration ( Fig. 1–4 ). Black to blackish-brown, except for: scapE, pEdicEl Basal part of flagEllum, clypEus, laBrum, mandible except for apex, tegula, and posterodorsal angle of pronotum and thyridium yellowish-brown. Legs yellowish-brown. Wings hyaline, with brown veins except for wing base with whitish-yellow veins.

Male. Unknown.

Distribution. Japan (Honshu).

Etymology. ThE spEcific namE is from “Asia”.

Bionomics. Host is unknown. Adult wasps were collected from June to July.

Remarks. Although Townes (1971) and Broad (2010) referred that mesoscutum of Neurateles usually partly hairless areas, this character is absent in N. asiatica . This species resembles N. falcatus and N. papyraceus in the antenna with 23 or more flagellomeres (shared with N. falcatus ), the epicnemial carina absent (shared with N. papyraceus ), and the ovipositor upcurved (shared with N. falcatus and N. papyraceus ), but it can be distinguished by the antenna with 25–26 flagellomeres (less than 23 flagellomeres in N. falcatus and N. papyraceus ), the epicnemial carina completely absent (present laterally in N. falcatus ), the lateromedian longitudinal carina of propodeum partly present (absent in N. papyraceus ) and T 11.7 times as long as maximum width (2.0 times in N. falcatus ).

Figures

Figs 1–4. Neurateles asiaticus sp. nov., paratypE (KPM-NK 5002135) ― 1, latEral haBitus; 2, forE and hind wings; 3 posterior part of metasoma, lateral view; 4, metasoma, dorsal view. Scale bar: 1.0 mm.

Figs 5–9. Neurateles asiaticus sp. nov., holotype (KPM-NK 5002134) (7, 9) and paratype (KPM-NK 5002135) (5, 6, 8) ― 5, 6, hEad, antErior (5) and dorsal (6) viEw; 7, lEft antEnna, outEr aspEct; 8, mEsosoma and T1, latEral viEw, its surface sculptures omitted except for metapleuron; 9, propodeum, T1 and T2, dorsal view, its oblique lines in right half indicate convexo-concave.