Brachygaster gussakovskiji, Belokobylskij, 2019

Belokobylskij, S. A., 2019, Ensign wasps (Hymenoptera: Evanioidea, Evaniidae) in the fauna of Russia, with description of a new Brachygaster Leach species from Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, Zootaxa 4629 (3), pp. 379-388 : 382-385

Brachygaster gussakovskiji sp. nov.

( Figs 2 A–L, 3A–K)

Type material. Holotype: female, “ Tajikistan, y.[shchel’e] [canyon] Kondara , 1100 m, d.[erevnya] [= village] Varzoba, 8.IX. [19]38, Gussakovskij” ( ZISP).

Paratypes (all in ZISP). 7 females (one without head), same label as in holotype, but 26.VIII, 16 & 18.IX.1937, 15, 17, 20 & 22.IX.1938 ( ZISP) ; 8 males, same label as in holotype, but 15, 24 & 29. VI , 8, 15.VII & 13.VIII. 1937 , 15, 20 & 23. VI.1938; 4 males, “ Stalinabad (Dyushanbe), foothills, Gussakovskij”, 27 & 29. VI.1935; 3 males, “ur.[ochishche) [= hole] Kvak , 2000 m, 35 km N Stalinabad [= Dushanbe], Gussakovskij” , 20.VII, 4 & 6.VIII.1937; 1 male, Uzbekistan, “ Aman-Kutan , Samark. [andskiy] r.[ayon], 1500 m, 20-VII. [19]31, V. Gussakovskij ” .

Description. Female. ( Figs 2 A–L). Body length 2.4–2.8 mm; fore wing 1.8–2.1 mm.

Head. In front view 1.0–1.1 × wider than high, in dorsal view 1.9–2.0 × wider than median length, evenlyroundly narrowed behind eyes. Transverse diameter of eye 2.4–3.3 × length of temple (dorsal view). Ocellar triangle with base 1.4–1.6 × its sides; POL 3.0–4.0 × OD, 2.8–3.0 × OOL. Frons with shallow and not wide depression near antennal socket. Eye glabrous, 1.5–1.6 × as high as broad. Malar space 0.30–0.35 × height of eye, 0.8–0.9 × basal width of mandible. Face without median tubercle, with distinct vertical, weakly curved and weakly divergent below median furrows; with distinct curved lateral carinae extending from margins of eye at level of antennal sockets to dorso-lateral margin of clypeus, carinae forming distinct flange before clypeus. Diameter of antennal socket 1.0–1.5 × distance between sockets, 0.6–0.8 × distance between socket and inner margin of eye. Mandibles tridentate (ventro-anterior view) with well-developed teeth. Maxillary and labial palps with 4 and 3 segments respectively; maxillary palps slender and rather long; labial palpal segments weakly swelling and short.

Antenna with 13 segments, relatively distinctly incrassate towards apex, about as long as mesosoma and head combined; flagellomeres covered by numerous, very dense and short pale setae, setae decreasing in length towards apex of flagellum. Scape 1.8–2.3 × longer than maximum width, 2.2–2.6 × longer than pedicel. First flagellomere 1.1–1.4 × longer than maximum width, 0.4–0.6 × as long as scape, 0.6–0.9 × as long as second flagellomere. Penultimate flagellomere 1.4–1.7 × longer than maximum width, 0.9–1.1 × as long as scape, 0.6–0.7 × as long as apical flagellomere.

Mesosoma. Length about equal to its maximum height (lateral view), 1.2–1.4 × its maximum width (dorsal view). In dorsal view pronotum weakly visible medially, lateral angles of pronotum subpointed, lateral margin produced into sparsely setose vertical flange. Mesoscutum 1.8–2.0 × wider than median length; notauli distinct, complete, shallow and smooth, distinctly convergent posteriorly. Scutellum 2.5–3.0 × wider than long, 0.6–0.7 × as long as mesoscutum. Metanotum not separated from scutellum. Prepectal carina distinct and complete. Propodeum antero-dorsally sometimes with very shallow and converge towards petiolar foramen smooth furrows and posterolateral ridge; posterior tubercle of ridge short and rounded; anterior spine absent. Posterior vertical surface of propodeum medially with wide and very shallow depression along all its length.

Legs. Hind leg 2.2–2.7 × longer than mesosoma height. Hind coxa with strong dorso-lateral excavation; hind trochanter 0.6–0.8 × as long as hind coxa. Hind femur 3.2–3.5 × longer than wide, 0.9–1.1 × as long as hind tibia. Inner (long) hind tibial spur 1.2–1.4 × longer than outer (short) spur, 0.60–0.65 × as long as hind basitarsus. Hind basitarsus 0.8–1.0 × as long as second-fifth segments combined. Tarsal claw long, weakly curved apically, with two very short and wide small teeth.

Wings. Fore wing more or less uniformly and densely setose except to sparsely or very sparsely setosity of costal cell and basal quarter of wing; with three closed cells (costal, basal and subbasal). Vein cu-a antefurcal, fused with vein M+CU before vein 1M, with distinct but short bulla posteriorly; first abscissa of vein M+CU 8.0–9.0 × longer than second abscissa of vein M+CU. Tubular and dark vein 1A short, not following behind vein cu-a. Vein 1CU tubular and dark, evenly curved. Spectral and finely visible veins r-rs, RS, M, m-cu, 3CU and 2A. Hind wing hyaline and uniformly setose, vein M+Cu spectral; number of hamuli four.

Metasoma. Petiole long and rather narrow, 3.5–5.2 × longer than maximum width, about 3.0 × longer than distance from base of propodeum to base of petiole. Metasoma behind petiole strongly compressed (dorsal view) and subrounded (lateral view). Ovipositor and ovipositor sheaths concealed within metasoma.

Sculpture and pubescence. Vertex with sparse large foveae, sparsely transversely striate in posterior one-third, but sometimes with indistinct striation; frons and face with clypeus sparsely foveate with wide smooth and shining spaces between foveae; temple sparsely vertically striate-foveate, with smooth and shining spaces between foveae, but sometimes almost entirely widely smooth with sparse foveae; these foveae setiferous, generally one long, erect and sparse seta arising from each fovea. Mesoscutum and scutellum sparsely foveate, with smooth and shining space between foveae, generally one long, erect and sparse seta arising from each fovea. Mesopleuron densely foveolate-areolate, with smooth small area upper in anterior third; metapleuron areolate-foveolate. Propodeum densely areolate. Hind coxa smooth in basal quarter, densely punctate and setiferous on remaining part. Hind tibia densely rugose-reticulate, with very dense, short and semi-erect setae. Petiole mainly smooth dorsally and laterally, partly with weak and very sparse punctation, finely striate with rugulosity in latero-posterior one-third; with long erect sparse setae dorsally and short dense setae laterally. Remaining segments entirely smooth and shining, mainly glabrous, only last rounded segment setiferous posteriorly.

Colour. Body black.Antenna mainly light brown, often infuscate basally and apically. Legs dark reddish brown, fore tibia dark reddish brown or yellowish brown to light reddish brown, fore and middle tarsi yellowish brown, but hind basitarsus dark; all tibial spurs (including hind ones) yellow. Fore wing hyaline; tubular veins and pterostigma brown to dark brown.

Male. ( Figs 3 A–K). Body length 3.0– 3.5 mm; fore wing 2.0– 2.6 mm. Transverse diameter of eye 2.0–2.2 × length of temple (dorsal view). Antenna only very weakly incrassate towards apex, about as long as mesosoma, head and petiole combined. Penultimate flagellomere 1.8–2.2 × longer than maximum width, 0.75–0.80 × as long as scape. Length of mesosoma 0.9–1.0 × maximum height (lateral view). Propodeum antero-dorsally without smooth furrows and postero-lateral ridge. Petiole shorter and wider, 2.5–3.0 × longer than maximum width, 1.5–1.7 × longer than distance from base of propodeum to base of petiole. Frons and face densely foveate with narrow smooth spaces between foveae; temple sparsely vertically striate-foveate, with narrow smooth spaces between foveae. Mesosoma dorsally sometimes partly without setae (perhaps artificially missing). Mesopleuron rather densely foveolate-areolate, with smooth and rather narrow subvertical stripe. Petiole dorsally or dorso-laterally medially or in its distal third sparsely punctate-areolate, smooth between sculptures, laterally distinctly rugose-punctate. Antenna entirely black to dark brown. Mandible often reddish brown or brown. Legs entirely dark reddish brown to black, sometime fore tibia and tarsus brown. Otherwise similar to female.

Comparative diagnosis. This new species differs from the only other Palaearctic species, Brachygaster minutus (Olivier) , by having the face with vertical curved sublateral carinae transformed in flanges below (no such carinae and flanges in B. minutus ), petiole of female smooth dorsally ( Fig. 2L ) (densely striate at least dorsolaterally in B. minutus : Fig. 1I ), mesosoma and head with long, sparse and erect setae ( Figs 2A, E, G ) (with short, dense and semi-erect setae in B. minutus : Figs 1A,B, E, F ), mesoscutum, frons and vertex of female with sparse fovea and large smooth spaces between each fovea ( Figs 2B, C, H ) (with dense fovea and narrow granulate-rugulose spaces in B. minutus Figs 1D, G ).

Etymology. Named in the honor of the one of the best Russian hymenopterists and collector of the type material of this new species, Dr Vladimir Vsevolodovich Gussakovskij (1904–1948).

Distribution. Tajikistan, Uzbekistan.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Brachygaster minutus (Olivier, 1791) (A, C–J, male; B, female). A, B, Habitus, lateral view. C, Antenna, lateral view. D, Head, dorsal view. E, Head, front view. F, Head and mesosoma, lateral view. G, Mesosoma, dorsal view. H, Metasoma, dorsal view. I, Petiole, dorsal view. J, Metasoma, lateral view.

FIGURE 2. Brachygaster gussakovskiji sp. nov. (holotype, female).A, Habitus, lateral view. B. Frons of head. C, Head, dorsal view. D, Head, lateral view. E, Head, front view. F, Antenna, lateral view. G, Head and mesosoma, lateral view. H, Mesosoma, dorsal view. I, Metasoma, dorsal view. J, Metasoma, lateral view. K, Wings. I, Petiole, dorsal view.

FIGURE 3. Brachygaster gussakovskiji sp. nov. (paratype, male).A, Habitus, lateral view. B, Head, front view. C, Head, dorsal view. D, Frons of head. E, Antenna, lateral view. F, Head and mesosoma, lateral view. G, Mesosoma, dorsal view. H, Petiole, dorsal view. I, Petiole, lateral view. K, Metasoma, lateral view.