Phanerotoma stenochora, 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 stenochora sp. nov. Figs 359-362 , 363-373

Type material.

Holotype, ♀, " United Arab Emirates, Sharjah Desert Park (11718), light tr[ap], 30.iv.-21.v.2007, 25°17'N, 55°42'E, A. v. Harten, RMNH’10”. Paratypes: 1♀: Idem, 24.iii.-1.iv.2007; 1♀: Idem, 21.xii.2007-23.i.2008; 1♀: Idem, 29.iii.-6.iv.2005; 1♀: Idem, 6-13.iv.2005; 1♂: "United Arab Emirates, Sharjah (2279), light trap, 30.vi.-21.vii.2005, 25°17'N, 55°42'E, A. v. Harten, RMNH’06”; 1♀: "United Arab Emirates, al-Ajban (11858), light trap, 17.iv.-29.v.2006, 24°36'N, 55°01'E, A. v. Harten, RMNH’10”; 2♀: Idem, 17.x.-9.xi.2005; 1♀: Idem, 28.xii.2005-29.i.2006, Malaise & light trap; 3♀: Idem, 7-28.xii.2006; 2♀: Idem, 25.v.-26.vi.2006, Malaise trap; 2♀: "United Arab Emirates, NARC near Sweihan (1473), light trap, 20-30.iv.2005, 24°24'N, 55°26'E, A. v. Harten, RMNH’05”; 1♀: Idem, 1.ii.-14.iii.2005; 1♀: "United Arab Emirates, Bithnah (3699), at light, 11.xii.2005-18.i.2006, 25°17'N, 55°42'E, A. v. Harten, RMNH’06”; 1♀, 1♂: "United Arab Emirates, SSW of ad-Dhaid (1462), at light & light tr[ap], 23.iv.2005, 25°09'N, 55°48'E, A. v. Harten & K. Szpila, RMNH’06”.

Diagnosis.

Differs from all other species by having the first discal cell of fore wing as high as first subdiscal cell (Fig. 363 ), vein 1-R1 of fore wing ca. ½ as long as distance between apex of vein 1-R1 and apex of wing (Fig. 359 ) and third metasomal tergite shiny, dark brown or brown (contrasting with ivory second tergite), 1.8-2.2 × longer than second tergite and laterally curved to nearly straight, mostly smooth and flat apically (Fig. 365 ); metasomal sutures very narrow (Fig. 366 ); malar space long in lateral view, 1.6 × as long as basal width of mandible (Fig. 371 ); mesoscutum and vertex coarsely rugose-reticulate; inner tooth of mandible 0.2 × as long as apical tooth (Fig. 373 ); ovipositor sheath needle-shaped and only apically with some setae (Fig. 366 ). Superficially similar to P. intermedia van Achterberg, 1990, from Turkey and Israel, but the eyes are much larger (small in P. intermedia ), clypeus with three small ventral teeth (absent), medium-sized ocelli (small), first discal cell of fore wing as high as first subdiscal cell (higher) and third tergite mostly smooth (reticulate-rugose).

Description.

Female, holotype, length of body (excluding ovipositor) 5.0 mm; antenna 3.3 mm; fore wing 3.5 mm; visible part of ovipositor sheath 0.5 mm (only apex setose).

Head. Width 1.4 × median length in anterior view and part of head above eye in lateral view 0.3 × height of eye (Fig. 371 ); antenna with 23 segments and slightly shorter than fore wing, near apical third segments slightly widened and approx. as long as wide, narrowed apically and apical segments non-moniliform and apical segment with short spine (Figs 359 , 368 , 372 ), third, fourth and penultimate segments 3.2, 3.0 and 1.5 × longer than wide in lateral view, respectively; area of stemmaticum rugose; OOL: diameter of posterior ocellus: POL = 9: 5: 4; length of eye 3.0 × temple in dorsal view (Fig. 369 ); frons coarsely rugose laterally, mostly smooth medially and without median carina; vertex coarsely transversely rugose and rather shiny; temple densely and finely rugose, rather shiny; face transversely rugose and with median ridge dorsally but no distinct median carina; clypeus mostly smooth and distinctly narrower than face, shiny and with three minute teeth medio-ventrally (Fig. 370 ); eye rather large, strongly convex and in lateral view 1.9 × (measured medially) temple (Fig. 371 ), in anterior view 0.8 × minimum width of face; upper condyle of mandible near lower level of eyes (Fig. 370 ); malar space rugose, shiny and 1.6 × as long as basal width of mandible; lower tooth of mandible 0.2 × as long as apical tooth (Fig. 373 ).

Mesosoma (Figs 359 , 364 ). Length 1.5 × its width in lateral view; side of pronotum coarsely reticulate-rugose; propleuron posteriorly with smooth tubercle; mesosternum mostly smooth and shiny; mesoscutum and scutellum coarsely reticulate-rugose and rather shiny, short setose; notauli not indicated; scutellar sulcus narrow and with eleven carinae (Fig. 364 ); metanotum with median carina anteriorly and no tooth posteriorly; propodeum coarsely vermiculate-rugose, without distinct median and transverse carinae, latero-posteriorly not tuberculate. Wings. Fore wing 2.7 × longer than its maximum width; vein 1-R1 0.5 × as long as pterostigma and approx. half as long as distance between apex of vein 1-R1 and apex of wing (Fig. 359 ); r issued far beyond middle of pterostigma and 0.3 × 3-SR; 2-SR nearly straight and distally subparallel with posterior margin of pterostigma (Fig. 363 ); SR1 straight; 2-SR+M short, m-cu just postfurcal; parastigma large; first discal cell of fore wing as high as first subdiscal cell (Fig. 363 ); 1-CU1 0.2 × as long as vein 2-CU1; r:3-SR:SR1 = 6:7:29; 2-SR:3-SR:r-m = 20:7:10; r-m vertical; 2-M slightly curved; basal and subbasal cell rather sparsely setose. Hind wing: M+CU:1-M:1r-m = 27:25:10. Legs. Hind femur shiny, 3.5 × as long as wide and widened submedially; hind tibia rather robust (Fig. 367 ); middle tibia with ivory blister; inner spur of middle tibia 0.4 × its basitarsus; hind coxa mostly smooth and shiny.

Metasoma (Figs 365 , 366 ). Elliptical in dorsal view, 1.7 × as long as wide and 1.4 × as long as mesosoma; first and second tergites superficially and very finely rugulose; third tergite 1.9 × longer than second tergite and laterally curved, in lateral view rather flat, mostly smooth and shiny and medio-basally superficially rugulose (Fig. 365 ), lateral lamella narrow, not protruding latero-apically and medio-apically truncate and medium-sized; ovipositor sheath narrow, needle-shaped, its visible part 0.15 × as long as fore wing and 0.24 × metasomal carapace and only its apex with small cluster of long setae; hypopygium apically with short and moderately wide bent up triangle (Fig. 366 ), without apical spine and with medium-sized setae.

Colour. Head and antenna (but apically darkened) yellowish brown; palpi, mandible (except dark brown teeth), tegulae and legs pale yellowish; mesosoma largely brown, but mesosternum and imaginary notaulic courses yellow; first and second tergites and ventral half of metasoma ventrally ivory; remainder of metasoma rather dark brown; pterostigma brownish but basally pale yellowish (Fig. 363 ); wing membrane basally and marginal cell hyaline, remainder of apical half of fore wing largely brownish; parastigma, veins 1-M, 2-CU1 (except basally) and m-cu of fore wing pale yellow and veins r, 1-CU1, cu-a, 2-SR, 3-SR and 2-M brown; ovipositor sheath evenly brown.

Male.

Similar to female but hind femur inflated (Fig. 362 ), antennal segments slender and elongate (Fig. 361 ), and veins r and 1-M of fore wing widened and latter curved; vein 3-SR 2.7 × as long as vein r; metasoma very shiny and mostly smooth (Fig. 360 ).

Variations.

Length of fore wing of ♀ 2.7-3.9 mm, of ♂ 2.7 mm; third metasomal tergite 1.8-2.2 × longer than second tergite, dark brown or brown, curved to nearly straight laterally; vein 3-SR 1.1-2.7 × as long as vein r; hind femur largely and apex of hind tibia sometimes dark brown.

Biology.

Unknown.

Distribution.

United Arabian Emirates.

Etymology.

Named after the narrow marginal cell of the fore wing (stenos is Greek for narrow and chora is Greek for room or space).

Figures

Figures 359 - 362. Phanerotoma stenochora van Achterberg, sp. nov., ♀, holotype (but 360 - 362 of ♂, paratype) 359 habitus lateral 360 metasoma lateral 361 antenna lateral 362 hind femur and tibia lateral.

Figures 363 - 373. Phanerotoma stenochora van Achterberg, sp. nov., ♀, holotype 363 fore wing 364 mesosoma dorsal 365 first-third metasomal tergites dorsal 366 metasoma lateral 367 hind leg lateral 368 apical half of antenna lateral 369 head dorsal 370 head anterior 371 head lateral 372 antenna lateral 373 mandible ventral.