Gammabracon subvena Quicke and Butcher, 2017

Quicke, Donald L. J., Hogan, James E., Bennett, Andrew M. R., Broad, Gavin R. & Butcher, Buntika A., 2017, Partial revision of the Indo-Australian braconine wasp genus Gammabracon Quicke (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) with descriptions of new species from Indonesia (Mollucas), Malaysia, Philippines and Thailand, Journal of Natural History 51 (21 - 22), pp. 1249-1294 : 1269-1271

Gammabracon subvena Quicke and Butcher sp. nov.

( Figures 12 , 13 )

Material examined

HOLOTYPE: Female. MALAYSIA ‘ Pasoh Forest Res., Negri S., Malaysia, V. 17.[19]78 far gap P. & M. Becker’ ( EMUS).

PARATYPES: 1 female, Same data as holotype but ‘III .30. [19]78’ ( EMUS); 1 female ‘ MALAYSIA – SW . SABAH, nr Long Pa Sia (West), c . 1200m, 2–14 .IV .1987, Mal. trap 7, RMNH’87 C.v. Achterberg’ ( RMNH) .

Description

Female: Length of body 13.1 mm, of forewing 13.3 mm, of antenna 10.5 mm, of exserted part of ovipositor 22.0 mm.

Head. Antenna with 60–66 flagellomeres; terminal flagellomere with short apical spine; median flagellomeres 1.1 × longer than wide; 1st flagellomere 1.45 × longer than both 2nd and 3rd, respectively; width of head:width of face:height of eye = 2.2:1.2:1.0; intertentorial distance equal to shortest distance between tentorial pit and eye; frons deeply impressed behind antennal sockets, deeply punctate laterally; shortest distance between posterior ocelli:transverse diameter of posterior ocellus:shortest distance between posterior ocellus and eye = 1.0:1.0:3.5; length of head behind eye 0.8 × length of eye in dorsal view.

Mesosoma. 1.8 × longer than high; scutellar sulcus crenulate with large median pit; posterior margin of propodeum medially sharply defined from transverse subposterior depression, and medially with a distinct pit.

Wings. Forewing vein 3RSb 1.7 and 6.0 × longer than 3RSa and rs-m, respectively; vein 1-M gradually and weakly expanding before junction with (Rs+M)a; vein 1cu-a marginally postfurcal, anterior junction hardly swollen; vein m-cu not thickened and nearly straight; base of hind wing with glabrous area extending along basal half of 1-M close to vein, not emarginate.

Legs. Foretibia with long black setae.

Metasoma. 1st tergite 1.15 × longer than apically wide with posteromedial part weakly irregularly sculptured; sides of raised median area smooth and shiny; 2nd tergite 1.4 × wider than medial length, 1.2 × longer than 3rd tergite, with short, smooth, obtuse midbasal triangular area, with posteriorly converging sublateral carinae that widen weakly anteriorly and anastomose weakly posteriorly; 3rd tergite with strongly crenulate transverse basal groove, with widely crenulate transverse median groove, with strong midlongitudinal carina formed from fusion of several submedial crenulate of basal groove; ovipositor 1.7 × longer than body.

Etymology

Named in reference to the less modified forewing venation than other members of Gammabracon .

Head (including stemmaticum), scapus (except dark laterally) yellow; mesosoma (except lateral of propodeum which are darker), fore and mid legs orange; flagellum, hind legs and metasoma black except anterolateral margin of 2nd metasomal tergite which are pale brown; wing membrane pale yellow basally becoming infuscate apically; venation brown to dark brown, pterostigma and brown-yellow.

Comments

Gammabracon subvena differs from all other species of the genus in having its forewing venation markedly less modified, specifically with vein 1-M not abruptly widened anteriorly, junction of veins 1cu-a and 1-M not markedly swollen and vein m-cu narrow, and only weakly curved. In addition, the glabrous area of the hind wing extends distally just posterior to vein 1Ma as a sparsely setose zone for approximately 0.4 of the length of 1Ma.

Figures

Figure 12. Gammabracon subvena sp. nov. (a) Habitus, dorsal view. (b) Habitus, lateral view. (c) Head dorsal view. (d) Face frontal view. (e) Forefemur and tibia.

Figure 13. Gammabracon subvena sp. nov. (a) Central part of forewing. (b) Base of hind wing. (c) Scutellum and propodeum. (d) Anterior metasomal tergites.