Spathius fumipennis, Belokobylskij & Ku, 2023

Belokobylskij, Sergey A. & Ku, Deokseo, 2023, New descriptions and new records of the braconid parasitoids subfamilies Doryctinae and Rhyssalinae (Hymenoptera, Braconidae) in the fauna of South Korea, ZooKeys 1138, pp. 49-88 : 49

Spathius fumipennis sp. nov.

Figs 9 , 10

Type material.

Holotype: female, "Korea, Kyongsangbuk-do [Gyeongsangbuk-do], Chomch’on-up [Jeomchon-eup], Daesong Buljong [Daeseong Buljeong], 9.VI.1992, D.-S. Ku" (NIBR).

Paratype. 1 female, "Korea, Chungnam-do, Cheongyang-gun, Jeongsan-myeon, Machi-ri, sweeping, 15.VI.1992, D-S Ku" (SMNE).

Comparative diagnosis.

This new species belongs to the S. fasciatus Walker species group. S. fuscipennis sp. nov. is similar to Japanese S. hikoensis Belokobylskij, 1998 ( Belokobylskij 1998), but differs from the latter species by having the occipital carina joined below with hypostomal carina (usually not joined and obliterated below in S. hikoensis ); first flagellar segment 4.0 × longer than its apical width (5.0-5.7 × in S. hikoensis ); the apical 1/2 of antenna completely dark and without pale subapical segments (with several pale subapical segments in S. hikoensis ); the mesoscutum entirely weakly granulate-coriaceous (distinctly granulate in S. hikoensis ); scutellum without lateral carinae (with distinct carinae in S. hikoensis ); fore wing distinctly and evenly infuscate, pterostigma entirely brown (only faintly infuscate and pale in basal 1/3 in S. hikoensis ); radial vein (r) arising distinctly behind middle of pterostigma, from its basal 2/3 (arising from basal 3/5 in S. hikoensis ); hind femur weakly thicker, 4.1 × longer than wide (slender, its length 4.3-4.8 × longer than wide in S. hikoensis ); setae on the dorsal surface of the hind tibia shorter, 0.7-1.0 × as long as the maximum width of the tibia (long, 1.1-1.5 × longer in S. hikoensis ).

The new species is also similar to S. clavator Tang, Belokobylskij & Chen, 2015 ( Tang et al. 2015) from China (Hainan), but differs from it by having the vertex almost entirely smooth (mainly rugulose-striate in S. clavator ); malar space 0.6 × eye height and almost equal to basal width of mandible (0.4 × eye height and 0.7 × basal width of mandible in S. clavator ); occipital carina joined below with hypostomal carina (not joined and obliterated below in S. clavator ); first flagellar segment 4.0 × longer than its apical width (6.7 × in S. clavator ); mesoscutum entirely weakly granulate-coriaceous and without or with very short rugae (distinctly granulate and with long rugae in S. clavator ); mesopleuron medially widely smooth, (entirely densely granulate with striation in S. clavator ); hind femur slender, 4.1 × longer than wide (thicker, its length 3.7 × longer than wide in S. clavator ); fore wing distinctly and evenly infuscate, pterostigma entirely brown (wing faintly infuscate, pterostigma pale in basal 1/3 in S. clavator ); radial vein (r) of the fore wing arising distinctly behind the middle of the pterostigma, from its basal 2/3 (from middle in S. clavator ); length of petiole 2.3 × its apical width (2.7 × in S. clavator ); second tergite without separated laterotergites (with laterotergites separated in basal 1/2 in S. clavator ).

Description.

Female. Body length 4.7-4.8 mm; fore wing length 3.2-3.4 mm.

Head. Head width (dorsal view) 1.5 × its median length, 1.2 × width of mesoscutum. Head behind eyes (dorsal view) weakly convex in anterior 1/2 and roundly narrowed in posterior 1/2; transverse diameter of eye 1.2 × length of temple. Ocelli medium-sized, arranged in triangle with base 1.1 × its sides; POL 0.8 × Od, 0.3 × OOL. Eye glabrous, 1.2 × as high as broad. Malar space 0.5-0.6 × eye height and 1.0-1.3 × basal width of mandible. Face width 1.3 × eye height and 1.2-1.3 × height of face and clypeus combined. Clypeal suture rather fine and complete. Clypeus weakly convex. Hypoclypeal depression transverse-oval, its width equal to distance from edge of depression to eye, 0.4-0.5 × width of face. Occipital carina joined with hypostomal carina below upper base of mandible. Hypostomal flange wide and distinct. Vertex distinctly convex.

Antenna. Antenna weakly thickened, almost setiform, 29-30-segmented, almost as long as body. Scape 1.8-1.9 × longer than its width. First flagellar segment 4.0-4.5 × longer than its apical width, 1.2-1.3 × longer than second segment. Penultimate segment 2.0-2.5 × longer than its wide, 0.4 × as long as first flagellar segment, 0.8-0.9 × as long as apical segment; the latter weakly acuminated apically.

Mesosoma. Length of mesosoma 1.7 × its height. Pronotal keel fine but distinct, its posterior branch medially widely fused with posterior margin of pronotum, anterior branch almost indistinct. Pronotum subanteriorly with rather distinct transverse carina. Pronotal lateral depression not delineated upper by carinae, wide, shallow, coarsely and rather densely curvedly crenulate. Mesoscutum highly and subvertically elevated above pronotum. Notauli complete, wide, rather deep anteriorly and more or less shallow posteriorly, densely, sparsely and distinctly crenulate with reticulation between rugae. Prescutellar depression rather deep, relatively long, with five almost complete carinae, finely rugulose or reticulate, 0.30-0.35 × as long as scutellum. Scutellum weakly convex, without lateral carinae. Metanotum with short, wide and subpointed dorsal tooth. Subalar depression shallow, rather narrow, rugose-striate. Precoxal sulcus deep, wide, straight, oblique, distinctly crenulate, with fine reticulation, running along anterior 0.6 of lower length of mesopleuron, with shallow and relatively wide striate depression behind sulcus. Metapleural flange wide and short. Propodeum with distinct, short, and thick lateral tubercles.

Wings. Fore wing 3.6-3.8 × longer than wide. Pterostigma 4.2-5.0 × longer than its maximum width. Radial vein (r) arising distinctly behind middle of pterostigma, inner distance of pterostigma from parastigma to radial vein (r) 1.7-1.8 × its inner distance from radial vein to metacarp (1-R1). Radial (marginal) cell not shortened; metacarp (1-R1) 1.4 × longer than pterostigma. First radial abscissa (r) 0.8-0.9 × as long as maximum width of pterostigma. Second radial abscissa (3-SR) 2.8-3.0 × longer than first abscissa and forming with it very obtuse angle, 0.4-0.5 × as long as straight third abscissa (SR1), 0.9 × as long as first radiomedial vein (2-SR). Second radiomedial (submarginal) cell not or only weakly narrowed distally, its length 2.7 × maximum width, 1.3 × length of brachial (subdiscal) cell. First medial abscissa (1-SR+M) straight or weakly sinuate. Recurrent vein (m-cu) weakly postfurcal, ~ 6.0 × longer than second abscissa of medial vein (2-SR+M), 0.4 × as long as first radiomedial vein (2-SR). Nervulus (cu-a) weakly postfurcal, distance (1-CU1) from nervulus (cu-a) to basal vein (1-M) 0.3-0.4 × nervulus (cu-a) length. Parallel vein (CU1a) not interstitial, arising from anterior 0.3-0.4 of distal vein (3-CU1) of brachial (subdiscal) cell. Mediocubital vein (M+CU1) almost straight or weakly curved. Hind wing 4.5-5.0 × longer than maximum width. First costal abscissa (C+SC+R) 0.6 × as long as second abscissa (1-SC+R). First abscissa of mediocubital vein (M+CU) 0.70-0.75 × as long as second abscissa (1-M). Recurrent vein (m-cu) not pigmented, transparent, rather long, weakly antefurcal, distinctly oblique towards base of wing.

Legs. Fore tibia with slender numerous and rather sparse spines arranged in single vertical line. Hind coxa 1.6 × longer than its maximum width, with basoventral corner and small tooth. Hind femur claviform, 4.0-4.1 × longer than wide. Hind tarsus 0.9-1.0 × as long as hind tibia. Hind basitarsus 0.70-0.75 × as long as second-fifth segments combined; second segment 0.45-0.50 × as long as basitarsus, 1.1-1.3 × longer than fifth segment (without pretarsus).

Metasoma. Petiole (lateral view) weakly and evenly curved ventrally, dorsally distinctly and regularly curved to its middle and almost straight in apical 1/2, thickened submedially; widened on spiracle level and weakly widened in apical 0.2-0.3 (dorsal view), with small spiracular tubercles in basal 1/3. Length of petiole 2.3-2.4 × its apical width, almost 2.0 × length of propodeum; apical width ~ 1.5 × its width at level of spiracles. Second and following tergites without separate laterotergites. Second suture absent. Median length of second and third tergites combined 1.7-1.8 × basal width of second tergite, 0.8 × their maximum width. Ovipositor weakly curved down. Ovipositor sheath 1.3-1.4 × longer than metasoma, 2.2-2.4 × longer than mesosoma, 1.0-1.1 × longer than fore wing.

Sculpture and pubescence. Vertex almost entirely smooth, only finely coriaceous near ocelli; frons almost entirely with distinct, dense, and curved transverse striae, with additional fine reticulation between striae. Face entirely or mainly (in upper 2/3) densely and coarsely striate, with rugulosity between striae below and laterally, finely reticulate-coriaceous to smooth in lower lateral 1/3. Temple entirely smooth. Mesoscutum entirely densely and weakly granulate-coriaceous, sometimes with short rugae near notauli and laterally, coarsely, and sparsely rugose in wide and short medioposterior area. Scutellum densely and finely to very finely coriaceous, with fine transverse aciculae anteriorly. Mesopleuron medially widely almost smooth, finely and densely rugulose-reticulate marginally. Propodeum with areas delineated by distinct carinae; basolateral areas entirely and densely granulate-rugulose; areola wide and rather long, transverse striae with rugulosity, almost as long as wide; petiolate area rather long and wide, distinctly separated from areola by curved carina; basal carina 0.7-1.0 × as long as anterior fork of areola. Hind coxa dorsally partly densely transversely striate with dense rugosity in wide basal 1/2, laterally distinctly and densely rugulose-granulate. Hind femur mainly smooth, longitudinally striate dorsally. Petiole distinctly and sparsely striate, with dense to very dense rugulosity between striae, only densely rugose in basal 1/4. Second and following tergites entirely smooth. Vertex with sparse, short, and almost erect pale setae situated laterally and anteriorly, glabrous on wide medial part. Mesoscutum with sparse, long, and erect yellow setae laterally and along notauli, glabrous on wide medial parts of lobes. Mesopleuron widely glabrous. Setae of dorsal surface of hind tibia erect, rather dense, mainly long, their length 0.7-1.0 × maximum width of tibia.

Colour. Body mainly dark reddish brown to almost black partly, metasoma posteriorly or already behind petiole and ventrally reddish brown. Antennae brown with dark brown apical quarter or mainly dark brown with two basal segments pale brown, without pale subapical segments. Palpi yellow or brownish yellow. Legs partly reddish brown or pale reddish brown, all trochanters and trochantelli, tibiae and tarsi yellow or yellowish brown, hind tibiae basally yellow on rather long distance. Ovipositor sheath mainly pale brown, almost black apically. Fore wing distinctly and evenly infuscate, faintly paler basally and apically. Pterostigma evenly brown or yellowish brown in basal third.

Male. Unknown.

Etymology.

This species is named from the Latin fumis (= smoke) and pennis (= pen, “wing”), after its distinctly infuscate fore wing.

Distribution.

Korean Peninsula.

New and rare species in the fauna of Korean Peninsula

Figures

Figure 9. Spathius fumipennis sp. nov. (female, holotype) A habitus, lateral view B head, front view C head, dorsal view D head, lateral view E apical segments of antenna F basal segments of antenna G mesosoma, dorsal view H mesosoma, lateral view I hind leg.

Figure 10. Spathius fumipennis sp. nov. (female, holotype) A wings B metasoma, dorsal view C metasoma, lateral view D petiole, dorsal view E petiole, lateral view.