Apanteles thoracartus Liu & Chen

Liu, Zhen, He, Jun-Hua & Chen, Xue-Xin, 2015, The lacteus-, laspeyresiella - and mycetophilus - groups of Apanteles Foerster, 1862 (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Microgastrinae) in China, with descriptions of eight new species, Zootaxa 3949 (3), pp. 370-392 : 387-391

Apanteles thoracartus Liu & Chen , sp. n.

Figure 10

Description. Female. Body length ca. 2.2 mm, fore wing length ca. 2.6 mm.

Head. Less transverse in dorsal view, 1.8 as wide as long (23.4:13.0) and wider than mesosoma (23.4:20.0). Temple shiny, rather constricted posteriorly ( Fig. 10 f), with coarse punctures. Face subquadrate, 0.9 as high as wide, relatively dull, heavily punctate, sparsely pubescent ( Fig. 10 a), inner margin of eyes subparallel. Ocelli relatively small, distance between fore and a hind ocellus longer than diameter of an ocellus, posterior tangent to the anterior ocellus touching the posterior pair, POL:OD:OOL=3.0:2.0:3.0. Antenna almost as long as body length, penultimate antennomere 2 longer than wide.

Mesosoma. Length to breadth and height 34.0:20.0:22.6. Disc of mesonotum relatively dull, heavily but sparsely and unevenly punctate, interspaces usually larger than diameter of punctures. Scutellar sulcus almost straight, narrow with weak carinae in between. Scutellum highly polished with only trace of punctures. Propodeum relatively shiny, with sparse independent punctures anteriorly, polished except a few short carinae on posterolateral field and around nucha. Mesopleuron highly polished, its anterior half with shallow punctation of even size. Hind femur of normal size. Spines on outer side of hind tibia sparse. Inner spur of hind tibia almost 2× longer than the outer one, 2/5 length of basitarsus, outer spur is 1/5 length of basitarsus. Hind basitarsus as long as tarsal segments 2–4 combined.

Wings. Pterostigma 3.2× as long as its widest part. Vein 1-R1 (metacarp) 1.4× longer than pterostigma, it is 6.2× as long as its distance from apex of the marginal cell. Vein r slightly longer than width of pterostigma, vein r nearly as long as (or faintly shorter than) vein 2-SR, both veins distinctly angled at their meeting, vein 2-M half of vein 2-SR. 1st discal cell nearly 1/4 wider than high. Vein cu-a slightly curved. Vannal lobe beyond its widest part straight and without projecting setae.

Metasoma. 1.2× as long as thorax (40.0:34.0). T1 narrowed towards apex, basal width 2× hind width, 2× longer than basal width. Concave at basal 2/5, highly shiny, polished, with only six punctures in an arc posteriorly. T2 triangular, 1.6× wider than long in the middle. T3 1.4× as long as T2 (7.0:5.0). Tergites after T1 relatively shiny, smooth. Hypopygium shorter than apex of abdomen. Ovipositor sheath 1.3× longer than hind tibia (40.0:30.0), relatively thin.

Colour. Body black except abdomen reddish yellow (it becomes darker at base and apex of abdomen). Flagellum and ovipositor sheath yellowish brown. Labrum and mandible dark reddish brown. Palpi, tegulae and spurs of tibiae pale yellow. Legs bright reddish yellow, hind coxa reddish brown. Fore wing membrane hyaline, faintly brownish, vein 1-R1, C+SC+R and pterostigma brown, other veins slightly pale.

FIGURE 11. Distribution map of lacteus- and laspeyresiella- group of Apanteles species in China. ⋅: Apanteles basicavus Liu & Chen , sp. n.; •: Apanteles brevivena Liu & Chen , sp. n.; ★: Apanteles laspeyresiella Papp, 1972 ; ˔: Apanteles parapholetesor Liu & Chen , sp. n.

FIGURE 12. Distribution map of mycetophilus -group of Apanteles species in China. •: Apanteles artustigma Liu & Chen , sp. n.; ■: Apanteles hainanensis Liu & Chen , sp. n.; ˔: Apanteles magnioculus Liu & Chen , sp. n.; ★: Apanteles odites Nixon, 1965 ; ♦: Apanteles sparsus Liu & Chen , sp. n.; ♥: Apanteles thoracartus Liu & Chen , sp. n.

Male. Unknown.

Host. Unknown.

Material examined. Holotype: ♀, Chebaling, Shixing, Guangdong, 2003. VIII.21, Xu Zaifu, No. 20052553.

Distribution. China (Province: Guangdong).

Etymology. The specific name “ thoracartus ” derives from the Latin “thorac-” and “artus”, referring to the distinctly narrow mesosoma.

Remarks. This species is similar to A. odites Nixon , but can be separated by the following: mesoscutum without satin-like sheen (in the latter species satin-like); ovipositor not falcate towards apex (in the latter species markedly falcate); and metacarp shorter (in the latter species extremely long, almost closing the marginal cell).

Figures

FIGURE 10. Apanteles thoracartus Liu & Chen, sp. n. a head, frontal view; b mesosoma, dorsal view; c propodeum and T 1 – 3, dorsal view; d fore wing; e hind wing; f head, dorsal view; g habitus, lateral view. Scale line = 0.5 mm.