Balcha laciniosa, Gibson, 2005

Gibson, Gary A. P., 2005, The world species of Balcha Walker (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea: Eupelmidae), parasitoids of wood-boring beetles, Zootaxa 1033 (1), pp. 1-62 : 36-39

Balcha laciniosa n. sp. ( Figs. 9 , 27, 36)

Type material. Holotype (♀, USNM): [ INDONESIA] “Pemalang, Java / Fr. A. Th. H. Verbeek coll., Aug. 14, ‘29 / Ex lar. Agrilus kalshoveni O. / 5444 Hm / CNCI JDR­specm 2004­121 / Holotype Balcha laciniosa Gibson ”; glued to point, left hind tarsus missing.

Paratypes: AUSTRALASIAN. INDONESIA: [Irian Jaya], Nabire , 5­ 50 m., 25.VIII­ 2.IX.1962, J. Sedlacek (1♀ BPBM) . ORIENTAL. INDONESIA: Java (1♀, 1♂ AUWN); same data as holotype (1♂ USNM) ; Roban , VI.1907, F. Muir (1♀ BPBM) ; [?] Walikoekoen, Res. Semanang, 40 M., Manggar , 14.VII.1928, Fr. A. Th. H. Verbeek (1♀ AUWN) . MALAYSIA: [Malaya] Penang [George Town], Batu Ferringhi catchment area, 14.VII.1958, H.T. Pagden (1♀ BMNH) . [Sabah] Borneo, Sandakan, Baker (1♀ USNM) ;

Buttun Point [Tanjong], 300 ft., VI.1937, K.M. Walsh (1♀ BMNH) . Sarawak, Gunong Mulu Natn. Park , X.1977, trap, D. Hollis (1♂ BMNH) ; SW Gunung Buda , 64 km. S. Limbang, 4° 13'N 114° 66'E, 16­21.XI.1996, S.L. Heydon & S. Fung (1♀ UCDC) ; Kuching, J.H., 12, P. Cameron Coll. (1♀ BMNH, labelled “ Type, Trigonoderus trilobatius Cam. ”, a manuscript name) . PHILIPPINES: Kolambugan , 1.15, Böttcher (1♀ BMNH) . Mindanao, Davao, Baker , 13904 (2♀ USNM) ; Iligan, Baker (2♂ USNM) . Sibuyan, Baker (1♀ USNM) . Tawi Tawi, Tarawakan north of Batu Batu , 13.XI.1961, Noona Dan Exp. 61­ 62 (1♂ NHRS) . VIETNAM: Tonkin, Hoa­Binh , III.1937, A. de Cooman (2♀ IZCAS) .

Etymology. Formed from the Latin word laciniosus (full of flaps), in reference to the spatulate white setae that are interspersed with hairlike setae on the mesoscutum of individuals.

Description. FEMALE. Length, 4.5–9 mm. Antenna dark except scape yellowishorange and often pedicel, and sometimes Fl 1 and base of Fl 2, yellowish­orange or at least lighter brown than remaining flagellum; scape widened apically but spindlelike and with outer surface uniformly setose; Fl 1 quadrate to about 1.25 x as long as wide and almost half as long as pedicel; Fl 2 about 0.9–1.6 x as long as clava. Head with punctures on parascrobal region green to blue or purple in contrast to dark or coppery interstices (cf. Fig. 2), the lower face usually more uniformly green to blue at least toward oral margin, and with coriaceous dorsal part of parascrobal region variably extensively green or blue; ocellar region, vertex and usually occiput dark except often with green to bluish spot or band behind each posterior ocellus, the two sometimes joined as V­ like mark behind ocelli or rarely as anterior projections of uniformly brightly colored occiput, and variously extensively green to bluish along upper and outer orbits under some angles of light. Face with setiferous punctures, the punctures on lower face closely crowded, finely coriaceous, and with more distinct coriaceous to slightly reticulate interstices so as to appear somewhat rugulose toward oral margin (Fig. 27), but parascrobal region with distinct punctures separated by flat, coriaceous interstices except about dorsal quarter to third abruptly flat, coriaceous, and uniformly setose with white setae. Scrobal depression with scrobes dark or with purple luster under some angles of light and dorsally punctatereticulate to transversely strigose; channel smooth, shiny, setose dorsally, and with two bright green to blue or purple bands, a transverse or V­ like band ventrally and a V­ like band or paramedial spots subdorsally, with region between bands and below anterior ocellus dark or with coppery luster under some angles of light (cf. Fig. 2).

Pronotum dark anteriorly, but posteriorly and laterally green to blue or purple; distinctly coriaceous. Tegula yellow or brown. Mesoscutum mostly green to purple laterally and posterodorsally, but at least with small purple to brown region anterior to axilla, and dorsally with notaular and parapsidal bands either forming distinct ­like pattern or parapsidal band separated posteriorly from notaular band by single row of colored punctures ( Fig. 9 ), with the parapsidal band often extending posteriorly as narrow band or line of dark punctures partly or entirely to anterior margin of scutellum whether medially united with notaular band or not, and with the dark notaular band extending broadly to base of scutellum, at least as wide posterior to parapsidal band as anteriorly between paranotaular bands ( Fig. 9 ). Mesoscutum grossly alveolate laterally and dorsally in region near juncture of parapsidal and notaular bands, but with distinctly smaller, more reticulate­punctate sculpture in broad notaular band and near parapsidal bands ( Fig. 36 ); without distinct depression anterior to level of inner angle of axilla; with distinct, white, lanceolate setae laterally and dorsomedially within notaular band, the lanceolate setae dorsally interspersed with white to brownish hairlike setae ( Fig. 9 ). Scutellum ( Fig. 9 ) same color as notaular band or with violaceous luster and sometimes lateral margins green to blue; variably extensively reticulate posteriorly, but anteriorly sculpture more or less distinctly aligned into longitudinal, coriaceous, setiferous furrows and irregular ridgelike interstices, and with more distinct mediolongitudinal coriaceous ridge or carina. Metanotum green or dorsellum purple under some angles of light; dorsellum thick, with crenulate dorsal surface and coriaceous, bare, posterior surface; precrenular region of panel with single line of setae near anterior margin or, rarely, with setae in 2 or 3 rows near dorsellum. Acropleuron with slender, minutely coriaceous subalar region separating punctate­alveolate prealar region from usually finely coriaceous­aciculate postalar region (cf. Fig. 53 ), but rarely postalar region partly punctate­reticulate with elongate, longitudinally aligned punctures (cf. Fig. 54 ); prealar region usually green or partly purple or violaceous, but subalar region dark or with coppery or other metallic lusters and postalar region dark or green, blue or violaceous under some angles of light. Lower mesepimeron variably coriaceous to shallowly punctate­reticulate at least ventrally. Metapleuron distinctly coriaceous except for crenulate furrow along posterior margin and anterior margin ventrally. Propodeum usually green or rarely blue but lateral surface of callus purple and plical region sometimes dark; paraspiracular region bare, the setae anterior to spiracle extending mesally only to about level of inner margin of spiracle; callus often smooth between setal pores, but laterally finely coriaceous to very shallowly coriaceous­reticulate at least near metapleuron; plical region bare, with carinate margin of foramen ­like recurved to anterior margin of propodeum as variably distinct median carina, the region lateral to median carina also with variably distinct and extensive crenulae. Forewing hyaline; vannal area with subcubital setal line extending over about apical half. Legs variable in color beyond coxae, sometimes extensively yellowish­orange except usually mesofemur with subapical and mesotibia with subbasal brown regions forming band when tibia appressed to femur, the mesofemur sometimes more extensively brown and metatibia usually variably conspicuously lighter in color medially, and sometimes with profemur and protibia brownish to dark brown.

Petiole transverse, composed almost entirely of vertically raised, smooth and shiny rim. Gaster in dorsal view with all terga except syntergum brown dorsally and purple to green laterally under different angles of light, the syntergum usually greenish; about 1.1– 1.5 x as long as head and mesosoma combined. Syntergum only about 0.2–0.3 x as long as remaining gaster and in lateral view about 2–3 x as long as high; uniformly setose, sculptured and tapered posteriorly, with cercus at or near basal margin.

MALE. Similar to female except as follows: length, 3.5–6 mm; petiole and propodeal plical region longer; plical region with inverted Y­ shaped median carina and at least one, usually more, irregular, longitudinally or obliquely angled carinae between median carina and variably distinct paraspiracular furrow, with surface between carinae variably distinctly coriaceous.

Biology. Reared from larvae of Agrilus kalshoveni Obenberger.

Discussion. Within the elegans species­group, B. laciniosa is most similar to B. elegans , but is distinguished by the features given in the discussion under the latter species. Individuals superficially most closely resemble those B. indica that have only a few inconspicuous setae on the dorsellum and a distinctly differentiated, reticulatepunctate notaular band posterior to the parapsidal bands (cf. Figs. 34, 36 ). However, the few B. indica seen with a reticulate­punctate notaular band extending to the posterior margin of the mesoscutum have this region very slender medially posterior to the parapsidal bands ( Fig. 34 ), conspicuously narrower than the notaular band anteriorly ( Fig. 12 ), if the notaular and parapsidal bands are even separated anteriorly. Individuals of B. laciniosa always have the parapsidal and notaular bands separated anteriorly and forming a distinct ­like pattern because of bright paranotaular bands ( Fig. 9 ), and the reticulate­punctate region posterior to the parapsidal bands is at least as wide as the notaular band anteriorly between the paranotaular bands ( Figs. 9 , 36 ). Furthermore, those B. indica with a differentiated reticulate­punctate notaular band lack lanceolate white setae from the mesoscutum posteromedially, in contrast to B. laciniosa where the setae are present ( Fig. 9 ). Balcha laciniosa and B. indica are also similar in that both species have the postalar region of the acropleuron variably sculptured. Of 16 females of B. laciniosa examined, two (Kolambugan, Sibuyan) have the postalar region partly punctate­reticulate rather than coriaceous­aciculate. All five males examined have the postalar region coriaceous­aciculate, but too few males were seen to predict whether this feature is variable only for females.

Figures

FIGURES 9–18. Mesosoma dorsal: 9, Balcha laciniosa; 10, B. cylindrica; 11, B. elegans; 12, B. indica (N. Am.); 13, B. eximia; 14, B. eximiassita; 15, B. dictyota; 16, B. reticulata; 17, B. anemeta; 18, B. splendida (nob = notaular band, pnb = paranotaular band, ppb = parapsidal band).

FIGURES 31–38. Mesosoma dorsal: 31, Balcha anemeta; 32, B. punctiscutum; 33, B. indica (N. Am.); 34, B. indica (holotype); 35, B. elegans; 36, B. laciniosa (not = notaulus, pl = parapsidal line); 37, B. eximiassita; 38, B. reticulata.

FIGURES 47–54. 47. Metanotum and propodeum: Balcha eximia. 48. B. indica (N. Am.): dorsellum and propodeal plical region. 49 and 50. Mesosoma, lateral: 49, B. punctiscutum; 50, B. indica (N. Am.). 51–54. Posterior half of acropleuron: 51, B. indica (holotype); 52, B. eximiassita; 53, B. anemeta; 54, B. levicollis (sar = subalar region of acropleuron).