Craspedolcus maculithorax, Li & He & Chen, 2020

Li, Yang, He, Jun-Hua & Chen, Xue-Xin, 2020, Review of six genera of Braconinae Nees (Hymenoptera, Braconidae) in China, with the description of eleven new species, Zootaxa 4818 (1), pp. 1-74 : 29-31

Craspedolcus maculithorax sp. nov.

Figs 21–22

Type material. Holotype. ♀, China, Fujian Prov., Huanggangshanlu , 17.VII.1985, Wang Jiashe, No. 854448 ( ZJUH).

Diagnosis. This new species is very similar to C. fraternus Enderlein, 1920 , but can be separated from the latter by the following characters: mesoscutum yellow and with 3 black spots (entirely yellowish brown in C. fraternus , without black spots); propodeum and metasomal tergites entirely black (yellowish brown or brown); stigmal spot large, intruding into cells of fore wing below parastigma (spot not or hardly intruding into first discal cell of fore wing); apical brown area of fore wing large, intruding into second submarginal cell (smaller, not or hardly intruding into second submarginal cell); median area of first tergite largely longitudinally striate (medial area smooth except for low median carina and few striae); ovipositor sheath 0.5–0.6 × as long as fore wing and body (0.8–1.0 × as long as fore wing and body).

Description. Holotype, ♀, length of body 12.8 mm, of fore wing 14.1 mm, of ovipositor sheath 7.8 mm.

Head. Antenna incomplete, remaining part with 68 antennomeres; scapus slender, parallel-sided and distinctly protruding ventro-apically, with narrow indistinct apical ledge at inner side and basally gradually narrowed, its ventral setae erect ( Fig. 22l ); first and second flagellomeres 1.3 and 1.0 × their maximum width, respectively; length of maxillary palp 0.9 × height of head; eye weakly emarginate ( Fig. 22g ); face weakly and evenly convex, remotely finely punctate and with long erect yellowish setae ( Fig. 22g ); clypeus flat, superficially rugulose, dorsally with weak carina and ventral margin thin and lamelliform protruding, with a row of long yellowish setae ventrally; hypoclypeal depression 0.4 × as wide as minimum width of face ( Fig. 22g ); frons shallowly concave behind antennal sockets, with deep median groove, smooth except for a few punctures laterally ( Fig. 22h ); vertex smooth except for few punctures and weakly convex, largely glabrous; shortest distance between posterior ocelli: shortest diameter of elliptical posterior ocellus: shortest distance between posterior ocellus and eye = 10: 4: 3; in dorsal view length of eye 1.5 × temple; temples weakly narrowed behind eyes, with spaced setiferous punctures and long setae ( Fig. 22h ); malar suture present and curved; length of malar space 0.8 × basal width of mandible; mandible twisted and with two wide teeth.

Mesosoma. Length of mesosoma 1.6 × its height ( Fig. 22c ); side of pronotum shiny and smooth; propleuron with spaced punctures; pronotum vertical anteriorly and with a shallow groove and no antescutal depression; mesopleuron largely smooth and glabrous, anteriorly weakly punctate and sparsely setose; mesosternal sulcus smooth and narrow; metapleuron weakly punctate and with long setae, convex; mesoscutum glabrous except some setae near notaulic courses, shiny and smooth; notauli shallowly impressed, smooth; scutellar sulcus present and with distinct crenulae ( Fig. 22d ); scutellum nearly flat anteriorly and smooth; side of scutellum smooth; metanotum medio-anteriorly with short carina, posteriorly evenly convex and smooth ( Fig. 22d ); propodeum smooth, with many long setae and evenly convex medially, medio-apically smooth in lateral view ( Fig. 22j ).

Wings. Fore wing ( Fig. 22a ): m-cu 0.8 × as long as 1-M; 1-SR+M sharply angled after arising from 1-M, 1.6 × as long as 1-M; 3-SR weakly curved, and SR1 straight; r: 3-SR: SR1 = 3: 16: 18; 2-SR: 3-SR: r-m = 12: 32: 13; r-m largely sclerotised; 1-CU1 widened and 0.1 × 2-CU1; cu-a vertical and weakly postfurcal; CU1b narrower than 3-CU1. Hind wing ( Fig. 22b ): with 3 coarse subbasal bristles on C+SC+R and with 3 hamuli on R1; SR weakly curved basally and marginal cell parallel-sided apically; subbasal cell near cu-a setose; 1r-m straight and 0.9 × as long as SC+R1; 2-SC+R 1.2 × longer than wide.

Legs. Tarsal claws simple and with long bristly setae ventrally; fore tarsus 1.4 × as long as fore tibia and tibia bristly setose and pimply anteriorly; length of femur, tibia and basitarsus of hind leg 3.6, 9.0 and 5.2 × their maximum width, respectively; hind tibia with dense appressed setae ( Fig. 22f ); hind tibial spurs 0.3 and 0.4 × as long as hind basitarsus; inner side of hind tibia and tarsus densely bristly setose.

Metasoma. Length of first tergite 1.3 × its apical width, medial area low anteriorly, dorso-lateral carinae strongly developed, medial area with median carina and longitudinal striae ( Fig. 22j ); second tergite largely smooth (including deep oblique anterior grooves) but median carina connected to nearly rhombical medio-basal area and some crenulae near medio-basal area and outer side of antero-lateral triangular areas ( Fig. 22e ); second metasomal suture strongly crenulate, laterally narrowed and oblique; medially second tergite longer than third tergite ( Fig. 22e ); maximum width of third tergite 4.3 × its medial length; third–fifth tergites largely smooth and with smooth antero-lateral grooves and weakly crenulate transverse subposterior groove (fifth tergite smooth) ( Fig. 22e ); ovipositor sheath 0.55 × as long as fore wing and 0.61 × body; hypopygium just surpassing apex of metasoma.

Colour. Largely black ( Fig. 21 ); head largely yellow, antenna (including entire scapus), eye and mandible apically black, stemmaticum yellowish brown ( Figs 22g, 22h ); pronotum, propleuron, middle lobe of mesoscutum posteriorly, notaulic courses, scutellum and metanotum yellowish brown ( Figs 22c, 22d ); legs largely yellow, claws dark brown, hind coxa, trochanter and femur (except for apically yellow) black ( Fig. 22f ); apical 0.2 of pterostigma dark brown, remainder of pterostigma and wing membrane yellow, but fore wing with irregular stigmal spot up to vein CU1b, including dark brown veins 1-SR, 1-SR+M, m-cu, 3-CU1 and CU1b and apically wings with wide infuscate area (hind wing including posterior area); remainder of veins brownish yellow ( Figs 22a, 22b ).

Biology. Unknown.

Distribution. China (Fujian).

Etymology. Named after the black spots of the mesoscutum: “macula” is Latin for “spot” and “thorax” is Greek for “chest”.

Figures

FIGURE 21. Craspedolcus maculithorax sp. nov., ♀, holotype, habitus lateral.

FIGURE 22. Craspedolcus maculithorax sp. nov., ♀, holotype. a. fore wing; b. hind wing; c. mesosoma, lateral view; d. meso- soma, dorsal view; e. metasoma, dorsal view; f. hind leg, lateral view; g. head, front view; h. head, dorsal view; i. head, lateral view; j. propodeum, lateral view; k. first metasomal tergite, dorsal view; l. sacpus outer side, lateral view; m. apex of ovipositor, lateral view.