Dioxybracon aurumoram, Quicke & Butcher

Quicke, Donald L. J., Villemant, Claire & Butcher, Buntika A., 2019, The Afrotropical braconine genus Dioxybracon Granger with descriptions of four new species and new generic synonymy, Journal of Natural History 53 (27), pp. 1673-1689 : 1677-1680

D. aurumoram Quicke & Butcher sp. n.

( Figures 2 , 3 )

Type locality

Holotype female: GHANA ‘ GOLD COAST, ABURI 1912 – 13, W. H. Patterson ’ (barcode-label, NHMUK010880744 ).

Diagnosis. Differs from other species in having the combination of hind tibia black, submedial grooves on anterior of middle lobe of mesoscutum, frons striate, forewing venation largely brown, not strongly contrasting with C+SC+R, base of hindwing with large glbrous area, the lateral lamella of metasomal tergites 1 – 3 narrow, without emargination or strong expansion at level of tergite 3, and posterior margin of tergite 6 narrowly and more or less deeply emarginate medially.

Description. Female: Length of body 4.5 mm, of forewing 4.5, exserted part of ovipositor 0.7 mm.

Head. Antenna broken; 1st flagellomere 1.2 × longer than both 2nd and 3rd, separately, the latter 1.6 × longer than wide; width of head: width of face: height of eye = 2.0: 1.1: 1.0; intertentorial distance 1.4 × shortest distance between tentorial pit and eye; face punctate, laterally the punctures becoming confluent forming transverse lines; medially with sharply defined narrow triangular ridge running from dorsal margin of clypeus to between antennal sockets; lower part of hypostomal carina (occipital flange) weakly developed not visible anteriorly; frons finely subtransversely striate laterally and anteriorly, with weak midlongitudinal groove; shortest distance between posterior ocelli: transverse diameter of posterior ocellus: shortest distance between posterior ocellus and eye = 1.0: 1.2: 3.2; length of head behind eye 0.2 × length of eye in dorsal view.

Mesosoma. 1.3 × longer than high; pronotum largely smooth and shiny laterally with a few crenulae dorsally; propleuron with sculptured posterior lobe; mesoscutum densely punctate; notauli narrow and smooth; middle lobe of mesoscutum anteriorly with weak pair of submedial grooves; mesopleuron sparsely punctate; scutellar sulcus with 5 strong crenulae between outer ones; median area of metanotum with strong midlongitudinal carina produced to form a pointed tooth; propodeum with well-developed apophyses that give rise to lamelliform carina that runs to posterior margin; median carina strong and giving rise to numerous transverse ridges; anterolaterally shiny with minute punctures forming confluent longitudinal rows.

Wings. Forewing. Lengths of veins r-rs: 3RSa: 3RSb = 1.0: 2.1: 4.9; veins 2RS: 3RSa: rs-m = 1.8: 2.8: 1.0; vein m-cu 0.4 × (RS+M)b. Hindwing with a large glabrous basal area distal to cu-a; with single basal hamulus.

Legs. Lengths of fore femur: tibia: tarsus = 1.0: 1.0: 1.0; hind femur 0.85 × tibia (hind tibiae incomplete).

Metasoma. 1st tergite with dorsal carinae incomplete, reaching as distinct carinae slightly beyond midlength; 2nd tergite 2.2 × wider posteriorly than long, 1.4 × longer than 3rd tergite; lateral groove of tergites 1 – 2 finely crenulated, tergite 3 without lateral groove; 4th and 5th metasomal tergites basally with deep groove; apical margin of 6th metasomal tergite moderately deeply emarginated medially, the emargination with distinct lamella. Ovipositor (sheaths missing) 0.6 × length of hind tibia, strongly swollen preapically.

Colour. Body entirely honey-yellow; antenna black but scapus brown; legs slightly paler except a dark mark at apex of hind tibia, and hind tarsus black. Wing membrane hyalinepale smoky, venation brown to dark brown, more yellowish basally and posteriorly.

Male. Unknown.

Host. Unknown.

Distribution. Afrotropical ( Ghana).

Etymology. From the Latin aurum meaning gold, and oram meaning coast, in reference to the old colonial name for Ghana as on the specimen ’ s data label.

Figures

Figure 2. Dioxybracon aurumoram sp. nov.ı holotype. (a) habitusı lateral view; (b) head and anterior mesosomaı dorsal view; (c) head and mesosomaı lateral view; (d) face; (e) forewingı except base; (f) hindwingı except apex.

Figure 3. Dioxybracon aurumoram sp. nov.ı holotype. (a) posterior mesosoma and 1st metasomal tergiteı dorsal view; (b) metasomaı dorsal view; (c) metasomal tergites 4–6ı posterior view; (d) metasomaı lateral view showing deep inter-tergite grooves.