Phanerotoma sculptilis, Achterberg, 2021

Achterberg, Cornelis van, 2021, The tribe Phanerotomini (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Cheloninae) of the Arabian Peninsula, with special reference to the United Arab Emirates and Yemen, ZooKeys 1014, pp. 1-118 : 1

Phanerotoma sculptilis sp. nov. Figs 321-324 , 325-335

Type material.

Holotype, ♀ (RMNH), " Yemen: Ta’izz (2910), light trap, 5.i.-2.ii.1998, A. van Harten, RMNH’98”. Paratypes: 1♀: Same data as holotype; 1♀: Idem, vi.2002, A. van Harten & A.R. Al Yarimi; 1♀, 1♂: "Yemen: Al Kowd (7157), vi.2002, light trap, A. v. Harten & S. Al Haruri, RMNH’03”; 2♀: "Yemen (6158), Al Lahima, 17.ix.-14.xi.2001, Mal[aise] trap, A. v. Harten, RMNH’02”; 2♀: "Yemen (6876), Seyun, vi.2002, light trap, A. v. Harten, RMNH’03”; 1♀: " United Arab Emirates, al-Ajban (6418), Malaise & light tr[ap], 7-28.xii.2006, 24°36'N, 55°01'E, A. v. Harten, RMNH’07”.

Diagnosis.

Third tergite 1.5-1.7 × as long as second tergite, curved laterally, densely sculptured, rather dull and convex (Fig. 327 ), its posterior lamella wide and truncate medio-apically; segments of apical half of antenna cylindrical in lateral view, without small subapical protuberances and subapical segments shorter, moniliform or submoniliform (Fig. 335 ); fourth antennal segment ca. 3 × as long as wide; temple widened dorsally (Fig. 333 ), matt to slightly shiny, granulate near eye and longitudinally rugulose posteriorly; face nearly entirely densely sculptured and shiny; frons rugose and anteriorly with median carina; clypeus ca. as wide as face, intertentorial distance ca. 4.0 × minimum distance between clypeus and eye ventrally, and very shiny (Fig. 332 ); vertex with satin sheen; vein r of fore wing non-linear with vein 3-SR (Fig. 325 ); OOL aciculate; vertex rather shiny (Fig. 331 ); vein 1-CU1 of fore wing medium-sized and vein cu-a moderately oblique (vein cu-a approx. as long as vein 1-CU1; Fig. 325 ); hind femur of ♀ and tarsal claws less slender than in P. ejuncida (Fig. 329 ). Easily confused with finely sculptured specimens of P. glabritemporalis , but the temple is widened dorsally in lateral view (parallel-sided in P. glabritemporalis ), matt or nearly so (rather shiny), frons superficially granulate and with median carina (Fig. 331 ; aciculate and without median carina).

Description.

Female, holotype, length of body (excluding ovipositor and hypopygium) 4.1 mm; antenna 3.8 mm; of fore wing 3.4 mm; visible part of ovipositor sheath 0.55 mm (only apically setose).

Head. Width 1.5 × median length in anterior view and part of head above eye in lateral view 0.4 × height of eye (Fig. 333 ); antenna with 23 segments and 1.1 × longer than fore wing, segments slender and gradually shortened, segments of apical half without minute subapical protuberances and cylindrical, with apical spine, six apical segments moniliform and narrowed basally (Figs 334 , 335 ), third, fourth and penultimate segments 3.2, 3.0 and 1.3 × longer than wide in lateral view, respectively; area of stemmaticum granulate; OOL: diameter of posterior ocellus: POL = 14: 5: 4; length of eye 1.9 × temple in dorsal view (Fig. 331 ); frons largely granulate, shiny and with median carina, but V-shaped dorsally (Figs 331 , 332 ); vertex transversely rugose and with satin sheen; temple granulate near eye and longitudinally rugose posteriorly, convex and with satin sheen; clypeus approx. as wide as face (intertentorial distance ca. 3.5 × minimum distance between clypeus and eye ventrally), convex, mostly smooth and shiny (Fig. 332 ); face rather shiny and distinctly rugose, with median carina dorsally; clypeus with 3 obsolescent teeth medio-ventrally (Fig. 330 ); eye large, strongly convex and in lateral view 1.9 × (measured medially) temple and widened dorsally (Fig. 333 ), in anterior view its height 0.8 × minimum width of face; upper condyle of mandible near lower level of eyes (Fig. 332 ); malar space aciculate, shiny and 0.3 × as basal width of mandible; lower tooth of mandible moderately slender and 0.4 × as long as apical tooth (Fig. 330 ).

Mesosoma (Figs 321 , 326 ). Length 1.5 × its width in lateral view; side of pronotum distinctly rugose and shiny; mesosternum spaced punctulate and shiny; seven finely reticulate-rugose and rather shiny; notauli absent; scutellar sulcus wide, with seven carinae (Fig. 326 ); scutellum widely triangular, densely finely granulate-rugose (nearly up to posterior margin), convex and rather shiny; metanotum with complete median carina; propodeum coarsely reticulate-rugose, without distinct median and transverse carinae and latero-posteriorly not tuberculate. Wings. Fore wing 3.1 × longer than its maximum width; length of 1-R1 1.6 × as long as pterostigma; r issued rather far beyond middle of pterostigma and 0.3 × 3-SR; distance between 1-R1 and wing apex 0.2 × 1-R1; 1-SR+M and 2-SR curved and distally subparallel with posterior margin of pterostigma (Fig. 325 ); SR1 curved; 2-SR+M present because of narrowly postfurcal m-cu; parastigma large; 1-CU1 0.3 × as long as vein 2-CU1, cu-a strongly inclivous and as long as 1-CU1; r:3-SR:SR1 = 5:15:46; 2-SR:3-SR:r-m = 20:15:6; r-m reclivous; 2-M slightly curved (Fig. 325 ). Hind wing: M+CU:1-M:1r-m = 21:18:10; cu-a narrow. Legs. Hind femur widened medially and 3.9 × as long as wide (Fig. 329 ); middle tibia with ivory blister; inner spur of middle tibia 0.6 × its basitarsus; hind coxa largely granulate dorsally and with satin sheen; hind basitarsus slender (Fig. 329 ); tarsal claws moderately slender.

Metasoma (Figs 327 , 328 ). Oval in dorsal view, twice as long as wide and 1.3 × as long as mesosoma; first and second tergites finely and densely longitudinally rugose; third tergite 1.5 × longer than second tergite and laterally curved (Fig. 327 ), in lateral view rather convex (Fig. 328 ), densely reticulate-rugulose and medio-posteriorly truncate, lateral lamella narrow, not protruding latero-apically and medio-apically truncate and wide; ovipositor sheath narrow and parallel-sided, its visible part 0.16 × as long as fore wing and 0.31 × metasomal carapace and only apically some long and erect setae; hypopygium apically robust and short up curved triangle and no spine.

Colour. Yellowish brown; palpi, mandible (except dark brown teeth), clypeus, malar space, tegulae (but humeral plate partly brown), prothorax, mesoscutum medially, legs (but apical half of middle tibia, hind femur apically and ventrally, and hind tibia apically and basally brownish), first and second metasomal tergites and metasoma ventrally largely pale yellow or ivory; apical third of antenna and ovipositor sheath largely brown; stemmaticum and pterostigma dark brown, but basally and narrowly apically pale yellowish (Fig. 325 ); wing membrane subhyaline but below dark part of pterostigma slightly infuscate; parastigma (but anteriorly pale yellowish) and vein 1-M largely brown; veins 1- & 2-CU1, r and 3-SR of fore wing rather dark brown.

Male.

Similar to female, but apical antennal segments longer (Fig. 322 ), hind femur moderately widened (3.3 × as long as wide; Fig. 324 ); vein 1-M yellowish; pterostigma largely pale yellowish or partly darkened; third tergite brown and 1.5 × as long as second tergite and often truncate in lateral view (Fig. 323 ).

Variations.

Length of fore wing 2.6-3.6 mm; third tergite 1.5-1.7 × longer than second tergite; parastigma and vein 1-M of fore wing varies from pale yellow to brownish; vein cu-a of fore wing 0.8-1.3 × as long as vein 1-CU1; length of 1-R1 1.4-1.6 × as long as pterostigma; r 0.2-0.3 × 3-SR.

Biology.

Unknown.

Distribution.

Yemen, United Arab Emirates.

Etymology.

Named after the sculptured temples; sculptilis is Latin for carved.

Figures

Figures 321 - 324. Phanerotoma sculptilis van Achterberg, sp. nov., ♀, holotype (but 322 - 324 of ♂, paratype) 321 habitus lateral 322 apical half of antenna lateral 323 metasoma lateral 324 hind leg lateral.

Figures 325 - 335. Phanerotoma sculptilis van Achterberg, sp. nov., ♀, holotype 325 wings 326 mesosoma dorsal 327 first-third metasomal tergites dorsal 328 metasoma lateral 329 hind leg lateral 330 mandible ventral 331 head dorsal 332 head anterior 333 head lateral 334 antenna lateral 335 apical half of antenna lateral.