Platyspathius (Platyspathius) brevis Belokobylskij, 2021

Belokobylskij, Sergey A. & Achterberg, Cornelis Van, 2021, Review of the braconid parasitoid subfamily Doryctinae (Hymenoptera, Braconidae) from the United Arab Emirates and Yemen, European Journal of Taxonomy 765 (1), pp. 1-143 : 88-92

Platyspathius (Platyspathius) brevis Belokobylskij sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:B90DA11E-9AE7-404F-A113-2DF94A946662

Figs 39–40

Comparative diagnosis

This new species is similar to Platyspathius clymene Nixon, 1943 from South Africa and Congo, but it differs from the latter by having the first and second metasomal tergites short (longer in P. clymene ), second suture practically without crenulation or striation (with distinct striation in P. clymene ), the sculpture of the mesosoma fine (coarse in P. clymene ), fore and middle coxae yellowish brown (dark reddish brown in P. clymene ).

Etymology

This species is named after the Latin word ‘ brevis ’ (short), because it has a short second metasomal tergite.

Material examined

Holotype YEMEN • ♀; “Yemen (6141), Al Kowd, 16–20.viii.2001, light trap, A.v. Harten & S. Al Haruri. RMNH’02”; RMNH.

Paratypes YEMEN • 1 ♀; “Yemen (5750), Al Kowd, 8–12.vii.2001, light trap, A.v. Harten & S. Al Haruri. RMNH’02”; RMNH • 1 ♀, 1 ♂; “ Yemen (5404), Hammam ‘Ali, from coffee-berries (with Ceratitis capitata ?), 14.iii.2001, A.v. Harten, RMNH’02”; RMNH .

Description

Female

MEASUREMENTS. Body length 3.1–3.9 mm; fore wing length 1.6–2.2 mm.

HEAD. Head width (dorsal view) 1.4–1.5 times its median length, 1.2 times width of mesoscutum. Vertex distinctly convex. Head behind eyes (dorsal view) weakly and evenly convex in anterior half and weakly roundness decreased in posterior half. Transverse diameter of eye (dorsal view) 1.3 times longer than temple. Ocelli small, with ocellar triangle base 1.2 times its sides. POL 2.3–2.5 times Od, 0.5–0.7 times OOL. Eye glabrous, in lateral view oblique, its maximum diameter 1.3 times minimum diameter. Malar space 0.6 times maximum diameter of eye, 1.0–1.1 times basal width of mandible. Face convex, with rather distinct and narrow convex vertical stripe; width of face 1.0–1.1 times maximum diameter of eye, 1.4–1.5 times height of face and clypeus combined. Clypeal suture complete, distinct laterally and very fine dorsally. Dorsal margin of clypeus situated distinctly lower than lower level of eyes; ventral margin of clypeus with narrow flange. Hypoclypeal depression medium-sized and rounded, its width 0.6 times shortest distance from edge to eye, 0.4 times width of face. Occipital carina dorsally complete and almost not broken toward ocellar triangle, not reaching below hypostomal carina and obliterated rather long distance before mandible base. Hypostomal flange very narrow.

ANTENNA. Antenna slender, weakly thickened towards apex, 20–23-segmented, about 0.7–0.8 times as long as body. Scape 1.3–1.5 times longer than maximum width. First flagellar segment 4.3–4.8 times longer than apical width, about 1.1 times longer than second segment. Penultimate segment 2.4–3.0 times longer than width, 0.7 times as long as first segment, 0.9 times as long as apical segment; latter weakly acuminate apically and without spine.

MESOSOMA. Mesosoma not depressed, its maximum length 1.8–1.9 times its maximum height. Pronotal carina rather fine but distinct, its anterior branch situated submedially, posterior branch widely connected with anterior margin of pronotum. Pronotal lateral depression rather wide and shallow, not delineated by carinae. Mesoscutum (lateral view) distinctly, obliquely and curvedly elevated above pronotum, its median lobe (dorsal view) distinctly convex anteriorly and without anterolateral corners, without longitudinal median furrow; mesoscutum in dorsal view 0.90–0.95 times as long as wide. Notauli complete, rather distinct, but shallow posteriorly, narrow, but weakly widened posteriorly, distinctly crenulate, fused posteriorly. Prescutellar depression rather deep, short medially, with distinct median carina, with several additional carinae, 0.30–0.35 times as long as scutellum. Scutellum convex, with fine and complete lateral carinae, 1.0–1.1 times longer than maximum anterior width. Subalar depression rather narrow, shallow, finely reticulate, without rugosity, with sparse crenulation below. Precoxal sulcus distinct, rather short, straight, oblique, finely crenulate, running along anterior half of lower part of mesopleuron. Postpectal carina absent. Metanotum with distinct, rather wide and distally rounded transparent medio-dorsal lobe (lateral view). Metapleural flange (lobe) narrow, short, subpointed distally. Propodeum weakly convex, without lateral tubercles.

WINGS. Fore wing 3.8–4.0 times longer than wide. Pterostigma subtriangular and rather widened, 3.6– 4.2 times longer than its maximum width. Radial vein (r) arising weakly before middle of pterostigma. Radial (marginal) cell not shortened, metacarpus (1-R1) 1.15–1.20 times longer than pterostigma. Second radial abscissa (3-SR) 3.2–3.4 times longer than first abscissa (r) and forming with it obtuse angle, 0.70–0.75 times as long as very weakly curved third abscissa (SR1), 1.2–1.3 times longer than straight first radiomedial vein (2-SR). Second radiomedial (submarginal) cell not narrowed distally, its length 3.1–3.5 times maximum width, 1.5–1.6 times length of rather wide brachial (subdiscal) cell. Second abscissa of medial vein (2-SR+M) long, 0.7–0.9 times as long as recurrent vein (m-cu). Nervulus (cu-a) weakly postfurcal, declivous, distinctly slanting to base of wing. Mediocubital vein (M+CU1) strongly sinuate and in posterior half deeply curved to longitudinal anal vein (1-1A). Widened brachial (subdiscal) cell rather evenly curvedly closed apically weakly before or on level of recurrent vein (m-cu). Parallel vein (CU1a) interstitial. Hind wing 4.5–4.9 times longer than its maximum width. First costal abscissa (C+SC+R) 0.7–0.8 times as long as second abscissa (1-SC+R). First abscissa of mediocubital vein (M+CU) 0.6–0.7 times as long as second abscissa (1-M). Recurrent vein (m-cu) rather long, unsclerotised and not pigmented, interstitial, strongly oblique towards base of wing.

LEGS. Fore tibia anterior surface with distinct, thick, rather sparse spines arranged in wide stripe. Segments of middle tarsus longer than their width. Hind coxa rather short, subtriangular, with distinct basoventral corner and indistinct tubercle, 1.4–1.5 times longer than maximum width. Hind femur rather wide, with dorsal wide tubercle in anterior quarter, elongate-oval, 3.0–3.4 times longer than wide. Hind tibia with four-five slender spines on outer distal margin. Hind tarsus 0.90–0.95 times as long as hind tibia. Hind basitarsus 0.55–0.60 times as long as remaining segments combined. Second segment of hind tarsus 0.6 times as long as basitarsus, 1.20–0.25 times longer than narrow fifth segment (without pretarsus). Tarsal segments thickened. Claws short, thick basally, with short and distinctly curved its posterior part.

METASOMA. Metasoma rather short. Petiole (lateral view) ventrally distinctly curved, dorsally arched in anterior fifth and weakly curved on remaining part, the most high in anterior fifth; in dorsal view, petiole rather wide, weakly, evenly and linearly widened toward apex of petiole, with small spiracular tubercles in anterior quarter, with small dorsope. Length of petiole 1.8–2.1 times its posterior width, 1.7–1.9 times length of propodeum; posterior width of prtiole 2.0–2.1 times minimum anterior width. Second to sixth tergites with laterotergites separated; second and third separated laterotergites perhaps fused at least partly. Second suture very shallow, rather wide, weakly evenly curved, densely reticulate, practically without crenulation. Second tergite short, its median length 0.6–0.7 times its anterior width, 1.4–1.6 times length of third tergite. Median length of second and third tergites combined 0.9–1.1 times its anterior width, 0.50–0.55 times their maximum width. Ovipositor straight. Ovipositor sheath 2.0–2.5 times longer than petiole, 0.7–0.8 times as long as metasoma, 1.3–1.5 times longer than mesosoma, 0.75–0.90 times as long as fore wing.

SCULPTURE AND PUBESCENCE. Head mainly densely reticulate-coriaceous, frons additionally with dense rugulosity; face additionally partly with granulation, medially almost smooth or weakly granulate in narrow vertical stripe. Mesoscutum almost entirely densely reticulate-coriaceous with fine reticulation and short longitudinal carina in medio-posterior third; scutellum very finely reticulate-coriaceous; mesopleuron very finely reticulate-coriaceous. Propodeum without areas, with long and distinct lateral carinae and short medial carina; entirely densely rugose-reticulate, finely reticulate to almost smooth anteriorly. Hind coxa and femur entirely densely and very finally reticulate-coriaceous. First to third tergites almost entirely densely and distinctly reticulate-areolate, coriaceous in posterior third of third tergite; fourth to sixth tergites entirely and finally reticulate-coriaceous. Vertex mainly glabrous, with very sparse short pale setae laterally. Mesoscutum mainly glabrous, with short and sparse white setae narrowly arranged along notauli and laterally. Setae of hind tibia semi-erect, short and rather sparse, their length on dorsal surface 0.4–0.5 times maximum width of tibia.

COLOUR. Body mainly dark reddish brown or reddish brown, head at most part (except dark dorsal part) and usually propleura yellowish brown or light reddish brown. Palpi dark brown. Antenna mainly brownish yellow to yellow, four-five apical segments dark brown to black. Legs mainly dark reddish brown, fore and middle coxae yellowish brown; hind tibia basally always same colour as remaining parts of tibia; all tarsi mainly light reddish brown. Ovipositor sheath mainly brown to dark brown, pale brown anteriorly. Fore wing strongly darkened at most part, with contrasting rather small hyaline or almost white spots and stripes ( Fig. 40A ), with rather wide transverse hyaline stripe cross narrowest part of submedial cell. Pterostigma mainly dark brown, white in basal 0.3.

Male

Body length 2.8 mm; fore wing length 1.6 mm. Transverse diameter of eye (dorsal view) almost as long as temple. Antenna 20-segmented. First flagellar segment as long as second segment. Maximum length of mesosoma 2.0 times its maximum height. Mesoscutum in dorsal view as long as wide. Hind femur more slender, 3.5 times longer than wide. Hind tibia distinctly widened, especially medially, its maximum width almost 0.9 times femur width. Hind tarsus slender. Petiole more narrow. Second tergite weakly longer, its median length 0.9 times anterior width, 1.3 times length of third tergite. Median length of second and third tergites combined 1.5 times its anterior width, 0.7 times their maximum width. Otherwise similar to female.

Distribution

Yemen.

Figures

Fig. 39. Platyspathius (P.) brevis Belokobylskij sp. nov., holotype, ♀ (RMNH). A. Habitus, lateral view. B. Head, front view. C. Head, dorsal view. D. Head, lateral view. E. Apical segments of antenna. F. Basal segments of antenna. G. Hind leg. H. Mesosoma, dorsal view. I. Mesosoma, lateral view. J. First metasomal tergite, dorsal view. K. First metasomal tergite, lateral view. L. Second and third metasomal tergites, dorsal view.

Fig. 40. Platyspathius (P.) brevis Belokobylskij sp. nov., holotype, ♀ (RMNH). A. Wings. B. Metasoma without first tergite, dorsal view. C. Metasoma, lateral view.