Protadesha intermedia Quicke & Butcher, 2023

Quicke, Donald L. J., Ranjith, Avunjikkattu Parambil, Priyadarsanan, Dharma Rajan, Nasser, Mannankadiyan, Hebert, Paul D. N. & Butcher, Buntika A., 2023, Two new genera and one new species of the tribe Adeshini (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Braconinae) from India and South Africa, ZooKeys 1166, pp. 235-259 : 235

Protadesha intermedia Quicke & Butcher sp. nov.

Figs 4 , 5

Type material.

Holotype, ♀. South Africa, Gauteng, Magaliesburg, Golden valley, private residence, 26.026°S, 27.545°E, 1526 m, coll. Herman Staude (CNCO). Paratype, 1♀ same data as holotype (CNCO).

Description.

Length of body 3.2 mm, of fore wing 2.7 mm and of ovipositor (part exserted beyond apex of metasoma 0.3 mm. Head. Antennae incomplete. Flagellomeres 1-3 approximately equal in length, 2.70 × longer than wide. Width of head: width of face: height of eye = 3.3: 1.8: 1.0. Face very finely alutaceous with some weak oblique striation ventro-laterally. Inter-tentorial distance 1.4 × tentorio-ocular distance. Malar space long; malar suture absent. Top of head finely coriaceous. Frons not impressed. Shortest distance between posterior ocelli: transverse diameter of posterior ocellus: shortest distance between posterior ocellus and eye = 1.8: 1.0: 2.0. Length of head behind eye 0.22 × length of eye in dorsal view. Mesosoma 1.65 × longer than high. Mesonotum finely coriaceous; notauli finely coriaceous. Mesopleuron weakly alutaceous dorso-laterally but otherwise largely shiny and glabrous. Mesosternum shiny but densely short setose. Propodeum with some irregular sculpture posteriorly. Wings. Lengths of veins r-rs: 3RSa: 3RSb = 1.0: 2.7: 6.8. Lengths of veins 2RS: 3RSa: rs-m = 1.4: 1.6: 1.0. Fore wing vein 2CUa distinct, approximately 0.6 × length of 2cu-a. Hind wing vein 1M 7.0 × longer than 1r-m. Legs. Lengths of fore femur: tibia: tarsus= 1.1: 1.0: 1.68. Lengths of fore femur: tibia: tarsus = 1.0: 1.5: 1.5. Metasoma. Metasomal tergites 1-5 alutaceous-coriaceous with some weak superimposed rugose sculpture laterally. First metasomal tergite without carinae. Second metasomal tergite 1.5 × wider posteriorly than long; 1.2 × longer than third metasomal tergite. Ovipositor sheathes approximately as long as hind basitarsus. Coloration. Body and legs uniformly dark honey brown except: three small dark marks, one on each lateral lobe and a smaller less distinct one medio-anteriorly on the medial lobe of the mesoscutum; tarsi of all legs which are darker brown. Wings with hyaline membrane and brown venation; pterostigma yellowish medially darker around its borders. It should be noted that the mounted holotype was chemically extracted for its DNA and is, as a consequence, is now somewhat duller than the fresh specimen would have been. Fig. 4A shows the specimen prior to DNA extraction.

Male. Unknown.

Biology.

Unknown.

Distribution.

South Africa (Gauteng).

Etymology.

The species name intermedia is Latin meaning in between, referring to the position of fore wing vein 2CUb relative to 1CU.

Comments.

DNA barcode cytochrome oxidase 1 and 28S D2-D3 expansion region sequences were obtained for the holotype (process ID = DQHYM029-17 sample ID = BIOUG36019-C05) and a barcode for the paratype (BIOUG09276-A04).

Figures

Figure 4. Protadesha intermedia Quicke & Butcher, sp. nov., ♀, holotype A habitus, lateral view B head, anterior view C head, dorsal view D head, lateral view E mesosoma, lateral view F mesosoma, dorsal view.

Figure 5. Protadesha intermedia Quicke & Butcher, sp. nov., ♀, holotype A propodeum and metasoma, dorsal view B propodeum and metasoma, lateral view C metasomal tergites 1 - 3, lateral view D wings E middle part of fore wing detail F apex hind tarsus.