Rhynchobanchus flavomaculatus Sheng

Li, Ze-Jian, Li, Tao, Yan, Jun & Sheng, Mao-Ling, 2018, The genus Rhynchobanchus Kriechbaumer in China, with descriptions of a new species and first record of the genus from Oriental region (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae, Banchinae), ZooKeys 752, pp. 125-136 : 127-128

Rhynchobanchus flavomaculatus Sheng sp.n. Figures 1-5, 6-9

Material.

Holotype, Female, CHINA: Kaishanlaodian, 1106 m, 30°32'N, 119°43'E, West Tianmu Mt., Lin’an, Zhejiang Province, 28 April 2017, leg. Ze-Jian Li, Meng-Meng Liu & Kai-Wen Gao. Paratypes: 1 female, Yun Mt., 1380m, 26°38'N, 110°37'E, Wugang, Shaoyang, Hunan Province, 18 April 2011, leg. Ze-Jian Li. 1 female, same data as holotype, but 8 April 2013, leg. Li-Wei Qi & Biao Chu. 1 male, same data as holotype, but 14 April 2014, leg. Hai-Yan Nie & Ping Hu. 2 females, same data as holotype, but 23/24 April 2014, leg. Ting-Ting Ji.

Diagnosis.

Body yellowish brown with large irregular yellowish white spots (Fig. 1). Face (Fig. 2) finely granulose, with sparse fine punctures and yellowish brown setae, near upper margin with a small median tubercle. Inner orbits of compound eyes distinctly emarginate opposite antennal sockets, with regular yellowish brown setae. Posteromedian portion of vertex (behind ocellar triangle) with weak longitudinal groove (Fig. 3). Lower-posterior corner of mesopleuron with strong swelling (Fig. 5). Wings (Fig. 7) yellowish brown, semi-hyaline. Longer spur of mid tibia approximately 0.8 times as long as first tarsomere. Tergite 1 about 2.3 times as long as apical width, distinctly convex basal of spiracle.

Description.

Female (Fig. 1). Body length 15.6 to 17.1 mm. Forewing length 11.3 to 12.9 mm.

Head. Face (Fig. 2) approximately 1.7 times as wide as long, finely granulose, with sparse fine punctures and yellowish brown setae, median portion longitudinally convex; near upper margin with a small median tubercle. Clypeus approximately 2.5 times as wide as long, finely granulose, with indistinct, sparse brown setae; apical margin with distinct median emarginate. Mandible particularly strong, basal portion with sparse brown setae. Malar area finely granulose, approximately 0.5 times as long as basal width of mandible. Inner orbits of compound eyes distinctly emarginate opposite antennal sockets. Gena broad, evenly convergent backwardly, with dense, fine punctures and yellowish brown setae. Vertex (Fig. 3) with yellowish brown setae and weak median longitudinal groove. Ocellar triangle with distinct punctures. Postocellar line approximately 1.3 times as long as oculo-ocellar line. Lower median portion of frons slightly concave, with fine arched wrinkles; lateral portion with dense yellowish brown setae. Lateral margin of antennal socket with small tubercle. Antenna with 55 to 58 flagellomeres, ratio of length from first to fifth flagellomeres: 2.1:1.1:1.0:1.0:1.0. Occipital carina complete.

Mesosoma. Pronotum (Fig. 5) with granulose texture and dense yellowish brown setae; Epomia absent. Mesoscutum (Fig. 4) evenly convex, anterior and lateral portions with distinct dense punctures and brown setae, posteromedian portion with fine, indistinct punctures. Notaulus weak. Scutoscutellar groove smooth, shiny. Scutellum almost rounded convex, with fine dense punctures and long brown setae. Postscutellum evenly convex, with fine punctures. Mesopleuron (Fig. 5) granulose with even fine punctures and brown setae; speculum very small, with fine punctures; mesopleural fovea small, shallow, smooth. Lower-posterior corner of mesopleuron strongly convex. Metapleuron evenly convex, with texture as that of mesopleuron; lower posterior portion with indistinct oblique wrinkles. Submetalpeural carina complete, strong, anterior portion strongly raised. Sulcus between postscutellum and propodeum deep, shiny, with short longitudinal wrinkles. Propodeum (Fig. 6) short, slightly oblique; weakly, finely reticulate, with dense yellowish brown setae; spiracle convex, oblique elongate, 3.0 times as long as width, located at basal 0.3.

Wings (Fig. 7). Yellowish brown, semi-hyaline. Forewing with vein 1cu-a distal of 1/M, distance between them approximately 0.5 times as long as 1cu-a. Ramulus long. Areolet pentangle, receiving 2m-cu approximately at basal 0.4, vein 3rs-m slightly longer than vein 2rs-m. 2-Cu 1.5 times as long as 2cu-a. Hindwing vein cu-a strongly reclivous, 1-cu 0.15 times as long as cu-a.

Legs. Dorsal profile and apical portion of tibia with uneven thorns. Longer spur of mid tibia 0.8 times as long as first tarsomere. Ratio of length of hind first to fifth tarsomeres 5.8:2.5:2.0:1.0:1.5.

Metasoma. Tergite 1 about 2.3 times as long as apical width, distinctly convex basal of spiracle, with fine punctures and yellowish brown short setae, apical margin smooth; glymma deep, small; spiracle small, convex, almost circular, located at basal 0.3. Tergite 2 (Fig. 8) approximately as long as apical width, indistinctly reticular, with dense punctures and yellowish brown short setae; basal median portion transversely convex, smooth; thyridium distinct, almost smooth. Tergite 3 weakly shining, with dense fine punctures and yellowish brown setae, apical portion slightly compressed. Fourth and subsequent tergites compressed, with fine punctures and yellowish brown setae. Ovipositor sheath broad, not reaching to apex of metasoma.

Colour pattern (Fig. 1). Yellowish brown with large irregular yellowish white spots, except following: mandibular teeth, median portion of frons, ocellar triangle, line along occipital carina, anteromedian narrow reversed triangular spot, scutoscutellar groove, anterior portion of mesosternum, anterior margin of metapleuron, anterior transverse groove of propodeum, front and inner profiles of hind coxa, trochanter (dorsal and apical portions reddish brown), median portion of tergite 1 irregularly dark brown to black. Antenna except apical portion brown to dark brown, main portion of front femur, ventral profile of mid femur slightly; apical margin of hind coxa, hind trochantellus, hind femur, hind tibia except basal half yellowish brown, hind tarsus; tergites 2 and 3 except apical triangular spots yellow to brown, tergites 3 to 7 except lateral and apical margin yellow to yellowish brown; tergite 8, ovipositor sheath reddish brown to dark reddish brown. Pterostigma brown. Veins brown to dark brown.

Male.

Body length approximately 13.1 mm. Forewing length approximately 10.0 mm. Antenna with 55 flagellomeres. Lateral longitudinal stripes of mesoscutum, transverse stripe beneath subalar ridge black brown to brown. Pterostigma yellowish brown. Otherwise similar to female.

Distribution.

CHINA: Hunan, Zhejiang.

Remarks.

This new species is similar to Rh. maculicornis Sheng et al., 1995, but can be distinguished from the latter by the following combination of characters: lower-posterior corner of mesopleuron with strong convexity; gena, vertex, mesopleuron and mesosternum yellow; and propodeum yellowish white. Rhynchobanchus maculicornis has lower-posterior corner of mesopleuron slightly convex; gena, vertex, mesopleuron and mesosternum black; basal portion of propodeum black, median reddish brown and apical yellow.

Etymology.

The name of the new species is derived from Latin words “flavi” (yellow) and “maculatus” (macula) after its body with large irregular yellowish spots.