Sternaulopius maculiferus Han & van Achterberg, 2024

Han, Yunjong, van Achterberg, Cornelis & Kim, Hyojoong, 2024, Four genera of the subfamily Opiinae Blanchard (Hymenoptera, Braconidae) new for Japan, with the description of two new species, ZooKeys 1206, pp. 207-229 : 207-229

Sternaulopius maculiferus Han & van Achterberg sp. nov.

Figs 37 , 38–47

Type material.

Holotype, ♀ ( OMNH), “ Japan (Honshu): Nochino, Ono , Fukui, 35.9492 ° N, 136.6868 ° E, 5. viii. 2011, SW [= collected by sweeping], Shunpei Fujie leg., OMNH ”.

Diagnosis.

Vein 3 - SR of fore wing as long as vein 2 - SR (Fig. 38 ); below pterostigma with brownish patch; first subdiscal cell subparallel-sided (Fig. 38 ); hypoclypeal depression distinct (Fig. 43 ); eye 1.9 × longer than temple in dorsal view (Fig. 44 ); mesoscutum densely setose (Fig. 40 ); notauli complete and crenulate; medio-posterior depression of mesoscutum medium-sized and part of notauli (Fig. 40 ); precoxal sulcus oblique and wide crenulate (Fig. 39 ); sternaulus crenulate and subparallel-sided with precoxal sulcus; propodeum with short medio-longitudinal carina and transverse carinae, and area behind carinae coarsely reticulate (Fig. 45 ).

Description.

Holotype, female; length of body 3 mm, of fore wing 2.8 mm.

Head. Antenna with 31 segments and as long as body (Fig. 47 ); third segment 2 × longer than wide, 1.3 × longer than fourth segment; eye 1.9 × longer than temple in dorsal view (Fig. 44 ); vertex, frons and occiput smooth and glabrous; face densely coarsely punctate and densely setose (Fig. 43 ); median keel present on face, smooth (Fig. 43 ); clypeus 2 × wider than its maximum height; clypeus faintly punctate, sparsely setose, and protruding in lateral view; hypoclypeal depression present; length of maxillary palpi nearly 0.9 × as long as height of head; malar sulcus present; occipital carina interrupted dorsally (Fig. 44 ); mandible gradually widened basally and densely setose without acute basal lamella.

Mesosoma. Mesosoma 1.4 × longer than its height (Fig. 39 ); pronope absent (Fig. 40 ); pronotal side with crenulate carina anteriorly and posteriorly (Fig. 39 ); propleuron rugose and densely setose without oblique carina; mesopleuron largely smooth, but precoxal sulcus crenulate and wide, oblique, reaching anterior part (wide and crenulate area in epicnemial area); sternaulus crenulate and subparallel with precoxal sulcus (Fig. 39 ); mesopleural sulcus widely crenulate; mesosternum densely setose; anterior groove of metapleuron crenulate and rather densely setose ventrally, remaining area rugose; notauli complete, and crenulate on disc of mesoscutum and reaching mesoscutum posteriorly (Fig. 40 ); medio-posterior depression of mesoscutum present and part of notauli; mesoscutum rather densely, weakly punctate and densely setose; scutellar sulcus wide, crenulate and curved; scutellum smooth setose and slightly convex in lateral view, but not protruding above level of mesoscutum; propodeum glabrous and reticulate-rugose with short medio-longitudinal carina and diverging oblique two transverse carinae, and area behind carinae coarsely reticulate (Fig. 45 ).

Wings. Fore wing (Fig. 38 ): Pterostigma wide, triangular, and slightly convex anteriorly; vein r gradually merging in vein 3 - SR; vein 1 - M straight; vein 1 - SR + M sinuate; vein 2 - SR almost straight, as long as vein 3 - SR (1.1 × longer than vein 3 - SR); r: 3 - SR: SR 1 = 5: 11: 30; vein SR 1 straight; vein m-cu distinctly antefurcal and converging to vein 1 - M posteriorly; second submarginal cell short (Fig. 38 ); first subdiscal cell closed and subparallel-sided; vein CU 1 b present; vein CU 1 a almost completely pigmented. Hind wing: vein 1 r-m 0.8 × as long as vein 1 - M; vein m-cu pigmented and curved basally; vein 2 - M pigmented.

Legs. Length of hind femur 3.1 × its maximum width; fore and hind femora robust (Fig. 37 ).

Metasoma. First metasomal tergite as long as its apical width, its surface densely striate-rugose and in lateral view convex medially (Fig. 41 ); shallow dorsope present (Figs 39 , 41 ); second metasomal suture absent (Fig. 42 ); second tergite shiny and smooth, but with pair of shallow depressions medio-basally; following tergites shiny and smooth, with row of setae posteriorly; setose part of ovipositor sheath 0.3 × as long as first tergite (Fig. 46 ).

Colour. Body generally black (Fig. 37 ); ventral margin of clypeus, dorsal part of epicnemial area, ventral part of pronotal side and anterior part of metapleuron, brown; scape and pedicel of antenna, mandible (except tips of mandible), tegulae and legs, brownish-yellow; palpi, pale yellowish; pterostigma, veins and spot below pterostigma, more or less dark brown; wings, subhyaline.

Distribution.

Japan (Honshu).

Biology.

Unknown.

Etymology.

From “ macula ” (Lain for patch) and “ ferus ” (Latin for carrying) because of the brownish patch below the pterostigma.

Remarks.

This new species runs to the genus Sternaulopius Fischer because of the distinct sternaulus below the precoxal sulcus, the shallow dorsope on the first metasomal tergite, the coarsely rugose propodeum with distinct carinae, and the normal mandible (i. e., without basal lamella or tooth). However, it does not run in the key to Opius s. l. by Tobias (1998) by having the medio-posterior depression of mesoscutum connected to the notauli, the distinct hypoclypeal depression, the broadly sculptured precoxal sulcus and the area behind the carinae on the propodeum reticulate and with a short medio-longitudinal carina anteriorly. In the key by Sheng et al. (2019) to Sternaulopius , it does not run well either by having the distinct hypoclypeal depression, length of eye 1.9 × temple in dorsal view, the densely setose mesoscutum, the distinctly sinuate vein 1 - SR + M of the fore wing, and vein 2 - SR of fore wing 1.1 × longer than vein 3 - SR.

Figures

Figure 37. Sternaulopius maculiferus Han & van Achterberg, sp. nov., holotype, ♀, Japan, habitus, lateral.

Figures 38–47. Sternaulopius maculiferus Han & van Achterberg, sp. nov., holotype, ♀, Japan. 38 wings 39 mesosoma lateral 40 mesosoma dorsal 41 first metasomal tergite dorsal 42 metasoma dorsal 43 head frontal 44 head dorsal 45 propodeum dorsal 46 ovipositor lateral 47 antenna.