Streblocera (Eutanycerus) sharifi, Shamim & O, 2013

Shamim, Mohammad & O, Published, 2013, The genus Streblocera Westwood (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Euphorinae) from India, with descriptions of 9 new species, Turkish Journal of Zoology 37 (4), pp. 385-405 : 398-400

4.7. Streblocera (Eutanycerus) sharifi sp. nov. (Plate VII; Figures 55 –64)

Body length: 9 mm, Forewing: 7.2 mm, Antenna: 8.5 mm.

Head: Width of head in dorsal view 1.7× its length and its height; antennal segments 22; scape long, incrassate, 8× its width and 2.4× height of head, at basal one-third with a minute spine; ventrally weakly carinate, flagellum geniculated at seventh flagellomere; first to seventh segments ventrally weakly carinate, sixth and seventh flagellomere formed into a hook-like prominence apicoventrally, prominence on sixth segments smaller than on seventh segment; first flagellomere without sensillum, 1.7× as long as wide, almost as long as pedicel and 1.5× as long as second flagellomere; second flagellomere with 1 sensillum, as long as wide, 0.9× as long as third flagellomere; third flagellomere with 2 sensilla, lengths of F 3 – F 5, F 6, F 7, F 8 – F 19, and F 20 1.1×, 1.2×, 1.1×, 1.6×, and 2.2× their widths, respectively; length of scape: length of pedicel to seventh flagellomere: length of antenna from eighth flagellomere to apex = 120: 96: 127; occipital carina incomplete, dorsally shortly interrupted, ventrally separated from hypostomal carina; OOL: POL: OD = 22: 8: 5; length of eye in dorsal view 1.1× its width and 1.6× temple; temple smooth, sparsely setose; temple roundly narrowed behind eyes; vertex 2.5× its width, smooth, sparsely setose; frons 1.5× as wide as long, medially smooth, remaining striate, near eye margin sparsely setose; face 2× as wide as long, punctate, densely setose; intertentorial line 1× tentorio-ocular line, tentorial pit deep, small; clypeus 2.3× its height, flat, smooth, sparsely setose; length of malar space 1.5× basal width of mandible.

Mesosoma: Length of mesosoma 2× its width, 2.1× its height; pronotal side medially crenulate, remaining largely smooth; precoxal sulcus narrow, crenulate, setose; mesopleuron dorsally reticulate, punctate, setose, remaining largely smooth; notauli wide, deep, anteriorly crenulate, posteriorly reticulate; middle lobe of mesoscutum smooth, setose, lateral lobes smooth; scutellar sulcus wide, deep, smooth, with 1 median longitudinal strong carina; scutellum almost flat, smooth; side of scutellum reticulate, setose; medioposterior depression wide, oval-shaped; propodeum irregularly reticulate, rugose.

Wings: Forewing 2.5× as long as wide; length of pterostigma 2.7× its width; length of vein 1 – R 1 0.73× length of pterostigma; r emitting at middle of pterostigma, its length 0.36× width of pterostigma; vein SR1 + 3-SR evenly curved; m – cu interstitial; r: 2 – SR: SR1 + 3 – SR = 9: 25: 85; 1 – CU1: 2 – CU1: 3 – CU1 = 5: 30: 10; hindwing 3.3× as long as wide; 1 – M: 1 – r-m: 2 – SC + R = 8: 17: 18.

Legs: Hind coxa smooth, setose; lengths of hind femur, tibia, and basitarsus 6.4×, 12.5×, and 10× their widths, respectively; lengths of hind tibial spurs 0.20× and 0.22× hind basitarsus.

Metasoma: Length of metasoma 2.6× its width, 3× its height; first metasomal tergite 2.2× its apical width, its surface longitudinally striate; dorsope present; distance across spiracles 0.48× distance from spiracles to apex of first metasomal tergite; ovipositor sheath slender, setose, its length 0.15× forewing, 0.88× hind basitarsus, hypopygium sparsely setose; ovipositor long, strongly curved downward, apically pointed.

Color: Yellow except stemmaticum black; first metasomal tergite, ovipositor sheath brown; propodeum, tarsus, basitarsus, telotarsus, temple yellowish brown; eyes grayish; maxillary palp and labial palp pale yellow; ocelli transparent; wing veins brown.

Variation: Length of body 9.1 – 9.4 mm, of forewing 7.4 mm; length of eye in dorsal view 1.5× temple; vertex 2.4× its width; F 8 – F 19 1.5× its width; length of mesosoma 1.9× its width; r emitting just middle of pterostigma; hind coxa sparsely setose.

Type material: Holotype, female, INDIA: Uttar Pradesh, Etawah, 26°47′N, 79°02′E, 14, 15. vi. 2007, Coll. M. Sharif ( ZDAMU). Deposited in Insect Collection, Department of Zoology , AMU, Aligarh ( ZDAMU).

Paratypes, 4 females, same as holotypes. INDIA: Uttar Pradesh, Etawah, 26°47′N, 79°02′E, 14, 22. v. 2007. Coll. M. Sharif & M. Shamim ( ZDAMU). Deposited in Insect Collection, Department of Zoology , AMU, Aligarh ( ZDAMU) .

Etymology: The species is named in memory of my late father, Mohammad Sharif, who collected these braconid parasitoids.

Discussion: The new species Streblocera (Eutanycerus) sharifi sp. nov. resembles Streblocera (Eutanycerus) etawahiana sp. nov. However, it differs by having (1) antennal segments 22 (antennal segments 21 in etawahiana ); (2) scape at basal one-third with a minute spine (scape at basal one-quarter with a minute horn in etawahiana ); (3) first flagellomere without sensillum, 1.7× its width (first flagellomere with 1 sensillum, 2.5× its width in etawahiana ); (4) second flagellomere with 1 sensillum (second flagellomere with 2 sensilla in etawahiana ); (5) apical flagellomere 2.2× their width (apical flagellomere 3× its width in etawahiana ); (6) face 2× as wide as long, punctulate, densely setose (face 1.66× as wide as long, uniformly granulate in etawahiana ).

The new species Streblocera (Eutanycerus) sharifi sp. nov. also resembles Streblocera (E.) obtusa Chen and Achterberg, 1997 . However, it differs by having (1) length of scape 8× its width and 2.4× height of head (length of scape 5× its width and 1.7× height of head in obtusa ); (2) occipital carina incomplete, dorsally shortly interrupted (occipital carina complete in obtusa ); (3) second flagellomere with 1 sensillum (second flagellomere with 2 sensilla in obtusa ); (4) surface of first metasomal tergite longitudinally striate (surface of first metasomal tergite weakly longitudinally rugose in obtusa ).