Trigastrotheca formosa Quicke & Friedman, 2024

Quicke, Donald L. J., Van Noort, Simon, Ranjith, Avunjikkattu Parambil, Friedman, Ariel L. L., Mejlon, Hans & Butcher, Buntika A., 2024, Revision of Trigastrotheca Cameron (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Braconinae) with descriptions of 13 new species, ZooKeys 1205, pp. 115-167 : 115-167

Trigastrotheca formosa Quicke & Friedman sp. nov.

Figs 12 , 13

Type material.

Holotype ♀, Madagascar, Analamatsaky , 47 km W Tolanaro, spiny forest, 25 ° 1.0 ' S, 46 ° 37.0 ' E, 21. x. 2007, L. Friedman, DNA voucher P. I. D. BBTH 744-17 ( SMNHTAU) . Paratypes: 2 ♀, same data as holotype; one DNA voucher P. I. D. BBTH 743-17 ( SMNHTAU) .

Diagnosis.

Similar to T. christianhenrichi sp. nov., also from Madagascar, but differing in having entirely dark flagellum, the black mark on the stemmaticum only extending to a point on the vertex and anterior occiput, the mesoscutum with posterior 1 / 2 of middle lobe cream-colored, and the scutellum reddish yellow.

Description.

Length of body 4.1 mm, fore wing 4.2 mm. Head. Antenna incomplete with 38 flagellomeres. Terminal flagellomere lost. First flagellomere 1.1 × longer than 2 nd and 3 rd, the latter 1.5 × longer than wide. Width of head: width of face: height of eye = 2.4: 1.3: 1.0. Face granulate with weak mid-longitudinal ridge. Inter-tentorial distance 1.8 × longer than tentorio-ocular distance. Malar suture impressed. Malar space 1.5 × as long as basal width of mandible. Antennal sockets strongly produced. Frons strongly impressed only behind antennal sockets without mid-longitudinal carina. Frons, vertex, and occiput granulate. Shortest distance between posterior ocelli: transverse diameter of posterior ocellus: shortest distance between posterior ocellus and eye = 1.0: 1.0: 1.7. Mesosoma 1.5 × longer than high. Mesoscutum smooth, sparsely punctate; notauli crenulated, impressed on anterior 1 / 2 shallow posteriorly. Scutellar sulcus shallow, narrow, finely crenulate. Scutellum smooth, sparsely setose with a small pit medially behind sulcus. Median area of metanotum with complete mid-longitudinal carina. Propodeum largely smooth and shiny, faintly transversely striate near mid-longitudinal carina; mid-longitudinal carina complete, lamelliform, bordered narrowly by fine crenulations; posteriorly propodeum with short longitudinal carinae associated with longitudinal wrinkles. Wings. Fore wing. Lengths of fore wing veins r-rs: 3 RSa: 3 RSb = 1.0: 1.2: 4.0. Lengths of vein 2 RS: 3 RSa: rs-m = 1.3: 1.3: 1.0. Base of hind wing with large glabrous area distal to vein 1 CU. Legs. Lengths of fore femur: fore tibia: fore tarsus = 1.0: 1.0: 1.1. Lengths of hind femur: hind tibia: hind tarsus = 1.0: 1.1: 1.1. Claws with small acutely pointed basal lobe. Metasoma. T 1 coriaceous, 1.8 × wider than long, with pair of posteriorly uniting dorsal carina. T 2 0.8 × as long as T 3. TT 1–5 with coarse reticulate sculpture. Second metasomal suture and basal grooves of TT 4 and 5 deep, strigose. T 5 with postero-lateral margin slightly concave, not denticulate; medial protuberance acutely rounded posteriorly; postero-lateral emarginations concave. Coloration. Body mostly reddish brown except scape, pedicel, eye, ocellar area, occiput medially, mesoscutum antero-laterally, propleuron, mesopleuron with posterior black patch, T 1 medially, ovipositor sheath black, face, clypeus, maxillary and labial palps, frons, vertex and occiput laterally, pronotum dorsally, legs yellow, pronotum laterally, middle lobe of mesoscutum posteriorly, mesopleuron anteriorly, metasoma laterally ivory white.

Male. Unknown.

Distribution.

Afrotropical ( Madagascar).

Host.

Unknown.

Etymology.

Latin, formosa, meaning beautiful.

Notes.

Excluded from the type series is a female with same data as the holotype but with the head entirely black but otherwise extremely similar. This seems to be a particularly unusual color variant for intraspecific variability, but it seems most probable, in the absence of additional data, that this is conspecific.

Figures

Figure 12. Trigastrotheca formosa sp. nov. ♀ holotype A habitus, lateral view B head, anterior view C head, dorsal view D head and mesosoma, lateral view E mesosoma, dorsal view F metasoma, lateral view.

Figure 13. Trigastrotheca formosa sp. nov. ♀ holotype A TT 3–5, dorsal view B wings.