Meteorus artocercus Stigenberg, 2011

Stigenberg, Julia & Ronquist, Fredrik, 2011, Revision of the Western Palearctic Meteorini (Hymenoptera, Braconidae), with a molecular characterization of hidden Fennoscandian species diversity 3084, Zootaxa 3084 (1), pp. 1-95 : 46-47

Meteorus artocercus Stigenberg sp. nov.

Fig. 48 , 49 , 79A , 86

Diagnosis: Meteorus artocercus can be distinguished from similar species by its longer flagellomeres, the colour of the pterostigma and the length of the ovipositor sheaths. In Huddleston’s key M. artocercus runs to M. cinctellus but M. artocercus has longer antennal articles than M. cinctellus , the ovipositor is shorter (1.6–2.0 times petiolar tergum in the former, and 2.5–3.0 times in the latter), and the pterostigma is pale (dark brown except for the basal third in the latter). M. tenellus is another similar species but this species has a longer ovipositor (2.0–4.0 times petiolar tergum) and a postfurcal m-cu vein of the forewing (antefurcal in M. artocercus ).

Studied material: 10 specimens.

Holotype: 1 ♀ SE. Lapl. Gällivare kommun. Ätnarova försökpark, Pelttovaara. 29.vii–13.viii.2004. (leg. SMTP), NHRS – HYME 5178 . Paratypes: 2 ♀ SE. Lapl. Gällivare kommun. Ätnarova förökspark, Pelttovaara. 29.vii–13.viii.2004. One in ethanol (DNA voucher specimen DNA 1) and one drypinned (one leg damaged and glued separately on the dry pinned specimen) NHRS – HYME 5176 (leg. SMTP), Paratype: 1 ♀ SE. Nb. Pajala kommun. Vasikkavuoma. 14.ix–05.x.2003. (left hind tarsi damaged and glued separately). (leg. SMTP), NHRS – HYME 5177 , DNA 2 . Paratype: 1 ♀ SE. Vb. Vindelns kommun. Kulbäckslidens försökspark. 01.viii–18.viii.2003. Kept in 80 % ethanol. (leg. SMTP), DNA 47 . Paratype: 4 ♀ SE. Bdn. Jokkmokks kommun, Muddus nationalpark 18.vi–20.vii.2004. All are kept in 80 % ethanol and all are DNA voucher specimens (leg. SMTP), NHRS – HYME 5182 , DNA 55 ; NHRS – HYME 5181 , DNA 56 ; NHRS – HYME 5180 , DNA 57 ; NHRS – HYME 5179 , DNA 58 .

Description: Body 3.2 mm, fore wing 3.0 mm.

Head: Length of eye 1.5 times length of temple in dorsal aspect; eyes large, convergent and protuberant; width of face 1.25 times its height; OOL=2; vertex smooth; frons above antennal sockets depressed, with a median ridge forming a slight tubercle in front of fore ocellus; face convex; clypeus as wide as minimum width of face, distinctly separated from face, convex, tentorial pits distinct; length of malar space 0.6 times basal width of mandible; mandibles twisted; antennal articles 27; 3rd and 4th antennal article 3.6 times longer than wide; all articles longer than wide, subapical articles more than 1.5 times longer than broad.

Mesosoma: Precoxal sulcus narrow.

Wings: Fore wing: r/3–SR=0.6; C+SC+R/SR1=1.45; m–cu interstitial; pterostigma brown with apical corner light. Hind wing: 1–M/cu–a=1.5;

Legs: Hind coxa rugose dorsally; hind femur 4.8 times longer than wide; tarsal claws small with lobe.

Metasoma: Petiolar tergum apically 2.1 times longer than wide, petiolar tergum 4.5 times fore wing; dorsope absent; ventral folds of petiolar tergum joined in middle; ovipositor straight, slender; length of ovipositor 2.0 times that of petiolar tergum and 0.35 times forewing; propodeum convex, reticulate–rugose and with no distinct carina. Colour: Frons and vertex black with large yellow patch between posterior ocelli and eye; face yellow; pronotum and mesopleuron black with brown–red patch posterior; petiolar tergum black; 3 rd abdominal tergite yellow otherwise brown; legs dark yellow, hind tarsi brown.

Distribution: Sweden.

Biology: We found 10 specimens within the SMTP. They were caught from July to October in northern Sweden, predominantly in pine forests .

Etymology: The name artocercus is derived from the Latin word arto —close and the Greek word cercus — tail.

Figures

FIGURE 79. Habitus images of the seven new species described in this paper. A) Meteorus artocercus, B) M. densipilosus, C) M. eklundi, D) M. longipilosus, E) M. sibyllae, F) M. stenomastax, G) M. subtilisulcus.

FIGURES 41–48. Characters used in key to species. 41) antennae of M. eadyi, 42) fore wing of M. cinctellus, 43) fore wing of M. tenellus, 44) antennae of M. cinctellus, 45) antennae of M. tenellus, 46) habitus of M. stenomastax sp. nov., 47) metasoma of M. tenellus, 48) metasoma of M. artocercus sp. nov.

FIGURES 49–56. Characters used in key to species. 49) fore wing of M. artocercus sp. nov., 50) metasomal tergites two and three of M. pendulus, 51) metasomal tergites two and three of M. corax, 52) hind leg of M. oculatus, 53) hind leg of M. vexator, 54) fore wing of M. ipidivorus, 55) dorsal view of the head of M. punctifrons, 56) fore wing of M. radialis.

FIGURES 80–133. Anterior view of the head of Meteorus species (except for M. politutele, which is depicted in lateral view).