Bathyaulax aeilliami, Kaartinen & Quicke, 2007

Kaartinen, Riikka & Quicke, Donald L. J., 2007, A revision of the parasitic wasp genus Bathyaulax Szépligeti (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Braconinae) from Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, Journal of Natural History 41 (1 - 4), pp. 125-212 : 207-209

Bathyaulax aeilliami s p. nov.

( Figures 122–124 )

Material examined

Holotype: Female ( BMNH): Kenya, Tsavo East National Park, nr. Voi Gate, VI-1977, D. Quicke.

Description

Female: Length of body 14 mm, of fore wing 11 mm, of ovipositor 13 mm.

Antennae with 92 flagellomeres. Terminal flagellomere 2.3 times longer than wide. Height of clypeus:inter-tentorial distance:tentorio-ocular distance51.0:4.3:3.7. Width of face:width of head:height of eye51.2:2.1:1.0. Height of face:width of face51.0:1.8. Sculpture on face punctate with punctulation. Clypeus rugose. Frons depressed and smooth, with a medial longitudinal groove. POL:transverse diameter of posterior ocellus:shortest distance between posterior ocellus and eye51.0:1.0:2.7. Length of eye in dorsal view:distance of occiput and posterior margin of eye51.8:1.0.

Mesosoma approximately 1.5 times longer than maximally deep.

Fore wing: length of veins r:3-SR:SR151.0:2.3:3.6. Length of veins 2-SR:3-SR:rm51.0:3.0:1.0. Length of veins m-cu:2-M51.0:2.5. Length of veins 1-CU1:2- CU151.0:4.3. Vein 1-SR+M straight. Swelling in vein 3-CU1 1.5 times thicker than the other part of the vein.

Legs: length of fore femur:tibia:basitarsus52.2:2.4:1.0. Fore basitarsus 3.8 times longer than deep. Length of hind femur:tibia:basitarsus52.2:2.7:1.0. Hind basitarsus 4.1 times longer than deep.

First metasomal tergite 1.5 times longer than wide; raised median area smooth with medial longitudinal groove, postero-lateral areas strigated. Second tergite 2.0 times wider than long; medially strigated. Antero-medial triangular area raised and also strigated, anteriorly smooth. Third tergite 2.4 times wider than long; transverse furrows on anterior and subposterior margins strigated, raised medial area strigated. Antero-lateral areas smooth. Tergites four and five with strigated anterior and subposterior furrows, raised median area strigated in tergite four and smooth in five, antero-lateral areas smooth. Tergites six to eight smooth.

Black to dark brown except for metasomal tergites two to eight which are red. Head with reddish-brown lines around eyes and spots on dorsal side posterior to toruli. Wings black to dark brown, with hyaline area on fore wing below pterostigma. Apical half of pterostigma darkened.

Etymology

Named after the senior author’s friend, William Velmala.

Figures

Figures 122–125. Automontageș images of Bathyaulax species. (122)–(124) B. aeilliami, frons, metasomal tergites 4–5 and metasomal tergite 1. (125) B. zonatus, metasomal tergites 1–3.