Apanteles expansus Liu & Chen, 2020

Liu, Zhen, He, Jun-Hua, Chen, Xue-Xin & Gupta, Ankita, 2020, The ater-group of the genus Apanteles Foerster (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Microgastrinae) from China with the descriptions of forty-eight new species, Zootaxa 4807 (1), pp. 1-205 : 80-82

Apanteles expansus Liu & Chen , sp. nov.

( Figures 36 , 100 )

Description. Holotype. Female. Body length 2.9 mm, fore wing length 3.0 mm.

Head. Transverse in dorsal view, 2.0× as wide as long, 1.2× as wide as mesoscutum. Vertex between eye and posterior ocellus shiny with extremely shallow punctures. Temple slightly shiny with shallow punctures, slightly constricted. Face slightly transverse, nearly 0.9× as high as wide, slightly shiny with dense, small punctures, sparsely pubescent, inner margin of eyes strongly converged towards apex. Ocelli large, posterior tangent to anterior ocellus just touching posterior ocelli, distance between fore and hind ocellus nearly as long as diameter of hind ocellus, POL:OD:OOL=5.5:2.5:6.0. Antenna distinctly longer than body length, loosely articulated, penultimate flagellomere 2.0× longer than wide.

Mesosoma. Length:width:height = 48.0:29.0:31.0. Disc of mesonotum slightly shiny, densely and heavily punctate, interspaces not larger than diameter of puncture, rugose-punctate at posterior end of notaulic courses, punctures absent at posterior margin. Scutellar sulcus curved, narrow with sparse carinae. Scutellum shiny, shallowly, sparsely punctate entirely, median length much longer than basal width. Lateral polished field of scutellum reaching over hardly half length of scutellum. Propodeum dull, long, strongly rugose entirely, areola small, V-shaped apically, without medial keel basally, costulae indefinite by strong rugosity around, but spiracle enclosed by keels. Mesopleuron shiny, most parts densely, heavily punctate.

Legs. Hind femur thicker, 2.7× longer than wide. Hind coxa shiny, shallowly punctate on top of the outside. Spines on outer side of third tibia numerous and close-set. Inner spurs of hind tibia fully half length of hind basitarsus, outer spur 0.3×. Basitarsus of hind leg about as long as tarsomeres 2–4 combined, claws of normal size.

Wings. Pterostigma 3.2× as long as its widest part. Vein 1-R1 1.1× as long as pterostigma, nearly 3.0× as long as its distance from apex of marginal cell. Vein r arising from apex of pterostigma, strongly oblique to the latter, indistinctly longer than width of pterostigma, 1.5× longer than 2-SR, distinctly angled at junction, 2-M 5/7 length of 2-SR, as long as 1-SR, m-cu as long as 2-SR+M and 2-SR. First discal cell of fore wing much wider, 1.4× wider than high. Second submarginal cell of hind wing 1.7× wider than high. Vein cu-a nearly straight. Hind wing much narrower, length of 1-M weakly longer than distance between its distal extremity and apex of vannal lobe, and vannal lobe beyond its widest part nearly straight and hairless.

Metasoma. Nearly 0.9× as long as mesosoma (48.0:55.0). T1 evenly and distinctly widen towards apex, weakly rounded at apical corners, short, 1.3× longer than hind width, concave at basal third, turned-over part shiny, very weakly rugulose, longitudinal channel indistinct, and apical tubercle small and polished. T2 slightly shiny, rectangular, smooth, 2.6× wider than long in the middle, straight apically. T2 nearly as long as T3. Tergites posterior to T2 polished, shiny, and pubescent. Hypopygium not longer than apex of metasoma. Ovipositor sheath 0.7× longer than length of hind tibia, wide, hairs dense, ovipositor abruptly curved at apex, without apical attenuation.

Colour. Black, except T1–3 yellow to bright reddish yellow. Tegula dark brown. Palpi pale yellow and spurs pale yellowish. Antenna and ovipositor sheath dark brown. Labrum and mandible dark reddish brown. Legs bright yellow (including all coxa), except apex of hind tibia and most part of hind tarsus brownish. Wing membrane hyaline, indistinctly brownish, C+SC+R, 1-R1, r, 2-SR, and 2-M brown, other alar veins more or less light brown, pterostigma brown.

Variation. Body length 2.6–3.6 mm, fore wing length 2.6–3.5 mm. Some specimens from Zhejiang, Ningxia, and Liaoning with black T1 and penultimate flagellomere slightly shorter, and tergites of specimens from Yunnan and Guangdong black entirely, punctures on posterior part of imaginary notaulic courses not rugose and sparsely distributed from specimens of Zhejiang, Fujian and Liaoning, and some specimens with shiny areolation and posterio-lateral parts.

Male. Unknown.

Material examined. Holotype: 1♀, Yinggeling , Hainan, 2007.V.28–VI.3, Weng Liqiong, No. 200804130 . Paratypes: 2♀♀, Tianbaoyan, Yongan , Fujian, 2001.VII.17 /19, Piao Meihua, Nos. 200107050, 200106855 ; 2♀♀, Mt. Jiuxian (1400m), Dehua , Fujian, 2002.IX.12, Wang Yiping, Nos. 20024759, 20024186 ; 1♀, Dawuling, Xinyi , Guangdong, 2002.V.1–6, Xu Zaifu, No. 20025792 ; 2♀♀, Yinggeling , Hainan, 2007.V.28–VI.3, Weng Liqiong, Nos. 200804094, 200804098 ; 2♀♀, Fuxin , Liaoning, 1995.VII.16–23, Lou Juxian, Nos. 961399, 961398 ; 1♀, Qianqiujia, Mt. Liupan, Jingyuan , Ningxia, 2008.VII.8, Yao Jiemin, No. 200808516 ; 2♀♀, Fenshuiling, Lvchun , Yunnan, 2003.VII.25, Lu Jia / Jiang Xi, Nos. 20045666, 20045773 ; 1♀, Dongyang , Zhejiang, 1987.VIII.10, Xu Weiliang, No. 875118 ; 1♀, Tiantai , Zhejiang, 1987.VIII, Chen Jianming, No. 878365 .

Distribution. China (Fujian, Guangdong, Hainan, Liaoning, Ningxia, Yunnan, Zhejiang).

Etymology. The specific name “ expansus ” derives from the Latin referring to the T1 expanded towards apex.

Remarks. This species is similar to A. albummacula Liu & Chen , sp. nov., but differs in the following: T1 distinctly widen towards apex (strongly converged towards apex in latter); inner margin of eyes strongly converged towards apex (parallel-sided in latter); and hind wing much narrower, length of 1-M weakly longer than distance between its distal extremity and apex of vannal lobe (broad, length of 1-M distinctly shorter than distance between its distal extremity and apex of vannal lobe in latter).

Figures

FIGURE 36. Apanteles expansus Liu & Chen, sp. nov. Holotype. a. habitus, lateral view; b. fore wing; c. hind wing; d. mesonotum and scutellum, dorsal view; e. antenna; f. mesopleuron; g. propodeum and metasoma, dorsal view; h. ovipositor sheath; i. head, dorsal view; j. head, frontal view. Scale line = 0.5 mm.

FIGURE 100. 33–47: Distribution map of ater-group of the genus Apanteles Foerster, 1862. 33: A. dissimile Nixon, 1965; 34: A. distributa Liu & Chen, sp. nov.; 35: A. dryas Nixon, 1965; 36: A. expansus Liu & Chen, sp. nov.; 37: A. flavibasalis Liu & Chen, sp. nov.; 38: A. florus Nixon, 1965; 39: A. folia Nixon, 1965; 40: A. fraxinus Liu & Chen, sp. nov.; 41: A. fundum Liu & Chen, sp. nov.; 42: A. fuscidentalis Liu & Chen, sp. nov.; 43: A. galleriae Wilkinson, 1932; 44: A. gracilicorne Song & Chen, 2004; 45: A. Apanteles importunus Wilkinson, 1928; 46: A. jasmine Liu & Chen, sp. nov.; 47: A. javensis Rohwer, 1919.