Schoenlandella obscuriceps ( Fischer, 1958 )

Edmardash, Yusuf A., Gadallah, Neveen S. & Sharkey, Michael J., 2018, Revision of the subfamily Cardiochilinae Ashmead, 1900 (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) in Egypt, with new records and a new species, Journal of Natural History 52 (5 - 6), pp. 269-297 : 290-291

Schoenlandella obscuriceps ( Fischer, 1958)

( Figures 1 (h), 3(e), 5(b))

Cardiochiles obscuriceps Fischer, 1958 . Polskie Pismo Ent . 28(2): 19, ♂. ‘ Wadi Risket , Ägypten ’ (Wien, ♂) (Leg. Priesner) .

Diagnosis

Generally shiny black with some brownish parts; galea distinctly less than 0.5× as height of eye when seen in frontal view; head uniformly coloured, without black or brown spots dorsally ( Figure 1 (h)); inner hind tibial spur more than 0.3× as outer one; stem of T1 0.7× as long as bulb.

Abbreviated description of female

Length of body: 5.0 mm; length of fore wing: 2.9 – 3.0 mm.

Body generally black and shiny; the following parts are brownish: head entirely (except black stemmaticum); scape, pedicel; all mesosoma (except blackish metanotum and propodeum); entire fore legs, basal third of mid tibia and entire mid tarsus. On the middle lobe of mesoscutum (between notauli) there is a longitudinal brownish vague wide line. Fore wing: the apical 0.4 heavily darkened, pterostigma entirely, parastigma paler, tegula brownish, all veins dark brown except vein 2-SR+M which is pale yellow. Head: antenna with 30 flagellomeres, scape 2.0× as long as wide, galea 0.3× as long as height of eyes; clypeus 2.5× as broad as high; OOL:AOL:POL:ØOD = 14:7:9:2; depth of occiput is 0.25× the length of the head. Fore wing: 1-SR+M 5.80× as long as m-cu; 2-SR +M 3.0× as long as mcu; 1-M straight, 1-SR nearly curved, 4-SRb nearly continuous with 5-SR without curvature, m-cu 0.27× as long as 1-M; discal cell 0.55× as long as wide; 1-A absent; 1-2A + 3A spectral; 1-Cua 0.34× as long as 1-Cub; 2r 0.33× as long as inside height of SMC2, arising 0.3 – 0.4 along the length of stigma basally; stigma 4.3× as long as wide; angle between 4SRa and Rs 100°; angle between Rs and r-m 95°; spectral node of 3r present (but hardly seen due to dark wing); SMC2 0.36× as long as wide; 2 + 3-SR bent strongly at the base. Legs: Fore tibial spur 0.8× as long as basitarsus; hind tibia 12× as long as wide as apically; inner hind tibial spur 1.4× as long as outer spur, 0.52× as long as basitarsus. Metasoma: T1 about 2.0× as long as broad; stem 0.37× as long as bulb; median field of T2 0.71× as broad as high; ovipositor sheath as long as hind tibia.

Remarks

This is the first description of the previously unknown female of this species.

Male

Based on original description of Fischer (1958): similar to female but male with much darker wings (especially the hind wing), notauli much deeper; antenna with 29 antennal flagellomeres; fore wing with 1-SR+M 5.2× as long as m-cu, stigma 2.5× as long as wide; angle between 4SRa and Rs 105°; angle between Rs and r-m 90°.

Material examined

5♀, Kom Oshiem ( Fayoum ) (29.529°N; 30.926°E), 6 June 1956 (Leg. P.H.P) [ EFC] .

Distribution

So far endemic to Egypt ( Fischer 1958 as Cardiochiles obscuriceps ; Yu et al. 2012).

Host records

Unknown.

Figures

Figure 1. Dorsal habitus. (a) Cardiochiles priesneri (1× scale line); (b) C. pseudofallax (0.8× scale line); (c) C. weidholzi (0.9× scale line); (d) Schoenlandella acrenulata (1× scale line); (e) S. deserta (1.2× scale line); (f) S. glabra (1× scale line); (g) S. maculata (1× scale line); (h) S. obscuriceps (0.9× scale line); (i) S. pseudoglabra (1× scale line); (j) S. variegata (1× scale line).