Choeras formosus Abdoli & Fernandez-Triana, 2019

Abdoli, Parisa, Talebi, Ali Asghar, Farahani, Samira & Fernandez-Triana, Jose, 2019, Three new species of the genus Choeras Mason, 1981 (Hymenoptera: Braconidae, Microgastrinae) from Iran, Zootaxa 4545 (1), pp. 77-92 : 81-83

Choeras formosus Abdoli & Fernandez-Triana sp. nov.

( Figs 3 a–h)

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Type material. Holotype: ♀ ( TMUC), Alborz province: Chalous Road, Arangeh (35°55′07.20″ N, 51°05′09.24″ E, 1891m a.s.l.), 14.vii.2010 ; Paratype: 1♀, Mazandaran province: Noor, Chamestan, Joorband (36°26′15.54″ N, 52°07′13.50″ E, 275m a.s.l.), 13.vii.2011 ( TMUC) .

Diagnosis: Head in dorsal view twice as wide as long; vein r-m of fore wing very short, partially defined, vein 3RSa long, areolet open; pterostigma evenly brown, without a yellow spot basally; T1 relatively narrowed apically, T1 posterior width 1.50× T2 length medially; propodeum with complete median longitudinal carina.

Description. Body length without ovipositor: 3.50 mm.

Head: in dorsal view, head twice as wide as long; antenna almost shorter than body; F 2/8/15 length/width: 3.20/2.20/1.00; mouthparts not elongated; gena, vertex and lower face densely and rather finely punctate; upper face smooth and setose; lower face somewhat flat with a weak medial longitudinal carina on upper half, clypeus punctured; labrum flat and smooth; malar space length 0.35× basal width of mandible ( Figs 3a,b ); OOL/OD/POL length: 0.15/0.08/ 0.12 mm ( Fig. 3c ).

Mesosoma: Anteromesoscutum length 0.80× its maximum width, finely and densely punctate; notauli not defined; scutoscutellar sulcus with visible crenulation; mesoscutellar disc finely and sparsely punctate; side of mesoscutellar disc with wide crenulate depression; metanotum with uniformly coarse wrinkles; propodeum almost smooth with rugulose area on posterior and lateral margins, median longitudinal band of rugosity, and a complete median longitudinal carina ( Fig. 3e ); side of pronotum and propleuron smooth; prepectal carina absent; mesopleuron medially smooth but with anterolateral and ventrolateral punctures; metapleuron smooth but anterodorsal corner rugulose and with deep medial pit on anterior half ( Fig. 3d ).

Wings: Fore wing. length: 3.30; pterostigma length/width: 2.30; pterostigma slightly longer than vein R1; vein R1 4.50× as long as distance of vein R1 to vein 3RSb; vein r as long as vein 2RS or slightly longer; vein 1M/m-cu length: 2.20; vein 3RSa long and distinct; vein r-m of fore wing very short and partially defined, areolet open; vein 1-CUb almost as long as vein 1-CUa ( Fig. 3f ); hind wing. Vein M+CU/1-M length: 1.30; vein cu-a slightly curve; vanal lobe with dense fringes on anterior margin, posterior margin straight with sparse fringes ( Fig. 3g ).

Legs: Metacoxa laterally smooth, dorsally punctate; mesotibial inner spur slightly longer than outer, not reaching to posterior margin of mesobasitarsus; metafemur/metatibia/metabasitarsus/sum of other segments metatarsus length: 0.75/1.10/0.55/ 0.70 mm, respectively; metafemur length/width: 3.55; metatibial spurs length unequal; internal metatibial spurs/metabasitarsus length: 0.50 ( Fig. 3d ).

Metasoma: T1 curved, rugose to rugulose; T1 length 1.90–2.00× its maximum width; T1 anterior half parallelsided or sub parallel-sided and posterior half gradually narrowed posteriorly; T1 posterior width 1.50× T2 length medially; T2 rugose, transverse; T3/T2 length: 1.60; T3+ smooth ( Fig. 3h ); ovipositor sheath very curved downwards, rather widened posteriorly; ovipositor sheath length: 0.96 mm, almost as long as or slightly shorter than metatibia; hypopygium membranous, acute apically ( Fig. 3d ).

Colouration: Body black; labrum, mandibles, scape and tegula yellow; clypeus brown; palpi, fore and midleg whitish yellow; propleuron with combination of black and yellow marks; anterodorsal corner of mesopleuron reddish yellow; metacoxa reddish yellow with a basal dark spot; wings with brownish yellow setae; veins of wings brown; pterostigma evenly brown (see in Figs 3f,g ).

Etymology: The species name " formosus " is a Latin adjective meaning "beautiful" and refers to colour pattern of the new species.

Notes: This species runs in the key by van Achterberg (2002) to C. ruficornis (Nees, 1834) , it differs from Choeras formosus sp.nov. as follows: in C. ruficornis T1 sharply narrowed posteriorly, posterior width approximately equal to T2 medial length, lateral margins of T1 slightly concave on posterior half; vein r distinctly shorter than vein 2RS; mesotibial inner spur twice as long as outer, almost reaching to posterior margin of mesobasitarsus; hypopygium slightly sclerotized; body length: 2.50–3.00 mm.

This species runs in the key by Kotenko (2007) to C. almus Tobias & Kotenko, 1984 , it differs from Choeras formosus sp. nov. as follows: in almus longitudinal carina of propodeum not reaching the margins and T1 posterior width nearly twice T2 length.

This species runs in the key by Song et al. (2014) to C. rugulosus Song & Chen, 2014 , it differs from C. formosus sp. nov. as follows: in rugulosus antenna longer than body; head in dorsal view 2.40× as wide as long; malar space length 0.60× basal width of mandible; propodeum strongly rugose, with an indistinct and irregular median longitudinal carina; in fore wing vein r slightly curved; metacoxa brown; ovipositor valve straight; body length: 2.60 mm.

Figures

FIGURE 3. Choeras formosus female: a. Head, frontal view; b. Head, lateral view; c. Head, dorsal view; d. General habitus, lateral view; e. Mesosoma, dorsal view; f. Fore wing; g. Hind wing; h. Metasoma, dorsal view.