Aleiodes (Hemigyroneuron) cusackae Butcher and Quicke, 2011

Areekul-Butcher, Buntika & Quicke, Donald L. J., 2011, Revision of Aleiodes (Hemigyroneuron) parasitic wasps (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Rogadinae) with reappraisal of subgeneric limits, descriptions of new species and phylogenetic analysis, Journal of Natural History 45 (21 - 24), pp. 1403-1476 : 1424-1427

Aleiodes (Hemigyroneuron) cusackae Butcher and Quicke sp. nov.

( Figure 10 )

Material examined

Holotype. Female, “ UGANDA 7mls. From Entebbe, Zika Forest , iii-vi.1961. P.S. Corbet. B.M.1961-341.” ( BMNH).

Morphology

Length of body 6.8 mm (but body strongly curled), and of fore wing 9.5 mm.

Head. (Antennae incomplete); head transverse, 1.57 times wider than maximally long in dorsal view; width of head 2.5 times shortest distance between eyes; face finely rugulose medially becoming transversely striate near margin of eyes; height of eye 1.7 times shortest distance between eyes; frons with fine transverse rugae including an almost complete weak curved ridge in front of ocelli; on anterior part only with weak ridge along edge next to and almost touching eye; posterior ocellar line: transverse diameter of posterior ocellus: shortest distance between posterior ocellus and eye = 1.35: 3.1: 1.0; occiput with fine transverse costulate sculpture; occipital carina complete.

Mesosoma . Mesoscutum coriaceous-rugulose and densely short-setose; notauli weakly impressed; mesopleuron smooth and shiny with moderately dense punctures, with very weakly concave area; precoxal suture complete though reduced dorsally and almost confused with adjacent striation; scutellar sulcus with three carinae between the outer ones; scutellum entirely with fine longitudinal striation, and with lateral carinae (as extensions of lateral carinae of scutellar sulcus) largely complete; median area of metanotum with pair of anteriorly converging ridges that fuse to form the midanterior metanotal carina; propodeum coarsely rugulose superimposed on aciculate sculpture, rather flattened, coarsely crenulated posteriorly; mid-longitudinal carina complete though irregular posteriorly.

Fore wing. Subbasal cell with clearly demarked oval expansion distally containing one large basal sclerome and a small distal one; largely glabrous except a few setae around margin; vein 1-CU1 1.7 times length of 2-CU1, distinctly swollen medially and narrowing distally; vein cu-a very thick and strongly curved anteriorly becoming narrow posteriorly; length of veins r: 3-SR: SR1 = 1.0: 2.0: 4.1; vein 2-M 2.9 times length of r-m; vein m-cu 1.4 times length of 2-SR+M, forming angle of 125 ◦ with 3-CU1.

Hind wing. Vein M+CU 1.68 times length of vein 1-M; vein 2-SC+R longitudinal; basal cell posteriorly, subbasal cell anteriorly, discal+subdiscal cell anterobasally with glabrous areas.

Claws. With sparse, fine, short pectenal teeth reaching to middle of concavity between basal lobe and claw proper.

Metasoma. Tergites 1, 2 and basal 0.4 of tergite 3 longitudinally striate with irregular punctures between the striae, remainder of tergite 3 with marked aciculate sculpture; 2nd tergite 1.58 times wider than medially long, 1.1 times longer than 3rd.

Colouration

Light brown-yellow except antennae, stemmaticum and basal three hind tarsal articles black. Wings hyaline with pale yellow tinge basally; venation entirely pale brown-yellow.

Etymology

Named after the junior author’s friend Emma Cusack enabling it to be run through the identification key correctly.

Figures

Figure 10. Aleiodes (Hemigyroneuron) cusackae sp. nov., CellD® light micrographs. (A) Lateral habitus; (B) head, dorsal aspect; (C) mesosoma, lateral aspect; (D) head, frontal aspect; (E) fore wing; (F) metasomal tergites 2 and 3.