Aleiodes (Hemigyroneuron) sharkeyi 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 : 1456-1458

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

( Figure 28 )

Material examined

Holotype. Female, Madagascar “ BCLDQ0305 ; CASLOT 035809; CASENT 2149490”. Code corresponds to Toliara Province, Foret Vohidava 88.9 km N Amboasary, 6–8 December 2006, 24 ◦ 14 ′ 26 ′′ S, 46 ◦ 17 ′ 16 ′′ E, California Academy of Sciences , coll. B.L. Fisher et al., malaise trap, 500 m in spiny forest to dry forest transition, BLF15694 ( CAS).

Morphology

Length of body 6 mm and of fore wing 5 mm.

Head. Antenna with 65 flagellomeres; terminal flagellomere acuminate; head subtransverse, 1.48 times wider than maximally long in dorsal view; width of head 2.75 times shortest distance between eyes; height of eye 1.72 times shortest distance between eyes; frons almost entirely smooth and shiny with weak mid-longitudinal sulcus on posterior half, with very weak indication of ridge next to eye, without pit in front of anterior ocellus; posterior ocellar line: transverse diameter of posterior ocellus: shortest distance between posterior ocellus and eye = 1: 2: 1; occiput largely shiny with punctures; occipital carina irregularly reduced medio-dorsally but defined by border of sculpture at posterior of vertex.

Mesosoma . Mesoscutum densely finely punctate becoming finely rugulose posteriorly in depressed area between notauli; notauli weakly but distinctly impressed; mesopleuron smooth and shiny with small punctures, without concave area; prepectal carina incomplete dorsally; scutellar sulcus with 10 carinae between the outer ones; scutellum smooth and shiny with some punctures; median area of metanotum smooth anteriorly, with fine, irregular sculpture posteriorly; propodeum with coalescent punctures that form grooves radiating from mid-posterior, without conspicuous tubercles.

Fore wing. Subbasal cell sparsely setose on basal half, largely glabrous distally, with brown, setose, triangular sclerome; vein M+CU with pointed angulation approximately 0.7 distance from base and with weakly sclerotized, pigmented, oblique bar arising from the point of angulation into subbasal cell; vein 1-CU1 0.75 times length of 2-CU1; vein cu-a nearly vertical and weakly curved, of even thickness; length of

veins r: 3-SR: SR1 = 1.0: 1.5: 4.5; vein m-cu approximately 2 times 2-SR+M, forming angle of 115 ◦ with 3-CU1; vein 2-M approximately 3.3 times length of r-m.

Hind wing. Vein M+CU 2.0 times length of vein 1-M; vein 2-SC+R marginally interstitial; basal cell with reduced setosity anteriorly; discal+subdiscal cell more or less evenly setose.

Claws. With well-developed pecten of five teeth reaching middle of concavity between basal lobe and claw proper.

Metasoma. Tergites 1, 2 and basal 0.4 of tergite 3 finely longitudinally striate with punctures between the striae; 2nd tergite 1.7 times wider than medially long, 1.1 times longer than 3rd.

Colouration

Uniformly honey-yellow coloured, except palps white, antennae, stemmaticum and aroleum dark brown to black. Wings lightly smoky grey; fore wing venation largely dark brown except C+SC+R and basal 0.2 of pterostigma yellow.

Etymology

Named in honour of Mike Sharkey in recognition of his major contribution to Braconidae systematics.

Notes

This species differs from all others in being far less coarsely sculptured, in particular the occipital region and scutellum are largely shiny with simple puncturation.

Figures

Figure 28. Aleiodes (Hemigyroneuron) sharkeyi sp. nov., CellD® light micrographs. (A) Lateral habitus; (B) head, dorsal aspect; (C) detail of fore wing venation; (D) head, frontal aspect; (E) mesosoma, dorsal aspect.