Asobara vanalpheni van Achterberg, 2019

Peris-Felipo, Francisco Javier, Achterberg, Cornelis Van & Belokobylskij, Sergey A., 2019, Revision of the Afrotropical Asobara Foerster, 1863 (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Alysiinae), with the descriptions of twenty five new species, European Journal of Taxonomy 557, pp. 1-146 : 50-51

Asobara vanalpheni van Achterberg , sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:1C92A206-D155-4776-99F4-A9C62BBCCE1D

Figs 70–71

Etymology

Named in honour of Jacques van Alphen, the well-known Dutch entomologist and researcher of the biology of Asobara spp., who collected the specimens.

Material examined

Holotype

TANZANIA • ♀; Nyegezi; 17–28 Nov. 1990; ex Zaprionus sp. [ Drosophilidae ]; J. v. Alphen leg.; RMNH.

Paratypes

TANZANIA • 10 ♀♀, 4 ♂♂; same collection data as for holotype; RMNH • 1 ♀, 1 ♂; same collection data as for holotype; FJPF • 2 ♀♀, 1 ♂; same collection data as for holotype; ZISP .

Description

Female (holotype)

LENGTH. Body 2.1 mm, fore wing 2.1 mm, hind wing 1.5 mm.

HEAD. In dorsal view, 1.7 times as wide as long, 1.3 times as wide as mesoscutum, smooth, with temple rounded behind eyes. Eye in lateral view about as high as wide and 1.6 times as wide as temple medially. POL 1.4 times OD; OOL 2.8 times OD. Face 1.4 times as wide as high; inner margins of eyes subparallel. Clypeus 3.0 times as wide as high. Anterior tentorial pits short, far not reaching inner border of eye. Mandible 1.6 times as long as its maximum width. Upper tooth as long as lower tooth; middle tooth rather narrow and short, directed upwards; lower tooth wide. Antennae 20-segmented, 1.1 times as long as body. Scape 1.8 times as long as pedicel. First flagellar segment 2.5 times as long as its apical width, 1.2 times as long as 2 nd segment. Second flagellar segment 3.8 times, 3 rd segment 3.2 times, 4 th segment 2.9 times, 5 th– 6 th segments 2.4 times, 7 th– 13 th segments 2.3 times, 14 th– 17 th segments 2.0 times and 18 th (apical segment) 2.2 times as long as their maximum width.

MESOSOMA. In lateral view 1.4 times as long as high. Mesoscutum (in dorsal view) 0.8 times as long as its maximum width, smooth. Notauli mainly absent on horizontal surface of mesoscutum. Mesoscutal pit present, round. Prescutellar depression smooth, 1.2 times as long as its maximum width. Precoxal sulcus present, smooth, not reaching anterior and posterior margins of mesopleuron. Posterior mesopleural furrow smooth. Propodeum smooth with narrow areola. Propodeal spiracle small, its diameter 0.3 times distance from spiracle to anterior margin of propodeum.

WINGS. Length of fore wing 2.6 times its maximum width. Marginal cell ending at apex of wing, 3.2 times as long as its maximum width. Vein r short than pterostigma width. Vein 3-SR 4.7 times as long as vein r and 1.6 times as long as vein 2-SR. Vein SR1 2.5 times as long as vein 3-SR. Hind wing 8.1 times as long as its maximum width.

LEGS. Hind femur 5.0 times as long as its maximum width. Hind tibia weakly widened to apex, 7.5 times as long as its maximum subapical width and 1.2 times as long as hind tarsus. First segment of hind tarsus 2.2 times as long as 2 nd segment.

METASOMA. First tergite weakly widened towards apex, as long as its apical width, almost smooth. Visible part of ovipositor sheath 2.7 times as long as 1 st tergite, 0.6 times as long as metasoma and 1.1 times as long as hind femur.

COLOUR. Body, antennae (except apically), metasoma and pterostigma brown. Legs, face, mandible, scapus and pedicel light brown. Four apical segments paler than other antennal segments. Head and mesoscutum in dorsal view similarly coloured. First metasomal tergite paler than 2 nd and 3 rd tergites. Wings almost hyaline.

VARIATION. Body 1.9–2.3 mm, fore wing 2.1–2.5 mm, hind wing 1.4–1.7 mm. First flagellar segment 2.5–2.6 times and 2 nd segment 3.8–4.0 times as long as their maximum width. Hind femur 4.8–5.0 times as long as its maximum width.

Male

Length. Body 1.9–2.2 mm, fore wing 1.6–1.8 mm, hind wing 1.2–1.3 mm. Antennae 21-segmented. First flagellar segment 3.7–4.0 times as long as its maximum width; 2 nd segment 6.0–6.7 times and 3 rd segment 5.6–5.8 times as long as their maximum width. Hind femur 4.8–5.0 times as long as its maximum width. Otherwise similar to female.

Comparative diagnosis

This new species is similar to A. zaprionae sp. nov., but differs from it in having clypeus 3.0 times as wide as high (2.5 times in A. zaprionae sp. nov.), diameter of propodeal spiracles 0.2 times distance from spiracle to anterior margin of propodeum (0.5 times in A. zaprionae sp. nov.), precoxal sulcus smooth (crenulate in A. zaprionae sp. nov.), and 1 st flagellar segment 2.5 times as long as its maximum width in female (1.7 times in female and 4.0 times in male in A. zaprionae sp. nov.).

Distribution

Tanzania.

Figures

Fig. 70. Asobara vanalpheni van Achterberg, sp. nov., A, C–F: ♀, holotype (RMNH); B: ♂ (RMNH, FJPF, ZISP). A–B. Habitus, lateral view. C. Head and mesosoma, lateral view. D. Mandible. E. Antenna. F. Head, front view.

Fig. 71. Asobara vanalpheni van Achterberg, sp. nov., ♀, holotype (RMNH). A. Head, dorsal view. B. Mesoscutum, dorsal view. C. Propodeum. D. First metasomal tergite, dorsal view. E. Hind leg, metasoma and ovipositor, lateral view. F. Fore and hind wings.