Diachasmimorpha curvinervis, Wu & Chen & He, 2005

Wu, Qiong, Chen, Xue-Xin & He, Jun-Hua, 2005, The genus Diachasmimorpha Viereck (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Opiinae) from China, Zootaxa 1022 (1), pp. 37-56 : 50-52

Diachasmimorpha curvinervis sp. nov. (Figs. 25–29)

Holotype, ♀, length of body 4.2 mm, of forewing 6.3 mm.

Head. Antenna 1.3 times length of forewing, with 50 segments, length of third segment 1.1 times fourth segment, length of third, fourth and penultimate segments 1.7, 1.6 and 3.7 times their maximum width, respectively; scape compressed, inner side densely setose, remainder glabrous; length of maxillary palp 1.2 times height of head, segments slender; OOL: diameter of posterior ocellus: POL = 5.6: 2.2: 1.0; frons setiferous and punctate, slightly concave and smooth medially; length of eye in dorsal view 1.9 times temple; vertex finely setiferous; temple setiferous and punctate; dorsal part of temples narrower than ventral part behind eyes in lateral view; occipital carina present up to 2/3 level of eye in lateral view; face densely punctulate and setose; anterior tentorial pits small and distinct; clypeus mostly smooth, sparsely punctate, anteriorly convex ventrally, in lateral view distinctly separated from mandibles; in anterior view hypoclypeal depression absent; length of malar space 1.0 times basal width of mandible; mandible robust, not twisted apically, with a ventral carina slightly ventrad to base of occipital carina.

Mesosoma. Length of mesosoma 1.2 times its height; pronope medium­sized and deep; propleuron flattened; side of pronotum smooth except for a few short and weak crenulae anteriorly and postero­ventrally; precoxal sulcus deep and wide, smooth except slightly crenulate, not reaching base of mesocoxa; remainder of mesopleuron smooth, with some crenulae dorso­anteriorly; only ventral 2/5 of pleural sulcus weakly crenulate; metapleuron smooth medially, sparsely punctate and setiferous, with irregularly depressed mar­ gin; mesosternal sulcus shallow, narrow and crenulate; notauli deep, smooth, only impressed anteriorly, obsolescent posteriorly; mesoscutal midpit deep; middle lobe of mesoscutum punctulate and setiferous, lateral lobes mostly smooth; scutellar sulcus wide, deep and with three long carinae; scutellum slightly convex, smooth and sparsely setiferous; propodeum relatively smooth anteriorly except for a short and strong median carina, irregularly and deeply rugose medially, areolate posteriorly; median areola longitudinally rugose and the lateral one smooth; propodeal spiracle round, small and situated laterally and immediately anteriad mid of propodeum.

Wings. Forewing: 1­M straight anteriorly, curved posteriorly; r: 3­SR: SR1 = 1.0: 4.3: 15.3; 1­SR+M distinctly sinuate; SR1 nearly straight and ending close to apex of wing; cu­a oblique and straight; 1­CU1: 2­CU1 = 1.0: 3.1; 2­SR: 3­SR: r­m = 2.1: 2.1: 1.0; first subdiscal cell robust and widened apically; CU1b not longer than 3­CU1; m­cu slightly postfurcal and slightly converging to 1­M posteriorly. Hindwing: SR present only as an fold apically, absent basally; m­cu long, straight apically and curved posteriorly; length of 1­M as long as 1r­m; M+CU: 1­M = 1.2: 1.0.

Legs. Hind coxa setiferous and punctate; tarsal claws robust basally, setiferous, lobe absent; length of femur, tibia and basitarsus of hind leg 3.2, 8.7 and 5.3 times as long as their width, respectively.

Metasoma. Length of first tergite 1.0 times its apical width, strongly striate medially and laterally, concave basally; dorsal carinae strong and flangelike basally, weak near apex of tergite; spiracle of first tergite small, laterally situated; laterope large and deep; dorsope absent, but strong dorsal carina gives the impression of presence; second tergite entirely smooth, spiracle on notum; setae of third and following tergites forming a posterior row; ovipositor straight, with indistinct dorsal protuberance and ventral teeth apically, length of ovipositor sheath 0.5 times forewing and 3.8 times first metasomal tergite; sheath setose, with an apical spine; hypopygium large but not surpassing apex of metasoma, subtruncate apically.

Colour. Blackish; clypeus (except for ventral margin), apex of mandible, flagellomeres, hind leg, fourth and its following tergites anteriorly dark brown; fore leg pale brown; apex of femur, base of tibia and tarsus of fore leg brownish yellow; mid tarsus brownish yellow; mesosoma yellowish orange, metapleuron and propodeum brownish; ovipositor reddish orange; wing membranes subhyaline, with dark patch near vein CU1b, pterostigma and veins dark brown.

Material. Holotype, ♀, China: Longwangshan, Anji , Zhejiang province, 24.VI.1996, Baoxin Zhang, No. 963514 ( ZJUH).

Note. This species is morphologically similar to D. longicauda ( Shestakov, 1940) but can be separated from the latter in having the diameter of the posterior ocellus 2.2 times the post­ocellar line, the mesoscutal midpit deep, the mesosternal sulcus shallow, narrow and crenulate, the length of the hind femur 3.2 times as long as its width, the metasoma dark brown, the fore femur pale brown, the humeral plate orange and the propodeum brown.

Etymology. From “ curv­ ” (Latin for “curve”) and “ nerv ” (Latin for “vein”), the specific epithet refers to the vein m­cu of hindwing curved posteriorly.