Diachasmimorpha flavifacialis, 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 : 45-47

Diachasmimorpha flavifacialis sp. nov. (Figs. 15–19)

Holotype, ♀, length of body 4.5 mm, of forewing 5.9 mm.

Head. Antenna 1.4 times length of forewing, with 52 segments, length of third segment 0.9 times fourth segment, length of third, fourth and penultimate segments 1.6, 1.8 and 2.5 times their maximum width, respectively; scape compressed, dorsal side punctulate, remainder densely punctate and setose; length of maxillary palp 0.9 times height of head, segments slender; OOL: diameter of posterior ocellus: POL = 6.1: 2.0: 1.0; frons slightly concave and glabrous medially, setiferous and punctate laterally; length of eye in dorsal view 1.8 times temple; vertex finely setiferous; temple setiferous and punctate; in lateral view dorsal part of temple narrower than its ventral part behind eyes; occipital carina present up to 3/4 level of eye in lateral view; face densely punctate and setose; anterior tentorial pits distinct and medium­sized; clypeus smooth, sparsely setiferous, in lateral view distinctly separated from mandibles; in anterior view hypoclypeal depression nearly absent; length of malar space 1.0 times basal width of mandible; mandible robust, not twisted apically, with ventral carina slightly ventrad base of occipital carina.

Mesosoma. Length of mesosoma 1.2 times its height; pronope medium­sized and deep; propleuron flattened, mostly smooth; side of pronotum smooth; precoxal sulcus shallow, wide and sparsely crenulate, not reaching base of mesocoxa; remainder of mesopleuron smooth, weakly crenulate anteriorly; only ventral 2/3 of pleural sulcus weakly crenulate; metapleuron punctulate and setiferous medially, with irregularly depressed margins; mesosternal sulcus shallow and distinctly crenulate; notauli smooth, only impressed anteriorly and obsolescent posteriorly, mesoscutal midpit obscured by pin; mesoscutum punctulate and setiferous, middle lobe slightly protruding; scutellar sulcus wide, deep and with three carinae; scutellum convex, smooth and sparsely setiferous; propodeum smooth anteriorly, irregularly rugose medially, and smooth latero­posteriorly; median carina long, anteriorly strong and flangelike; propodeal spiracle round, small and situated laterally and immediately anteriad middle of propodeum.

Wings. Forewing: 1­M straight but curved posteriorly; r: 3­SR: SR1 = 1.0: 4.5: 14.8; 1­SR+M distinctly sinuate; SR1 nearly straight, ending close to apex of wing; cu­a oblique, slightly curved; 1­CU1: 2­CU1 = 1.0: 4.5; 2­SR: 3­SR: r­m = 1.9: 1.9: 1.0; first subdiscal cell robust and widened apically; CU1b not longer than 3­CU1; m­cu slightly postfurcal. Hindwing: SR present only as an unpigmented fold apically except absent basally; m­cu long and slightly curved posteriorly; length of 1­M as long as 1r­m; M+CU: 1­M = 1.2: 1.0.

Legs. Hind coxa punctate and finely and densely setose; tarsal claws robust basally, setiferous, lobe absent; length of femur, tibia and basitarsus of hind leg 3.0, 7.3 and 3.7 times as long as their width, respectively.

Metasoma. Length of first tergite 1.0 times its apical width, strongly costate medially, relatively smooth laterally and concave basally, dorsal carinae strong and flangelike basally, reaching apex of tergite; spiracle of first tergite small, laterally situated; laterope medium­sized and deep; dorsope absent but strong dorsal carina gives the impression of presence; second tergite smooth, spiracle on notum, setae of third and following tergites forming a posterior row; ovipositor straight, with three ventral teeth and two indistinct dorsal protuberances apically, length of ovipositor sheath 0.5 times forewing and 3.6 times first metasomal tergite; sheath setose with an apical spine, hypopygium large but not surpassing apex of metasoma, subtruncate apically.

Colour. Blackish; face ventrally, mandible (except dark brown apex), scape ventrally and mesosoma yellowish orange; flagellomeres, middle trochanter and femur (except brownish yellow apex) and hind leg dark brown; fore trochanter and middle tibia yellowish orange; tarsi (except dark brown hind basitarsus) yellowish brown; ovipositor yellowish orange; wing membranes subhyaline, with dark patch near vein CU1b, pterostigma and veins dark brown.

Material. Holotype, ♀, China: Longwangshan, Anji, Zhejiang province, 25. VI .1996 , Baoxin Zhang, No. 963584 ( ZJUH). Paratype, 1♀, China: Qingyinge, Emeishan , Sichuan province, 13. VI .1957 , Keren Huang, No. IOZ (E) 617414 ( IZAS).

Note. This species is morphologically similar to D. curvinervis sp. nov. but can be separated from the latter in having vein m­cu of the hindwing slightly curved posteriorly; the first tergite of the metasoma with a longitudinal carina medially; the forewing comparatively short, the length of the forewing 1.3 times as long as the body; the propodeum yellowish orange and with a long median carina; and the length of vein 2­CU1 of forewing 4.5 times as long as vein 1­CU1.

Etymology. From “ flav ” (Latin for “yellow”) and “ facialis ” (Latin for “face”), the specific epithet refers to the yellowish­orange face of this species.