Betylobracon leponcei, Braet, 2016

Braet, Yves, 2016, New species and new records of Betylobraconinae, Braconinae, Cheloninae, Helconinae and Rogadinae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) from Papua New Guinea, Mémoires du Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle 209, pp. 407-450 : 411-413

Betylobracon leponcei n. sp.

Figures 1, 3-11

TYPEMATERIAL —Holotypefemale(MNHN),PapuaNewGuinea.ProvinceMadang,MountWilhelm(-5.759910,145.2347) 1700 m, 04-05/11/2012, leg Valeba, Tulei, Novotny, Leponce, Plot 2, understorey, Malaise, MAL-MW1700B-11/16-d11.

Paratype, Papua New Guinea. Female (IRSNB), Province Madang, Mount Wilhelm (-5.760916, -145.2353) 1700 m, 01-

02/11/2012, leg Valeba, Tulei, Novotny, Leponce, Plot 3, understorey, Malaise, MAL-MW1700C-08/16-d08.

DISTRIBUTION — Papua New Guinea.

DIAGNOSIS — Metasoma bicolor, first tergite smooth; gena strongly concave and striate ventrally.

DESCRIPTION (Holotype) — FEMALE: body length 4 mm, length of fore wing 3.7 mm. Head. Right antenna missing, left antenna damaged: remaining antennal segments 16, F1/F2 = 1.50, length of first and second flagellomeres 2.25 and 1.50x their width, respectively; shape of flagellomeres 1-4 rather trapezoidal; maxillary palp 0.80x height of head; ED/ TD = 1.80; OOL:OD:POL = 9.00:2.50:5.00; vertex partly rugulose; frons densely punctate; face and clypeus convex, densely punctate; gena strongly concave ventrally with several rugae starting from the occipital carina; MS/BM = 3.30. Mesosoma. HMS/LMS = 0.67; side of pronotum smooth, crenulate medially, with long striae ventrally; epicnemial area rugose-areolate; precoxal sulcus complete, transversely rugose; remainder of mesopleuron smooth; metapleuron with small area smooth and sparsely punctate medially, rather flat, rugose ventrally; mesoscutum densely setose; lobes of mesoscutum densely and coarsely punctate anteriorly, sparsely punctate and shiny posteriorly; scutellum smooth, shiny, sparsely punctate, rather flat; propodeum largely reticulate-rugose, more finely anteriorly, mid-longitudinal carina present anteriorly. Legs. Hind coxa smooth; length of femur, tibia and basitarsus of hind leg 2.15, 6.70 and 6.30x their width, respectively; length of hind tibial spurs 0.25 and 0.30x hind basitarsus. Wings. Fore wing: r:3-SR:SRl = 9.00:16.00:33.00; 1-SR+M weakly sinuate; r oblique; 1-CU1:2-CU1 = 10.00:20.00; 3-CU1 oblique, distinctly shorter than m-cu; 2-SR:3- SR:r-m = 10.00:20.00:9.00. Hind wing: M+CU:1-M:1r-m = 18.00:18.00:6.00. Metasoma. LT1/WT1 = 1.25; surface of first tergite smooth, rather flat, dorsal carinae absent, subparallel; laterope present; second and following tergites smooth; second metasomal suture absent; second tergite without sharp lateral crease; length of ovipositor sheath 0.07x fore wing, with short spine apically. Color. Dark brown and white; scapus and pedicel, face except median round patch, ventral half of head, inner side of fore femur, mesosoma ventrally yellowish-brown; fore tibia and mid femur yellowish; other parts of mesosoma, scutellum black; palpus, mid coxa, mid tibia, fore leg, first tergite, second and part of the third tergite white; veins dark brown; fore wing membrane largely infuscate, but apically paler; hind wing paler basally.

VARIATIONS — Body length 4.5 mm, of fore wing 4.4 mm; antennal segments 25; part of fourth tergite white.

ETYMOLOGY — In honor of my friend Maurice Leponce for his work during the 2012 “Our Planet Reviewed” expedition.