Iconella meruloides ( Nixon, 1965 )

Zargar, Mohammad, Gupta, Ankita, Talebi, Asghar & Farahani, Samira, 2019, A review of the Iranian species of genus Iconella Mason (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Microgastrinae) with description of two new species, Zootaxa 4586 (3), pp. 491-504 : 493

Iconella meruloides ( Nixon, 1965)

Material examined: Southwestern Iran, Khuzestan province: Ramhormoz, Gharabad, (30°59’37.73”N, 49°46′50.63”E, 126m), 4.v.2016; Malaise trap in olive orchard; leg. M. Zargar, 2 ♀ (TMUC); Khoramshahr, Sheneh, (30°25’32.24”N, 48°11′20.83”E, 2m), 2.iii.2017; Malaise trap in palm orchard; leg. M. Zargar, 1 ♀ ( ICAR ̄ NBAIR) ; Ramhormoz, Gharabad, (30°59’37.73”N, 49°46′50.63”E, 126m), 6.vii.2017; Malaise trap in olive orchard; leg. M. Zargar, 1 ♀ ( ICAR ̄ NBAIR) .

Diagnosis. Width of face 1.5× as long as height ( Fig. 3A ); ocelli large, POL: MOD: OOL– 5:3:5 ( Fig. 3B ); penultimate flagellomere 1.3× as long as wide; Mesoscutum densely evenly punctate and setose, scutellum smooth and shiny ( Fig. 3C ); propodeum with strong medial longitudinal carina with fine short radiating lines, smooth and shiny centrally on both the sides of median carina ( Fig. 3C ); 1-R1 1.4× as long as pterostigma, 1-R1 3.1× as long as distance from end of 1-R1 to tip of radial cell, pterostigma 3× as long as wide ( Fig. 3D ); TI subparallel sided at base, converging from middle to apex, 2.1× longer than basal width, basal width 1.8× as long as apical width ( Fig. 3E ); ovipositor sheath 1.2× as long as hind tibia ( Fig. 3F ); body black.

Distribution. Hungary, Israel, Jordan, Romania, Turkey ( Yu et al., 2016), Iran (Khuzestan province), new record.

Comments. One character was found to be different from the original description of I. meruloides ; Nixon (1965) indicated that the ovipositor is as long as hind tibia, however in the specimens examined in the present study, the ovipositor is 1.2× as long as hind tibia ( Fig. 3F ).

Figures

FIGURE 3. Iconella meruloides (Nixon 1965). A. Head, frontal view; B. Head, dorsal view; C. Mesosoma, dorsal view; D. Fore wing; E. Metasoma, dorsal view; F. Habitus, lateral view.