Asecodes medogense Li & Li, 2021

Li, Ming-Rui & Li, Cheng-De, 2021, A new species of Asecodes Foerster (Hymenoptera, Eulophidae) and first record of A. reticulatum (Kamijo) from China, with a key to Chinese species, ZooKeys 1049, pp. 1-14 : 1

Asecodes medogense Li & Li sp. nov.

Figs 1 , 2-8

Type material.

Holotype: ♀ [NEFU; on card], CHINA, Tibet, Medog County (altitude: 1400 m), 11-18.V.2017, Zhaxi, by Malaise trap. Paratypes: 1♀ [NEFU; on slide], CHINA, Tibet, Medog County (altitude: 1400 m), 15-22.VI.2017, Zhaxi, by Malaise trap; 3♀ [NEFU; 2 on cards, 1 on slide], CHINA, Tibet, Medog County (altitude: 1400 m), 6-13.VII.2017, Zhaxi, by Malaise trap.

Diagnosis.

Female. Scape strongly compressed from side to side and expanded from base to apex, with apex of ventral margin curved nearly in right-angle; pedicel as long as F1; F3 distinctly paler than other segments (Fig. 3 ); mesoscutellum densely and entirely reticulated with small meshes; propodeum with groove along median anterior margin, without carina or plica (Fig. 4 ); fore wing with a complete infuscate transverse band below MV (Fig. 5 ).

Description.

Female. Body length 0.8-0.9 mm. Antenna mainly dark brown, except F3 distinctly paler than other segments (Fig. 3 ). Vertex and frons above frontofacial sulcus metallic bluish-green, frons below sulcus golden green. Mesosoma dark brown with weak metallic blue tinges. Gaster dark brown to brown with weak metallic bronze reflections. Fore wing with a complete infuscate transverse band below MV (Fig. 5 ). All coxae and femora dark brown. Protibia mainly pale brown with basal part slightly daker; mesotibia mainly dark brown with apical 1/4 pale brown; metatibia dark brown. All tarsi with tarsomeres 1-3 pale yellow, tarsomere 4 dark brown.

Head (Fig. 2 ), narrow in dorsal view. Upper face and vertex with strong reticulate sculpture, lower face with weak and irregular sculpture. Frontofacial sulcus weakly V-shaped, in an angle of about 130°. POL:OOL = 8:5. Occipital median sulcus present and complete. Inner orbits sinuate in lower part. HE:MS:WM about 3.3:1: 1.8. Malar sulcus present. Antenna (Fig. 3 ) inserted above level of lower margin of eyes. Subtorular grooves present. Scape reticulated, strongly compressed laterally and expanded from base to apex, about 2.1 times as long as its maximum width, with apex of ventral margin curved nearly in a right-angle. Pedicel as long as wide, and as long as F1. F1 quadrate, slightly shorter than F2 (about 0.8 times); F2 slightly longer than wide (about 1.2 times); pedicel and F1-F2 with strong and long setae. F3-F5 longer than wide and distinctly narrower than F2; F3 1.7 times as long as wide; F4 twice as long as wide; F5 narrowest, with a long terminal spine.

Mesosoma (Fig. 4 ), 1.2 times as long as wide. Pronotum reduced, invisible in dorsal view. Mesoscutum, mesoscutellum and axillae entirely with strong reticulate sculpture, meshes on midlobe of mesoscutum and mesoscutellum small and dense (compared with A. reticulatum ), but wider than that on lateral lobe of the mesoscutum and axillae; propodeum almost smooth; metascutellum and lateral panels of metanotum with weak and irregular sculpture. Notauli incomplete, indicated only in anterior part. Midlobe of mesoscutum with two pairs of setae. Anterior part of axillae advanced forward in front of level of anterior margin of mesoscutellum. Mesoscutellum as long as wide, with one pair of setae. Propodeum long, about 0.34 times as long as mesoscutellum, with a groove along median anterior margin, without carina or plica. Fore wing (Fig. 5 ) twice as long as wide. Ratio length of: SMV:MV:PMV:STV about 5.5:8.5:1:1. Speculum closed below, with two stigmal hairlines. Hind wing (Fig. 6 ), 5.2 times as long as wide. Legs (Fig. 8 ), with coxae distinctly reticulated; mesotibial spur as long as corresponding basitarsus; metatibial spur shorter than corresponding basitarsus.

Metasoma (Fig. 7 ), gaster ovate, as long as mesosoma; petiole short, conical; first gastral tergite occupying nearly 1/4 length of gaster; ovipositor originates from about the anterior margin of second gastral tergite and slightly exserted beyond apex of gaster.

Male. Unknown.

Host.

Unknown.

Etymology.

The specific name is derived from the name of the collection locality of the type specimens.

Distribution.

China (Tibet).

Remarks.

Asecodes medogense is similar to A. reticulatum in having the mesoscutellum entirely reticulate; pedicel nearly as long as F1; fore wing with an infuscate transverse band below MV. The new species differs from A. reticulatum in having scape with apex of ventral margin curved nearly in a right-angle (curved smoothly in a wide arc in A. reticulatum ); meshes of reticulation on mesoscutum and mesoscutellum relatively denser and smaller (relatively coarser and larger in A. reticulatum ); disc of fore wing with more dense setation than A. reticulatum .

Figures

Figure 1. Asecodes medogense Li & Li, sp. nov., holotype, female 1 habitus in lateral view. Scale bar: 200 μm.

Figures 2 - 8. Asecodes medogense Li & Li, sp. nov., paratype, female, on slide 2 head, frontal view, arrows show subtorular grooves 3 antenna 4 mesosoma 5 fore wing 6 hind wing 7 metasoma 8 legs, from left to right: fore, mid and hind leg. Scale bars: 100 μm.