Kocourekia fusis Cao & Zhu, 2017

Zhu, Chao-Dong, 2017, Notes on Kocourekia Bouček (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae: Tetrastichinae) with description of a new species from China, Zootaxa 4317 (2), pp. 391-400 : 394-398

3. Kocourekia fusis Cao & Zhu , sp. n.

( Figs 1–14 )

Diagnosis (female). Body light brown to brown; scape, pedicel, and legs brownish-yellow. Antennae, eyes, and vertex densely hairy. Each funicular distinctly transverse, in particular F1 only about 1/5 length of F2. Malar sulcus distinct, although sometimes only reaching mid-length of gena. Toruli inserted distinctly above lower ocular line. Scutellum with numerous setae uniformly scattered entire surface, without a bare median line.

Description. Female: Body size around 1mm.

Body light brown to brown, without metallic reflections, and gaster slightly darker than mesosoma. Face brown. Scape, pedicel, and legs brownish-yellow ( Figs 12–14 ); antennal flagellum light brown; fore and hind coxae sometimes with small area slightly infuscate. Wings hyaline, venation brownish-yellow.

Antenna very short and densely hairy ( Figs 3, 4 ), easily collapsing after death in dry preserved specimens. Antennal scape and pedicel reticulate. Scape slightly expanded medially, with numerous setae in dorsal view. Pedicel subpyriform, longer than broad, with numerous setae in dorsal view and fewer setae in ventral view; rather large compared to funicle. Flagellum short, spindle-like, with 2 anelli, 3-segmented funicle and 3-segmented clava. Each funicular slightly wider than the preceding one and distinctly transverse, especially F1 extremely short and transverse, about 1/5 length of F2 (median length) ( Fig. 3 ). Claval segments decreasing in width, without a distinct terminal spine. Each flagellomere, except anellus and F1, with longitudinal sensilla; F1–F3 and C1 with CPS apically, C2–C3 usually without CPS, but C3 occasionally with few scattered CPS ( Figs 3, 4 ).

Vertex reticulate, and very easily collapsing ( Figs 1, 2 ). Ocelli arranged in an obtuse-angled triangle. OOL nearly 1.5× as long as POL. Head in anterior view subovate and with numerous setae along outer margin ( Figs 1, 2 ). Face reticulate except for interantennal area; lower third of face pubescent. Bottom of scrobes without lines but frons always collapsing in bottom of scrobes. Upper arm of frontofacial lines narrower than POL, and frons always collapsing in frontofacial lines ( Fig. 2 ) which extend to vertex and run to a point at outer margin of each posterior ocellus (as described by Bouček 1966 for Kocourekia ). Anterior margin of clypeus strongly bilobed ( Figs 1, 2 ). Gena hairy. Malar sulcus present and distinct, but sometimes incomplete ( Figs 1, 2 ), and straight in lateral view. Toruli inserted high above lower ocular line ( Figs 1, 2 ).

Mesosoma wholly reticulate in dorsal view ( Figs 5, 6 ). Pronotum moderately elongate, campanulate, uniformly covered with setae, and collar not differentiated. Mesoscutum without a median line, but with distinct, deep notauli that nearly develop as notaular depressions ( Figs 5, 6 ). MLM uniformly covered with numerous setae, LLM and axillae with scattered setae, whereas notauli almost bare ( Figs 5, 6 ). Axillae strongly shifted forward and differentiated from LLM by a deep but incomplete groove. Scutellum subquadrate, slightly longer than broad, with a round apical margin; differentiated from MLM by a superficial line. Scutellum uniformly covered with setae, and submedian lines absent but sublateral grooves deep ( Figs 5, 6 ). Metanotum reticulate; dorsellum narrow as compared to scutellum and slightly pointed apically ( Fig. 6 ). Lateral panel of pronotum, prepectus, mesepimeron and mesepisternum reticulate, except a small area between mesepimeron and mesepisternum smooth; acropleuron smooth, without reticulation ( Figs 7, 8 ). Propodeum without any carina or groove; spiracle with entire rim exposed ( Fig. 6 ); callus with 8 setae.

Metasoma longer than mesosoma (3:2) in dorsal view. Petiole very short and hidden. In non-collapsed specimens, gaster sessile and pointed apically; at least twice as long as broad, longer but narrower than mesosoma, shorter than combined length of head plus mesosoma, and Gt1 longer than subsequent tergites ( Fig. 9 ). Gaster with each segment reticulate anteriorly, Gt1–5 with longitudinal rugae posteriorly; with sparse, scattered setae in dorsal view but more setae in lateral view ( Figs 9, 10 ); Gt7 with 2 cercal setae, one long and curved and the other straight and short. Hypopygium extended beyond middle of gaster, and ovipositor sheaths visible in lateral view ( Fig. 10 ).

Legs short, with coxae, femora and tibiae of fore and hind legs enlarged ( Figs 12, 14 ). Tibial spur of all legs very long, at least as long as breadth of tibia ( Figs 12–14 ). Fore wing with postmarginal vein absent; submarginal vein with 5 setae ( Fig. 11 ).

Male. Unknown.

Etymology. This new species is derived from the Latin word fusus (meaning “spindle”), in reference to its fusiform antennal flagellum.

Type material. Holotype ♀, CHINA, Jiangxi, BEF-China Main Experiment, near Xingangshan , 18.VI.2016, Huan-Xi Cao & Peng-Fei Guo, ex. Polemistus sp. ( IZCAS) . Paratypes: 5♀, same data as holotype ; 5♀, CHINA, Jiangxi, BEF-China Main Experiment sites, near Xingangshan , 25.V.2015, Felix Fornoff, ex. Epsilon fujianensis ( IZCAS) ; 5♀, CHINA, Jiangxi, BEF-China Main Experiment, near Xingangshan , 01.VI.2015, Felix Fornoff, ex. Polemistus sp. ( IZCAS) ; 5♀, CHINA, Jiangxi, BEF-China Main Experiment, near Xingangshan , 05.IX.2014, Felix Fornoff, ex. Deuteragenia sp. ( IZCAS) ; 5♀, CHINA, Jiangxi, BEF-China Main Experiment, near Xingangshan , 18.VI.2016, Huan-Xi Cao & Peng-Fei Guo, ex. Deuteragenia sp. ( IZCAS) . Other material examined: 5♀, CHINA, Shandong, Taian, Erguoyuan , 08.X.2015, Xue-Mei Yang ( IZCAS) ; 1♀, NEPAL, Kakani Forest , 1– 15.IX.1984, M. G. Allen ( ANIC) .

Biology and hosts. Gregarious parasitoid and ectoparasitoid of larva-pupa of aculeate Hymenoptera . Specimens from Jiangxi were reared from pupae of aculeate Hymenoptera in trap-nests, including Polemistus sp. ( Crabronidae ), Epsilon fujianensis Lee (Vespidae) and Deuteragenia sp. ( Pompilidae ).

Distribution. CHINA (Jiangxi, Shandong); NEPAL (Kakani). Because K. fusis has been found in both temperate and subtropical areas of China as well as the temperate area of Nepal, it may have a wider distribution in China or even the world.

Remarks. In the key to genera presented by LaSalle (1994), this new taxon would not key appropriately because at couplet 7 the presence of a malar sulcus would direct it away from Melittobia and related genera, even though it does possess all the other characters included in couplet 7, in addition to having numerous setae on both the scutellum and mesoscutum. However, it would key to Kocourekia in the generic keys for European Tetrastichinae by Graham (1987, 1991) who brought out Kocourekia at couplet 2 based on the numerous scattered setae on the scutellum and mesoscutum. Because our new species possesses all of the characters used to define Kocourekia except for the presence of the malar sulcus, we prefer to place it in Kocourekia rather than describe a new genus for it at this time.

Within Kocourekia , K. fusis is unique not only for the presence of the malar sulcus, but also for an unusual antenna with an extremely transverse F1. Kocourekia fusis most closely resembles K. debilis , but differs conspicuously from the latter species by the presence of a distinct, though sometimes incomplete malar sulcus, and differences of the antenna and of the color of the legs and antennae. Compared with K. debilis , K. fusis has an extremely transverse F1 only about 1/5 the length of F2 and brownish-yellow antennae and legs, whereas K. debilis has F1 at about 1/2 length of F2 and dark brown antennae and legs except for yellowish-brown tarsi. Kocourekia fusis has a short dorsellum relative to the scutellum with the posterior margin distinctly protruding medially, whereas in K. debilis the dorsellum is longer relative to scutellum and has the posterior margin less protruding medially so as to appear straight. Moreover, the toruli are inserted distinctly above the lower ocular line in K. fusis but approximately at the lower ocular line and much closer to the clypeus in K. debilis .

Although K. clavigera also has a light colored scape and pedicel as well as some body parts (lateral and ventral sides of thorax), it differs from K. fusis by the form of the antenna, with a less transverse F1 ( Bouček 1977, fig. 24) and a scutellum with a bare median line ( Bouček 1977). It should be noted the above discussion of the differences between K. fusis and the other two Kocourekia species are only based on females because their respective males have not been discovered so far.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 4. Kocourekia fusis. 1, head in anterior view; 2, head in anterior view; 3, antenna; 4, magnification of flagellomeres 4 – 6 (showing sensilla). Scale bar: 1 – 3, 0.1 mm; 4, 0.03 mm.

FIGURES 5 – 10. Kocourekia fusis. 5, mesosoma in dorsal view; 6, mesosoma in dorsal view; 7, mesosoma in lateral view; 8, mesosoma in ventral view; 9, metasoma in dorsal view; 10, metasoma in lateral view. Scale bar: 0.1 mm.

FIGURES 11 – 14. Kocourekia fusis. 11, fore wing; 12, fore leg; 13, middle leg; 14, hind leg. Scale bar: 0.1 mm.