Spathioplites Fischer, 1962

Noort 1,2, Simon van, Belokobylskij 3,4, Sergey A. & Touret-Alby 5, Agniele, 2021, Rediscovery of the endemic Afrotropical genus Spathioplites (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Doryctinae) with major range extension records for Spathioplites phreneticus, African Invertebrates 62 (2), pp. 497-520 : 497

Spathioplites Fischer, 1962

Type species.

Spathioplites phreneticus Fischer, 1962. Holotype in Paris (MNHN).

Type locality.

Ennedi, Ouedi, Harisohi, Chad.

Re-description of the genus.

Head not depressed, high, transverse. Ocelli arranged in triangle with base slightly larger than its sides. Vertex laterally of ocelli and frons laterally with distinct but not high longitudinal protuberances. Frons distinctly concave, with fine median longitudinal carina. Eyes glabrous. Occipital carina dorsally complete, fused ventrally with hypostomal carina. Malar suture rather distinct and complete. Clypeus without lower flange. Hypoclypeal depression small and round. Postgenal bridge wide. Maxillary palp short, 6-segmented, sixth segment about as long as fifth segment; labial palpi 4-segmented, third segment long. Antenna weakly claviform, all flagellar segments (especially apical ones) distinctly compressed. Scape of antenna wide and short, without apical lobe or basal constriction, its ventral margin (in lateral view) shorter than dorsal margin. First flagellar segment weakly compressed, weakly curved outer, as long as second segment. Apical segment obtuse or very weakly acuminated, without spine on tip.

Mesosoma not depressed, medium length. Neck of prothorax short, without pronope. Pronotum dorsally (lateral view) weakly convex, anterior part vertical; pronotal carina absent; anterior flange indistinct. Propleural dorsoposterior flange short and rather wide. Mesonotum highly and strongly oblique forward (visor-shaped) elevated above pronotum. Median lobe of mesonotum distinctly separated, strongly protruding forwards, anteriorly with sharp transverse ridge, without median longitudinal furrow, without distinct anterolateral corners. Notauli complete, narrow, rather deep, but shallow posteriorly. Prescutellar depression (scutal sulcus) large, almost completely surrounding raised scutellum (except for short posterior margin of scutellum), coarsely crenulate. Scuto-scutellar suture distinct and complete. Scutellum narrow, oval, highly convex, without lateral carinae. Mesopleural pit distinct, subcircular, connected with mesopleural suture by shallow and slender furrow. Metanotum (lateral view) with very long, flat, and subtriangular median lobe, in dorsal view with slender lateral subparallel carina. Precoxal sulcus rather deep, relatively long, sinuate or straight. Prepectal carina distinct, weakly widened below, laterally extending to meet subalar depression. Postpectal carina absent. Metapleural flange short, rather wide, rounded apically. Propodeum distinctly slanted from almost middle to posterior margin, without areas delineated by carinae; lateral propodeal tubercles short and wide or indistinct; propodeal bridge absent. Propodeal spiracles small and round. Metapleural suture distinct.

Wings. Fore wing margins mainly glabrous, only with very short setae on its apico-posterior margin. Pterostigma wide. Radial vein (r) arising before middle of pterostigma. Radial (marginal) cell large, wide, weakly shortened. Metacarp (1-R1) fine and usually unpigmented in basal 0.5-0.6, absent or almost absent in apical 0.4-0.5. Both radiomedial veins (2-SR and r-m) present. Recurrent vein (m-cu) distinctly antefurcal. Discoidal (discal) cell of female petiolate anteriorly, petiole (1-SR) short and thick; but in male (holotype) discoidal cell sessile after fused with wide and thickened part of veins and parastigma. Mediocubital vein (M+CU1) strongly sinuate, strongly curved toward anal vein (1-1A) in its apical half. Nervulus (cu-a) postfurcal. Parallel vein (CU1a) interstitial. Brachial (subdiscal) cell wide, sharply roundly closed postero-apically. Transverse anal veins (2A and a) absent. Hind wing with three hamuli. Radial vein (SR) arising from costal vein (2-SC+R) far from basal vein (1r-m). Radial (marginal) cell very wide, distinctly widened towards apex. Medial (basal) cell rather wide, weakly widened towards apex, 0.4 × as long as hind wing. Last abscissa of medial vein (2-M) practically absent or indistinct. Nervellus (cu-a) present. Submedial (subbasal) cell long. First abscissa of mediocubital vein (M+CU) 1.1-1.2 × as long as second abscissa (1-M). Recurrent vein (m-cu) long, strongly desclerotized, weakly curved or almost straight, distinctly oblique toward base of wing.

Legs. Fore tibia with several short and slender spines arranged in rather wide stripe. Middle tibia with distinct, short and thick spines arranged in narrow stripe along its dorsal margin. All tibiae distinctly thickened. Middle tarsal segments rather short. Hind coxa short, wide, subround, without basoventral corner and tooth. All femora wide, without dorsal protuberance. Hind femur elongate-oval, wide. Hind tibia with several short and thick spines along its dorsal margin. Basitarsus of hind tarsus short, about 0.5 × as long as second to fifth segments combined.

Metasoma. First tergite semi-petiolate, rather long and wide. Acrosternite of first segment distinctly elongate, 0.45-0.50 × as long as first tergite, its anterior margin placed at level of spiracles or behind it. Dorsope and basolateral lobes of first tergite absent or small. Distinct spiracular tubercles situated in basal 0.35-0.40 of first tergite; dorsal carinae absent, but rather distinct in basal half in male. Second and third tergites without any furrows and areas, but in male with rather distinct and almost complete, weakly divergent posteriorly sublateral (started from anterolateral corner) and not high longitudinal carinae. Suture between second and third tergites indistinct or very fine (in male). Laterotergites of second and third tergites not fused laterally with each other. Second to fifth (in female) or second to fourth (in male) tergites with separate laterotergites. Fourth to sixth tergites with relatively wide stripe of short, sparse, semi-erect pale setae in their posterior halves. Fourth tergite of female weakly enlarged, almost entirely covering following segments; apical segments only weakly protruding behind fourth tergite; but in male, tergites behind third tergite the same length and all protruding. Hypopygium in posterior margin with distinct pointed median process. Ovipositor apically without dorsal nodes. Ovipositor sheath distinctly not widened towards apex, shorter than metasoma.

Diagnosis.

The genus Spathioplites is characterized by the combination of the following diagnostic apomorphic characters: antenna apically widened and flattened; frons and vertex anteriorly with lateral protuberances; metanotum with long, flat and distally strongly widened median process; hind tibia with distinct strong spines along the dorsal margin; petiole (1-SR) of discoidal (discal) cell of fore wing in female large and thick; metacarp (1-R1) absent in distal half; submedial cell of hind wing long; acrosternite of first metasomal segment elongate, about as long as half of tergite; prescutellar depression situated around the most part of scutellum. On the basis of these listed diagnostic characters, Spathioplites was placed in the monotypic subtribe Spathioplitina of the tribe Spathiini ( Belokobylskij 1992).

Comments.

Position of this genus in Spathiini is still questionable, because the acrosternite of the first metasomal segment is not strongly elongated and is only about half as long as the first tergite. This genus is additionally characterized by the presence of distinct spines on the dorsal side of the hind tibia, a character which is also known in the Doryctini group of Doryctophasmus genera (including Doryctophasmus Enderlein, 1912, Esterella Pagliano and Scaramozzino, 1990, Euscelinus Westwood, 1882, and Sonanus Belokobylskij and Konishi, 2001) ( Belokobylskij 2015), but Spathioplites is taxonomically not related to the members of this group. Perhaps only molecular data will help to resolve the tribal position of this very peculiar genus, and reveal whether it actually belongs to the tribe Doryctini , Rhaconotini or Spathiini .

Distribution.

Afrotropical Region: Chad, Senegal, South Africa.