Rhaconotus (Rhaconotus) vanharteni Belokobylskij, 2021

Belokobylskij, Sergey A. & Achterberg, Cornelis Van, 2021, Review of the braconid parasitoid subfamily Doryctinae (Hymenoptera, Braconidae) from the United Arab Emirates and Yemen, European Journal of Taxonomy 765 (1), pp. 1-143 : 133-137

Rhaconotus (Rhaconotus) vanharteni Belokobylskij sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:6855ED2E-04FA-4429-B3DF-ECED89F62A94

Figs 61–62

Comparative diagnosis

This species is morphologically similar to Rhaconotus dentatus (Brues, 1924) from South Africa, but differs from the latter in having the pronotum anteriorly in dorsal view straight (convex in Rh. dentatus ), posteriorly strongly and narrowly convex dorsally in lateral view (regularly convex dorsally in Rh. dentatus ), prescutellar depression with single median carina (with four carinae in Rh. dentatus ), second radial abscissa of fore wing 1.9 times longer than first abscissa and 1.6 times longer than first radiomedial vein (3.1 and almost twice accordingly in Rh. dentatus ), median length of second metasomal tergite 0.4 times its anterior width and equal to length of third tergite (0.7 and 1.3 times accordingly in Rh. dentatus ), fifth tergite (with processes), 2.6 times longer than fourth tergite (1.7 times in Rh. dentatus ), mesosoma and metasoma reddish brown (almost black in Rh. dentatus ), hind coxa and femur mainly yellowish brown (mainly dark brown to black in Rh. dentatus ).

Etymology

This species is named in honour to the collector of this species, A. van Harten.

Material examined

Holotype YEMEN • ♀; “Yemen, Al Kowd, v–vi.2000, light tr., No 4719, A.v. Harten & S, Al Haruri, RMNH’01”; RMNH.

Description

Female

MEASUREMENTS. Body length 3.3 mm; fore wing length 2.5 mm.

HEAD. Head width 1.5 times its median length, 1.3 times width of mesoscutum. Head behind eyes evenly roundly narrowed; transverse diameter of eye 2.0 times larger than temple length. Ocelli medium-sized, arranged in triangle with base 1.2 times its sides; POL 1.6 times Od, 0.8 times OOL. Eye glabrous, very weakly emarginated opposite antennal sockets, 1.2 times as high as broad. Malar space height 0.35 times height of eye, 0.8–0.9 times basal width of mandible. Malar suture very fine, subvertical and weakly curved. Face width almost equal to height of eye and 1.5 times height of face and clypeus combined. Upper margin of clypeus situated weakly upper than lower level of eyes. Hypoclypeal depression round, its width 0.6 times distance from edge of depression to eye, 0.3 times width of face. Occipital carina not fused with hypostomal carina below being obliterated for short distance upper base of mandible. Vertex convex.

ANTENNA. Antenna filiform, more than 23-segmented (apical segments missing). Length of scape 1.6 times its maximum width. First flagellar segment about 4.0 times longer than its apical width, 0.9 times as long as second segment. Subapical segment 3.5 times longer than wide.

MESOSOMA. Length 2.2 times its height. Pronotum anteriorly straight (dorsal view), posteriorly strongly and narrowly convex dorsally (lateral view). Pronotal carina distinct, widely separated from posterior margin of pronotum, distances from carina to anterior and posterior margins of pronotum subequal. Mesoscutum weakly and gently-roundly elevated above pronotum. Notauli rather deep, complete and crenulated. Mesoscutum without median longitudinal depression. Prescutellar depression rather short, rather deep, its posterior sides straight obliquely directed posterolaterally, with distinct median carina, sparsely and finely sculptured, 0.3 times as long as convex scutellum. Precoxal sulcus distinct, crenulatereticulate, straight, long, running along entire lower part of mesopleuron. Prepectal carina rather strong, not widened below, without lobes opposite fore coxae. Metanotum with short, slender and pointed tooth directed posteriorly. Metapleural lobe rather short, wide, rounded distally.

WINGS. Length of fore wing 4.0 times its maximum width. Radial (marginal) cell not shortened. Metacarpus (1-R1) 1.15 times longer than pterostigma. Radial vein (r) arising weakly before middle of pterostigma. First radial abscissa (r) forming very obtuse angle with second abscissa (3-SR). Second radial abscissa (3-SR) 1.9 times longer than first abscissa (r), 0.5 times as long as third abscissa (SR1), 1.6 times longer than first radiomedial vein (2-SR). Second radiomedial (submarginal) cell not widened distally, its length about 3.0 times maximum width, 1.1 times longer than brachial (subdiscal) cell. First medial abscissa (1-SR+M) weakly sinuate. Recurrent vein (m-cu) weakly postfurcal. Mediocubital vein (M+CU1) weakly curved to anal vein (1-1A) in distal half. Distance from nervulus (cu-a) to basal vein (1-M) almost equal to nervulus (cu-a) length. Brachial (subdiscal) cell gently and roundly closed weakly before level of recurrent vein (m-cu); posterior bulla on brachial vein (CU1b) present; posterior abscissa of anal vein (1-1A) (behind brachial vein (CU1b)) absent. Hind wing not narrowed basally, 5.4 times longer than wide. First costal abscissa (C+SC+R) 0.55 times as long as second abscissa (1-SC+R). First abscissa of mediocubital vein (M+CU) 0.6 times as long as second abscissa (1-M). Recurrent vein (mcu) long and unsclerotized.

LEGS. Hind femur with distinct baso-dorsal protuberance, its length 2.7 times maximum width. Hind tarsus as long as hind tibia. Hind tibia posteriorly with 4 outside spines. Hind basitarsus 0.45 times combined length of second-fifth segments. Second tarsal segment 0.6 times as long as basitarsus, 1.8 times longer than fourth segment, as long as fifth segment (without pretarsus).

METASOMA. Metasoma 1.2 times longer than head and mesosoma combined, with five dorsally visible hard tergites. Posterior width of first tergite 2.2 times its anterior width; its length 1.35 times posterior width. Second tergite without anterior and posterior areas, without additional transverse furrow. Median length of second tergite 0.4 times its anterior width, equal to length of third tergite. Second suture deep and distinct. Fifth tergite large, on posterior margin with two wide and rather long rounded posteriorly submedian processes, additionally with two short and wide rounded tubercles laterally. Fifth tergite (with processes) 2.6 times longer than fourth tergite. Ovipositor sheath 0.8 times as long as metasoma, 1.3 times longer than mesosoma, 0.65 times as long as fore wing.

SCULPTURE AND PUBESCENCE. Vertex and frons distinctly and densely granulate-coriaceous, without striation or rugosity; temple finely reticulate-coriaceous in upper half, almost smooth in lower half. Face densely and finely reticulate-coriaceous, smooth in lower lateral parts. Mesoscutum densely granulate, without striation along notauli, with two subparally and almost straight striae in medio-posterior third. Scutellum granulate-coriaceous. Mesopleuron entirely densely reticulate-coriaceous, finely sculptured below precoxal sulcus. Propodeum with areas delineated by distinct carinae, with median carina in anterior half, areola rather short, pentagonal, rugose-granulate; long basolateral areas densely reticulatecoriaceous, without striation along carinae. Legs finely coriaceous in upper halves and almost smooth in lower halves. First tergite with distinct dorsal carinae in anterior half. First to fifth tergites distinctly, densely and at least partly undulately striate, with fine and dense rugulosity between striae. Second-fifth tergites laterally with distinct striae and very fine rugosity between it. Vertex with short and sparse semierect white setae directed backwards. Mesoscutum almost entirely with rather dense and semi-erect white setae, its lateral lobes glabrous on narrow lateral parts. Metasoma dorsally almost entirely with short and rather dense semi-erect white setae directed backwards. Hind tibia dorsally with almost erect and rather dense white setae, length of these setae 0.7–0.8 times maximum width of hind tibia.

COLOUR. Head light reddish brown, widely yellowish anteriorly and below; mesosoma and metasoma reddish brown, segments behind fifth one yellowish brown. Scape reddish brown, pedicel and three flagellar segments yellowish brown, remaining part of flagellum brown to dark brown. Palpi brownish yellow to yellow. All legs yellowish brown, all tibiae basally paler, all tarsi yellowish, but last fifth segments dark. Ovipositor sheath dark brown to black. Fore wing almost hyaline. Pterostigma brown, yellow in basal third.

Male

Unknown.

Distribution

Yemen.

Figures

Fig. 61. Rhaconotus (Rh.) vanharteni Belokobylskij sp. nov., holotype, ♀ (RMNH). A. Habitus, lateral view. B. Head, front view. C. Basal segments of antenna. D. Head, lateral view. E. Head and anterior part of mesosoma, dorsal view. F. Hind coxa and femur. G. Hind tibia and tarsus. H. Mesosoma, dorsal view. I. Mesosoma, lateral view. J. Third to fifth metasomal tergites, dorsal view. K. Third to fifth metasomal tergites, lateral view.

Fig. 62. Rhaconotus (Rh.) vanharteni Belokobylskij sp. nov., holotype, ♀ (RMNH). A. Fore wing. B. Hind wing. C. Metasoma, dorsal view. D. Metasoma, lateral view.