Platyspathius (Platyspathius) longicaudis 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 : 92-97

Platyspathius (Platyspathius) longicaudis Belokobylskij sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:032B842F-77E1-4F5F-8B72-5FD3E116DF4C

Figs 41–42

Comparative diagnosis

This new species is similar to Platyspathius clymene Nixon, 1943 from South Africa and Congo, but it differs from latter by the following characters: frons distinctly densely transversely striate with reticulation (reticulate-rugulose in P. clymene ), notauli rather deep impressed and wide (shallow and narrow in P. clymene ), second metasomal tergite long (shorter in P. clymene ), precoxal sulcus shallow and shorter (deeper and longer in P. clymene ), second radial abscissa (3-SR) 0.9 times as long as third abscissa (SR1) (about 0.7 times in P. clymene ), second metasomal suture finely crenulate (distinctly crenulate in P. clymene ), ovipositor long, almost as long as body (distinctly shorter in P. clymene ).

Etymology

This species is named after the Latin word ‘ longis ’ (long) and ‘ cauda ’ (tail), due to its long ovipositor.

Material examined

Holotype YEMEN • ♀; “Yemen (5962), 12 km NW Manakhah, Mal. trap; 3.vii–21.viii.2001, A.v. Harten, RNMH’02”; RMNH.

Description

Female

MEASUREMENTS. Body length 4.5 mm; fore wing length 2.5 mm.

HEAD. Head width (dorsal view) 1.7 times its median length, 1.4 times width of mesoscutum. Vertex distinctly convex. Head behind eyes (dorsal view) rather distinctly and evenly convex in anterior half and weakly roundness decreased in posterior half. Transverse diameter of eye (dorsal view) 1.2 times longer than temple. Ocelli small, with ocellar triangle base 1.3 times its sides. POL 1.7 times Od, 0.5 times OOL. Eye glabrous, in lateral view oblique, its maximum diameter 1.3 times minimum diameter. Malar space 0.7 times maximum diameter of eye, 1.1 times basal width of mandible. Face convex, with distinct and narrow convex vertical stripe; width of face 1.2 times maximum diameter of eye, 1.45 times height of face and clypeus combined. Clypeal suture almost complete, distinct laterally and very fine dorsally. Dorsal margin of clypeus situated distinctly lower than lower level of eyes; ventral margin of clypeus with narrow flange. Hypoclypeal depression medium-sized and rounded, its width 0.55 times shortest distance from edge to eye, 0.35 times width of face. Occipital carina dorsally complete and distinctly but not strongly broken toward ocellar triangle, not reaching below hypostomal carina and obliterated short distance before mandible base. Hypostomal flange wide.

ANTENNA. Antenna slender, filiform, 28-segmented, 0.85 times as long as body. Scape 1.8 times longer than maximum width. First flagellar segment 5.3 times longer than apical width, almost as long as second segment. Penultimate segment about 3.0 times longer than width, 0.5 times as long as first segment, as long as apical segment; latter acuminate apically and without spine.

MESOSOMA. Mesosoma not depressed, its maximum length 2.1 times its maximum height. Pronotal carina distinct, its anterior branch situated submedially, its posterior branch indistinct. Pronotal lateral depression wide and shallow, not delineated by carinae. Mesoscutum (lateral view) distinctly, but not high, obliquely and curvedly elevated above pronotum, its median lobe (dorsal view) distinctly convex anteriorly and without anterolateral corners, without longitudinal median furrow; mesoscutum in dorsal view 1.1 times longer than wide. Notauli complete, distinct, rather wide, shallow, distinctly crenulate, almost fused posteriorly. Prescutellar depression rather deep, short medially, with distinct median carina, densely and distinctly curvedly carinate, 0.3 times as long as scutellum. Scutellum strongly convex, with distinct and complete lateral carinae, as long as maximum anterior width. Subalar depression rather narrow, distinct, reticulate-rugose. Precoxal sulcus distinct, rather short, curved, crenulate, running along anterior half of lower part of mesopleuron. Postpectal carina absent. Metanotum with distinct, rather wide and distally rounded medio-dorsal lobe (lateral view). Metapleural flange (lobe) narrow, short, subrounded distally. Propodeum flat, without lateral tubercles.

WINGS. Fore wing 4.1 times longer than wide. Pterostigma subtriangular and rather widened, 4.3 times longer than its maximum width. Radial vein (r) arising from middle of pterostigma. Radial (marginal) cell not shortened, metacarpus (1-R1) 1.2 times longer than pterostigma. Second radial abscissa (3-SR) 3.8 times longer than first abscissa (r) and forming with it almost straight angle, 0.9 times as long as the weakly curved third abscissa (SR1), 1.6 times longer than straight first radiomedial vein (2-SR). Second radiomedial (submarginal) cell not narrowed distally, its length 3.8 times maximum width, 1.15 times length of narrow brachial (subdiscal) cell. Second abscissa of medial vein (2-SR+M) short, 0.4 times as long as recurrent vein (m-cu). Nervulus (cu-a) interstitial, declivous, strongly slanting to base of wing. Mediocubital vein (M+CU1) strongly sinuate and in posterior half deeply curved to longitudinal anal vein (1-1A). Narrow brachial (subdiscal) cell evenly curvedly closed apically on level of recurrent vein (m-cu). Parallel vein (CU1a) interstitial. Hind wing 5.4 times longer than its maximum width. First costal abscissa (C+SC+R) 0.8 times as long as second abscissa (1-SC+R). First abscissa of mediocubital vein (M+CU) 0.45 times as long as second abscissa (1-M). Recurrent vein (m-cu) short, unsclerotised and not pigmented, distinctly antefurcal, strongly oblique towards base of wing.

LEGS. Fore tibia anterior surface with short, thick, sparse spines arranged in wide stripe. Segments of middle tarsus considerably longer than their width. Hind coxa rather short, subtriangular, with rather distinct basoventral corner and with very small tubercle, 1.4 times longer than maximum width. Hind femur rather wide, with dorsal wide tubercle in anterior quarter, elongate-oval, 3.5 times longer than wide. Hind tibia with 5 slender spines on outer distal margin. Hind tarsus almost as long as hind tibia. Hind basitarsus 0.65 times as long as remaining segments combined. Second segment of hind tarsus 0.6 times as long as basitarsus, 1.8 times longer than narrow fifth segment (without pretarsus). Tarsal segments rather slender. Claws short, thick basally, with short and distinctly curved its posterior part.

METASOMA. Metasoma long. Petiole (lateral view) ventrally almost straight, dorsally arched in anterior quarter and almost straight on remaining part, almost same high; in dorsal view, petiole rather wide, evenly and linearly widened toward apex of petiole, with small spiracular tubercles in anterior third, without dorsope. Length of petiole 1.7 times its posterior width, 1.6 times length of propodeum; posterior width of petiole about 2.0 times minimum anterior width. Second to sixth tergites with laterotergites separated; second and third separated laterotergites not fused. Second suture shallow, rather wide, evenly curved, crenulate with reticulation. Second tergite long, its median length 1.1 times anterior width, 2.1 times length of third tergite. Median length of second and third tergites combined 1.6 times anterior width of second tergite, 1.1 times their maximum width. Ovipositor almost straight. Ovipositor sheath 5.0 times longer than petiole, 1.5 times longer than metasoma, almost 3.0 times as long as mesosoma, 2.5 times longer than fore wing.

SCULPTURE AND PUBESCENCE. Head mainly densely small reticulate-granulate or reticulate-areolate; frons additionally with distinct curved transverse striation; face medially narrow almost smooth. Mesoscutum almost entirely densely reticulate-coriaceous with reticulation in medio-posterior third, scutellum finely densely reticulate; mesopleuron mainly densely reticulate-coriaceous. Propodeum without areas, with rather long, fine, undulate medial carina in anterior half; entirely rugose-reticulate. Hind coxa and femur entirely densely and finally reticulate-coriaceous. First to sixth tergites entirely or almost entirely densely and distinctly reticulate- or areolate-coriaceous, sculpture becoming finer to distal tergites, posterior margins of third to sixth tergite finely coriaceous to almost smooth. Vertex almost entirely glabrous. Mesoscutum mainly glabrous, with short and sparse white setae narrowly arranged along notauli and laterally. Setae of hind tibia semi-erect, short and sparse, their length on dorsal surface 0.4–0.5 times maximum width of tibia.

COLOUR. Body mainly dark reddish brown, head paler. Palpi dark brown, faintly paler apically. Antenna mainly brownish yellow to almost yellow, basally with reddish tint, apical three segments dark brown to black. Legs mainly dark reddish brown, fore and middle coxae yellowish brown; hind tibia anteriorly always same colour as remaining part of tibia; all tarsi mainly light reddish brown. Ovipositor sheath mainly brownish yellow or pale brown, dark brown posteriorly. Fore wing strongly darkened at most part, with contrasting small hyaline or almost white spots and stripes (Fig. 00), with transverse hyaline stripe cross narrowest part of submedial cell. Pterostigma mainly dark brown, white in basal 0.4 and in short apical area.

Male

Unknown.

Distribution

Yemen.

Figures

Fig. 41. Platyspathius (P.) longicaudis Belokobylskij sp. nov., holotype, ♀ (RMNH). A. Habitus, lateral view. B. Head, front view. C. Head, dorsal view. D. Head, lateral view. E. Apical segments of antenna. F. Basal segments of antenna. G. Hind leg. H. Mesosoma, lateral view. I. Mesosoma, dorsal view. J. Hind tibia. K. Propodeum and first metasomal tergite, dorsal view.

Fig. 42. Platyspathius (P.) longicaudis Belokobylskij sp. nov., holotype, ♀ (RMNH). A. Wings. B. Metasoma, dorsal view. C. Metasoma, lateral view.