Choeras taftanensis Ghafouri Moghaddam & van Achterberg, 2018

Moghaddam, Mostafa Ghafouri, Rakhshani, Ehsan, Achterberg, Cornelis Van & Mokhtari, Azizollah, 2018, A study of the Iranian species of Choeras Mason (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Microgastrinae), with the description of a new species, Zootaxa 4446 (4), pp. 455-476 : 462-466

publication ID

https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.4446.4.3

publication LSID

lsid:zoobank.org:pub:914DEC27-3729-4988-9175-A571786810BA

DOI

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5954919

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/C97CA3AE-DFF5-4B74-A2BF-A3E76EC776F8

taxon LSID

lsid:zoobank.org:act:C97CA3AE-DFF5-4B74-A2BF-A3E76EC776F8

treatment provided by

Plazi

scientific name

Choeras taftanensis Ghafouri Moghaddam & van Achterberg
status

sp. nov.

Choeras taftanensis Ghafouri Moghaddam & van Achterberg sp. n.

[ Figs 4–6 View FIGURE 4 View FIGURE 5 View FIGURE 6 ]

Type material. Holotype: ♀ ( DPPZ). Southeastern IRAN: Sistan-o Baluchestan , Khash , Darreh’gol, hillside of Taftan Mt. (28°36’10.205”N, 061°04′48.789”E, 2533m), 05.vi.2016, Swept on Mentha pulegium , leg.: M. Ghafouri Moghaddam. GoogleMaps

Paratypes: 7 ♀ and 9 ♂ (DPPZ): Southeastern: 1 ♂, same data as holotype GoogleMaps ; 1 ♀, same locality, 28.vi.2015, Malaise trap no. 16 GoogleMaps ; 7 ♂, Kerman, Jiroft (28°40'30.4"N, 57°44'13.77"E, 688m), 27.iii.2014, swept in citrus orchards, leg.: N. Amirinasab GoogleMaps ; 1 ♀, Kerman, Jiroft, Karimabad (28°40’N, 57°44′E, 687m), 10.iv.2014, swept from Mentha pulegium , leg.: N. Amirinasab GoogleMaps ; 1 ♀, Kerman, Bardsir, Negar (29°51′57.9″N, 56°47′55.5″E, 2095m), 06.vii.2014, swept from weeds, leg.: F. Abdolalizadeh GoogleMaps ; 1 ♀ and 1 ♂, Kerman, Sirch (30°11′58.5″N, 57°33′50.7″E, 1702m), 11.viii.2014, swept from weeds in orchards, leg.: S. Kazemi GoogleMaps ; 1 ♀, Kerman, Jiroft (28°40'30.4"N, 57°44'13.77"E, 688m), 31.iii.2015, swept in citrus orchards, leg.: N. Amirinasab. Western GoogleMaps : 1 ♀, Kermanshah, Sonqor (34°47’N, 47°36′E, 1681m), 18.viii.2013, swept from Mentha pulegium , leg.: M. Sharifi Ghorveh GoogleMaps ; 1 ♀, Kermanshah, Harsin (34°16’18.89”N, 47°36′16.63”E, 1568m), 05.vi.2016, Malaise traps in orchards, leg.: M. Zardouei Heidari. GoogleMaps

Diagnosis. Penultimate and apical flagellomeres (15th and 16th) slender, 1.1 and 2.1 × as long as wide, respectively ( Fig. 4B View FIGURE 4 ). Mesoscutum finely, densely punctate, scutoscutellar sulcus with 11 or 12 carinae and/or pits ( Fig. 5A View FIGURE 5 ). Propodeum shiny, medially with an irregular medio-longitudinal carina, with transverse carina presented by rugae, slightly rugose postero-laterally ( Fig. 5B View FIGURE 5 ). Tarsal claws less slender and with two teeth, metacoxa 2.6 × as long as wide ( Figs. 4A View FIGURE 4 , 5E View FIGURE 5 ). Vein r of fore wing 0.9 × as vein 2 RS and curved, vein r-m 1.9 × 3RSa, subbasal cell about 0.6 × of vein 1M and more setose than around of vein 1M ( Figs 5F–5G View FIGURE 5 ). T1 length 1.7 × its width posteriorly, anterior and posterior half of T1 parallel-sided (anterior width 1.1 × posterior width), anterior half of T1 rather convex, coarsely punctate. T2 laterally long and weakly sloping, apically not straight and short, its posterior width 5.2 × its medial length. T3 with a shape of inverse triangle anteriorly, without sandglass-shaped ( Figs 5C–5D View FIGURE 5 ).

Description. Holotype, female, length of body 2.8–3.1 mm, length of antenna 2.4–2.7 mm, length of fore wing 2.9–3.2 mm.

Colour. Antenna: scape, pedicel and flagellum dark brown except apex of scape brownish yellow ( Fig. 4B View FIGURE 4 ). Clypeus darkened and medially dark brown ( Fig. 4D View FIGURE 4 ). Head, mesoscutum, mesoscutellum, metanotum, propodeum, propleuron mesopleuron, metapleuron and T1–T2 entirely dark and anterior margin T3 dark to dark brown ( Figs 4D–4G View FIGURE 4 , 5A–5D View FIGURE 5 ). Mediotergites, laterotergites, sternites 4–8 yellow and with a brown spot medially ( Figs 5D–5F View FIGURE 5 ), hypopygium completely whitish yellow ( Fig. 5F View FIGURE 5 ). Coxae (pro-, meso-, meta): yellowish orange, the latter two dorsally dark brown and brown ventrally ( Figs 4A, 4G View FIGURE 4 , 5E View FIGURE 5 ). Femora (pro-, meso-, meta): all yellowish orange except metafemur more or less dark brown apically. Tibiae (pro-, meso-, meta): yellow, but of metacoxa only anterior two-fifths yellow, followed by one-third brown and with apical fifth dark brown ( Figs 4A View FIGURE 4 , 5E View FIGURE 5 ).

Head. Antenna about 0.8 × body length, penultimate flagellomeres slender, subapical antennal flagellomeres somewhat moniliform but longer than wide, flagellomeres finely setose and somewhat woolly, 14th flagellomere 0.8 × as long as 13th flagellomere, first flagellomere 0.9 × as long as second flagellomere, penultimate and apical flagellomeres (15th and 16th) 1.1 and 2.1 × as long as wide, respectively ( Fig. 4B View FIGURE 4 ). Head and face densely punctate ( Figs 4D, 4F View FIGURE 4 ). Temple and clypeus rather finely punctate ( Fig. 4D–4E View FIGURE 4 ). Face with medio-longitudinal ridge and/or prominence ( Fig. 4D View FIGURE 4 ).

Mesosoma . Mesosoma 1.15 × as long as wide ( Figs 4G View FIGURE 4 , 5A View FIGURE 5 ). Pronotum rather wide, densely punctate ( Fig. 5A View FIGURE 5 ); propleuron sparsely punctate. Mesoscutum finely and densely punctate ( Fig. 5A View FIGURE 5 ). Scutoscutellar sulcus with 11 or 12 carinae and/or pits, mesoscutellum shiny and punctate and lateral face carinate ( Figs 5A–5B View FIGURE 5 ); lunula obtusely triangular. Mesopleuron densely punctate on anterior half, largely smooth and shiny posteriorly and glabrous ( Fig. 4G View FIGURE 4 ). Propodeum shiny, medially with an irregular medio-longitudinal carina, with transverse carina represented by rugae, slightly rugose postero-laterally ( Fig. 5B View FIGURE 5 ).

Legs. Tarsal claws less slender than related species and with two teeth subbasally. Metacoxa punctate with upper surface smooth and shiny, surpassing anterior margin of T3 more or less up to middle of T3 ( Fig. 4A View FIGURE 4 , 5E View FIGURE 5 ). Metafemur punctate and 0.8 × as long as metatibia ( Figs 4A View FIGURE 4 , 5E View FIGURE 5 ).

Wings. Fore wing 0.8 × as long as body, vein R1 approx. 1.3 × longer than pterostigma length. Border of pterostigma relatively convex. Vein r of fore wing 0.9 × as long as vein 2 RS and curved, stub of vein r-m of fore wing usually long and unpigmented, and resulting in a largely closed second submarginal cell, vein r-m twice 3RSa. Vein r about 0.6 shorter than width of pterostigma. Vein 2 RS straight. 1Cua 0.8 × 1CUb. Subbasal cell densely setose and about 0.7 × as long as vein 1M. Hind wing: vein cu-a slightly curved ( Figs 5F–5G View FIGURE 5 ).

Metasoma. Posterior half of T1 parallel-sided and at most slightly narrowed. Anterior half of T1 rather convex, coarsely punctate, and posterior half with strong rugae except smooth median prominence. T2 transversely narrowed, subtriangular, lateral sides long and weakly sloping, apically not straight and short. T2 with strong rugae laterally, smooth and shiny medially. T3 smooth and with a shape of inverse triangle anteriorly (without sandglass- shaped) ( Figs 5C–5D View FIGURE 5 ). T4–T8 with brown medial spot, but T5 and T6 with a transverse whitish band ( Fig. 5D View FIGURE 5 ). Hypopygium large and folded with medio-longitudinal creases. Ovipositor sheath slender basally and conspicuously broadening toward apex, smooth and with many long whitish setae especially apically, setose part 0.8 × as long as metatibia ( Fig. 5E View FIGURE 5 ).

Hosts. Unknown.

Biology. Unknown. The specimens were collected in southeastern and western of Iran from April to August. Based on the collecting data it is most abundant in April–June. However, the collecting device (Malaise trap) was not emptied regularly and so the actual flight dates for the species cannot be considered as very precise.

Distribution (Fig. 11B): Sistan-o Baluchestan, Kerman and Kermanshah provinces ( Iran).

Similar species. The most similar species is C. semirugosus Song & Chen, 2014 , from China, females of this species have a narrowed T1, basally with a smooth shallow excavation, T2 small and about 4.3 × wider than long, with a long and concave slope, T3 with a large brown spot, fore wing without veins r-m and 3RSa (without areolet), width of subbasal cell about half of vein 1M and less setose, 14th and 15th flagellomeres slightly elongated, metafemur yellow and tarsal claws only setose.

Male ( Fig. 6 View FIGURE 6 ). Length of body 3.2–3.5 mm, length of antenna 3.8–4.1 mm, length of fore wing 3.5–3.8 mm. Similar to female but with darker antenna ( Fig. 6A View FIGURE 6 ), longer fore wing and body ( Fig. 6A View FIGURE 6 ), legs completely orange but about apical half of metatibia dark brown ( Fig. 6A View FIGURE 6 ), darker than pterostigma ( Fig. 6B View FIGURE 6 ), vein r straight ( Fig. 6B View FIGURE 6 ), T4–T8 often with large brown band ( Figs 6D, 6F View FIGURE 6 ).

Etymology. This new species is named after Taftan Mt., which is a famous and important mountain in southeastern Iran. This is the first time that Choeras has been recorded from this province and mountain.

Notes. We observed considerable size differences (up to 10%) in males from Kerman and Sistan-o Baluchestan. It may be due to the size of the host larva, a lack of nutrients, or is possibly connected to a slightly later emergence.

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Insecta

Order

Hymenoptera

Family

Braconidae

Genus

Choeras

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