Aleiodes improvisus van Achterberg & Shaw, 2020

van Achterberg, Cornelis, Shaw, Mark R. & Quicke, Donald L. J., 2020, Revision of the western Palaearctic species of Aleiodes Wesmael (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Rogadinae). Part 2: Revision of the A. apicalis group, ZooKeys 919, pp. 1-259 : 1

Aleiodes improvisus van Achterberg & Shaw sp. nov. Figs 428-431 , 432-444 , 445-452

Type material.

Holotype, ♀ (ZJUH), " Austria: Tirol, Obergurgl, 2000 m, vii.[19]81, Day & Fitton". Paratypes: 1 ♂ (NMS), " Switzerland: Valais, Aletschwald, 6000-7000 ft, 7-17.vi.1959, J.E. & R.B. Benson"; 1 ♂ (ZJUH), "Switzerland: Valais, J.E. & R.B. Benson, B.M. 1935-581", "Arolla, 6500 ft, 12.vi.1935"; 3 ♂ (ZJUH, NMS), "Austria: Tirol Vent., 1860 m, vii.1981, Fitton & Day"; 1 ♂ (ZJUH), "Austria: Tirol Vent (Winterstallen), 1750 m. vii.1981, Fitton & Day".

Molecular data.

None.

Biology.

Unknown. Collected above the tree line in the Alps in June-July, and presumably univoltine.

Diagnosis.

Maximum width of hypoclypeal depression 0.4-0.5 × minimum width of face (Fig. 439 ); OOL of ♀ 1.8 × as long as diameter of posterior ocellus and densely rugose (Fig. 440 ); antenna of ♀ as long as fore wing; clypeus thick apically and not protruding anteriorly in lateral view (Fig. 441 ); lobes of mesoscutum densely punctate, interspaces largely finely coriaceous and with satin sheen; precoxal area coarsely vermiculate-rugose medially; marginal cell of fore wing of ♀ ending rather removed from wing apex (Fig. 432 ); vein 1-CU1 of fore wing 0.3-0.6 × as long as vein 2-CU1; fore femur subparallel-sided (Fig. 437 ); hind tarsal claws yellowish or brownish bristly setose and with few dark brown or brown pectinal teeth submedially (Fig. 442 ); 3rd tergite longitudinally rugulose basally, without curved sculptural elements (Fig. 436 ); head of ♀ black; inner side of hind tibia of ♀ dark brown ventrally; palpi dark brown or blackish; hind trochanter and trochantellus largely dark brown; 2nd metasomal tergite of both sexes orange or dark reddish brown; 4th and 5th tergites black.

Description.

Holotype, ♀, length of fore wing 5.5 mm, of body 7.7 mm.

Head. Antennal segments of ♀ 41, antenna as long as fore wing, its subbasal and subapical segments rather robust (Fig. 444 ); frons with curved rugae; OOL 1.8 × diameter of posterior ocellus, densely rugose and with satin sheen; vertex densely rugose (also behind stemmaticum), with satin sheen; clypeus transversely rugulose; ventral margin of clypeus thick and not protruding forwards (Fig. 441 ); width of hypoclypeal depression 0.4 × minimum width of face (Fig. 439 ); eye as long as temple in dorsal view (Fig. 440 ); clypeus below lower level of eyes; length of malar space 0.55 × length of eye in lateral view; temple striate near eye, and remainder rugose; head with long setae.

Mesosoma. Mesoscutal lobes densely punctate, interspaces largely finely coriaceous and with satin sheen; precoxal area of mesopleuron coarsely vermiculate-rugose medially, but posteriorly rugose; mesopleuron remotely punctate and shiny medially; metapleuron densely rugose and rather dull; scutellum largely smooth (except for spaced punctures), shiny and nearly flat, with lateral carina; propodeum coarsely rugose but antero-laterally rugulose, laterally dorsal face longer than posterior one, somewhat angulate laterally but without tubercles, and with complete medio-longitudinal carina.

Wings. Fore wing: r 0.4 × 3-SR; marginal cell fairly short (Fig. 432 ); 1-CU1 horizontal, 0.3 × 2-CU1; r-m 0.8 × 3-SR; 2nd submarginal cell medium-sized (Fig. 432 ); cu-a vertical, straight; 1-M slightly curved posteriorly; 1-SR wider than 1-M; surroundings of M+CU1, 1-M and 1-CU1 largely setose. Hind wing: marginal cell linearly widened, its apical width 2.1 × width at level of hamuli (Fig. 433 ); 2-SC+R quadrate; m-cu narrowly pigmented; M+CU:1-M = 30:21; 1r-m 0.7 × 1-M.

Legs. Tarsal claws mainly setose but submedially with four rather short and dark brown pectinal teeth (Fig. 442 ); fore femur largely parallel-sided and rather slender (Fig. 437 ); hind coxa punctate and shiny, but dorsally mainly rugose; hind trochantellus rather robust; length of hind femur and basitarsus 3.3 and 5.7 × their width, respectively; length of inner hind spur 0.4 × hind basitarsus.

Metasoma. First tergite distinctly convex medially, its length 0.8 × apical width, robust and irregularly longitudinally rugose as 2nd tergite; both tergites with medio-longitudinal carina; medio-basal area of 2nd tergite triangular and small (Fig. 436 ); 2nd suture moderately deep and crenulate; basal half of 3rd tergite largely longitudinally striate, remainder of metasoma superficially micro-sculptured or smooth; 4th and apical half of 3rd tergite without sharp lateral crease; ovipositor sheath wide medially, with long setae and apically truncate (Fig. 429 ).

Colour. Black; antenna (but only scapus partly yellowish), right fore coxa, trochanter, trochantellus, and femur (but left all yellowish brown except dark base of coxa and infuscated apex of femur), middle femur dorso-apically, middle coxa basally, hind trochanter, trochantellus and femur (but dorso-basally yellowish and left femur also ventrally), apical third of hind tibia (but left tibia yellowish ventrally), tegulae, pterostigma, veins largely, and metasoma ventrally largely dark brown; dorsal part of scutellum, 1st tergite laterally and narrowly medially and posteriorly, 2nd tergite and antero-laterally 3rd tergite orange brown; right fore tibia (except basally and left one yellowish brown) and tarsi more or less infuscate (but left fore tarsus only telotarsus dark brown); fore wing membrane somewhat infuscate, but hind wing nearly subhyaline.

Variation. Eye of ♀ as long as temple in dorsal view (of ♂ 1.0-1.4 ×); length of malar space 0.5-0.6 × length of eye in lateral view; palpi black or largely dark brown; 1-CU1 0.3-0.6 × 2-CU1; length of fore wing 4.0-6.5 mm. Antennal segments: ♀ 41(1); ♂ 44(2), 49(2), 51(2). Male often has much darker legs (largely dark brown with coxae black as right legs of holotype, but legs are more extensively orange, including basal half of hind femur, in two paratypes) than female and scutellum black; metasoma similarly sculptured and coloured or also basal half of 3rd tergite orange brown or 1st tergite only posteriorly orange or only 2nd and 3rd tergites (except posteriorly) dark reddish brown; in the largest male paratype (Winterstallen) traces of inwardly curved sculpture are discernible posteriorly on the almost completely longitudinally rugose 3rd tergite; marginal cell of fore wing similar to ♀, with apical tergites type 1 and fringe not observed (Figs 450 , 452 ).

Distribution.

Austria, Switzerland.

Etymology.

Improvisus is Latin for unexpected, unforeseen, because at first sight the specimens were expected to belong to A. gasterator or A. ruficornis .

Notes.

As suggested by its name this species can be easily confused with A. gasterator or A. ruficornis . It differs from A. gasterator mainly by being darker (subbasal antennal segments of ♀, hind trochanter and trochantellus, inner and dorsal side of hind tibia, parastigma) and somewhat higher number of antennal segments of ♀ (41 vs 29-39). Aleiodes ruficornis has an inflated fore femur (hardly or not inflated in A. improvisus ), antenna of ♀ medium-sized (1.0-1.2 × fore wing vs 0.8-0.9 ×) and head of ♀ at least partly reddish brown.

Figures

Figures 428 - 431. Aleiodes improvisus sp. nov., ♀, holotype 428 habitus lateral 429 ovipositor sheath lateral 430 right fore femur lateral 431 right hind femur lateral.

Figures 432 - 444. Aleiodes improvisus sp. nov., ♀, holotype 432 fore wing 433 hind wing 434 mesosoma lateral 435 mesosoma dorsal 436 propodeum and 1 st - 3 rd metasomal tergites dorsal 437 left fore femur lateral 438 left hind femur lateral 439 head anterior 440 head dorsal 441 head lateral 442 inner hind tarsal claw 443 base of antenna 444 apex of antenna.

Figures 445 - 452. Aleiodes improvisus sp. nov., ♂, paratype, Switzerland (Arolla) 445 habitus lateral 446 fore femur lateral 447 hind femur lateral 448 base of antenna 449 head dorsal 450 4 th- 7 th metasomal tergites dorsal 451 apex of antenna 452 4 th- 7 th metasomal tergites lateral.