Diachasmimorpha melathorax, Wu & Chen & He, 2005

Wu, Qiong, Chen, Xue-Xin & He, Jun-Hua, 2005, The genus Diachasmimorpha Viereck (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Opiinae) from China, Zootaxa 1022 (1), pp. 37-56 : 48-50

Diachasmimorpha melathorax sp. nov. (Figs. 20–24)

Holotype, ♀, length of body 4.4 mm, of forewing 5.0 mm.

Head. Antenna 1.4 times length of forewing, with 50 segments, length of third segment 0.9 times fourth segment, length of third, fourth and penultimate segments 1.8, 1.9 and 2.4 times their maximum width, respectively; scape compressed, outer side glabrous medially, remainder setiferous; length of maxillary palp 1.0 times height of head, segments slender; OOL: diameter of posterior ocellus: POL = 3.4: 1.4: 1.0; frons glabrous medially, punctate and setiferous laterally; length of eye in dorsal view 2.2 times temple; vertex and temple sparsely punctate and setiferous; temples subparallel­sided behind eyes in lateral view; occipital carina present up to 3/4 level of eye in lateral view; face setiferous and heavily punctate; anterior tentorial pits distinct and medium­sized; clypeus mostly smooth, sparsely punctate and setiferous, anteriorly convex ventrally, in lateral view distinctly separated from mandibles; in anterior view hypoclypeal depression absent; length of malar space 1.0 times basal width of mandible; mandible twisted apically, with a ventral carina.

Mesosoma. Length of mesosoma 1.3 times its height; pronope medium­sized and deep; propleuron flattened, punctate and setiferous; side of pronotum glabrous, crenulate dorso­anteriorly and antero­ventrally; precoxal sulcus moderately deep, distinctly crenulate, not reaching base of mesocoxa; remainder of mesopleuron mostly smooth, with two oblique rows of setae medially, long setae antero­dorsally and postero­ventrally, and epicnemial area concave dorsally and crenulate anteriorly; pleural sulcus entirely crenulate; metapleuron with long setae, sparsely but deeply punctate medially, crenulate anteriorly, irregularly depressed posteriorly and ventrally; mesosternal sulcus deep, narrow and distinctly crenulate; notauli deep, crenulate anteriorly, obsolescent posteriorly, mesoscutal midpit deep and slitlike; mesoscutum evenly punctate and setiferous anteriorly, smooth posteriorly, middle lobe protruding; scutellar sulcus narrow, deep, with three carinae; scutellum slightly convex, sparsely setiferous; propodeum glabrous, with short and strong median carina anteriorly, incompletely areolate posteriorly, smooth in each areola, remain­ der strongly roguse.

Wings. Forewing: 1­M straight anteriorly, curved posteriorly; r: 3­SR: SR1 = 1.0: 3.7: 15.9; 1­SR+M distinctly sinuate; SR1 nearly straight, ending close to apex of wing; cu­a oblique and straight; 1­CU1: 2­CU1 = 1.0: 4.0; 2­SR: 3­SR: r­m = 1.8: 1.7: 1.0; first subdiscal cell rather robust and widened apically; CU1b not longer than 3­CU1; m­cu slightly postfurcal, and slightly converging to 1­M posteriorly. Hindwing: SR present as unpigmented fold apically, absent basally; m­cu long and straight; length of 1­M slightly longer than 1r­m; M+CU: 1­M = 1.3: 1.0.

Legs. Hind coxa setiferous and punctate; tarsal claws setiferous, lobe absent; length of femur, tibia and basitarsus of hind leg 4.7, 9.2 and 6.3 times their width, respectively.

Metasoma. Length of first tergite 1.2 times its apical width, longitudinally costate medially, relatively smooth laterally and concave basally; dorsal carinae strong basally, bifurcate medially, not reaching apex of tergite; spiracle of first tergite small and laterally situated; laterope medium­sized and deep; dorsope absent but strong dorsal carina gives the impression of presence; second tergite entirely smooth, spiracle on notum, setae of third and following tergites forming a submedial row; ovipositor straight, with two dorsal protuberances and three ventral teeth apically, length of ovipositor sheath 1.2 times forewing and 7.2 times first metasomal tergite; sheath densely setose, with a apical spine; hypopygium medium­sized and acute apically.

Colour. Head mesosoma and first tergite blackish; remainder of metasoma orange; mandible yellow, its apex dark brown; antenna, hind leg (except brown 2nd­4th tarsi) and ovipositor sheath dark brown; fore and mid legs yellow except brown base of coxa and telotarsus; ovipositor orange; wing membranes subhyaline, with dark patch near vein CU1b, pterostigma and forewing venation brown, hindwing venation pale.

Material. Holotype, ♀, China: Tianmushan , Zhejiang province, 4.VI.1994, Xuexin Chen, No. 948751 ( ZJUH).

Note. This species is morphologically similar to D. budrysi van Achterberg, 1999 but can be separated from the latter in having the pleural sulcus completely crenulate, length of femur of hind leg 4.7 times as long as its width, the dorsal carinae not reaching the apex of first tergite and the mesosoma and metasoma orange (with the first tergite blackish).

Etymology. From “ mela ” (Greek for “black”) and “ thorac ” (Greek for “thorax”), the specific epithet refers to the blackish mesosoma of this species.