Blacus (Blacus) hebeiensis, Lu & Chai & Achterberg & Tang & Chen, 2024

Lu, Qian-Yu, Chai, Hong-Fei, Achterberg, Cornelis Van, Tang, Pu & Chen, Xue-Xin, 2024, The first report of subgenus Blacus Nees, 1819 (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Brachistinae) from China, Zootaxa 5471 (5), pp. 501-535 : 512-514

Blacus (Blacus) hebeiensis sp. nov.

( Figs 9–10 )

Material examined. Holotype: ♀, China, Hebei, Xiaowutai Mtn, Dongling Mtn , alt. 2100m, 21.VIII.2005, Shi Min, No. 200607915 ( ZJUH)

Description. Female. Length of body 3.0 mm, length of fore wing 2.5 mm.

Head. Antennomeres 17, third–ninth antennomeres widened apically, tenth-sixth antennomeres not widened apically and moniliform ( Fig. 10C ); length of first flagellomere 1.4 × length of second flagellomere; length of first, second and penultimate flagellomere 2.75, 2.0 and 1.3 × their width, respectively; length of maxillary palp 0.7 × height of head; occipital carina complete ( Fig. 10A ); frontal suture absent; OOL: OD: POL = 9: 4: 5; length of eye in dorsal view 0.9 × length of temple; face rugose; malar suture present, length of malar space 1.6 × basal width of mandible.

Mesosoma. Length of mesosoma 1.5 × its height; side of pronotum reticulate-rugose ( Fig. 10E ); precoxal sulcus wide and reticulate-rugose ( Fig. 10E ); notauli complete, wide and rugose ( Fig. 10D ); mesoscutal lobes densely setose ( Fig. 10D ); scutellum smooth, its lateral carina complete, not protruding apically; propodeal tubercles small, indistinct; surface of propodeum reticulate-rugose, medial area distinct ( Fig. 10F ).

Wings. Fore wing: parastigma distinctly differentiated from vein C+SC+R, first discal cell widely truncate anteriorly; vein 3-SR+SR1 of fore wing distinctly curved; vein CUla of fore wing distinctly bent basally, distinctly below level of vein 2-CU1; 1-CU1: 2-CU1 = 1: 1; vein 2-M present ( Fig. 10I ).

Legs. Hind coxa rugose; length of femur, tibia and basitarsus of hind leg 5.4, 9.6 and 9.3 × their width, respectively.

Metasoma. Length of first tergite 1.5 × its apical width, widened apically, rugose ( Fig. 10G ); remainder of tergites smooth ( Fig. 10G ); length of ovipositor sheath 0.24 × length of fore wing, 1.0 × length of hind femur, 0.7 × length of hind tibia.

Colour. Black; mandible and tegulae dark yellow; palpi and all legs yellow; clypeus and hind coxae blackishbrown; metasoma (first tergite black), pterostigma, parastigma, veins, ovipositor and sheath brown; wing membrane subhyaline.

Male. Unknown.

Biology. Unknown.

Distribution. China (Hebei).

Etymology. The specific name hebeiensis refers to the collection site of holotype, Hebei Province.

Notes. The new species is similar to B. (B.) imitator Papp, 1985 because antenna is slender and unicoloured, hind femur slender, parastigma distinctly differentiated from vein C+SC+R, first discal cell widely truncate anteriorly, vein CUla of fore wing distinctly bent basally, distinctly below level of vein 2-CU1, and propodeal tubercle minute, but differs by having vein 2-M of fore wing present (absent in B. (B.) imitator ), vein 3-SR+SR1 of fore wing distinctly curved (straight), 1-CU1: 2-CU1 = 1: 1 (1-CU1 distinctly shorter than 2-CU1), antennomeres not widened apically and moniliform (widened apically), length of first metasomal tergite 1.3–1.5 × its apical width (1.9 ×), length of ovipositor sheath 0.20–0.24 × length of fore wing (approx. 0.43 ×) and 0.7 × shorter than length of hind tibia (about 1.2 × longer than hind tibia).

Figures

FIGURE 9. Blacus hebeiensis sp. nov. (body, lateral aspect).

FIGURE 10. Blacus hebeiensis sp. nov. A. head, dorsal aspect; B. head, anterior aspect; C. antenna; D. mesosoma, dorsal aspect; E. mesosoma, lateral aspect; F. propodeum, dorsal aspect; G. metasoma, dorsal aspect; H. hind leg; I. fore wing; J. ovipositor and ovipositor sheath.