Spathiophaenodus, Belokobylskij, Sergey A. & Villemant, Claire, 2016

Belokobylskij, Sergey A. & Villemant, Claire, 2016, A new genus of the tribe Pambolini (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Exothecinae) from the Papua New Guinea with a key to the World genera, Zootaxa 4098 (2), pp. 383-391 : 385-388

Genus Spathiophaenodus gen. nov.

Type species: Spathiophaenodus annae sp. nov.

Description. Head transverse ( Fig. 5 ) and high ( Fig. 3 ), not depressed dorso-ventrally. Ocelli small, arranged in triangle with base weakly larger than its sides ( Fig. 5 ). Frons weakly convex, without median keel or furrow. Eyes of female with sparse and long pale setae ( Fig. 3 ). Occipital carina present, complete dorsally and ventrally, below curvedly fused with hypostomal carina . Malar suture absent. Clypeal suture shallow and complete. Hypoclypeal depression short and rather narrow. Maxillary palp ( Fig. 4 ) long and 6-segmented, its sixth (apical) segment 0.6– 0.7 × as long as fifth segment; labial palp long and 4-segmented, apical segment shortened, middle segment not shortened. Antenna ( Figs 6, 7 ) rather slender, long, more than 20-segmented. Scape long, distinctly widened towards apex, with deep incisure on apical lower margin, without apical lobe or basal constriction. First flagellar segment longer than second segment. Apical flagellar segment obtuse apically, without apical 'spine' ( Fig. 7 ).

Mesosoma ( Figs 8, 9 ) not depressed, high and short. Neck of prothorax relatively short, weakly convex dorsally (lateral view), without pronope (dorsal view). Pronotal carina distinct and arranged in submedial position on pronotum in female; fine, medially curved and fused with posterior margin of pronotum in male. Propleural posterior lobe wide and rather short. Mesonotum highly and vertically elevated above pronotum. Median lobe of mesonotum with distinct or short, rounded anterolateral corners ( Fig. 8 ). Notauli distinct, narrow, complete, crenulate, their posterior half delineate by oblique converging furrows fused to each other just before posterior border of mesoscutum ( Fig. 9 ). Prescutellar depression long, deep, with several coarse longitudinal carinae. Scutoscutellar suture distinct. Scutellum almost flat or weakly convex, with weak lateral carinae at least in basal half. Metanotum with long and subrounded or subpointed apically median tooth (lateral view). Subalar depression shallow, narrow, crenulate. Mesopleural pit deep and weakly elongated. Sternaulus deep, rather narrow, moderately long, almost straight or weakly curved, distinctly crenulate ( Fig. 8 ). Prepectal carina distinct and complete. Postpectal carina present. Metapleural flange rather long, wide, subpointed apically. Propodeum submedially with two long and blunt lateral spines (thorns); propodeal areas distinctly delineated by carinae; propodeal bridge absent.

Wings ( Figs 13–15 ). Pterostigma of fore wing rather wide; radial vein (r) arising distinctly behind middle of pterostigma, from its apical 0.35-0.40. Parastigma small. Radial (marginal) cell weakly shortened. First (2-SR) and second (r-m) radiomedial veins present. Second radiomedial (submarginal) cell medium-sized. Discoidal (first discal) cell short, petiolate anteriorly. Recurrent vein (m-cu) long, distinctly antefurcal. Mediocubital vein (M+CU1) straight. Nervulus (cu-a) short, distinctly postfurcal. Parallel vein (CU1a) interstitial or subinterstitial. Brachial (first subdiscal) cell widely open apically; brachial vein (CU1b) absent ( Fig. 13 ), but in males rarely present as short abscissa ( Fig. 15 ). Both transverse anal veins (2A, a) absent. Hind wing with three hamuli. Medial (basal) cell rather wide, 0.4 × as long as hind wing. Radial vein (SR) strongly desclerotised; radial (marginal) cell without additional transverse vein (r). Nervellus (cu-a) present. Submedial (subbasal) cell closed and rather short. Recurrent vein (m-cu) present, short, interstitial.

Legs. All tibiae slender, weakly widened towards apex, without spines. Hind coxa medium-sized, without basoventral tooth. Hind femur ( Fig. 12 ) rather slender, claviform, weakly curved basally. Hind tibial spurs short. Basitarsus of hind tarsus 0.7 × as long as second-fifth segments combined ( Fig. 11 ).

Metasoma ( Figs 16, 18 ). First tergite petiolate ( Figs 17, 19 ), long and narrow (dorsal view), strongly convex dorsally (lateral view). Acrosternite of first segments about 0.6 × as long as first tergite ( Fig. 16 ), its apical margin situated distinctly behind level of spiracles. Dorsope of first tergite very small; basolateral lobes absent. Spiracular tubercles distinct, situated nearly middle of tergite ( Figs 17, 19 ); dorsal carinae distinct and complete. Suture between second and third tergites absent ( Fig. 18 ). Second tergite with distinctly separated laterotergites; remaining tergites without separated laterotergites ( Fig. 16 ). Ovipositor sheath short, shorter than petiole or hind basitarsus. Ovipositor subapically with distinct subapical notch on dorsal part and serrate in lower part ( Fig. 16 ).

Comparative diagnosis. Spathiophaenodus gen. nov. distinctly differs from all known species of the tribe Pambolini by its first metasomal segment petiolate and with a strongly elongated acrosternite, the presence of long and sparse setae on female eyes and of a distinct subapical notch on dorsal part of ovipositor.

Etymology. From combination of the braconid generic names Spathius and Phaenodus , because this new genus has the petiolate metasoma of the first genus and the wing venation of the second genus. The gender is masculine.

Distribution. Papua New Guinea.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 12. Spathiophaenodus annae gen. et sp. nov. (female, holotype). 1, Body, lateral view. 2, Body, dorsal view. 3, Head, front view. 4, Head and palpi, lateral view. 5, Head, dorsal view. 6, Basal segments of antenna. 7, Apical segments of antenna. 8, Mesosoma, lateral view. 9, Mesosoma, dorsal view. 10, Propodeum and first metasomal tergite, dorsal view. 11, Tarsus of hind leg. 12, Hind leg (without tarsus).

FIGURES 13 – 19. Spathiophaenodus annae gen. et sp. nov. (13, 14, 16, 18, 19, female, holotype; 15, 17, male, paratype). 13, Fore wing. 14, Hind wing. 15, Median part of fore wing. 16, Metasoma, lateral view. 17, 19, First metasomal tergite (petiole), dorsal view. 18, Metasoma, dorsal view.