Microchelonus (M.) iranicus Tobias, 2001

Papp, JENő, 2014, Faunistic Contributions To The Microchelonus Szépligeti Species Of The Palaearctic Region, With Descriptions Of Two New Species (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Cheloninae), Acta Zoologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae 60 (4), pp. 325-358 : 336-339

Microchelonus (M.) iranicus Tobias, 2001

(Figs 1–12)

Microchelonus iranicus ToBiAs, 2001: 162 f (in key), type locality: “ Iran / 14 VII 1961 / leg. KlAPPErich”, femaleholotypeinHungarianNaturalHistoryMuseum (Department ofZoology), Budapest, Hym. Typ. No. 11596. Typecondition: antennaedamaged, missing: tarsomeres 4–5 ofrightforelegandfifthtarsomereofrighthindleg. – To- BiAs 2010: 130 (in key) and 302 (Figs 7–9) .

Materialexamined (3 f): 1.) Femaleholotype: itsdataseeabove. – 2.) Twofemales (in Budapest): Iran, prov. Alborz, Shahrestanak , takenwithMalaisetrap, 28 VI – 6 VII 2010, leg. A. Nadimi.

Taxonomy – ThetwofemalesfromIrandeviateinafewfeaturesfromthe holotypefemale, thesedeviationsaretreatedasintraspecificvariations, i.enot meetingtherequirementofthespecificdistinction. Subsequentlyfirstthede- viationsbetweentheholotypefemaleandthetwofemalesarepresented; sec- ondlythespecificdistinctionbetween, besides M. nigritibialis (Abdinbekova) and M. kaszabi Tobias ( ToBiAs 2010: 129–130), M. iranicus andthetwospecies: M. flavonaevulus (Abdinbekova) and M. vitalii Tobiasisdisclosed , theselatter twospeciesarealsonearto M. iranicus .

1.) Distinctivefeaturesbetweentheholotypefemaleandthetwofemales of M. iranicus Tobias :

1 (2) Holotypefemale: Body 3.5 mmlong (andnot ” 3.3 mm ”). Templeslightly morereceded, eyeindorsalview 1.9 timeslongerthantemple (Fig. 1). Anteriorhalfofmiddlelobeofmesoscutumsmooth, i.e. finely (sub-) punctateandshiny. Hindfemur 3.8 times (andnot 4 times) aslongas broaddistally (Fig. 2). Forewing: pterostigmaand 1–R1 equalinlength (Fig. 3, seearrows). Scutellumpolished. Carapacedarkrustytolatarelly andapicallyblackish, basallyyellow, latero-apicallysomewhatlesstrun- cate (Fig. 10). Bothflagellidamaged: rightflagellumwith 11 flagellom- eresandleftflagellomereswithoneflagellomere, lengthtowidthof 11th flagellomere 11:10 (1.1 timeslonger), 10thflagellomere 11:12 (0.9 times longer) and 9thflagellomere 11:13 (0.8 timeslonger) (Fig. 4).

2 (1) Twofemales: Body 3.9–4.2 mmlong. Templeslightlylessreceded, eye indorsalview 1.5–1.6 timeslongerthantemple (Fig. 5). Anteriorhalf ofmiddlelobeofmesoscutumpunctate- rugulose, subshiny. Hindfemur 3.3 timesaslongasbroaddistally (Fig. 6). Forewing: pterostigmaabit longer (40:37, Fig. 8) to as long as 1–R1 (cf. Fig. 3). Scutellum subrugulose torugulose, mediallysubshiny. Carapaceblack, basallypaleyellow, lat- ero-apicallysomewhatmoretruncate (cf. Fig. 29). Flagelliundamaged: lengthtowidthof 14th (apical) flagellomere 16:8 (twicelonger), 13th (pe- nultimate) flagellomere 10:9 (1.1 timeslonger), 12thflagellomere 11:10 (1.1 timeslonger), 11thflagellomere 11:12 (0.9 timeslonger), 10thand 9th flagellomeres 11:12.5 (0.88 timeslonger), i.e. flagellomeres 12–9 subcubic: justbroaderthanlong (Fig. 9).

InhiskeyToBiAs (2001: 160–163) placedthenewspecies M. iranicus near to three other new species: M. ferganicus , M. tadzhicus and M. erdosi . In the monographofthePalaearcticspeciesof Microchelonus thespecies M. iranicus runsto M. kaszabi Tobias ( ToBiAs 2010: 130). Are- examinationoftheholotype femaleandthetwofemalespecimensof M. iranicus revealedthatitisalso related, asmentionedbefore, to M. flavonaevulus (Abdinbekova) and M. vitalli Tobias. Theirdistinctionissubsequentlyexpounded:

2.) Taxonomicdistinctionbetween M. iranicus and M. flavonaevulus ; their commonfeaturesaretherugoseupperpartofhead (occiput, vertex, frons), recededtempleindorsalview (Figs 1, 5). andyellowbasalthirdofcarapace; thefemaledifferfromeachotherasfollows:

Figs 1–15. Microchelonus species. 1 –12: M. iranicus Tobias (1–4: and 10–11: holotypefemale, 5–9: female): 1 = headindorsalviewindicationofitsrugosity, 2 = hindfemur, 3 = distal partofrightforewing, 4 = flagellomeres 7–11 offholotype, 5 = headindorsalview, 6 = hindfemur, 7–8 = distalpartofrightforewing, 9 = flagellomeres 7–14 off, 10 = carapacein lateralview, 11 = carapaceindorsalviewwithindicationofitssculpture, 12 =apico-ventral endofcarapace. – 13–15: M. flavonaevulus (Abdinbekova) (f): 13 = flagellomeres 10–14 of

f, 14 = distal part of right fore wing, 15 = hind femur.

1 (2) Penultimatefourflagellomeresshort: flagellomere 13th 1.25 times (10:8), 12th and 11th 0.9 times (10:11, 11:12) and 10th 0.88 times (11:12.5) as long asbroad, i.e. flagellomeres 12–10 subcubic, justbroaderthanlong (Figs 4, 9). Carapaceindorsalviewslightlylessbellyandreticulate- rugose (Fig. 11). Forewing: 1–R1 (almost) aslongaspterostigma (Figs 3, 7, 8, seearrows). Hindfemurbroadestdistally (Figs 2, 6). f: 4–4.2 mm. – Iran

M. (M.) iranicus Tobias, 2001

2 (1) Penultimatefourflagellomereslong: flagellomere 13th 2.2 times (11:5), 12th 2.5 times (15:6), 11th 2.6 times (17:6.5) andflagellomere 10th 2.8 times (20:7) aslongasbroad (Fig. 13). Carapaceindorsalviewslightly morebellyandwithstriatesculpture (Fig. 28). Forewing: 1–R1 one- fourthshorterthanlengthofpterostigma (30:40, Fig. 14, seearrows). Hindfemurbroadestmedially (Fig. 15). f: (3–) 3.6–3.8 mm. – Western PalaearcticRegion M. (M.) flavonaevulus ( Abdinbekova, 1971)

3.) Taxonomicdistinctionbetween M. iranicus and M. vitalii ; thefemales ofthesetwospeciesareneartoeachotherbytheirshortflagellomeresand yellowbasalthirdofcarapace, however, theyaredifferentiatedbythefollowingfeatures ( M. vitalii knownbyitsdescriptions ( ToBiAs 1997 b: 299, 2010: 134):

1 (2) Fore wing: 1–R1 (almost) as long as pterostigma (Figs 3, 7, 8, see arrows). Headaboverugose (Fig. 1). Carapaceapico-ventrallyweaklyincurved: incurvedpartaslongashalftarsomere 2 (Fig. 12, seearrow). Propo- deum: transversecarinaandlateralpairoftuberculesindistinct. f: 4–4.2 mm. – Iran M. (M.) iranicus Tobias, 2001

2 (1) Forewing: 1–R1 short, 0.85 timesaslongaspterostigma (Fig. 30). Head abovewithtransversefinestriolation (cf. Fig. 33). Carapaceapico-ven- trallyincurved: incurvedpartaslongashindtarsomeres 2–3 combined (Fig. 31), i.e. ventralapertureofcarapaceshorterthancarapaceitself. Propodeum: transversecarinaandlateralpairoftuberculesweaklydistinct. f: 3.3–4.1 mm. – Turkmenistan M. (M.) vitalii Tobias, 1997