Apanteles (Choeras) parviocellus Song & Chen

Song, Sheng-Nan, He, Jun-Hua & Chen, Xue-Xin, 2014, The subgenus Choeras Mason, 1981 of genus Apanteles Foerster, 1862 (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Microgastrinae) from China, with descriptions of eighteen new species, Zootaxa 3754 (5), pp. 501-554 : 528-531

Apanteles (Choeras) parviocellus Song & Chen , sp. n.

( Figure 11. a–j )

Description. Female. Length of body 2.4 mm, of fore wing 2.9 mm.

Head. 2.0 times as wide as long, almost as wide as the width of mesoscutum. Antenna with 18 segments, almost as long as the body, segments normally setose and matt, subapical antennal segments slightly elongated, length of 16th segment equal to 15th segment, length of third segment equal to fourth segment, length of third, fourth, 15th, 16th and penultimate segments 3.8, 3.3, 1.3, 1.3 and 1.2 times as long as their width, respectively. In dorsal view length of eye 1.1 times as long as length of temple. Ocellar triangle almost flat, sparsely setose and softly shiny. Ocelli in a moderately high triangle, the posterior transverse tangent to the median ocellus not touching the posterior pair; ocelli small, their diameter longer than the distance between the hind and fore ocellus. OOL: OD: POL = 15: 5: 9. Frons smooth, shiny and distinctly concave medially, narrowly punctulate, setose and mat laterally and posteriorly. Temple and vertex densely and rather finely punctulate and pubescent. Face and clypeus punctulate and setose, softly shiny. Face with a median longitudinal carina. Labrum flat and sparsely pubescent. Length of malar space 0.5 times as long as basal width of mandible.

Mesosoma. Length of mesosoma 1.6 times as long as its height. Side of pronotum sparsely setose and mat, only with trace of ventral furrow and without any trace of dorsal furrow. Propleuron smooth and largely mat, only small area shiny. Prepectal carina and precoxal sulcus completely absent. Mesopleuron distinctly punctulate and setose, but smooth, shiny and glabrous medially. Mesoscutum finely and densely punctulate, softly shiny and densely setose. Notauli absent. Scutellar sulcus very narrow, with hardly visible crenulation, width about equal to length of scutellum. Scutellum flat, sparsely punctulate and setose. Side of scutellum with wide crenulate depression, lunula small-sized and obtusely triangular. Propodeum shiny, medio-posteriorly with some crenulate rugae and with an incomplete median carina, smooth posterio-laterally, the remainder sparsely punctulate and setose, no areola, costulae.

Wings. Fore wing evenly covered with lightly brownish hairs, denser towards the apex. Pterostigma relatively wide, 2.5 times as long as wide. Vein 1-R1 1.2 times as long as pterostigma and about 3.5 times as long as the distance from it to the top of marginal cell. Vein r slightly curved and 0.8 times as long as 2-SR, vein r arising beyond the middle of pterostigma and shorter than breadth of pterostigma. Vein 2-SR straight. Stub of vein r-m of fore wing short, resulting in an open second submarginal cell. 1-CU1: 2-CU1= 8: 9. Vein 1-SR pointing to the junction of 1-CU1 and 2-CU1. Hind Wing evenly covered with brown hairs, setose. Vein cu-a curved. Edge of vannal lobe beyond its widest part very slightly convex and here without a fringe of hairs.

Legs. Hind coxa sparsely punctulate and setose dorsally, but densely punctulate and setose laterally. Length of hind coxa shorter than half of thorax. Tarsal claws slender and setose. Longer spur of middle tibia not reaching apex of middle basitarsus. Length of femur, tibia and basitarsus of hind leg 3.3, 5.2 and 5.2 times as long as their width, respectively. Length of hind tibial spurs 0.5 and 0.3 times as long as hind basitarsus respectively. Hind femur densely setose.

Metasoma. Tergite I distinctly quadrangular, slightly narrowed apically, lateral sides more or less straight and slightly concave apically, its basal width 1.4 times as long as its apical width which is 1.8 times as long as median length of tergite II; basal half with a relatively wide and shallow excavation which is slightly and faintly rugose, the remainder densely punctulate and sparsely setose. Tergite II transverse quadrangular, apical side slightly curved medially which is 2.3, 3.8 times as long as basal width and its length; median area smooth and shiny, sparsely punctulate and setose apically. Tergite III smooth and setose, longer than tergite II. Remaining tergites smooth, shiny and densely setose. Ovipositor sheaths with long setae, very slender at base but rather widened toward apex, length of it (total length) 0.9 times as long as hind tibia. Hypopygium largely sclerotized, only near median line membranous and with a medio-ventral crease, with narrow and longitudinal creases laterally, acute apically.

Colour. Head black. Mandible yellowish brown and testaceous apically. Clypeus dark brown. Labrum yellowish brown. Mesosoma black. Wing membrane subhyaline with pterostigma and veins 1-R1, r and 2-SR dark brown. Other veins of fore wings yellowish brown. Veins of hind wing weakly pigmented. Fore and middle leg largely yellow, but distal tarsi dark brown, middle tibia and tarsi yellowish brown laterally and dorsally. Hind coxa black. hind trochanter, trochantellus and femur yellow, but hind femur brown apically. Hind tibia brown apical 0.3, remainder part yellowish. Hind basal tarsi brown apico-lateral 0.4, remainder yellowish. Remainder hind tarsi brown. Tibial spurs yellowish. Tergite I and II blackish brown. Remaining tergites brown and apically with pale margin. Ovipositor dark brown, its sheath blackish brown.

Variation. Body length 1.7–3.8 mm. Fore wing length 1.8–4.0 mm. Some individuals with tergite I entirely slightly rugose. Some individuals with tergites (except tergite I and II black) yellow with indefinite black or brown streaks. Length of ovipositor sheaths (total length) 0.6–0.9 times as long as hind tibia. Some individuals with median carina of propodeum very weak, almost invisible.

Male. Unknown.

Biology. Unknown.

Material examined. Holotype, ♀, China, Sichuan Prov., Wanglang Natural Reserve, 2006. VII. 26, Zhang Hongying, No. 200615180 ( ZJUH). Paratypes (all in ZJUH): 1♀, China, Neimenggu Prov., Daqingshan, 2000. VIII.18, Chen Xuexin, No. 200701851; 1♀, China, Hainan Prov., Bawangling, 2007. VI.9–10, Zeng Jie, No. 200804528; 1♀, China, Hainan Prov., Bawangling, 2007. VI.9–10, Liu Jingxian, No. 200703583; 1♀, China, Hainan Prov., Diaoluoshan, 2007. VI. 1–2, Liu Jingxian, No. 200703952; 5♀, China, Sichuan Prov., Wanglang Natural Reserve, 2006. VII. 26, Zhang Hongying, No. 200613348, 200615199, 200615282, 200615292, 200615312; 1♀, China, Guizhou Prov., Fanjingshan, Jinding, 1993. VII. 12, Chen Xuexin, No. 9382261♀, China, Yunnan Prov., Anning Hot Spring, 1988. VII. 9–13, Chen Xuexin, No. 887979; 1♀, China, Ningxia Prov., Liupanshan, 2008. VI.21–VII.14, Yao Jiemin, No. 200807958;1♀, China, Taiwan Prov., Duonalindao, 2011. VI. 13, Tang Pu, No. 201104969.

Distribution. China (Neimenggu, Hainan, Sichuan, Guizhou, Yunnan, Ningxia, Taiwan) ( Fig. 22 ).

Remark. The new species is similar to Apanteles (Choeras) parasitellae (Bouche, 1834) , but can be distinguished by vein r 0.8 times as long as 2-SR (the latter 1.2–1.4 times); tegulae black (the latter yellow); and face distinctly punctulate and setose, softly shiny (the latter nearly smooth, shiny).

Etymology. The specific name “ parviocellus ” derives from the Latin adjective “parvus” and noun “ocellus”, referring to the ocellus very small.

Figures

FIGURE 22. Distribution map of Choeras species in China III. ●: Apanteles (Choeras) parviocellus Song & Chen, sp. n.; ┼: Apanteles (Choeras) rugulosus Song & Chen, sp. n.; ▲: Apanteles (Choeras) semilunatus Song & Chen, sp. n.; Δ: Apanteles (Choeras) semirugosus Song & Chen, sp. n..

FIGURE 11. a – j. Apanteles (Choeras) parviocellus Song & Chen, sp. n. a, habitus, lateral view; b, antenna; c, fore wing; d, hind wing; e, head, dorsal view; f, head, frontal view; g, mesosoma, lateral view; h, propodeum and T 1 – T 3, dorsal view; i, mesoscutum and scutellum, dorsal view; j, hypopygium and ovipositor sheaths, lateral view.