Photelesor artusisulcus Liu & Chen

Liu, Zhen, He, Jun-Hua & Chen, Xue-Xin, 2016, The genus Pholetesor Mason, 1981 (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Microgastrinae) from China, with descriptions of eleven new species, Zootaxa 4150 (4), pp. 351-387 : 353-355

Photelesor artusisulcus Liu & Chen , sp. n.

Figures 1 , 18

Description. Female. Body length ca. 2.1 mm, fore wing length ca. 2.4 mm.

Head. Transverse in dorsal view, 1.8× as wide as long and 1.2× wider than mesoscutum. Eye in dorsal view 1.2× longer than temple. Temple highly shiny and coarsely, shallowly punctate, slightly broad. Face quadrate, relatively dull, with dense, even minute punctures, not bulging medially, inner margin of eyes subparallel. Ocelli small, distance between fore and a hind ocellus not smaller than diameter of hind ocellus, POL:OD:OOL=3.8:1.5:3.0. Antenna slightly longer than body, penultimate antennomere 1.6× longer than wide.

Mesosoma. Length: breadth: height=35.0:20.5:23.0. Disc of mesonotum relatively dull with somewhat satinlike sheen posteriorly, finely punctate anteriorly, interspaces larger than diameter of punctures. Scutellar sulcus strongly curved, remarkably narrow, without carinae in between. Postscutellum with a not very strong emargination between its middle point and forwarding-pointing projection, thus, phragma only slightly exposed. Propodeum shiny, coarsely punctate except for posterolateral fields and middle part, short U-shaped ridges reaching out from nucha. Mesopleuron highly polished, its anterior part with distinct punctuation.

Legs. Spines on outer side of hind tibia scattered. Inner spur of hind tibia almost 2× longer than outer spur, nearly 2/5× length of basitarsus, outer spur 1/5× length of basitarsus. Hind basitarsus slightly shorter than tarsal segments 2–4 combined.

Wings. Pterostigma relatively large, 2.6× as long as its widest part. Vein 1-R1 (metacarp) 1.2× longer than pterostigma, 4.8× as long as its distance from apex of marginal cell. Vein r arising from middle of pterostigma, distinctly shorter than width of pterostigma, vein r faintly shorter than or as long as vein 2-SR, both veins weakly angled at their meeting, vein 2-M 3/5 length of vein 2-SR. 1st discal cell 1.3× wider than high. 1st submarginal cell of hind wing 2.2× wider than high. Vein cu-a slightly curved.

Metasoma. Slightly longer than (1.1×) thorax. T1 strongly narrowing towards apex, 2.5× longer than hind broad, basal width 2.3×hind width, slightly concave at base, shiny, weakly rugulose with scattered deep punctures apically. T2 highly triangular, straight apically, 1.5× wider than long in the middle, a little shiny but slightly uneven. T3 about 1.2× longer than T2. Tergites after T1 shiny, smooth, and pubescent. Hypopygium as long as apex of abdomen. Ovipositor sheath short, a little shorter than basitarsus, subfusiform.

Colour. Body black, except hind of T3 whitish. Palpi white. Tegula and spurs on hind tibia pale yellow. Labrum and mandible light reddish yellow. Legs bright yellow, except hind coxa mostly dark and apex of hind tibia with tarsus brownish. Antenna and ovipositor sheath light brown. Wing membrane hyaline, vein 1-R1, C+SC+R, r, 2-SR, 2-M and pterostigma light brown, other alar veins yellowish.

Variation. Paratypes are slightly different from holotype by having surface of T2 somewhat rugulose and T1 with less rugosity.

Male. Unknown.

Host. Unknown.

Material examined. Holotype: ♀, Jingyuan , Ningxia, 2008 . VII.8, Liu Jingxian, No. 200905377. Paratypes: 1♀, Erlonghelinchang, Jingyuan , Ningxia, 2008 . VII.3, Yao Jiemin, No. 200808396; 2♀♀, Mt. Tianmu , Zhejiang, 1983 . VI.19, Ma Yun, Nos. 831443, 831441; 1♀, Hangzhou , Zhejiang, 1983 . VII.1, Zhu Kunyan , No. 831746.

Distribution. China (Ningxia, Zhejiang).

Etymology. The specific name “ artusisulcus ” derives from Latin adjective “artus” and noun “sulcus”, referring to remarkably narrow scutellar sulcus.

Remarks. This species is similar to P. circumscriptus (Nees) except the following: phragma only slightly exposed (the latter freely exposed); T1 weakly rugulose with scattered heavy punctures apically (the latter with apical part of T1 strongly shining, almost polished); and ovipositor sheath distinctly shorter than basitarsus (the latter much longer).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Pholetesor artusisulcus Liu & Chen, sp. n. a head, dorsal view; b hind wing; c habitus, dorsal view; d mesosoma, dorsal view; e fore wing; f head, frontal view; g propodeum and metasoma. Scale line = 0.5 mm.

FIGURE 18. Distribution map of bedelliae - group of Pholetesor species in China.: • Pholetesor artusisulcus Liu & Chen, sp. n.; ■: Pholetesor flavigleba Liu & Chen, sp. n.; Δ: Pholetesor maritimus (Wilkinson, 1941); Ŧ: Pholetesor spinadensus Liu & Chen, sp. n.; Ɨ: Pholetesor taiwanensis Liu & Chen, sp. n.; ♥: Pholetesor viminetorum (Wesmael, 1837).