Pholetesor lyonetiae 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 : 379-382

Pholetesor lyonetiae Liu & Chen , sp. n.

Figures 16 , 20

Description. Female. Body length ca. 1.6 mm, fore wing length ca. 1.9 mm.

Head. Transverse in dorsal view, 1.9× as wide as long and slightly narrower than (0.9×) mesoscutum. Eye in dorsal view 1.6× longer than temple. Temple highly shiny and almost without punctures, not constricted. Face quadrate, relatively dull, uneven with dense minute punctures, inner margin of eyes distinctly convergent below. Ocelli of normal size, distance between fore and a hind ocellus larger than diameter of hind ocellus, POL:OD:OOL=4.0:2.0: 3.0. Last 10 flagellomeres missing.

Mesosoma. Length: breadth: height=31.0:21.0:20.0. Disc of mesonotum slightly shiny with more or less satinlike sheen posteriorly, and fine, shallow punctures anteriorly, interspaces not larger than diameter of punctures. Scutellar sulcus slightly curved, narrow with carinae in between. Scutellum highly polished, almost without punctuation. Postscutellum with a strong emargination between its middle point and forwarding-pointing projection, thus, phragma freely exposed. Propodeum shiny, almost polished all over, except rugose above nucha, relatively short, at least 2× wider than long. Mesopleuron highly polished, its anterior part with superficial, sparse punctuation.

Legs. Spines on outer side of hind tibia scattered. Inner spur of hind tibia longer than outer spur, almost 1/2× length of basitarsus, outer spur almost 1/3× length of basitarsus. Hind basitarsus slightly shorter than tarsal segments 2–4 combined.

Wings. Pterostigma 2.7× as long as its widest part. Vein 1-R1 (metacarp) very long (almost closing the marginal cell). Vein r arising from middle of pterostigma, nearly as long as width of pterostigma, vein r almost as long as vein 2-SR, both veins distinctly angled at their meeting, vein 2-M almost half length of vein 2-SR. 1st discal cell 1.2× wider than high. 1st submarginal cell of hind wing 2.8× wider than high. Vein cu-a somewhat curved.

Metasoma. Slightly shorter than (0.9×) thorax. T1 strongly narrowing towards apex, and 2.5× longer than hind broad, basal width 2× hind width, distinctly concave at base, highly shiny, mostly polished, except faintly uneven to weakly rugulose apically. T2 subtriangular, distinctly curved into T3 apically, 2.5× wider than long in the middle, slightly uneven. T3 1.3× longer than T2. Tergites after T2 relatively shiny, smooth, less pubescent. Hypopygium not longer than apex of abdomen. Ovipositor sheath very long, nearly as long as hind tibia.

Colour. Body black, except basal concave part and apex of abdomen yellowish brown. Palpi white. Tegula dark. Spurs of hind tibia pale yellow. Antenna light yellowish brown. Labrum and mandible reddish yellow. Legs relatively darker, reddish brown, except mid and hind tibiae and tarsi yellowish. Wing membrane hyaline, vein 1- R1, C+SC+R and border of pterostigma yellowish brown, pterostigma pale yellow, alar veins pale yellow.

Male. Unknown.

Host. According to the label, Lyonetia prunifoliella Hubner (Lyonetiidae) .

Material examined. Holotype: ♀, Mei County, Shaanxi, 1974.IV, Chen Youguang , No. 740203 . Paratypes: 2♀♀, Mei County, Shaanxi, 1974.IV, Chen Youguang , No. 740203(2).

Distribution. China (Shaanxi).

Etymology. The specific name “ lyonetiae ”, refers to the host, larva of Lyonetia prunifoliella .

Remarks. This species is similar to P. ar i s b a Nixon, except for the following: scutellar sulcus with carinae in between (the latter reduced, without obvious foveolation); ovipositor sheath very long, nearly as long as hind tibia (the latter much shorter); and T1 mostly smooth (the latter strongly rugose).

Figures

FIGURE 16. Pholetesor lyonetiae Liu & Chen, sp. n. a T 1 – 3, dorsal view; b habitus, dorsal view; c mesosoma, dorsal view; d head, dorsal view; e fore wing and hind wing; f head, frontal view. Scale line = 0.5 mm.

FIGURE 20. Distribution map of circumscriptus - group of Pholetesor species in China. •: Pholetesor acricauda Liu & Chen, sp. n.; ■: Pholetesor argyresthiae Liu & Chen, sp. n.; •: Pholetesor arisba (Nixon, 1973); Δ: Pholetesor circumscriptus Liu & Chen, sp. n.; Ŧ: Pholetesor confusus Liu & Chen, sp. n.; Ɨ: Pholetesor flaviparvus Liu & Chen, sp. n.; *: Pholetesor lithocolletis Liu & Chen, sp. n.; ♥: Pholetesor lyonetiae Liu & Chen, sp. n.; L: Pholetesor teresitergum Liu & Chen, sp. n.