Photelesor acricauda 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 : 368-370

Photelesor acricauda Liu & Chen , sp. n.

Figures 9 , 20

Description. Female. Body length ca.3.0 mm, fore wing length ca. 2.9 mm.

Head. Transverse in dorsal view, 1.9× as wide as long and slightly wider than (1.1×) mesoscutum. Eye in dorsal view 1.4× longer than temple. Temple highly shiny and with weak punctures, slightly broad. Face transverse, 0.8× as high as wide, highly shiny, with even dense 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=5.0:1.5:3.0. Last eight joints of flagellum missing.

Mesosoma. Length: breadth: height=43.0:24.5:32.0. Disc of mesonotum highly shiny with satin-like sheen to polished posteriorly, shallow small punctures anteriorly, interspaces not smaller than diameter of punctures. Scutellar sulcus straight, with deep foveolation. Scutellum highly shiny with superficial punctures all over. Postscutellum with a very strong emargination between its middle point and forwarding-pointing projection, thus, phragma freely exposed to a largest extent as compared with other species. Propodeum highly shiny, evenly punctate except posterolateral fields and depressed middle part, rugulose around nucha. Mesopleuron highly polished, its anterior part with distinct punctuation.

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

Wings. Pterostigma relatively large, 2.5× as long as its widest part. Vein 1-R1 (metacarp) longer than pterostigma. Vein r arising from middle of pterostigma, almost as long as width of pterostigma, vein r distinctly longer than vein 2-SR, both veins distinctly angled at their meeting, vein 2-M 3/4 length of vein 2-SR. 1st discal cell only slightly wider than high. Vein 2r-m of hind wing indistinct. Vein cu-a slightly curved and perpendicular to vein 1-1A.

Metasoma. 1.3× longer than thorax (56.0: 43.0). T1 slightly narrowing towards apex, 2.1× longer than hind broad, basal width 1.5× hind width, concave at base, shiny, punctate-subrugulose all over except hind polished tubercle. T2 highly triangular, straight apically, 1.7× wider than long in the middle, highly shiny and polished except rugulose posterolaterally. T3 1.4× longer than T2. Tergites after T1 shiny, smooth, less pubescent. Hypopygium somewhat longer than apex of abdomen. Ovipositor sheath short, a little shorter than basitarsus, acicular.

Colour. Body black and glossy. Palpi and spurs of hind tibia pale yellow. Tegula brown to dark. Labrum and mandible dark reddish yellow. Legs reddish yellow, except coxae reddish brown to black and apex of mid and hind tibiae with tarsus brownish. Antenna and ovipositor sheath brown. Wing membrane hyaline, vein 1-R1, C+SC+R, r, 2-SR, 2-M and pterostigma brownish, other alar veins pale yellow.

Male. Unknown.

Host. Unknown.

Material examined. Holotype: ♀, Baotianman (1800m), Neixiang, Henan, 1998. VII.15, Ma Yun , No. 986705 . Paratype: 1♀, Wanglang Nature Reserve, Sichuan, 2006. VII.26, Zhang Hongying , No. 200612711.

Distribution. China (Henan, Sichuan).

Etymology. The specific name “ acricauda ” derives from Latin noun“cauda” with prefix “acri-”, referring to acicular-shaped ovipositor sheath.

Remarks. This species is somewhat aberrant in Pholetesor by having the scutellar sulcus with obvious foveolation, phragma much more freely exposed compared with other species; and its relatively larger body size. It is also similar to P. circumscriptus , except for propodeum evenly punctate except posterolateral fields and depressed middle part; T2 polished except rugulose posterolaterally; and scutellar sulcus with deep foveolation.

Figures

FIGURE 9. Pholetesor acricauda Liu & Chen, sp. n. a head, dorsal view; b propodeum and metasoma; c hind wing; d habitus, dorsal view; e phragma; f head, frontal view; g fore wing; h mesosoma, dorsal 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.