Pholetesor argyresthiae 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 : 370

Pholetesor argyresthiae Liu & Chen , sp. n.

Figures 10 , 20

Description. Female. Body length ca. 2.5 mm, fore wing length ca. 2.8 mm.

Head. Transverse in dorsal view, 1.9× as wide as long and somewhat wider than (1.1×) mesoscutum. Eye in dorsal view 1.4× longer than temple. Temple shiny and without punctures, broad. Face subquadrate, 0.9× as high as wide, relatively dull, uneven with minute punctures, inner margin of eyes distinctly convergent below. Ocelli relatively small, distance between fore and a hind ocellus slightly larger than diameter of hind ocellus, POL:OD:OOL=4.0:1.5:3.5. Antenna distinctly longer than body, penultimate antennomere subcubic to 1.6× longer than wide.

Mesosoma. Length: breadth: height=40.0:22.0:30.0. Disc of mesonotum slightly shiny with satin-like sheen posteriorly, weakly punctate anteriorly, interspaces larger than diameter of punctures. Scutellar sulcus narrow, straight, finely crenulated. Scutellum highly polished, without punctuation but with dense setae. 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 long, less than twice wider than long. Mesopleuron highly polished, its anterior part with long setae, but without punctuation.

Legs. Spines on outer side of hind tibia scattered. Spurs of hind tibia nearly of even size, 1/3× length of basitarsus. Hind basitarsus of hind slightly shorter than tarsal segments 2–4 combined.

Wings. Pterostigma 2.9× as long as its widest part. Vein 1-R1 (metacarp) almost as long as pterostigma, 3.7× as long as its distance from apex of marginal cell. Vein r arising from apex of pterostigma, nearly as long as width of pterostigma, vein r faintly longer than vein 2-SR, both veins distinctly angled at their meeting, vein 2-M almost 3/4 length of vein 2-SR. 1st discal cell as wide as high. 1st submarginal cell of hind wing 2.8× wider than high. Vein cu-a strongly incurved.

Metasoma. Almost as long as thorax. T1 strongly narrowing towards apex, and long, 2.9× longer than hind broad, basal width 2× hind width, distinctly concave at base, turned over part shiny, relatively polished, uneven to weakly rugulose. T2 subtriangular to transverse, straight apically, 3.6× wider than long in the middle, slightly uneven apically. T3 1.5× longer than T2. Tergites after T2 relatively shiny, smooth, less pubescent. Hypopygium not longer than apex of abdomen. Ovipositor sheath long, nearly as long as hind tibia, and markedly wide.

Colour. Body black. Tegula dark brown. Palpi and spurs of hind tibia dirty yellow. Antenna and ovipositor sheath evenly brown. Labrum and mandible dark reddish yellow. Legs relatively darker, reddish brown, except yellowish at extreme end of femora and very anterior part of tibiae. Wing membrane hyaline, vein 1-R1, C+SC+R and upper border of pterostigma brown, pterostigma yellowish brown, alar veins light brown.

Male. Similar to female, except for antenna much longer (penultimate antennomere at least twice longer than wide) and T2 more triangular (only 2× wider than long in the middle).

Host. According to the label, Argyresthia sabinae Moriuli (Argyresthiidae) .

Material examined. Holotype: ♀, Zhangye, Gansu, 1985.V, He Junhua , No. 864483 . Paratypes: 2♀♀, Zhangye, Gansu, 1985.V, He Junhua , Nos. 864483 (2) ; 3♂♂, Zhangye, Gansu, 1985.V, He Junhua , Nos. 864483 (3).

Distribution. China (Gansu).

Etymology. The specific name “ argyresthiae ”, referring to that it is parasitoid of larva of Argyresthia sabinae .

Remarks. This species is similar to P. lyonetiae Liu & Chen , sp. n., except for the following: ovipositor sheath much wider than the latter; 1st discal cell as wide as high; and T2 much wider than long.

Figures

FIGURE 10. Pholetesor argyresthiae Liu & Chen, sp. n. a phragma and propodeum, dorsal view; b head, frontal view; c antenna; d mesonotum and scutellum, dorsal view; e fore wing; f metasoma, dorsal view; g head, dorsal view; h hind wing; i habitus, 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.