Hecabolus acutus, Castañeda-Osorio & Belokobylskij & Zaldívar-Riverón, 2022

Castañeda-Osorio, Rubén, Belokobylskij, Sergey A. & Zaldívar-Riverón, Alejandro, 2022, Four new species of Hecabolus Curtis, 1834 (Braconidae, Doryctinae) from south and southwestern Brazil, with notes on the morphological variation and geographic distribution of H. mexicanus ZaldívarRiverón & Belokobylskij, 2009, European Journal of Taxonomy 846, pp. 126-151 : 130-133

Hecabolus acutus sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:28A1B6AA-0A30-4392-ADBF-FF5F5F497FE7

Fig. 1

Diagnosis

Hecabolus acutus sp. nov. is morphologically similar to H. assis , H. robustus and H. sulcatus as all have a moderately short basal sternal plate of the first metasomal segment; and similar to H. shimborii and H. mexicanus in the narrow pterostigma, vertex at least partially striate, and lobes of the mesoscutum coriaceous. Hecabolus acutus sp. nov. can mainly be distinguished from the remaining species of Hecabolus by having the distinctly lateral pointed edges of the median mesonotal lobe above the notauli ( Fig. 1A, D ) (absent in the remaining species); prescutellar depression with 10–12 carinae (12 carinae in H. semiaridus and 3–8 carinae in the remaining species), and the second and remaining metasomal tergites entirely smooth and polished (at least basal part of the second tergite sculptured in the remaining species).

Etymology

The specific epithet comes from the Latin word ‘ acutus ’, in reference to the antero-lateral pointed edges of the middle mesoscutal lobe above the notauli.

Material examined

Holotype BRAZIL • ♀; Santa Catarina, Nova Teutonia ; 27 Oct. 1956; F. Plaumann leg.; B.M. 1957–341; NHMUK.

Paratypes BRAZIL • 3 ♀♀; same collection data as for holotype; NHMUK • 2 ♀♀; same collection data as for holotype; CNIN-IBUNAM • 1 ♀; same collection data as for holotype; 24 Mar. 1941; NHMUK • 1 ♀; same collection data as for holotype; 20 Oct. 1956; CNIN-IBUNAM • 1 ♀; same collection data as for holotype; 22 Oct. 1956; CNIN-IBUNAM • 3 ♀♀; same collection data as for holotype; Oct. 1956; NHMUK • 2 ♀♀; same collection data as for preceding; CNIN-IBUNAM .

Description

Female

MEASUREMENTS. Body length 1.8–2.7 mm; fore wing length 1.5–2.1 mm; ovipositor and sheaths length 1.2–2.2 mm.

HEAD ( Fig. 1B ). Width 1.3–1.5 × median length (dorsal view), 0.9–1.0 × width of mesoscutum. Head behind eyes (dorsal view) convex. Transverse diameter of eye 1.9–2.0 × length of temple. Ocelli rather small, arranged in a sub-equilateral triangle; POL 0.9–1.1 × Od, 0.3–0.5 × OOL. Eyes glabrous, height 1.1–1.3 × its maximum width. Malar space 0.7–0.9 × height of eye, 0.5–0.7 × basal width of mandible. Face convex, its width 1.3–1.5 × height of eye, and 1.0–1.3 × height of face and clypeus combined. Malar suture absent. Clypeus high, with no distinct lower flange. Hypoclypeal depression small and nearly round, its length 0.8–1.1 × its maximum width. Occipital carina wide, complete, not joined with hypostomal carina below. Hypostomal flange wide. Antennae with 12–13 flagellomeres. Scapus 2.1– 2.2 × as long as its maximum width, widened medio-apically. First flagellomere straight, not widened medially, 3.5–3.8 × as long as its maximum width; 0.9–1.0 × as long as second flagellomere.

MESOSOMA ( Fig. 1C–D ). Length 1.8–2.0 × its height. Pronotum rather short, dorsally convex, without distinct transverse pronotal carina. Mesoscutum (lateral view) highly and roundly elevated above pronotum; its length (dorsal view) 0.8–1.0 × maximum width. Median lobe of mesoscutum protruding forward, with pointed antero-lateral projection-like edges above both notauli; without anterolateral corners. Notauli narrow, more or less shallow, scrobiculate anteriorly and slightly rugose posteriorly. Prescutellar depression considerably long and shallow, with 10–12 transverse carinae, 1.0–1.4 × as long as scutellum. Scutellum weakly convex and with no lateral carinae. Precoxal sulcus rather shallow and straight, running along anterior half of mesopleuron. Metanotal tooth absent. Metapleural lobe short and narrow. Propodeum without lateral tubercles or projections.

WINGS ( Fig. 1E–F ). Fore wing 3.3–3.6 × as long as its maximum width. Pterostigma narrow, 3.7–3.9 × as long as wide. Vein r arising shortly before the middle of pterostigma. Marginal cell long, its length 3.2–3.5 × maximum width. Vein R1 1.5–1.8 × as long as pterostigma. Vein r 1.1–1.3 × maximum width of pterostigma. Vein 3RS slightly curved towards apical margin of wing, almost straight; 6.8–7.2 × as long as vein r, 7.8–9.4 × as long as vein 2RS. Vein 2RS 0.7–0.9 × as long as vein r, and 1.0–1.6 × as long as vein m-cu. Vein m-cu slightly antefurcal to vein 2RS; vein RS+Mb considerably short. Vein (RS+M) a slightly curved distally. First discal cell moderately long, 1.9–2.3 × as long as wide. Veins 1M and m-cu slightly divergent posteriorly, almost parallel. Vein 1M 1.2–1.5 × as long as vein 1RS, 2.5–3.3 × as long as vein m-cu. Vein M+CU moderately curved medially. Vein 1cu-a absent; subdiscal cell open basally joining subbasal cell, considerably long and narrow. Vein 1-1A considerably long, reaching the middle of vein 1CU. Vein 2CU interstitial to vein 1CU. Vein 2M not sclerotized, reaching apical margin of wing, 0.9–1.1 × as long as vein 3RS. Hind wing 5.0–5.3 × as long as its maximum width. Vein C+Sc+R moderately long, 2.5–3.2 × length of vein SC+R, vein SC+R rather short, unsclerotized, apically in line with vein 2M. Basal cell considerably narrow and long, its length 7.5–8.3 × its maximum width, 0.2–0.3 × length of wing. Vein M+CU long. Vein cu-a absent. Vein r-m short, 0.3–0.5 × length of vein R. Vein m-cu absent. Vein RS almost absent. Vein 2M long, 0.2–0.4 × length of hind wing, almost reaching the margin of the wing.

LEGS ( Fig. 1A ). Fore tibia with a narrow row of slender spines. Hind coxa protruding forwards in ventroanterior corner, 1.3–1.7 × as long as maximum width. Hind femur moderately wide, 2.9–3.3 × as long as its maximum width. Hind tibia slightly wide. Hind tarsus 0.8–1.0 × as long as hind tibia. Basitarsus 0.7–1.0 × as long as second–fifth segments combined. Second segment of hind tarsus 0.2–0.3 × length of basitarsus, 0.6–1.0 × the length of the fifth segment (without pretarsus).

METASOMA ( Fig. 1G ). Metasoma 0.8–1.1 × as long as head and mesosoma combined. First segment with basal sternal plate moderately short, 0.3–0.4 × as long as first tergite; with distinct dorsope. Maximum width of first tergite 1.8–2.2 × its minimum width; length of first tergite 0.8–1.0 × its apical width, 0.9– 1.2 × length of propodeum. Second tergite without depressions (furrows) nor carinae. Median length of second tergite 0.9–1.1 × its basal width, 1.5–1.8 × length of third tergite. Combined length of second and third tergites 1.0–1.4 × their maximum width. Ovipositor sheaths slender, 1.4–1.8 × as long as metasoma, 2.0–2.4 × as long as mesosoma, 0.7–0.9 × length of the body, 0.9–1.1 × length of the fore wing.

SCULPTURE AND PUBESCENCE. Vertex finely aciculate, sometimes smooth in posterior half; frons striate, sometimes smooth, without emargination opposite antennal sockets. Face rugose near antennal sockets, striate above clypeus; malar space and temple striate to slightly striate, almost smooth. Sides of pronotum smooth in upper half and transversely striate in lower half; propleuron striate. Median lobe of mesoscutum coriaceous anteriorly and smooth posteriorly; lateral lobes smooth. Scutellum smooth. Metanotum distinctly rugose. Mesopleuron smooth in anterior half, rugose in posterior half; precoxal sulcus slightly scrobiculate. Metapleuron entirely and coarsely rugose. Propodeum entirely and densely rugose with dense rugulose microsculpture, with central carina. Hind coxae striate dorsally, slightly rugose laterally and ventrally. Hind femur smooth. First metasomal tergite densely and longitudinally striate with a medial striate area delimitated by distinct lateral carinae; remaining tergites smooth and polished. Vertex and frons with very scarce and short setae; face with dense and erect long setae. Scape and flagellomeres with dense short semi-erect setae. Pronotum and mesosctutum scarcely with short and pale setae, with narrow median glabrous areas on lateral lobes. Mesopleuron, metapleuron and propodeum laterally with scarce long and erect setae. Wings with dense short setae, especially on posterior margins. Hind coxae laterally with dense semi-erect long setae. Hind femur with scarce short setae. Hind tibia dorsally and laterally with dense short setae; tarsus with short and very fine setae. First tergite laterally with scarce short and erect setae. Pygidium and hypopygium with scarce long pale setae.

COLOUR. Mesosoma dark brown, anterior and posterior thirds of metasoma brown to dark brown, its middle third with light brown areas. Head brown; vertex, and frons dark brown. Basal flagellomeres and scape light brown to honey yellow, apical flagellomeres dark brown. Palpi light brown to pale yellow. Hind legs: coxa brown; trochanter and trochantellus light brown; femur brown; tibiae light brown in basal half, golden to brown in apical half; tarsus yellow to light brown, tarsal claw brown. Fore and hind wings entirely hyaline; pterostigma light brown.

Male

Unknown.

Distribution

All specimens, including the holotype, were collected in Nova Teutonia region in the state of Santa Catarina, Brazil.

Hosts

Unknown.

Figures

Fig. 1. Hecabolus acutus sp. nov., ♀, holotype (NHMUK). A. Habitus, lateral view. B. Head, frontal view.C. Mesosoma, lateral view.D. Mesosoma, dorsal view, black arrows indicate the middle mesoscutal pointed edges above notaulli. E. Fore wing. F. Hind wing. G. Metasoma, dorsal view.