Spermatobracon van Achterberg, 2009

Achterberg, C. van, Hosaka, T., Ng, Y. F. & Ghani, Idris B. A., 2009, The braconid parasitoids (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) associated with seeds of Dipterocarpaceae in Malaysia, Journal of Natural History 43 (11 - 12), pp. 635-686 : 662

Genus Spermatobracon van Achterberg , nov.

( Figure 2A–L)

Type species

Spermatobracon triangulornatus van Achterberg and Ng , sp. nov.

Etymology

From ‘‘sperma’’ (Greek for ‘‘seed’’) and the generic name Bracon Fabricius, 1804 , because it has been reared from seeds and is similar to the genus Bracon . Gender: masculine.

Diagnosis

Scapus and pedicellus simple, scapus apically subtruncate ( Figure 2C); hypoclypeal depression about half as wide as width of face; hypostomal flange narrow and below base of mandible; vertex in lateral view protruding above level of stemmaticum ( Figure 2D); propleuron weakly convex; mesoscutum smooth, largely glabrous and with nearly complete notauli; scutellar sulcus narrow and sparsely crenulate; propodeum with incomplete median carina ( Figure 2G); angle between vein 1-SR and C+SC+R about 60 ° ( Figure 2B); pterostigma slender ( Figure 2A); vein cu-a of forewing interstitial; vein 1-M of hind wing very long and vein 1r-m medium-sized ( Figure 2A); marginal cell reaching apex of forewing ( Figure 2A); vein CU1b weakly reclivous and much shorter than vein 3-CU1; fore tibia with row of medium-sized pegs; second tergite with pair of converging ridges enclosing a granulate area with small setiferous elevations ( Figure 2L); second to sixth tergites with sharp lateral crease; basally third tergite about 2.8 times as wide as long medially; third to sixth metasomal tergites with median ridge; ovipositor sheath about 1.3 times as long as forewing; hypopygium of female large, its posterior half angled with anterior half, only laterally distinctly sclerotized and basal half with strongly up curved sides ( Figure 2D,H).

Distribution

Oriental (one species).

Notes

The new genus differs from other genera of Braconinae by having a median ridge on the third to sixth metasomal tergites; a pair of converging ridges on the second tergite, enclosing a granulate area with small setiferous elevations ( Figure 2L) and a specialized hypopygium ( Figures 2D,H). In addition, the fore tibia has a row of pegs, vein 1-M of the hind wing is very long ( Figure 2A) and the vertex in lateral view protrudes above the level of the stemmaticum ( Figure 2J). The type species does not belong to the genus Bracon because of the comparatively long vein 1r-m of the hind wing, the approximately 60 ° angle between veins 1-SR and C+SC+R of the forewing, and the shape and sculpture of the metasoma.