Pediobius abraxasis Yang & Cao, 2015

Cao, Huan-Xi, Salle, John La & Zhu, Chao-Dong, 2017, Chinese species of Pediobius Walker (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae), Zootaxa 4240 (1), pp. 1-71 : 47-49

24. Pediobius abraxasis Yang & Cao, 2015

Pediobius abraxasis Yang & Cao, in Yang et al. 2015: 117 –118; ♀. Holotype ♀, CAFB, examined.

Diagnosis. Coxae concolorous with body; femora mainly brown; tibiae and tarsomeres pale brownish yellow. Antenna brown. Scutellum longitudinally reticulate anteriorly, in posterior half coarsely reticulate as in MLM.

Material examined. Type specimens of P. abraxasis ( CAFB): Holotype ♀, Guizhou, Huaxi , VIII. 1994, coll. Cai Gong, ex. Abraxas flavisinuata Warren . Paratypes 2♀, same data as the holotype .

Biology. As a primary parasitoid, the type specimens of P. abraxasis was reared from the pupae of Abraxas flavisinuata Warren ( Lepidoptera : Geometridae ) attacking Pinus massoniana Lamb (Pinaceae) ( Yang et al. 2015).

Distribution in China. Guizhou.

Remarks. Pediobius abraxasis is very similar to P. orientalis . In the present key, P. orientalis can run to P.

abraxasis . Further studies on the type specimens of P. orientalis and freshly reared specimens of P. abraxasis from Abraxas flavisinuata Warren and also some fresh specimens of P. orientalis are required to discuss the validity of P. abraxasis and their relationships. Yang et al. (2015) stated that P. abraxasis was similar to P. sinensis that recognized as a synonym of P. facialis in this paper. It seems vague and incorrect for some comments on the differences between P. abraxasis and P. sinensis by Yang et al. (2015), because the characters used to separate them seem to be fitted to both of them, such as scutellum without a smooth band, round posterior margin of dorsellum and metatibial spur shorter than basal tarsomere. Actually, P. abraxasis strikingly differs from P. facialis by pale tibiae and brownish antennae. See also remarks under P. cassidae .