Schoenlandella variegata (Szépligeti, 1913)

Edmardash, Yusuf A., Gadallah, Neveen S. & Sharkey, Michael J., 2018, Revision of the subfamily Cardiochilinae Ashmead, 1900 (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) in Egypt, with new records and a new species, Journal of Natural History 52 (5 - 6), pp. 269-297 : 293-295

Schoenlandella variegata (Szépligeti, 1913)

( Figures 1 (j), 3(f))

Cardiochiles variegatus Szépligeti, 1913 . Annls Hist.- Nat . Mus. Natn . Hung . 11: 603, ♀ ♂. Diagnosis

Generally yellowish to yellowish brown with some dark areas; temple contracted behind eyes ( Figure 1 (j)); apical third of fore wing slightly infuscate; propodeum without coloured spot ( Figure 1 (j)); SMC2 of fore wing 0.38× as long as wide ( Figure 3 (f)); spectral node of 3r absent; hind tibia 8.5× as long as wide apically; inner hind tibial spur 1.8× as long as outer one; stem of T1 2.0× as long as bulb ( Figure 1 (j)).

Abbreviated description of female

Length of body: 4.8 mm; length of fore wing: 3.0 mm.

Body generally yellowish to yellowish-brown; with the following parts darker or blackish: complete antenna (except yellowish scapus basally), spot around ocellar triangle and reaching eyes, three spots on mesoscutum, propodeal areola, metasomal T1 (especially medially), T2 and T3 laterally and ovipositor sheath. Wings: both wings are uniformly infuscated but with slight darker infuscation on apical third of fore wing, pterostigma dark brown (except pale yellowish basal 0.2), parastigma and tegula are pale yellowish, all veins pale brown, except veins 2r, 2-SR, 3-SR and 4-SRa of fore wing slightly darker. Head: antenna with 29 flagellomeres; glossa normally bilobed, to about 0.2 of its length; OOL:AOL:POL:ØOD = 14:4:2:5. Fore wing: 1-SR+M 7.0× as long as m-cu; 2-SR+M 3.0× as long as mcu; 1-M straight, 1-SR slightly curved, junction of 4SRb and 5-SR forming a distinct angle, m-cu 0.21× as long as 1-M; discal cell 0.53× as long as wide; 1-A absent; 1-2A + 3A, spectral; 1-Cua 0.16× as long as 1-Cub; 2r 0.47× as long as inside height of SMC2, arising 0.5 along the length of stigma basally; stigma 3.70× as long as wide; angle between 4SRa and Rs 135°; angle between Rs and r-m 110°; spectral node of 3r absent; SMC2 0.38× as long as wide; 2 + 3-SR obviously curved. Legs: Fore tibial spur 0.6× as long as basitarsus; hind tibia 8.5× as long as wide apically; inner hind tibial spur 1.8× as long as outer spur, 0.77× as long as basitarsus. Metasoma: stem of T1 0.28× as long as bulb; median field of T2 2.0× as broad as high; ovipositor sheaths 0.8× as long as hind tibia.

Remarks

According to the redescription of this species in Huddleston and Walker (1988) as well as Papp (2014), the variations are limited, except for some slight difference in colouration and body measurements, but one female from Tanzania with 28 antennal flagellomeres and another female from Egypt with 31 antennal flagellomeres were recorded after Papp (2014).

This species is very similar to Schoenlandella testacea (Kriechbaumer) , but in testacea vertex and mesosoma with much more black pattern than in variegata ; head in testacea weakly contracted behind the eyes; ovipositor sheath in testacea about half length of that of variegata .

In the current study, this species is included under the genus Schoenlandella following Dangerfield et al. (1999); this is in addition to the agreement with the Schoenlandella characters (at the generic level). However, Papp (2014) included it as a ‘ subgenus ’ under Cardiochiles ; despite the fact that the characters stated by him make this species much more fitted to the genus Schoelandella.

Male

According to Huddleston and Walker (1988) and Papp (2014), there is no considerable difference in colouration, but some differences in body measurement are more obvious such as: antenna with 29 – 33 flagellomeres and all flagellomeres are distinctly longer than broad; hind femur less thick, 2.7× as long as broad; pterostigma 2.3× as long as wide; 4-SRa 1.7× as long as 2 + 3-SR, 2r 0.5× as long as width of pterostigma, 1-R1 onefifth longer than pterostigma.

Material examined

1♀, Gebel Elba (Wadi Aideb) (22.250°N; 36.433°E), January 1939 (Leg. Selim) [ PPDD] .

Distribution

Gambia, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Egypt (Ismelia = Ismailia, Leg. J.H. Parker) ( Huddleston and Walker 1988; Yu et al. 2012; Papp 2014).

Host records

Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner, 1809) , Heliocheilus albipunctella (de Joannis, 1925) ( Lepidoptera : Noctuidae ) ( Huddleston and Walker 1988; Yu et al. 2012; Papp 2014).

Figures

Figure 1. Dorsal habitus. (a) Cardiochiles priesneri (1× scale line); (b) C. pseudofallax (0.8× scale line); (c) C. weidholzi (0.9× scale line); (d) Schoenlandella acrenulata (1× scale line); (e) S. deserta (1.2× scale line); (f) S. glabra (1× scale line); (g) S. maculata (1× scale line); (h) S. obscuriceps (0.9× scale line); (i) S. pseudoglabra (1× scale line); (j) S. variegata (1× scale line).

Figure 3. Fore wing, apical two-thirds. (a) Schoenlandella acrenulata; (b) S. deserta; (c) S. glabra; (d) S. maculata; (e) S. obscuriceps; (f) S. variegata (all ≈ 1× scale line).