Pholetesor hayati Akhtar

Akhtar, Mir Samim & Ahmad, Zubair, 2010, Description of two new species of Microgastrini (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) from India, Zootaxa 2608, pp. 57-62 : 60-61

Pholetesor hayati Akhtar , sp. nov.

( Figs 7–12 )

Description. FEMALE Holotype. Body length 2.8 mm. Fore wing length 3.0 mm, width 1.2 mm. Head. Brownish black in colour. Head in frontal view approximately 1.10x as wide as medially long, vertex 2.80x as wide as medially long. Frons 1.40x wider midheight than long, little raised medially, shallowly punctate; compound eye with hairs, maximum height 1.50x as long as maximum width, inner margins weakly converging towards clypeus; intertentorial distance 1.40x as long as distance from tentorial pit to compound eye; ocell-ocular distance 1.70x as long as lateral ocelli distance; width of clypeus 2.50x as long as height; antennae with 18 segments, slightly smaller than body, scrobe prominent; scape 1.20x as long as wide, pedicel 1.20x as long as wide, flagellomeres with two ranks of longitudinal placodes, flagellomeres I and II sub equal in length, length of flagellomere I 1.60x as long as length of apical flagellomere, flagellomere I 2.30x as long as wide, flagellomere II 2.00x as long as wide; flagellomere VII 2.10x as long as wide. Palpi pale yellowbrown throughout. Mesosoma ( Figs 7–9 ). Mesoscutum in dorsal view about 0.90x as wide as head, shallowly punctate, becoming less strong posteriorly; surface with strong satiny sheen. Pronotal furrow distinctly but irregularly crenulate. Scutoscutellar scrobe sharp, narrow, composed of somewhat confluent pits, arched weakly medially, not set in depression. Scutellar disc shallowly punctate, slightly longer than maximum width. Metanotum strongly retracted from scutellum anteriorly, exposing mesothoracic postphragma; transverse carinae at about midlength moderately developed. Propodeum about 2.03x as wide as long at longest point, smooth to punctate anterolaterally, rugulose and depressed in posterolateral corners except for scattered irregular peripheral ridges; anteromedially with weak transverse ridging; posteriorly with a series of ridges extending obliquely on either side from nucha. Legs. Prothoracic and mesothoracic legs entirely light yellow-brown except infuscate extreme bases of coxae, tibial apices and most of distal portions of tarsi. Inner apical spurs of hind tibiae 1.20x as long as outer, about half as long as hind basitarsi. Wings. Tegulae pale yellowish, translucent. Fore wing veins light yellow-brown, stigma usually paler proximally or over much of surface, 2.70x as long as wide. R1 1.10x as long as stigma, 1.80x as long as distance from its distal end to end of 3RS fold along wing edge. r curved, meeting it at an indistinct curved angle, 1M 2.70x as long as m-cu, 0.40x as long as M+CU and 5.50x as long as 1RS, 1cu a 1.50x as long as 1cu b. Hind wing with vannal lobe weakly flattened subapically, 3.30x as long as wide, evenly fringed with hairs of moderate length. M+CU 1.2x of 1M. Metasoma ( Figs 10–12 ). Tergite I anteriorly longitudinally costulate around base, posteriorly rugose to aciculorugose, 1.10x as long as posteriorly wide, narrowing posteriorly, usually with lateral margins nearly straight. Tergite II rugose laterally, smooth medially, trapezoidal in shape, 1.90x as wide posteriorly as long medially and 2.00x as wide posteriorly as long anteriorly; lateral margins weakly arched, often bordered by roughened, darkened regions of laterotergites; posterior crenulate margin nearly straight to little concave. Tergite III 1.30x as long as longer than II, completely smooth and not polished, remaining terga polished; colour often mostly dark brown to black. Laterotergites pale yellow, posterior part of the tergite III–VI with light yellow to white. Hypopygium subequal to slightly shorter than basitarsi, evenly pigmented and sclerotized; tip weakly acuminate. Ovipositor sheaths weakly decurved over expanded distal portions, entire length slightly longer than hind basitarsi.

Male. Similar to female except: antennae longer than females, clearly longer than body or fore wings, with more slender distal flagellomeres. Legs usually more yellowish-brown; extent to black coloration on hind coxae, tibiae often greater. Wing venation usually more darkly grey-brown. Metasomal tergites less roughly sculptured; tergite I usually with more curved lateral margins; tergite II often less transverse.

Host. Unknown

Remarks. Closely resembles P. salalicus (Mason) , but differs in having frons 1.4x as wide at midheight than long (vs. less than 1.4x in P. s a l a l i c u s), tergite II rugulose laterally and smooth medially (vs. completely rugose), tergite III completely smooth (vs. sculptured anteromedially).

Type material. Holotype Female: INDIA: Jammu and Kashmir, Srinagar, Mirgund, 10.III.2009, from cocoons on the mulberry leaf, coll. Niquat Mahmood; Paratypes: 2 Females and 5 Males with same data as holotype are deposited in National Pusa Collection ( NPC), Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi.

Etymology. The species is named after Dr. Mohammad Hayat, former Professor, Department of Zoology, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 12. Parapanteles sireeshaae Ahmad et Akhtar, sp. nov. (1 – 6): 1. fore wing, 2. hind wing, 3. propodeum, 4. metasomal tergite I dorsally, 5. metasoma laterally, 6. female genitalia; Pholetesor hayati Akhtar, sp. nov. (7 – 12): 7. fore wing, 8. hind wing, 9. propodeum, 10. metasomal tergite I dorsally, 11. metasoma laterally, 12. female genitalia