Brachymeria taiwana (Matsumura, 1911)

Narendran, T. C. & van Achterberg, Cornelis, 2016, Revision of the family Chalcididae (Hymenoptera, Chalcidoidea) from Vietnam, with the description of 13 new species, ZooKeys 576, pp. 1-202 : 60-61

Taxon classification Animalia Hymenoptera Chalcididae

Brachymeria taiwana (Matsumura, 1911)

Chalcis taiwanus Matsumura, 1911: 149 (♀ lectotype, Taiwan (EIHU) (lectotype designated by Habu 1960)).

Brachymeria (Matsumurameria) taiwana ; Habu 1960: 209.

Brachymeria clypealis Joseph, Narendran & Joy, 1970: 25 (♀, holotype, India (NZSI) (synonymised with Brachymeria (Matsumurameria) taiwana (Matsumura) by Joseph, Narendran & Joy, 1973)).

Brachymeria flagellata Joseph, Narendran & Joy, 1971: 234 (♀, holotype, India (NHRM) (synonymised with Brachymeria (Matsumurameria) taiwana (Matsumura) by Joseph, Narendran & Joy, 1973)).

Material.

2 ♀ (RMNH), "S. Vietnam: Dóng Nai, Cát Tiên N. P., Dong trail, Mal[aise] traps, c. 100 m, 1-8.iv.2007, Mai Phu Quy & Nguyen Tanh Manh, RMNH’07”; 1 ♀ (IEBR), id., but 7.x.2005, Crocodile trail; 1 ♀ (RMNH), id., but 14-20.v.2007, Malaise traps 20-23, Lagerstroemia trail; 1 ♀ (BPBM), "Vietnam, [locality unknown], 6.vii.1961, N.R. Spencer".

Diagnosis.

This species resembles Brachymeria (Matsumurameria) criculae (Kohl) in the colour pattern of the hind tibia and in having the apex of the scutellum rounded. However, it differs from Brachymeria criculae in having the post-orbital carinae present (in Brachymeria criculae post-orbital carina absent); hind femur black (in Brachymeria criculae hind femur red or orange red or blackish red) and metasoma black (in Brachymeria criculae metasoma liver brownish red).

Description

(females from Vietnam). ♀, length of body 4.5-4.6 mm.

Colour. Black with following parts as follows: coxae black with apices brownish; fore and mid trochanters brown or reddish brown; hind trochanters black; all femora black with apices yellow; fore and mid tibiae yellow with ventral median part black; hind tibia yellow with base black which extends through ventral margin to distal end with a slightly broader part in middle; wings hyaline with veins dark brown.

Head. Head wider than its height in anterior view; in dorsal view slightly wider than mesosoma, scrobe nearly reaching anterior ocellus; ventral part of face with dense pubescence; upper margin of clypeus confluent with face; pre-orbital carinae hardly distinct; post-orbital carina reaching geno-temporal margin; POL 2.3 × OOL, diameter of posterior ocellus a little more than OOL; geno-temporal furrow indistinct; height of malar space 0.3 × height of eye in profile. Antenna with scape reaching anterior ocellus but not exceeding it, almost as long as length of F1 to F4 combined; F1 slightly longer than wide; F2 as long as wide, slightly wider but shorter than F1; clava twice as long as F7.

Mesosoma. Mesosoma with close umbilicate setigerous pits, pits relatively small; pits on posterior part of mesoscutum and on scutellum somewhat deep; pits faint on scapulae (especially near notauli) and on axillae; interstices somewhat carinate only on pronotum and on posterior part of mesoscutum; interstices relatively wide on other parts, faintly reticulate or striate on mesoscutum; scutellum with apex rounded; propodeum without tooth laterally.

Wings. Fore wing 2.5 × as long as wide; PMV 0.3-0.5 × as long as MV.

Legs. Hind coxa without an inner ventro-mesal tooth; hind femur more than 1.5 × as long as wide with about fifteen teeth on outer ventral margin, teeth relatively small, without an inner basal tooth.

Metasoma. Metasoma subequal in length to mesosoma or shorter than mesosoma; T1 smooth and shiny; remaining tergites with dense setigerous pits; ovipositor sheath not visible in dorsal view.

Male. Similar to female except for a little stouter antenna.

Host.

Unknown.

Distribution.

India, Vietnam, Indonesia (Java), China (Taiwan) (Joseph, Narendran & Joy 1973).