Brachymeria minuta (Linnaeus, 1767)

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 : 45-48

Taxon classification Animalia Hymenoptera Chalcididae

Brachymeria minuta (Linnaeus, 1767) Figs 54-55

Vespa minuta Linnaeus, 1767: 952 (♀? "in Europa australi" (= South Europe) (lectotype designated by Day, 1979) (Linnean Society, London)).

Chalcis minuta ; Fabricius 1787: 272-273.

Brachymeria minuta ; Westwood 1832: 127.

Chalcis pusilla Fabricius, 1787: 272-273 ("Halae Saxonum" (= Halle, Germany), South India (Tamil Nadu: Tranguebar), ♂, neotype India, Tamil Nadu, designated by Bouček and Delvare 1992 (BMNH)); Hübner 1789: 58.

Sphex femoralis Geoffrey (in Fourcroy), 1785: 437 ( “France”, (MNHN) (synonymised with Brachymeria minuta (Linnaeus) by Graham (1994)).

Chalcis brevicornis Klug, 1834: 4 (ZMB) (synonymised with Brachymeria minuta (Linnaeus) by Bouček, 1952)).

Chalcis scrobiculata Foerster, 1859: 93 (♀♂, Germany (NHMV) (synonymised with Brachymeria minuta (Linnaeus) by Habu, 1960)).

Chalcis tricolor Foerster, 1859: 98 (♀♂, Germany (NHMV) (synonymised with Brachymeria minuta (Linnaeus) by Habu, 1960)).

Chalcis fumata Thomson, 1876: 18 (Sweden (LUZN) (synonymised with Brachymeria minuta (Linnaeus) by Habu, 1960)).

Chalcis paraplesia Crawford, 1910: 14, 18 (Japan (USNM) (synonymised with Brachymeria minuta (Linnaeus) by Habu, 1960)).

Chalcis jezoensis Matsumura, 1918: 166-167 (Japan (EIHU) (synonymised with Brachymeria minuta (Linnaeus) by Habu, 1960)).

Brachymeria picea Nikol’skaya, 1952: 91 (♂, Russia (ZMMU) (synonymised by Nikol’skaya, 1960, with Brachymeria minuta (Linnaeus)).

Brachymeria putturensis Joseph, Narendran & Joy, 1971: 229-242 (♀, India (ZMUC) (synonymised with Brachymeria minuta (Linnaeus) by Joseph, Narendran & Joy, 1973)).

Brachymeria puturensis longigastralis Joseph, Narendran & Joy, 1971: 232-234 (synonymised with Brachymeria minuta (Linnaeus) by Joseph, Narendran & Joy, 1973)).

Brachymeria fuchuensis Habu, 1962: 19 (♂ (EIHU) (synonymised with Brachymeria minuta (Linnaeus) by Narendran, 1989)).

Material.

1 ♀ (RMNH), "Vietnam: Ninh Thuân, Núi Chúa N. P., dry south part, Mal traps, 100-180 m, 22-29.v.2007. C. v. Achterberg & R. de Vries, RMNH’07”; 1 ♂ (IEBR), "S. Vietnam: Dóng Nai, Cát Tiên N. P., Dong trail, Mal. traps, c. 100 m, 19-5.iv.2007, Mai Phu Quy & Nguyen Tanh Manh, RMNH’07”.

Diagnosis.

Brachymeria calopeplae Joseph, Narendran & Joy is close to Brachymeria minuta (Linnaeus) but differs by having: 1) pits on middle part of mesoscutum and scutellum mostly as wide as diameter of a pit and smooth and shiny (in Brachymeria minuta pits on middle part of mesoscutum and scutellum closer and less than diameter of a pit and partially carinate); 2) yellow part of hind femur almost half of femur (in Brachymeria minuta yellow part of hind femur much smaller than that of Brachymeria calopeplae ); 3) T6 distinctly and deeply pitted (in Brachymeria minuta T6 shallowly pitted); 4) parasitoid of Calopepla leayana ( Coleoptera : Chrysomelidae ) ( Brachymeria minuta so far not reported from Coleoptera ). Joseph et al. (1972) described Brachymeria calopeplae as a distinct new species and later in 1973 downgraded it as a subspecies of Brachymeria minuta . Narendran (1989) treated Brachymeria calopeplae as distinct species without formally reinstating its independent old species status. Here we reinstate its species status (status revised) since later studies of more specimens from the hosts Calopepla leayana (Latreille) ( Coleoptera : Chrysomelidae ) showed uniform unique characteristics of this species, which necessitates it to return to its independent species status.

Description

(female from Núi Chúa N. P.). ♀, length of body 5.7 mm.

Colour. Black; eyes grayish yellow; ocelli pale reflecting yellow; tegula whitish yellow; scape black with base and apex brown, pedicel brownish black; remaining antennal segments black; distal half of mandibles brown; coxae black; trochanters brownish black; femora black with whitish yellow apical part; fore tibia brownish yellow with whitish yellow at basal part and outer apical part, with blackish long patch at outer median part; mid tibia shiny black with base and apex yellow; hind tibia black with subbasal spot and apical part yellow. Pubescence on body grayish white; wings hyaline with veins dark brown.

Head. Width of head 1.2 × its height in anterior view; in dorsal view width 3.1 × its length, as long as mesosoma (including tegulae); POL 2.3 × OOL; AOL subequal to OOL; interocular distance 2.4 × POL, vertex and face with close, umbilicate, setigerous pits, interstices carinate and rugose; area below antennal toruli without a raised smooth part; scrobe reaching anterior ocellus; height of malar space 0.4 × height of eye in profile; pre-orbital and post-orbital carina present; post-orbital carina reaching geno-temporal margin. Antenna with radicula 0.1 × length of scape; relative L:W of antennal segments: scape = 15:5; pedicel = 5:4; ring segment = 1:4; F1 = 5:6; F2 = 5:6; F3 = 5:7; F4 = 5:7; F5 = 5:7; F6 = 4:7; F7 = 4:7; clava = 8:7.

Mesosoma. Mesosoma with close, umbilicate, setigerous pits, interstices carinate in some places, remainder smooth except with faint micro-sculpture on pronotum; mesoscutum a little longer than scutellum; scutellum wider than long (19:17); apex of scutellum emarginated and bi-lobed; scutellum high in lateral view, gently declined posteriorly; propodeum declined 70° to the vertical axis of scutellum; postspiracular tooth distinct.

Wings. Fore wing 2.7 × as long as wide; relative length of CC = 44; SMV = 37; parastigma = 7; MV = 16; PMV = 6; STV = 3.

Legs. Hind coxa smooth and shiny on dorsal half, punctate and pubescent on ventral half, without a ventro-mesal tooth; hind femur 1.6 × as long as wide, with an inner basal tooth, outer ventral margin with a row of 13 differently sized teeth.

Metasoma. Metasoma longer than mesosoma (33:26); widest before middle; T1 smooth and shiny; T2 with rather distinct micro-sculpture, except on basal and apical narrow areas on ventro-lateral parts, minutely and sparsely pubescent on dorso-basal and dorso-lateral parts; T6 weakly and shallowly pitted and pubescent on basal half, distal half mostly smooth and shiny; ovipositor sheath well visible in dorsal view.

Male. See Joseph, Narendran & Joy (1973).

Hosts.

Diptera ( Calliphoridae , Sarcophagidae , Tachinidae ) and Lepidoptera ( Arctiidae , Gelechiidae , Hesperiidae , Lasiocampidae , Lymantriidae , Noctuidae , Pieridae , Tortricidae , Yponomeutidae ). (For detailed list see Noyes 2011).

Distribution.

Old World. New record for Vietnam.