Psyttalia mangiferae Long & Oanh, 2024

Oanh, Nguyen Thi, Long, Khuat Dang, Xuan, Trinh Thi, Tinh, Duong Van & Nghiep, Hoang Thi, 2024, The genus Psyttalia Walker (Hymenoptera, Braconidae) in Vietnam: descriptions of seven new species and their host information, Zootaxa 5477 (1), pp. 1-26 : 9-11

Psyttalia mangiferae Long & Oanh , sp. nov.

Figures 5 , 6

Type material. Holotype, ♀, “Opii. 384 ”, ( IEBR), S Vietnam: Dong Thap, Thanh Binh , ex. Bactrocera dorsalis infesting mango fruits, 17.iv.2023, NT Oanh, DV Tinh.

Paratypes 6♀, “Opii. 385 ( IEBR); Bra. 001 ”, “Bra. 002 ”, “Bra. 003 ”, “Bra. 004 ” and “Bra. 005 ” (DThU) ; 7♂, “Opii. 386 ”, “Opii. 387 ” ( IEBR); Bra. 006 ”, “Bra. 007 ”, “Bra. 008 ”, “Bra. 009 ” and “Bra. 010 ” (DThU), the same data as holotype .

Comparative diagnosis. Psyttalia mangiferae , sp. nov. can be distinguished from P. quadrinervis sp. nov. by the following characters: 1) vein SR1 of fore wing straight ( Fig. 6I ) (vs more or less curved in P. quadrinervis sp. nov., Fig. 10H ); 2) precoxal sulcus short and shallow, punctate ( Fig. 6F ) (vs sulcus longer and deeper, more or less crenulate in P. quadrinervis sp. nov., Fig. 10E ); other differences between these two species are given in the key. Psyttalia mangiferae , sp. nov. shares with P. incisi and fletcheri and makii the relatively long vein r of fore wing, but differs from these three species by having: 1) first subdiscal cell of fore wing distinctly widened posteriorly (vs nearly parallel-sided in P. fletcheri and P. makii ); 2) vein 2-SR+M of fore wing 1.6 × its maximum width (vs about twice as long as wide in P. fletcheri and P. makii ); and 3) vein m-cu of fore wing slightly curved (vs strongly curved in P. fletcheri and P. makii ).

Description. Holotype, ♀, length of body 3.7 mm, fore wing 3.8 mm, length of visible ovipositor 2.5 mm ( Fig. 5 ).

Head. Antenna incomplete, 45 flagellomeres remaining, flagellomeres bristly; first flagellomere 1.1 × as long as second; length of first and second flagellomeres 2.6 and 2.3 × their width, respectively; length of maxillary palp 1.1 × height of head; in dorsal view, head 2.1 × as wide as long medially; length of eye in dorsal view 4.5 × temple ( Fig. 6A ); temple shiny, smooth; OOL: OD: POL = 8: 4: 3; in lateral view, medially eye 1.7 × as long as wide and 2.5 × as wide as temple ( Fig. 6C ); ventral margin of clypeus evenly straight ( Fig. 6B ); width of clypeus 4.75 × its maximum height, 1.5 × eye height and 0.8 × width of face ( Fig. 6B ); hypoclypeal depression wide and deep ( Fig. 6A ); distance between tentorial pits 3.0 × distance from pit to eye margin; malar space narrow, 0.5 × basal width of mandible; clypeus and face rugo-punctate without raised carina medially ( Fig. 6A ); mandible twisted, apically narrowed and with both teeth wide, normal basally and with narrow ventral carina ( Fig. 6B ); occipital carina remains far removed from hypostomal carina and dorsally largely absent ( Fig. 6A ); frons nearly flat, slightly depressed anteriorly; vertex and temple.

Mesosoma. Laterally, length of mesosoma 1.3 × its height; pronotal side largely smooth, but anterior groove present ( Fig. 6D ); propleuron flattened; epicnemial area smooth dorsally; precoxal sulcus like short shallow depression, punctate ( Fig. 6F ); remainder of mesopleuron smooth and shiny; pleural sulcus rather deep, smooth; mesosternal sulcus narrow and finely crenulate; postpectal carina absent; mesoscutum very shiny and nearly entirely glabrous ( Fig. 6D ); notauli only anteriorly as pair of partly smooth impressions and largely absent on disc, mesoscutum flat posteriorly; scutellar sulcus deep and crenulate, 0.25 × as long as scutellum, its posterior margin slightly concave medially; scutellum slightly convex and smooth, only apically sparsely setose; metanotum with short median carina posteriorly ( Fig. 6D ); surface of propodeum smooth, except reversed Y-shaped median carina and sinuate lateral carinae above spiracle ( Fig. 6E ).

Wings. Vein 1-SR of fore wing as long as wide and sublinear with 1-M; pterostigma narrow triangular in shape; length of pterostigma 3.6 × its width medially; vein r emitted from middle of pterostigma and linear with anterior-ventral margin of pterostigma, but not linear with 3-SR ( Fig. 6I ); 1-R1 ending at wing apex and 1.6 × as long as pterostigma; veins r-m and 2-SR basally unsclerotized; vein 1-SR+M weakly sclerotized; subdiscal cell narrowed anteriorly; vein r 0.8 × as long as 2-SR; r: 2-SR: 3-SR: r-m: SR1 = 10: 12: 19: 8: 37; 1-CU1: cu-a = 4: 4; vein 2-SR+M of fore wing 1.6 × its maximum width; r: 3-SR: SR1 = 10: 19: 37; 2-SR: 3-SR: r-m = 12: 19: 8; 1-M straight and SR1 nearly straight; m-cu far antefurcal and curved, not linear with vein 2-SR+M ( Fig. 6I ); 2-SR+M rather short, widened, 1.6 × as long as wide; cu-a short, vertical and slightly postfurcal; veins 1-CU1 apically, cu-a apically and 2-CU1 basally widened; 1-CU1: 2-CU1: cu-a = 2.5: 24: 3.5; vein SR1 nearly straight; subdiscal cell narrowed anteriorly. Hind wing: M+CU: 1-M: 1r-m = 16: 24: 11; vein 2-M of hind wing slightly sinuate; cu-a straight; m-cu and SR absent ( Fig. 6K ).

Legs. Length of femur, tibia and basitarsus of hind leg 3.5, 9.0 and 3.75 × as long as wide, respectively; hind basitarsus 0.3 × hind tibia, and 0.5 × second–fifth tarsus combined; inner and outer spurs 0.5 and 0.4 × basitarsus, respectively; hind femur sparsely setose; hind tibia and tarsus with dense, long setae.

Metasoma. Length of first tergite 1.1 × its apical width ( Figs 6G, H ), convex medio-posteriorly, its surface largely smooth; dorsal carinae strong in basal 0.7 of tergite and with depressed area below; second suture indistinct; combined length of second and third metasomal tergites 0.4 × the remaining tergites posteriorly; first tergite superficially coriaceous; second and following tergites smooth, shiny and sparsely setose apically and laterally ( Fig. 6H ).

Colour. Yellow; antenna yellow; head yellow but stemmaticum black; palpi pale yellow; mesosoma yellow; all legs yellow, except all coxa whitish-yellow; tegula yellow; pterostigma entirely yellow; wing membrane subhyaline, veins yellowish brown; metasoma entirely yellow; ovipositor sheath brown; ovipositor yellow.

Variation. Paratype females, antenna with 48–54 flagellomeres; length of body 3.9–5.5 mm; fore wing 4.9–5.9 mm; length of visible ovipositor 1.9–3.6 mm. Paratype males, antenna with 47 flagellomeres; length of body 3.6– 4.9 mm; fore wing 3.3–4.5 mm.

Distribution. S Vietnam: Dong Thap (Thanh Binh).

Biology. Parasitoid of Tephritidae : Oriental fruit fly, Bactrocera dorsalis (Hendel) . A series of specimens of the new species treated (34 females and 24 males) were mainly reared from the fruit fly Bactrocera dorsalis infesting mango fruits in Thanh Binh district, Dong Thap province (South Vietnam) from April 2023 through December 2023. The parasitoids were also observed in mango orchards during that period, and probably two other tephritiid flies occurred in mango orchard, viz., Bactrocera curcubitae and B. zonata (Long et al. 2022) , which served possibly as additional hosts of P. mangiferae , sp. nov. The 1st and 2nd larval instars of B. dorsalis were accepted for oviposition, and the adult parasitoids emerged from the host pupae, 6–7 days after agression of its larvae. In mango orchards, parasitoid wasps were usually emerging from the host pupae 4–5 days later than the adult B. dorsalis occurred.

Etymology. Named after plant genus Mangifera Linnaeus , because the new species was reared from Bactrocera spp. , the major tephritiid infesting mango fruits.

Figures

FIGURE 5. Habitus of Psyttalia mangiferae Long & Oanh, sp. nov., holotype, female, lateral.

FIGURE 6. Psyttalia mangiferae Long & Oanh, sp. nov., holotype, female. A Head, dorsal B Head, frontal C Head, lateral D Mesonotum E Propodeum F Mesopleuron G Metasomal tergites 1–3 H Metasoma I Fore wing K Hind wing.

FIGURE 10. Psyttalia quadrinervis Long, sp. nov. A Head, dorsal B Head, frontal C Head, lateral D Mesonotum E Mesopleuron F Metasoma G Propodeum H Fore wing I Hind wing.