Stephanospathius Belokobylskij, 1992

Belokobylskij, Sergey A., 2011, Review of the genus Stephanospathius Belokobylskij, 1992 (Hymenoptera, Braconidae), with discussion of their tribal position, ZooKeys 118, pp. 1-17 : 4-5

Stephanospathius Belokobylskij, 1992

Schlettereriella Belokobylskij 1992: 919, Rahman et al. 1998: 334, Yu et al. 2005.

Type species.

Stenophasmus ornatipes Kieffer, 1911.

Diagnosis.

This genus resembles Schlettereriella Szepligeti. Besides the characters, given in the key, Stephanospathius also differs in having the fore trochantellus dorsally with distinct transverse carina transformed to pointed flange on its inner part, the vertex and most of mesoscutum smooth, hypopygium with distinct insertion on posterior margin, and the second suture weakly curved and fine.

Description.

Head usually not depressed. Antennal sockets large (Fig. 2). Frons weakly concave, without median keel or furrow, laterally along eyes with distinct subparallel carinae fused anteriorly with margin of antennal socket. Ocelli arranged in obtuse anteriorly triangle (Fig. 2). Eyes glabrous, with weak emargination opposite antennal sockets. Occipital carina not joined below with hypostomal carina at short distance but situated very far from base of mandible. Malar suture very shallow or almost indistinct. Clypeus distinctly convex, with distinct lower flange; clypeal suture complete. Hypoclypeal depression rather large and round. Postgenal bridge rather wide. Maxillary palpi 6-segmented, labial palpi rather short and 4-segmented. Third segment of labial palpi not shortened, rather long. Antenna slender, long, almost filiform. Pedicel basally with rather distinct carina on dorsal side. First flagellar segment subcylindrical, weakly curved, almost as long as second segment.

Mesosoma more or less distinctly depressed (Figs 1, 14). Promesosoma long, wide and laterally convex in basal 0.7 and narrow in apical 0.3. Pronotal carina absent laterally, dorsally in anterior 0.3 transformed in thick flange, curved up and divided medially by rather distinct excavation (Fig. 2); before this flange developed more or less wide and deep pronope. Sides of pronotum without delineated median groove. Posterior propleural lobe long and wide. Mesonotum weakly or very weakly and gently-roundly elevated above pronotum (Figs 1, 14). Median lobe of mesonotum without median furrow and anterolateral shoulders. Notauli shallow, complete, rather wide, fused in almost middle of mesoscutum (Figs 2, 15). Prescutellar depression rather long, deep or shallow, with median carina; high lateral longitudinal wing-like flanges developed on the level of depression. Scuto-scutellar suture distinct. Scutellum almost flat, with fine lateral carinae. Metanotum with short, narrow and rounded median tooth. Subalar depression shallow and wide. Mesopleural pit deep, short and narrow. Sternaulus (precoxal suture) absent (Figs 1, 14). Prepectal carina shortly following on lateral sides of mesopleuron. Metapleural flange rather long, wide basally and narrowed towards apex, rounded apically. Propodeum without (Fig. 2) or with delineated areas, in first case with complete median and two lateral carinae; lateral tubercles absent. Propodeal spiracles rather small and round. Metapleural suture distinct. Metasternum medioventrally with distinct narrow and closely situated pair of tubercles.

Wings (Figs 12, 21). Pterostigma of fore wing narrow and long. Radial vein arising distinctly before middle of pterostigma. Recurrent vein weakly postfurcal. Nervulus almost interstitial or weakly postfurcal. Discoidal cell long and shortly petiolate anteriorly. Anterior abscissa of basal vein thickened. Basal and recurrent veins subparallel. Parallel vein arising from basal 0.15-0.2 of apical side of brachial cell. First abscissa of costal vein of hind wing about 0.5 times as long as second abscissa. Radial vein arising from costal vein closely to basal vein. Radial cell without additional transverse vein. Medial cell 10.0-11.0 times longer than width, 0.55-0.6 times as long as hind wing. Nervellus present. Submedial cell small. First abscissa of mediocubital vein 0.2-0.27 times as long as second abscissa. Recurrent vein short, weakly antefurcal, weakly oblique toward base of wing.

Legs. Fore coxa distinctly enlarged. Fore femur (Figs 9, 17) clavate, dorsally with keel in subapical 0.4, along inner margin in upper half with coarse and semi-circular numerous coarse carinae. Fore trochantellus dorsally with distinct transverse carina transformed in pointed flange on its inner part. Fore tibia with numerous and rather short thick spines arranged in almost single row (Figs 9, 17). Fore tarsus very long, more than 3.0 times longer than fore tibia, about 1.5 times longer than mesosoma. Middle tibia without spines. Middle trochantellus in outer apical part with distinct pointed tooth (Figs 10, 17). Hind coxa long and narrow, with distinct baso-ventral tooth in female (Figs 11, 14, 16) and without it in male (Fig. 10). Hind femur clavate (Fig. 16). Hind tibia with at least two spines on apical outer margin near spur, with patch of dense setae on inner apical part. Hind tibial spurs rather short, slender, setose, inner spur 0.17-0.25 times as long as hind basitarsus. Basitarsus of hind tarsus dorsally weakly concave, ventrally with narrow keel, 0.8-0.85 times as long as second-fifth segments combined. Claws short, with very wide and obtuse basal lobe.

Metasoma. First tergum long or very long, more or less narrow, petiolate (Figs 4-5, 18). Acrosternum 0.75-0.8 times as long as first tergum (Figs 3, 16). Basolateral lobes of first tergum absent; spiracles situated in basal 0.4-0.45 of tergum on large spiracular tubercles. Second tergum with short basal and almost triangular area separated shallow and distinctly convergent furrows, absent or almost absent posteriorly (Figs 6, 19). Second suture straight, shallow, sometimes partly almost indistinct. Second and third (at least basally) terga with separate lateroterga (Fig. 16). Hypopygyum of female rather large, pointed apically, upper subapically with pointed and rather narrow additional lobes (Fig. 20). Ovipositor with two obtuse and small dorsal nodes apically, densely serrate ventro-apically. Ovipositor sheath almost as long as body, with contrasting pale band in subapical 0.2-0.3.

Distribution.

Afrotropical Region

Key to species of the genus Stephanospathius