Bassus robustus Tang & Chen, 2017

Tang, Pu, Van Achterberg, Cornelis & Chen, Xue-Xin, 2017, The genus Bassus Fabricius, 1804 (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Agathidinae) in China, with description of three new species, Journal of Natural History 51 (45 - 46), pp. 2745-2758 : 2755-2757

Bassus robustus Tang & Chen , sp. nov.

( Figure 5 )

Description

Holotype, ♂, length of body 8.8 mm, of fore wing 8.2 mm.

Head. Antennal segments 37, length of third segment 1.2 times fourth segment, length of third, fourth and penultimate segments 4.6, 3.8 and 2.1 times their width, respectively; length of apical antennal segment 1.1 times as long as penultimate segment; maxillary palp 0.6 times height of head; malar space 2.5 times as long as basal width of mandible; in dorsal view length of eye twice temple; ocelli in low triangle, POL:OD:OOL = 7:7:22; face shiny, with distinct punctures; frons with a medial ridge, smooth; vertex and temple shiny, with sparse minute punctures.

Mesosoma. Length of mesosoma 1.4 times its height; subpronope shallow; pronotum largely smooth with sparse fine punctures dorsally; area near lateral carina of mesoscutum sparsely crenulate; lateral lobes of mesoscutum shiny with fine punctures anteriorly, flat and smooth posteriorly; middle lobe of mesoscutum with sparse punctures and largely smooth posteriorly; notauli complete and finely crenulate; scutellar sulcus 0.4 times as long as dorsal face of scutellum and with three carinae; scutellum convex, rather long and narrowed posteriorly, without subposterior crest; precoxal sulcus short, shallow and rugose; mesopleuron below precoxal sulcus with sparse fine punctures; mesopleuron above precoxal sulcus largely smooth, but with sparse fine punctures posteriorly; metapleuron largely punctate anteriorly with irregular rugosity posteriorly; propodeum with three complete apical carinae and enclosing a large reticulate-rugose area; propodeal spiracle rather small elliptical, 1.5 times as long as wide.

Wings. Fore wing: second submarginal cell small trapezoid; vein SR1 straight; r:3-SR+SR1 = 4:59. Hind wing: vein M+CU 0.7 times as long as vein 1-M.

Legs. Length of hind femur, tibia and basitarsus 3.8, 8.2 and 11.5 times their width, respectively; hind femur (as remainder of legs) with short setae; length of outer and inner spur of middle tibia 0.4 and 0.5 times middle basitarsus, respectively; outer apex of middle tibia with a cluster of 10 pegs; outer apex of hind tibia with a cluster of 12 pegs; length of outer and inner spur of hind tibia 0.4 and 0.5 times hind basitarsus, respectively; outer side of hind coxa with sparse punctures and of hind femur with distinct punctures.

Metasoma. Length of first tergite 1.2 times its apical width, with dorsal and dorsolateral carinae coarsely developed, dorsal carinae convergent, costate medially and posteriorly up to apex of tergite; first tergite sparsely but entirely coarsely rugose-striate; second tergite 1.4 times as long as third tergite, large basal area on two-thirds of tergite partly smooth or finely rugose-striate and remainder densely striate; remainder of metasoma smooth.

Colour. Brownish yellow; antenna (but scapus yellow) brown; hind leg (but tibia with pale yellow basal ring) and metasoma black (but second tergite ivory and first and second tergites white ventrally); hind tibial spurs pale yellowish; pterostigma (except small pale brownish patch basally) and veins dark brown; wing membrane slightly infuscate or subhyaline, but apical 0.4 of fore wing rather infuscate.

Material examined

Holotype: ♂, China, Tibet, Motuo Kadong , 29.32N 95.32E, 1310 m, 12.VI.1980, Jin Gentao & Wu Jianyi, No. 34,202,308 ( SHEM).

Distribution

China (Tibet).

Biology

Unknown.

Etymology

From ‘ robustus ’ (Latin for ‘strong’), because of the robust face.

Diagnosis

This new species is very similar to B. albozonatus van Achterberg & Long , but differs in having the malar space 2.5 times as long as basal width of mandible (twice in B. albozonatus ); length of the first tergite 1.2 times its apical width (1.5 times); and the first tergite sparsely but entirely coarsely rugose-striate basally (almost smooth mediobasally).

Figures

Figure 5. Bassus robustus Tang & Chen, sp. nov. (a) Habitus, lateral aspect; (b) mesosoma, dorsal aspect; (c) fore wing; (d) head, dorsal aspect; (e) metasoma, dorsal aspect; (f) mesosoma, lateral aspect; (g) head, front aspect; (h) hind femur; (i) head, lateral aspect.