Apanteles parvus Liu & Chen

Liu, Zhen, He, Jun-Hua & Chen, Xue-Xin, 2014, The grandiculus- and metacarpalis - group of the genus Apanteles Foerster, 1862 (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Microgastrinae) from China, with descriptions of eight new species, Zootaxa 3765 (5), pp. 435-457 : 441

Apanteles parvus Liu & Chen , sp. n.

Figure 3

Description. Female. Body length ca. 3.4 mm, fore wing length ca. 3.8 mm.

Head. Rather transverse in dorsal view, 2.9× as wide as long (32.9:11.5) and almost as wide as mesoscutum (32.9:36.5). Temple shiny but distinctly punctate, rather constricted. Face less transverse, about 0.7× as high as wide, shiny, with shallow punctation, less pubescent, inner margin of eyes parallel. Posterior tangent to the anterior ocellus hardly touching the posterior pair, POL:OD:OOL=5.0:2.2:4.2. Antenna about 0.8× as long as body length, penultimate antennomere less than twice longer than wide.

Mesosoma. Length to breadth and height 49.0:36.5:39.9. Disc of mesonotum shiny, heavily punctate, interspaces not smaller than diameter of punctures and more sparser posteriorly. Scutellar sulcus arc-shaped, foveate groove. Scutellum shiny with sparse punctation. Propodeum polished, with very shallow big punctures and rather strong radiating strigose around orifice. Mesopleuron highly polished, its anterior half with hair punctuation of even size.

Legs. Hind coxa longer than T1–2. Inner spur of hind tibia longer than the outer one, nearly 2/5 length of basitarsus, while outer spur is less than 1/3. Basitarsus of hind leg as long as tarsal segments 2–4.

Wings. Pterostigma 3.3× as long as its widest part. Vein 1-R1 (metacarp) 1/6 longer than pterostigma, it is 4.4× as long as its distance from the apex of the marginal cell. Vein r arising from apex side of pterostigma, longer than width of pterostigma, almost 1.3× as long as vein 2-SR, distinctly angled at their meeting, vein 2-M nearly as long as vein 2-SR. 1st discal cell a little wider than high. First submarginal cell of hind wing much 0.8× as high as wide. Vannal lobe of hind wing beyond its widest part concave and acuminate distally, its concave edge completely without hair-fringe, vein cu-a incurved and slightly longer than vein 1-1A, no obvious trace of vein 2-1A.

Metasoma. 1.4× longer than thorax (69.0:49.0). T1 narrowed posteriorly, concave at basal two-fifth, basal width 1.7× hind width, shiny, smooth mostly, except sparse shallow punctuate along sides, subrugulose transversely before the polished hind part. T3 2.2× as long as T2 (14.0:6.5), T2 subtriangular, curves into T3 deeply, tergites after T1 highly polished, and shiny. Ovipositor sheath almost 2× as long as hind tibia (83.0:40.0), thinner, parallel-sided. Hypopygium pointed, and distinctly longer than abdomen.

Colour. Body black, except hind 1/4 of tergites posterior to T2 whitish yellow. Palpi, tegulae and spurs whitish yellow. Flagellum and ovipositor sheath evenly dark brown. Labrum and mandible reddish yellow. Legs bright reddish yellow, coxae black. Wing membrane hyaline, vein C+SC+R, 1-R1, r, 2-SR, 2-M, and border of pterostigma brownish, other veins pale.

Variation. Body length 3.0– 3.4 mm, specimen from Mt. Tianmu, Zhejiang with pale pterostigma.

Male. Unknown.

Host. Unknown.

Material examined. Holotype: ♀, Mt. Fengyang, Zhejiang, 2007. VII.30, Liu Jingxian, No. 200801482. Paratypes: 1♀, Dahe, Lishan, Shanxi, 2012. VII.28, Liu Zhen, No. 201207233; 1♀, Neixiang, Henan, 1998. VII. 11, Chen Xuexin, No. 985944; 1♀, Mt. Gutian, Zhejiang, 2005. VII.3, Zhang hongying, No. 200617223; 1♀, Mt. Tianmu, Zhejiang, 2003. VIII.13, Yu xiaoxia, No. 20040948; 1♀, Mt. Qingyun, Fujian, 2002. IX.18, Yu Xiaoxia, No. 20023499; 1♀, Meizhou, Guangdong, 2003. VII.29, Chen Jujian, No. 20048860.

Distribution. China (Shanxi, Henan, Zhejiang, Fujian, Guangdong) ( Fig. 11 ).

Etymology. The specific name is derived from the Latin “ parvus ”, referring to the small median field of T2+T3.

Remarks. This species is also similar to A. grandiculus , but can be distinguished from the latter by the followings: antenna shorter than body; 1st discal cell a little wider than high; and T2 smaller with sinuate upper and lower sides.

Figures

FIGURE 3. Apanteles parvus Liu & Chen, sp. n. a head, dorsal view b fore wing c hind wing d mesosoma, dorsal view e habitus, lateral view f head, frontal view g T 1 – 3, dorsal view h antennae. Scale line = 0.5 mm.

FIGURE 11. Distribution map of grandiculus - group of Apanteles species in China. ★: Apanteles conopiae Watanabe, 1934; •: Apanteles flavicapus Liu & Chen, sp. n.; •: Apanteles grandiculus Wilkinson, 1929; ˔: Apanteles longicaudatus You & Zhou, 1991; ♥: Apanteles muticiculus Liu & Chen, sp. n.; ■: Apanteles parvus Liu & Chen, sp. n.; ˑ: Apanteles spiciculus Chen & Song, 2004.