Neoheterospilus sp.

Edmardash, Yusuf A., El-Ghiet, Usama M. Abu, Soliman, Ahmed M., Al-Fifi, Zarrag I. A. & Gadallah, Neveen S., 2020, First contribution to the doryctine fauna (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Doryctinae) of Farasan Archipelago, Saudi Arabia, with new records and the description of a new species, ZooKeys 977, pp. 41-74 : 41

Neoheterospilus sp. Figures 8A-E , 9A-G

Description of male.

Body length: 2.25 mm; fore wing length: 1.7 mm.

Head (Figs 8C-E , 9A ): 0.7 × as wide as its median length, distinctly wider than mesoscutum (1.3 ×). Head below eyes distinctly straight when seen from frontal view. Vertex distinctly smooth and shiny; frons superficially finely punctate, interspaces smooth. Head behind eyes gently rounded when seen from dorsal view; temple smooth, with few scattered setae, 0.6 × eye length. Ocelli placed in an equilateral ocellar triangle. POL 1.6 × OD, 1.0 × OOL; diameter of antennal sockets 1.4 × distance between socket and eye. Eye glabrous, slightly emarginate opposite to antennal sockets, 1.1 × as high as broad. Malar space 1.1 × as long as basal width of mandible, 0.4 × as long as eye height; malar suture absent. Face slightly convex, very finely sculptured laterally, nearly smooth medially, with few scattered setae; its width 0.8 × height of eye, and 1.2 × as wide as its height. Clypeus very thin, transverse, moderately arched at free margin; hypoclypeal depression moderate, semi-oval, its width 0.6 × face width. Occipital carina thin, complete dorsally, reaching hypostomal carina ventrally. Antenna slender, filiform, pointed at apex, without spine, 21-segmented, hardly longer than body length; scape nearly smooth, rather short, with few scattered setae, 1.2 × as long as wide; flagellum densely setose, F1 slender, straight, 4.9 × as long as its apical width, ca. as long as F2; penultimate segment 6.0 × as long as F1, 0.7 × as long as apical flagellomere.

Mesosoma (Fig. 9A-C ): Almost smooth, lateral lobes of mesoscutum finely sculptured to alutaceous, not depressed, 1.9 × as long as its height. Pronotum rather short, nearly straight, smooth, collar with longitudinal median and lateral carinae. Mesoscutum distinctly high, more or less perpendicularly elevated above pronotum; its maximum width 1.5 × as wide as its middle length; median lobe of mesoscutum, slightly, but straightly protruding forwardly. Notauli wide and deep anteriorly, shallow and thinner posteriorly, broad anteriorly and meeting posteriorly before posterior margin of mesoscutum, distinctly foveolate. Prescutellar area in the form of two subquadrate plates, separated medially by a thin linear suture, mostly smooth, 0.4 × as long as mesoscutellum. Mesoscutellum slightly convex at anterior half, with very fine lateral carina, its basal width 0.7 × its median length. Subalar depression smooth, nearly rounded. Sternaulus moderately deep, straight, smooth, running along median area of lower part of mesopleuron. Metapleural lobe relatively large, nearly smooth, gently rounded posteriorly just above hind coxa. Propodeum smooth, nearly flattened, laterally carinate, with two short, posterior sublateral, oblique and slightly curved carinae at base as well as a median straight one, 0.1 × as long as propodeal length; basal sublateral carina could also be seen, 0.4 × as long as propodeum length; propodeal spiracle relatively small.

Wings (Fig. 9E, F ): Fore wing 3.8 × as long as its maximum width, 0.75 × as long as body length; r arising near to the middle of pterostigma; Radial cell long (not shortened); metacarpus longer than pterostigma; r 1.4 × as long as maximum width of pterostigma; 3-SR 0.85 × r, forming with it an obtuse angle; 3-SR 0.2 × as long as SR1, straight; trace of 1-SR+M distinctly lower than 2-SR+M (very hardly seen to be measured); m-cu slightly curved; brachial cell broadly opened distally. Hind wing 4.6 × as long as its maximum width, costal cell absent, Costal vein stigma-like subbasally. Whole edges of both wings surrounded with relatively long fringe of setae.

Legs (Fig. 9D ): Hind coxa 1.2 × as long as its maximum width, with small, but distinct baso-ventral tubercle; hind femur narrow, without blister dorsally, 4.2 × as long as its maximum width; hind basitarsus 0.3 × as long as hind tibia; hind tibia with weak blister near to the middle, second tarsomere of hind leg 0.64 × as long as hind basitarsus.

Metasoma (Fig. 8A, B , 9G ): Nearly glabrous, except for very few fine long setae laterally, 2.7 × as long as its maximum width, 1.1 × as long as head and mesosoma combined. T1 widened from base to apex, its apical width 2.1 × its basal width, 1.0 × its middle length, with small basal dorsope; with baso-median smooth area that narrowed posteriorly, not reaching middle of tergite, with very weak, irregular longitudinal striations that are obscured medially; T1 1.4 × as long as propodeal length; T2 with a trace of short, semi-circular smooth area baso-medially; median length of T2 0.8 × its basal width, 0.8 × as long as T1 and 1.8 × as long as T3, sculpturing as in T1, but very superficial and weaker. T3 ca. 2.0 × as wide as long, with short, thick, widely separated longitudinal striations at base. Remaining tergites smooth and shiny.

Color (Figs 8A, B , 9E, F ): Body generally reddish yellow, with head distinctly darker; antenna with scape and pedicel as body color, flagellum dark brown to black; maxillary and labial palpi pale brown; ocellar triangle black, last metasomal tergites dark brown to black. Wings hyaline, fore wing pterostigma and veins dark brown.

Material examined.

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. 1♂, Jazan, Farasan Islands, Al-Sajid; 16°51'25.46"N, 41°55'58.78"E; 25 Jan.2017; Usama Abu El-Ghiet & El-Sheikh leg.; LT [KSMA].

Remark.

Although it cannot be matched with any of the species keyed out by Belokobylskij in his paper of Neoheterospilus (2006), it should not be described as new until females are collected (Belokobylskij, pers. comm.).

General distribution.

Saudi Arabia (Farasan Islands) (new record).

Figures

Figure 8. Neoheterospilus sp., ♂: A dorsal habitus B lateral habitus C head, frontal view D head, dorsal view E antenna.

Figure 9. Neoheterospilus sp., ♂: A head and mesosoma, lateral view B mesosoma, dorsal view C mesosoma, lateral view D hind leg and metasoma (part), lateral view E fore wing F hind wing G propodeum and metasoma, dorsal view.