Balcha anemeta (Walker)

Gibson, Gary A. P., 2005, The world species of Balcha Walker (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea: Eupelmidae), parasitoids of wood-boring beetles, Zootaxa 1033 (1), pp. 1-62 : 12-15

Balcha anemeta (Walker) ( Figs. 17 , 19, 31, 53)

Calosoter Anemetus Walker, 1846: 52 , 94. Type data: Philippine Isles, from Mr. Wood’s collection.

Holotype female by monotypy (BMNH type no. 5.951, examined).

Calosota anemetus ; Baltazar, 1966: 129. Change of combination.

Balcha anemeta ; Gibson, 1989: 67. Change of combination.

Additional material examined. AUSTRALASIAN. PAPUA NEW GUINEA: Kiunga , Fly River, 5­7.VIII.1919, Wm.W. Brandt (1♀ BPBM) . ORIENTAL. PHILIPPINES: Mindanao , Dapitan, 13893 (1♀ BMNH) ; Illigan , Baker, 13893 (3♀ USNM) . Samar Island , Baker (1♀ USNM) .

Description. FEMALE. Length, 10–14 mm. Antenna dark except scape usually basally and sometimes almost entirely yellowish­orange; scape oval in cross­section, with outer surface flat at least apically and bare medially or basomedially; Fl 1 about as long as apical width and half as long as pedicel; Fl 2 about 1.4–1.6 x as long as clava. Head with punctures and interstices on parascrobal region not contrasting distinctly in color, the face sometimes variably blue to green under some angles of light, but usually dark purple except clypeus and interantennal region more distinctly green and upper parascrobal region partly black adjacent to scrobal channel; ocellar region and vertex dark except variably broadly along upper inner orbit, with dark region usually extending as posteriorly tapered band medially in region between posterior ocelli and laterally behind each ocellus, but posterior surface of head extensively green or blue to purple under some angles of light, particularly on smooth, bare band along outer orbit. Face (Fig. 19) with setiferous punctures, the punctures closely crowded toward, but remaining distinct even near, oral margin, usually more widely separated by variably conspicuously coriaceous interstices on parascrobal region, at least in part, except about dorsal third to half of region flat with crowded and increasingly shallower and/or smaller punctures, being mostly punctulatereticulate (cf. Fig. 20) or rugulose­coriaceous (Fig. 19) except coriaceous near ocelli, and uniformly setose with white to light brown setae. Scrobal depression with scrobes smoothly merging into channel; scrobes smooth and shiny, dark or with blue to purple luster under some angles of light; channel blue to purple ventrally and dorsally dark, coriaceous, and either bare or sparsely setose.

Pronotum dark anteriorly, variably green to blue or purple posteriorly and sometimes violaceous laterally; finely coriaceous to transversely coriaceous­aciculate and shiny. Tegula brown. Mesoscutum varying from mostly dark except for blue to purple paranotaular band and posterior paramedial depression, to extensively bluish or purple with some green luster under some angles of light, but then with dark notaular band extending to and broadly truncate along base of scutellum and with dark parapsidal bands either joining notaular band near midlength to form ­like pattern or remaining separate but always narrowed posteriorly and extending to inner angle of axilla along ridge delineating outer margin of posterior paramedial depression ( Fig. 17 ). Mesoscutum ( Fig. 31 ) alveolate laterally, dorsally the punctures smaller and shallower, particularly between notauli and near parapsidal line; with broad, shallow, longitudinal depression over about posterior half anterior to level of inner margin of axilla, but sculpture not differentiated from surrounding cuticle; with quite uniform, white to brownish hairlike setae. Scutellum with lateral and posterior margins variably extensively purple to blue or with some green luster, but with dark band medially ( Fig. 17 ); coriaceous­granular with tiny setiferous punctures to punctate­rugulose with coriaceous subsculpture, and usually with longitudinal interstices more or less distinctly aligned into irregular ridges anteriorly, but at least with a low anteromedial longitudinal ridge ( Fig. 31 ). Metanotum dark purple or with blue or greenish luster under some angles of light, except dorsellum sometimes dark except for brownish­hyaline dorsal margin; dorsellum ( Fig. 31 ) thin, in single vertical plane, coriaceous to coriaceous­reticulate with a few longitudinal rugae ventrolaterally, and bare; precrenular region of panel uniformly setose (cf. Fig. 43 ). Acropleuron with distinct, elongate­ovate, rugulose­coriaceous subalar region separating punctate­alveolate prealar region from finely coriaceous­aciculate postalar region ( Fig. 53 ); uniformly purple or with punctures violaceous under some angles of light, except subalar region usually dark. Lower mesepimeron punctate­reticulate to reticulate­rugulose. Metapleuron coriaceous dorsally to extensively reticulate­rugulose over distinct coriaceous subsculpture and with crenulate furrow along posterior margin. Propodeum purple to partly green under some angles of light; paraspiracular region setose (cf. Fig. 46 ); callus comparatively smooth and shiny dorsolaterally but laterally with distinct setiferous punctures (cf. Fig. 43 ) or sometimes rugulose­punctate adjacent to metapleuron; plical region setose, with carinate margin of foramen distinctly ­like recurved to anterior margin of propodeum and inclined or almost vertical medially as short, high median carina, the region lateral to carina deeply concave and strongly crenulate (cf. Fig. 43 ). Forewing with vannal area brownish at least along posterior margin and basal cell sometimes closed posteriorly by brownish mediocubital fold; vannal area with subcubital line of setae extending over about apical half. Legs beyond coxae varying from uniformly yellowish­orange to darker orange­brown with tibia dark brown.

Petiole composed almost entirely of vertically raised, smooth and shiny rim ( Fig. 31 ). Gaster in dorsal view dark brown or with slight purple luster, in lateral view all terga except syntergum with more conspicuous purple luster under some angles of light; about 1.3–1.7 x as long as head and mesosoma combined. Syntergum variably long, about oneto two­thirds as long as remaining gaster and in lateral view about 2.5–7.5 x as long as high; uniformly setose, sculptured and tapered posteriorly, with cercus at basal margin.

MALE. Unknown.

Biology. Unknown.

Discussion. The female from Papua New Guinea has the parapsidal and notaular bands completely separated by a longitudinal metallic blue to green band ( Fig. 17 ), the face brighter green to purple than in other specimens, the upper parascrobal region distinctly punctulate­reticulate (cf. Fig. 20), the legs entirely yellowish­orange, the basal cell closed posteriorly by a brownish mediocubital fold, and the shortest syntergum of all the specimens. However, females from the Philippines vary in color, with one having uniformly orange legs and a paranotaular band that is almost continuous with a similar metallic region in the posterior paramedial depression. Females from the Philippines also have the syntergum variable in length, although this does not appear to be strongly correlated with body length, unlike some other species. I currently consider the differences between the female from Papua New Guinea and those from the Philippines to represent intraspecific variation, but additional specimens are necessary to evaluate the species status more definitively.

B. anemeta is included in the anemeta ­group along with B. levicollis , B. punctiscutum and B. reticulifrons because all four species have a thin dorsellum, but it certainly is more closely related to B. levicollis based on shared presence of setae on the propodeal plical region ( Fig. 43 ), which is unique for the two species in Balcha . The most conspicuous difference between females of the two species is sculpture pattern of the postalar region of the acropleuron, which is finely coriaceous­aciculate in B. anemeta ( Fig. 53 ) and punctulate­reticulate in B. levicollis ( Fig. 54 ). Although males of B. anemeta are unknown, they probably are similar to B. levicollis males except for the same sculptural difference.

Figures

FIGURES 9–18. Mesosoma dorsal: 9, Balcha laciniosa; 10, B. cylindrica; 11, B. elegans; 12, B. indica (N. Am.); 13, B. eximia; 14, B. eximiassita; 15, B. dictyota; 16, B. reticulata; 17, B. anemeta; 18, B. splendida (nob = notaular band, pnb = paranotaular band, ppb = parapsidal band).

FIGURES 31–38. Mesosoma dorsal: 31, Balcha anemeta; 32, B. punctiscutum; 33, B. indica (N. Am.); 34, B. indica (holotype); 35, B. elegans; 36, B. laciniosa (not = notaulus, pl = parapsidal line); 37, B. eximiassita; 38, B. reticulata.

FIGURES 39–46. 39–42. Mesosoma, dorsal: 39, Balcha cylindrica; 40, B. splendida; 41, B. camptogastra; 42, B. enoptra. 43–46. Metanotum and propodeum: 43, B. levicollis; 44, B. punctiscutum; 45, B. enoptra (cal = callus, dor = dorsellum, pcr = precrenular region of metanotal panel, ppr = propodeal plical region, psr = paraspiracular region); 46, B. elegans.

FIGURES 47–54. 47. Metanotum and propodeum: Balcha eximia. 48. B. indica (N. Am.): dorsellum and propodeal plical region. 49 and 50. Mesosoma, lateral: 49, B. punctiscutum; 50, B. indica (N. Am.). 51–54. Posterior half of acropleuron: 51, B. indica (holotype); 52, B. eximiassita; 53, B. anemeta; 54, B. levicollis (sar = subalar region of acropleuron).