Mannokeraia albipalpis van Achterberg

Achterberg, Cornelis van, Quicke, Donald L. J. & Boring, C. Andrew, 2017, A revision of the tribe Planitorini van Achterberg (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Euphorinae), with description of a new genus from Australia, ZooKeys 718, pp. 35-64 : 37-39

Mannokeraia albipalpis van Achterberg sp. n. Figs 1, 2-11, 12-16

Mannokeraia sp. 4 Stigenberg et al., 2015: 575.

Type material.

Holotype, ♀ (CNC), "Austr[alia], Qld., Mt. Glorious N.P., 630 m, 28.ii.1984, L. Masner s.s.", "Wet rain forest". Paratypes: 1 ♀ + 1 ♂ (HIC), "Australia: Qld., Main Range National Park, Nunningham’s Gap, Box Forest Track, elev. 700 m, yellow/blue/red pan traps (4:1:1) in creek bed, 400 m, S of parking area, 28°3.243'S 152°22.764'E, 10-11.xii.2005, A.R. Deans & M.L. Buffington", “H4038” (only ♀), "DNA primary voucher AB 086 (♀) or AB 087 (♂), Hymenoptera Institute, University of Kentucky".

Diagnosis.

Antenna of ♀ with 20 segments and medially slightly widened (Fig. 11), and basal 7 segments brownish yellow and apical 12 segments strongly moniliform, of ♂ scapus and pedicellus yellow and following 5 segments brown or dark brown; palpi white; with transverse space between clypeus and closed mandibles; head moderately enlarged behind eyes in dorsal view (Fig. 9); length of malar space 0.3 times basal width of mandible (Fig. 8); mesosoma of ♀ normal, with mesoscutum far above upper level of pronotum (Fig. 3); pronotum and mesoscutum black; propodeum rugose medially (Fig. 4); legs (except hind coxa) largely brownish yellow or yellowish brown; setose part of ovipositor sheath 0.5-0.6 times as long as hind tibia; both sexes macropterous.

Description.

Holotype, ♀, length of fore wing 2.9 mm, and of body 3.7 mm.

Head. Antenna with 16+ segments (apical segments missing, ♀ paratype has 20 antennal segments), length of third segment 1.1 times fourth segment, third and fourth segments 1.1 and 1.0 times as long as wide, respectively (Fig. 11) and with apical 9+ segments pedunculate, medially antenna wider than as apically; length of maxillary palp equal to height of head; occipital carina complete, comparatively low dorsally (Fig. 10), joining hypostomal carina below mandible and occipital flange elongate; eye 1.3 times as long as temple in dorsal view; temples subparallel-sided behind eyes; OOL:diameter of posterior ocellus:POL = 13:5:11; vertex and frons smooth and strongly shiny, with some long setae, convex, without median groove, and anteriorly flattened; face sparsely coarsely punctate and with some superficial rugae (Fig. 8); clypeus depressed and smooth ventrally, with ventral rim slightly upcurved, dorsally weakly convex and with some coarse punctures; length of malar space 0.3 times basal width of mandible; man dible flattened medially and with some striae, apically with large upper and medium-sized lower tooth (Fig. 10).

Mesosoma. Length of mesosoma 1.9 times its height; dorsal pronope and antescutal depression absent; side of pronotum narrowly crenulate antero-medially, widely crenulate postero-ventrally and remainder largely smooth; mesopleuron coarsely punctate dorsally; precoxal sulcus complete, rather widely crenulate-punctate (Fig. 3); remainder of mesopleuron smooth except for a few punctures; mesosternal suture rather deep and distinctly crenulate; postpectal carina distinct medio-ventrally; notauli complete and formed by narrow row of punctures; mesoscutum slightly convex, strongly shiny, and largely smooth, except for some coarse punctures medio-posteriorly (Fig. 4), glabrous laterally and with few long setae medially; scutellar sulcus with six costae; scutellum flat, smooth (except for some setiferous punctures) and shiny; metapleuron entirely coarsely punctate; propodeum entirely moderately reticulate-rugose (Figs 4, 5), its median carina absent, its posterior face rather differentiated and without tubercle postero-laterally (Fig. 4).

Wings. Fore wing: 1-M weakly curved; 1-SR short (Fig. 2); marginal cell closed anteriorly; 1-R1 1.7 times longer than pterostigma (Fig. 2); vein r emitted distinctly after middle of pterostigma; r:3-SR:SR1 = 4:16:87; vein SR1 straight; 2-SR:3-SR:r-m = 26:16:17; 2-M much longer than 3-SR; m-cu slightly postfurcal; 1-CU1 oblique and narrow, about as long as cu-a; 1-CU1:2-CU1 = 5:29; basal and subbasal cells of fore wing setose as other cells. Hind wing: marginal cell parallel-sided apically (Fig. 2); M+CU:1-M:1r-m = 28:14:10; basal and subbasal cells sparsely setose.

Legs. Hind coxa densely rugose-punctate, its outer side mainly punctate (Fig. 3); tarsal claws with wide truncate lamelliform lobe (Figs 6, 7); length of femur, tibia and basitarsus of hind leg 3.3, 6.4 and 6.2 times as long as their maximum width; fore femur inflated, 2.4 times longer than wide and apically rounded (Fig. 7); fore and middle tarsi slender (Figs 6, 7).

Metasoma. First tergite 2.5 times longer than its apical width, petiolate basally and gradually widened apically (Fig. 5), striate, dorsal carinae unite to form a median carina (Fig. 5), basal half of tergite closed ventrally and sternite differentiated; laterope absent; second tergite smooth; ovipositor sheath somewhat widened basally and obtuse apically (Fig. 1), its setose part 0.17 times as long as fore wing and 0.55 times hind tibia; ovipositor with minute subapical notch, compressed and basally widened (Fig. 6).

Colour. Black; palpi and basal half metasoma ventrally white; tegulae pale yellowish; seven basal segments of antenna, fore and middle legs brownish yellow; hind leg (except dark brown coxa) yellowish brown, but tibia and tarsus slightly darkened; face, clypeus, remainder of antenna and of metasoma (except black first tergite), pterostigma and most veins of fore wing dark brown; wing membrane weakly infuscate.

Male. Similar to female paratype except for the shape of the antennal segments (22+, apical segments missing; Fig. 12), slender fore femur and the different colour of base of antenna, legs and clypeus. Length of fore wing 3.3 mm, and of body 4.1 mm; antenna dark brown except for yellow scapus and pedicellus; clypeus brown ventrally; medio-posterior punctate area of mesoscutum rather large; coxae, trochanters, trochantelli, and hind tibia blackish or dark brown (hind tarsus missing); first tergite 2.9 times longer than wide apically, with dorsope shallowly impressed and distinctly longitudinally striate.

Variation.

Female paratype is very similar to holotype. Length of fore wing 2.9 mm, of body 3.0 mm; antenna with 20 segments, its penultimate segment as long as wide (without pedunculus 0.8 times); both teeth of mandible large; first metasomal tergite 2.3 times longer than its apical width and with slightly indicated dorsope; setose part of ovipositor sheath 0.18 times as long as fore wing and 0.54 times hind tibia.

Etymology.

Named after its white palpi ( “albus” is white in Latin).

Distribution.

Australia (Queensland). Collected in December and February.