Neocardiochiles franki Kang, 2022

Kang, Ilgoo, Whitfield, James B., Owens, Brittany E. & Chen, Junyan, 2022, Resurrection of Neocardiochiles Szepligeti, 1908 (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Cardiochilinae) with descriptions of five new species from the Neotropical region, Journal of Hymenoptera Research 91, pp. 41-68 : 41

Neocardiochiles franki Kang sp. nov.

Figs 7A-E

Material examined.

Holotype Costa Rica • ♀; 3 km SE of Rio Naranjo , Guanacaste; 1-5.vi.1992; F. D. Parker. Will be deposited in UWIM.

Diagnosis.

Neocardiochiles franki sp. nov. is most similar to N. alexeyi sp. nov. However, N. franki sp. nov. can be distinguished from other Neocardiochiles species by the combination of the following characters: antenna ≥ 37-segmented; scutellar sulcus weakly impressed (Fig. 7B ) mesoscutum entirely dark; hind femur entirely pale; anterior width of median furrow of propodeum ~ 0.18 × longer than maximum width (Fig. 7D ); T1 trapezoid and as long as its width (Fig. 7B ); T2, ~ 0.34 × longer than its posterior width (Fig. 7B ); ovipositor sheath ~ 0.58 × longer than length of hind tibia (Fig. 7A ).

Description.

Body ~ 9.36 mm. Head: Antenna ≥ 37-segmented, apically broken. Face width ~ 1.50 × longer than its height (1.11:0.74). Width of anterior ocellus ~ 1.11 × longer than POL (0.10:0.09). Eyes bulged and without interommatidial setae; median width of eye about ~ 1.32 × longer than median width of gena in lateral view (0.47:0.44). Clypeus ~ 2.41 × longer than its height (0.77:0.32). Mesosoma: Notauli weakly impressed at anterior half and absent posteriorly. Scutellar sulcus weakly impressed, medially shallow, laterally relatively deep, without crenula. Pronotum mostly smooth, with ventral longitudinal carina. Propodeum 0.50 × longer than its median width (0.61:1.22); median longitudinal furrow present, elongate isosceles trapezoid, anteriorly opened posteriorly closed by nucha, anterior width ~ 0.18 × longer than maximum width (0.03:0.17). Legs: Basal spur on mid tibia ~ 0.60 × longer than length of basitarsus (0.47:0.78). Basal spur on hind tibia ~ 0.62 × longer than length of basitarsus (0.83:1.33). Wings: Fore wing (RS+M)a vein present; second submarginal cell trapezoid, ~ 2.20 × longer than height (1.81:0.82); 1r absent; 3r absent; 3RSb evenly curved. Hind wing 2r-m absent; 2-1A absent. Metasoma: T1 ~ 1.09 × longer than its posterior width (1.20:1.10), anterior width ~ 0.53 × longer than posterior width (0.58:1.10), dorsally nearly trapezoid; Y-shaped suture present. T2 rectangle, ~ 0.34 × longer than its posterior width (0.54:1.58), with straight posterior margin. Hypopygium with median fold. Ovipositor sheath nearly straight and posteriorly enlarged, ~ 0.58 × longer than length of hind tibia (1.82:3.15), evenly setose except for base.

Color.

Body mostly melanic; the following areas pale: maxillary and labial palpi, fore leg, middle femur; mid tibia; basal middle tarsus, hind femur, basal hind tibia, anterior metasoma (mostly). Fore wing with two bands; stigma mostly pale.

Etymology.

Named in honor of Dr Frank Parker, the former head of the USDA Bee lab, who collected the specimen.

Male.

Unknown.

Host.

Unknown.

Distribution.

Neocardiochiles franki sp. nov. is known only from one female specimen collected from 3 km SE of Rio Naranjo, Guanacaste, Costa Rica.

Figures

Figure 7. Neocardiochiles franki sp. nov. A lateral habitus B dorsal habitus C fore wing D anterior head E dorsal propodeum and T 1 F hypopygium, arrow: median longitudinal fold.