Orthopelma aobing Hu, Zhang, Dal Pos, McCormack & Fang, 2025

Fang, Zhiqiang, Hu, Wenqian, Mccormack, Koorosh, Pos, Davide Dal, Tang, Chang-Ti, Zhu, Ying, Mao, Kangshan, Stone, Graham N. & Zhang, Y. Miles, 2025, New species of rose gall wasp Diplolepis Geoffroy, 1762 (Hymenoptera: Diplolepididae) and its parasitoid Orthopelma Taschenberg, 1865 (Hymenoptera Ichneumonidae) on a rare endemic rose species in Sichuan, China, Zootaxa 5706 (2), pp. 231-246 : 238-242

Orthopelma aobing Hu, Zhang, Dal Pos, McCormack & Fang , sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:

Figures 6–8

Materials examined. HOLOTYPE: 1F, CHINA: Sichuan Province, WangCang County, TianXingQiao S2, MengZi Village, GaoYang Town , ex Rosa chinensis var. spontanea (EM-Morpho-186), 32.286N, 106.283E, 510m, gall collected 18.XI.2018 (EM-3399), adult emerged 8.III.2019 (Tube-08309), leg. ZhiQiang Fang. PARATYPE: 1F 8M, same as holotype; deposited at EBRRS .

Diagnosis: Orthopelma aobing belongs to the superbum -group ( sensu Kasparyan 2011), which comprises three described species: Orthopelma superbum Kasparyan, 1984 from Uzbekistan, O. dodecameron Kasparyan, 2011 from Kyrgyzstan, and O. mukriyana Riedel, 2024 from Iran and Georgia. Members of the superbum -group have very short malar space ( Fig. 7A ), eyes strongly convergent towards clypeus, antennae with 10–11 flagellomeres, apical flagellomere as long as 2–3 preceding segments together ( Fig. 7D ), and ovipositor sheath about 0.5–0.6× as long as hind tibia ( Fig. 6A ) ( Kasparyan 2011). Orthopelma aobing runs to couplet two of Kasparyan’s (2011) key to the West Palearctic species of the genus, and it differs from the other members of the superbum -group by the following combination of characters: coloration of the pronotum, mesonotum and upper part of mesopleuron (red in O. superbum vs. black in O. aobing ); antenna (black in O. dodecameron , reddish-yellow in O. mukriyana vs. yellowish-brown in O. superbum and O. aobing ); and number of flagellomeres ( 12 in O. mukriyana , 10–11 in O. superbum , O. dodecameron , and O. aobing ). Additional characters to consider: the overall coloration of the head (especially the ventral section) is much lighter than in the other species, with base of mandibles and clypeus yellowish, while the face is dark brown (and not fully black). Orthopelma aobing also runs to couplet two of Zhang’s (2025) key which includes all known East Asian Orthopelma species. However, these species are actually all in the mediator -group, which can be distinguished from the superbum -group using the characteristics listed above ( Kasparyan 2011).

Description. Female. Body length 3.2–4.1 mm (n = 2).

Color. Antenna with ventral side of scape and pedicel light brown, dorsal side plus all flagellomeres brown or yellow ( Fig. 7D ). Head black; labrum yellow and mandibles light brown with black tips ( Fig. 7A ). Anterior edge of pronotum with tinge of brown; rest of mesosoma black; fore and mid coxa, all trochanters yellow, fore and mid legs light brown; hind coxa, femur, tibia, and tarsomeres brown ( Fig. 6A ). Metasomal tergites 1–2 with light brown infuscation in the anterior edge, petiole and rest of tergites dark brown; ovipositor sheath dark brown ( Figs. 6A, 6B , 8C, 8D ).

Head. Eyes with inner margins converging strongly ventrally, frons setose ( Fig. 7A ); transfacial distance between compound eyes and below antennal toruli about 1.6× that of the minimal distance between the lower edge of compound eyes; Malar space 0.45× as long as basal width of mandible; malar groove absent. Ratio of POL: OOL: LOL = 2: 2.3: 1 ( Fig. 7B ).

Antenna. 12–13-segmented (10–11 flagellomeres), moniliform; apical segment 5.8× that of the preceding segment ( Fig. 7D ); seven basal flagellomeres combined 1.2× longer than eye. Ratio of scape: pedicel: F1–11 for the holotype female with 13 segments is: 3.9: 2.1: 4.6:2.8:2.1:2:2.3:1.9:1.8:1.6:1.2:1.2:1:5.8 ( Fig. 7D ).

Mesosoma. Pronotum with epomia ( Fig. 7F ). Mesoscutum smooth, strongly convex anteriorly, densely setose with punctures; notaulus almost absent. Scutellum without transverse carinae ( Fig. 8A ). Mesopleuron shiny and smooth, setose on the anterodorsal third and ventrally below sternaulus. Sternaulus strong, extending to the posterior fifth of mesopleuron. Strobe prominent and deep, reaching about ¼ of the way of the mesopleuron from the posterior edge ( Fig. 7F ). Propodeum with areola separated from basal area by a shallow basal transverse carina, flask-shaped; constricting centrally and slightly dilated on either sides; areolet 1.2× as long as wide, setose ( Fig. 8E ). Petiolar area smooth and shiny, hexagonal ( Fig. 7C , 6D, 6E ).

Legs. Spurs of hind tibia subequal ( Fig. 6A ).

Fore wing. Fore wing with 1cu-a distad of M; 1cu-a slanted, posteriorly bending perpendicularly to 1-A ( Fig. 8B ).

Metasoma. Dorsolateral carinae of tergite 1 distinct from base to level of spiracles; ventrolateral carinae complete and strong; tergite 1 2.8× as long as wide; tergite 2 1.7× as long as the width of its hind margin; tergite 3 1.2× as wide as tergite 2, 0.6× as long as tergite 2 ( Fig. 8D , 6E ). Ovipositor sheath straight, 0.5× as long as hind tibia and 0.8× as long as 2nd tergite ( Fig. 8C ).

Male. Body length 4.5–5.1 mm (n = 6). Antennae entirely dark brown. Antenna with 21–22 flagellar segments, moniliform; apical segment 1.5–2.4× that of the preceding segment ( Fig. 7E ) Fore and mid coxae yellowish brown, hind coxa dark brown; all trochanters I brownish with white apical half; all trochanters II entirely yellow. Fore leg yellowish, mid and hind legs brownish, tarsal claw dark brown. Metasomal tergites all dark brown, Sternites 2–6 with whitish-yellow median longitudinal fold ( Fig. 8F ). Other structural features and coloration similar to females.

Variation. The number of antennae ranges from 12–13 in females, and 21–22 in males.

Biology. Parasitoid of Diplolepis nezha , emerging at the same time of the year (March) as host.

Etymology. Named after Ao Bing, the long, slender dragon prince and rival of Ne Zha, symbolizing the parasitoid’s role as the gall inducer’s adversary. The name is used as a noun in apposition.

Figures

FIGURE 6. Orthopelma aobing. A) Lateral habitus. B) Dorsal habitus.

FIGURE 7. Orthopelma aobing. A) Head in frontal view. B) Head in dorsal view. C) Petiole in lateral view. D) Female antenna. E) Male antenna. F) Head + mesosoma in lateral view.

FIGURE 8. Orthopelma aobing. A) Mesosoma in frontal view. B) Fore wing. C) Metasoma in lateral view. D) Metasoma in dorsal view. E) Propodeum + petiole in dorsal view. F) Lateral habitus of male.