Photelesor lithocolletis Liu & Chen

Liu, Zhen, He, Jun-Hua & Chen, Xue-Xin, 2016, The genus Pholetesor Mason, 1981 (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Microgastrinae) from China, with descriptions of eleven new species, Zootaxa 4150 (4), pp. 351-387 : 379

Photelesor lithocolletis Liu & Chen , sp. n.

Figures 15 , 20

Description. Female. Body length ca. 1.7 mm, fore wing length ca.2.0 mm.

Head. Transverse in dorsal view, 1.8× as wide as long and as wide as mesoscutum. Eye in dorsal view 1.2× longer than temple. Temple shiny and with weak punctures, slightly constricted. Face transverse, 0.7× as high as wide, relatively shiny, rough with minute punctures, not bulging medially, inner margin of eyes subparallel. Ocelli small, distance between fore and a hind ocellus larger than diameter of hind ocellus, POL:OD:OOL=3.6:1.5: 3.0. Last 14 flagellomeres missing.

Mesosoma. Length: breadth: height=31.0:20.0:20.0. Disc of mesonotum shiny with somewhat satin-like sheen posteriorly, shallow obsolescent punctures anteriorly, interspaces larger than diameter of punctures. Scutellar sulcus nearly straight, very narrow with reduced weak carinae in between. Scutellum mostly smooth. Postscutellum with a strong emargination between its middle point and forwarding-pointing projection, phragma freely exposed. Propodeum highly shiny, polished all over, except two weak short ridges reaching out from nucha. Mesopleuron highly polished, its anterior part setaceous but almost without punctuation.

Legs. Spines on outer side of hind tibia sparse. Spurs of hind tibia subequal, the longer one is nearly 2/5× length of basitarsus. Hind basitarsus as long as tarsal segments 2–4 combined.

Wings. Pterostigma relatively large, 2.4× as long as its widest part. Vein 1-R1 (metacarp) as long as pterostigma, at most 3× as long as its distance from apex of marginal cell. Vein r arising from apex of pterostigma, distinctly shorter than width of pterostigma, vein r slightly shorter than vein 2-SR, both veins distinctly angled at their meeting, vein 2-M nearly half length of vein 2-SR. 1st discal cell 1.2× wider than high. 1st submarginal cell of hind wing 1.4× wider than high. Vein cu-a curved.

Metasoma. Distinctly shorter than (hardly 0.8×) thorax. T1 slightly narrowing towards apex, and long, 2.2× longer than hind broad, basal width 1.4× hind width,concave at base, highly shiny, mostly polished, only slightly uneven and weak rugulose. T2 highly triangular, straight apically, 1.6× wider than long in the middle, sculpture as appearance of T1. T3 1.2× longer than T2. Tergites after T2 shiny, smooth, less pubescent. Hypopygium not longer than apex of abdomen. Ovipositor sheath nearly as long as hind basitarsus.

Colour. Body black, except T1, T2 and most of T3 light reddish yellow. Palpi, tegula and spurs of hind tibia pale yellow. Labrum and mandible reddish yellow. Legs entirely yellow to slightly light reddish yellow. Antenna light reddish yellow. Wing membrane hyaline, vein 1-R1, C+SC+R and upper border of pterostigma yellow, pterostigma and alar veins pale yellow.

Male. Unknown.

Host. According to the label, Lithocolletis ringoniell a Mats ( Gracillariidae ).

Material examined. Holotype: ♀, Wendeng, Shandong, 1986. IX.6, Hou Shaojin , No. 864683 . Paratype: 1♀, Wendeng, Shandong, 1986. IX.6, Hou Shaojin , No. 864683.

Distribution. China (Shandong).

Etymology. The specific name “ lithocolletis ”, referring to that it is parasitoid of larva of Lithocolletis ringoniell a Mats.

Remarks. This species is very similar to P. flavigleba Liu & Chen , sp. n. except for the following: phragma freely exposed (the latter only slightly exposed); face and mesonotum of specimens almost without punctures (the latter distinctly punctate); vein cu-a curved and weakly angled with vein 1-1A (the latter straight and perpendicular to vein 1-1A).

Figures

FIGURE 15. Pholetesor lithocolletis Liu & Chen, sp. n. a propodeum and metasoma; b habitus, lateral view; c head, frontal view; d fore wing; e hind wing; f head, dorsal view; g mesosoma, dorsal view. Scale line = 0.5 mm.

FIGURE 20. Distribution map of circumscriptus - group of Pholetesor species in China. •: Pholetesor acricauda Liu & Chen, sp. n.; ■: Pholetesor argyresthiae Liu & Chen, sp. n.; •: Pholetesor arisba (Nixon, 1973); Δ: Pholetesor circumscriptus Liu & Chen, sp. n.; Ŧ: Pholetesor confusus Liu & Chen, sp. n.; Ɨ: Pholetesor flaviparvus Liu & Chen, sp. n.; *: Pholetesor lithocolletis Liu & Chen, sp. n.; ♥: Pholetesor lyonetiae Liu & Chen, sp. n.; L: Pholetesor teresitergum Liu & Chen, sp. n.