Areopraon tricolor Davidian, 2021

Davidian, Elena M. & Belokobylskij, Sergey A., 2021, Two new species of the genus Areopraon Mackauer, 1959 (Hymenoptera Braconidae: Aphidiinae) from the Russian Far East, Zootaxa 4985 (1), pp. 131-136 : 132-134

Areopraon tricolor Davidian , sp. nov.

Figs 1A, E, F ; 2A, D, G .

http://zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:B9A82633-9AEE-455E-B402-B8606AB5CC79

Type material. Holotype: female, Russia, Primorskiy Territory, Vladivostok, Morskoe kladbishche ( See Cemetery ), oak-forest, 8.VIII.1991 (S. Belokobylskij leg.) ( ZISP).

Description. Female. Head smooth, shining, sparsely setose, subcubical (dorsal view), wider then mesoscutum at level of tegula. Eyes large, widely oval, below (front view) convergent to clypeus, bare. Temple as long as transverse diameter of eye (dorsal view). POL approximately equal to Od. Face with double vertical stripes of setae on both its sides. Clypeus convex, arcuate, with few setae, its width 2.2 × maximum high. Tentorial index 0.5.

Antenna filiform, with 16 antennomeres, covered by rather dense and semi-erect setae, length of seta almost equal to width of flagellomeres. F1 5.0 × longer than width; F2 3.5× longer than width, 0.7 × as long as F1.

Mesosoma. Mesoscutum with sparse setae in its anterior third and along notauli. Notauli well developed, long, arcuately fused each other before posterior margin of mesoscutum. Propodeum posteriorly with pair of directed forwards and divergent carinae bifurcated laterally and reaching spiracles.

Wings. Pterostigma wide and isosceles triangular, 2.8 × longer than its maximum width, 1.4 × longer than metacarpus (1-R1) and weakly shorter than radial vein (r+3SR+SR1). First abscissa of medial vein (1-SR+M) desclerotised and discolored in apical quarter, its basal part weakly sclerotised and almost discoloured; this abscissa 0.7 × as long as second medial abscissa (2-M). Second abscissa of medial vein (2-M) as long as radial vein (r+3SR+SR1) and coloured only in its medial part. Recurrent vein (m-cu) strongly desclerotised and weakly visible. Cubital (M+CU), longitudinal anal (1-1A) and parallel (CU1a) veins discoloured. Hind wing with weakly perceivable medial (basal) cell.

Metasoma. Petiole 1.4 × longer than its width at level of spiracles, strongly convex, with two longitudinal and almost parallel carinae almost reaching posterior part of petiole nearly distal bulges with seta in center. Anterior margin of second tergite without transverse convex area. Hypopygium with distinct transverse striation (lateral view). Ovipositor sheath 4.0 × longer than its maximum width, almost parallel-sided, weakly upcurved, with few short setae and without thickened bristles on its widely rounded top.

Colour. Body bright, tricolour, mainly yellow-orange-brown. Head dark brown. Flagellomeres starting from F3, fourth to seventh metasomal segments (except last sternite), and ovipositor sheaths brown. Scape, pedicel, F1, basal half of F2, clypeus, mouth parts, prothorax, legs, petiole, central spot on fused second and third tergites and last sternite yellow; F 2 in apical half pale brown; meso- and metathorax orange.

Lengths of body, antenna and fore wing 2.9, 1.9 and 2.2 mm respectively.

Male. Unknown.

Hosts. Unknown.

Etymology. This new species is named after its tricolored body.

Comparative diagnosis. New species is the most similar to A. thailandicum ( Figs 1C, D ; 2C, F ) and А. vladivostoki sp. nov. ( Figs 1B ; 2B, E, H, I ), but differs from the latter in having the body large, 2.9 mm (small, 1.4 mm in A. thailandicum and 1.6 mm in А. vladivostoki ), antenna with 16 antennomeres (with 12 antennomeres in A. thailandicum and 13 antennomeres in А. vladivostoki ), and propodeum posteriorly with two divergent carinae which are additionally bifurcated laterally (without additional bifurcation laterally in A. thailandicum and А. vladivostoki ). Moreover, A. tricolor sp. nov. differs from А. vladivostoki sp. nov. by the hypopygium having distinct transverse striation in lateral view (with hardly visible transverse striation in А. vladivostoki ), long and parallel-sided ovipositor sheath (distinctly narrowed posteriorly in А. vladivostoki ), and bright yellow-orange-brown colour (mainly dirty yellowish brown in А. vladivostoki ).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Morphological details of Areopraon species: А. tricolor sp. nov. (female, holotype) (A, E, F), А. vladivostoki sp. nov. (female, holotype) (B) and A. thailandicum Starý (C, D) (female, paratype, after Starý et al. 2008). A. Habitus. B. Head, mesosoma and wings. C. Fore wing. D. Mesoscutum. E. Head and mesosoma (dorsal view). F. Head and mesoscutum (dorsoanterior view).

FIGURE 2. Morphological details of Areopraon species: А. tricolor sp. nov. (female, holotype) (A, D, G), А. vladivostoki sp. nov. (female, holotype) (B, E, H, I) and A. thailandicum Starý (C, F) (after Starý et al. 2008). A, B, C. Propodeum. D, E, F. Petiole. G, H. Ovipositor and sheaths. I. Hypopygium (dorsal view).