Protoctonus groehni Davidian, 2022

Davidian, Elena M., Manukyan, Andranik R. & Belokobylskij, Sergey A., 2022, A new genus and species of the aphid parasitoids (Hymenoptera: Braconidae Aphidiinae) from Baltic amber, Zootaxa 5165 (4), pp. 520-526 : 522-524

Protoctonus groehni Davidian , sp. nov.

Figs 1 , 2

Type material. Holotype: GPIH No. 5066 ( CCGG No. 9183), female; well preserved complete parasitoid inside of amber piece (12.0 × 11.0 × 3.0 mm.). Syninclusion: pollen of undetermined plant, trichomes of oak flower ( Quercus sp. ); Diptera indet. (fragment of leg). Amber from the Yantarny Deposit (near Kaliningrad). Material of subaerial origin was not subject to the preliminary chemical and physical processing.

Etymology. Named in honour Mr Carsten Gröhn, Chairman of Association for the Promotion of the Geological-Palaeontological Museum of the University of Hamburg e.V. “Working Group Bernstein” (Verein zur Förderung des Geologisch-Paläontologischen Museums der Universität Hamburg e.V. “Arbeitskreis Bernstein”)

Diagnosis. As stated above for the new genus.

Type locality and horizon. Baltic amber. Upper Eocene, Prussian Formation. Baltic Sea coast and amber quarry Yantarny near Kaliningrad, Kaliningrad Province, Russia .

Description. Female. Body length 1.5 mm, fore wing length 1.4 mm, antenna length 1.0 mm.

Head. Head ( Figs 1C, E ) transverse (subdorsal view), wider than mesoscutum. covered by sparse and short setae. Temple approximately as long as eye (dorsal view). POL 2.5 × Od. Eye large, spherical, convex, with short sparse setae in lower 0.7. Face mainly densely setose, but with glabrous narrow medial vertical stripe, 1.5 × wider than height of face. Tentorial index 0.7. Clypeus with seven long setae, its width 2.0 × height. Malar space 0.6 × height of eye and 2.0 × basal width of mandible. Maxillary palpus 4-segmented, labial palpus 3-segmented.

Antenna ( Figs 1A, D ) with 11 antennomeres, thickened towards apex, covered by dense and short setae, setae shorter than antennomere width. Antenna moniliform starting from fifth antennomere. F1 3.5 × longer than its median width, F2–F4 2.0 ×, F5–F8 1.6 ×, and F9 3.5 × longer than their median width, respectively. F1 1.5 × longer than F2. Rhinaria (multiparous plate sensillae) distinct on all antennomeres: F1 with 1 rhinarium on side, F2 with 2, F3 with 3, F4 – F8 with 4 rhinaria. F9 with rhinaria situated in two lines: first line with 4 and in second line with 3.

Mesosoma. Mesoscutum ( Fig. 1E ) entirely covered by short setae, with rather long and weak notauli continued till its middle. Precoxal sulcus absent. Propodeum perhaps with areola finely delineated by carinae. Tegula with short setae.

Wings. Fore wing ( Figs 1G, H ; 2A ) with closed large central cell. All veins well sclerotised and coloured. Pterostigma triangular, 3.5 × longer than its maximum width and 0.7 × as long as metacarp (1-R1). Metacarp (1-R1), radial (r, 3-SR, SR1) and parallel (CU1a) veins long and almost reaching distal margin of wing. Medial (2-M, 3-M) vein short and not reaching wing margin. Present closed medial (basal), central (united first and second submarginal and discal), submedial (subbasal) and brachial (subdiscal) cells. Distal margin of fore wing with long setae, which is longer than setae on wing membrane. Hind wing without closed medial (basal) cell.

Legs. Legs well preserved, covered by dense, long and semi-erect setae. Femora and tibiae of fore, middle and hind legs almost same length; length of femora 6.0–7.0 × their medial width.

Metasoma ( Fig. 1F ). Petiole long, with prominent spiracular tubercles in basal part, about 1.6 × longer than its width at level of spiracular tubercles; left spiracular tubercle distinctly visible and with round spiracle; petiole behind spiracles weakly narrowed and then widened towards apex. Fused second and third tergites clearly visible and equal lengths. Six sternites clearly visible. Ovipositor sheaths ( Figs 1F ; 2B ) curved downwards, triangular shape, tapered from base to apex, entirely cover by short dense setae, long setae arranged along dorsal and ventral margins of sheath, short setae located on apex of sheath. Ovipositor sheath 2.6 × longer than its maximum basal width.

Pubescence. Head, antenna, legs and all body (including ovipositor sheaths) covered by rather dense setae.

Colour. Colour of body monochromatically dark brown.

Figures

FIGURES 1. Photos of Protoctonus groehni gen. et sp. nov. (female, holotype). A. Habitus, left side. B. Habitus, right side. C. Head and basal antennomeres, front view. D. Antenna. E. Head and mesoscutum, dorsolateral view. F. Metasoma and ovipositor, dorsolateral view. G. Wings. H. Distal part of fore wing.

FIGURES 2. Figures of Protoctonus groehni gen. et sp. nov. (female, holotype). A. Fore wing. B. Ovipositor sheaths.