Utetes stenotus Tan & van Achterberg, 2018

Tan, Jiang-Li, Achterberg, Cornelis Van, Zhang, Ruo-Nan & Wu, Jia-Xuan, 2018, Five new species of Utetes Foerster (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Opiinae) from NW China, Zootaxa 4402 (3), pp. 525-541 : 535-537

Utetes stenotus Tan & van Achterberg , sp. n.

( Figs 40–50 )

Type material. Holotype, ♀ ( NWUX) “NW China: Shaanxi, Mt. Nangong Nat . Park, Langao, Ankiang, swept, N32.29°, E109.06°, 9.vi.2016, 1000–2000 m, Qingqing Tan, NWUX”.

Comperative diagnosis. The new species runs in Tobias (1998) to Opius [= Utetes ] rotundiventris Thomson, 1895 , sharing the narrow flat lateral areas of the first metasomal tergite, the nearly parallel-sided first tergite and its longitudinal sculpture medially. Utetes stenotus differs because the first tergite is about 1.1 × as long as its apical width ( Fig. 43 ; 1.5–1.8 × in U. rotundiventris ), antennomeres of ♀ with medium-sized setae ( Fig. 45 ; with long setae), length of malar space about 0.7 × basal width of mandible ( Fig. 50 ; about as long), scutellum convex, protruding above level of mesoscutum ( Figs 42, 43 ; flat), and hind femur approx. 4 × wider than long ( Figs 40 , 48 ; approx. 5 ×).

Description. Holotype, ♀, length of body 2.3 mm, of fore wing 3.0 mm.

Head. Antenna incomplete, with 24 antennomeres remaining, antennomeres with medium-sized setae; third antennomere 1.3 × as long as fourth antennomere, length of third and fourth antennomeres 2.6 and 2.0 × their width, respectively ( Figs 40 , 45 ); length of maxillary palp equal to height of head; labial palp segments rather slender; occipital carina far separated from hypostomal carina and carina dorsally largely absent; hypostomal carina rather wide; length of eye in dorsal view 2.6 × temple ( Fig. 47 ); frons shallowly depressed behind scapus, smooth and glabrous; face twice as wide as high medially, finely and remotely punctate, medially smooth and elevated ( Fig. 46 ) and connected to median elevation of frons; width of clypeus 3.0 × its maximum height and 0.6 × width of face; clypeus moderately convex, with few rather coarse punctures and with long ventral setae, distinctly protruding and thin ventrally ( Fig. 46 ); hypoclypeal depression wide ( Figs 46, 50 ); malar suture distinct, nearly complete; length of malar space 0.7 × basal width of mandible and malar space weakly convex ( Fig. 50 ); mandible triangular, robust apically, basal half regularly widened and with medium–sized ventral carina ( Figs 42, 50 ).

Mesosoma. Length of mesosoma 1.2 × its height; dorsal pronope large, narrow elliptical ( Fig. 47 ); pronotal side antero-medially and posteriorly moderately crenulate and remainder smooth; epicnemial area smooth; precoxal sulcus medium-sized and finely crenulate, remaining far from anterior and posterior margins of mesopleuron; remainder of mesopleuron convex, strongly shiny and smooth; pleural sulcus smooth; anterior groove of metapleuron distinctly crenulated ( Fig. 42 ); notauli absent on disc, only anteriorly deeply impressed and largely smooth (but finely rugose anteriorly) and no lateral carina in front of tegulae; mesoscutum rounded anteriorly (without “shoulders”), strongly shiny and largely glabrous ( Fig. 43 ); its medio–posterior depression deep, wide droplet-shaped; scutellar sulcus rather wide and finely crenulate; scutellum convex, protruding above level of mesoscutum medially, smooth and largely glabrous (but laterally setose; Fig. 43 ); propodeum with short and indistinct medio-longitudinal carina connected to indistinct transverse carina and remainder rather coarsely rugose ( Figs 43, 44 ).

Wings. Fore wing ( Fig. 41 ): pterostigma elliptical; 1-R1 ending at wing apex and 1.2 × as long as pterostigma; r:3-SR:SR1 = 5:46:84; 2-SR:3-SR:r-m = 14:23:7; r widened ; 1-M slightly curved and 1-SR 0.45 × as long as 1-M; SR1 slightly curved; m-cu and cu-a narrowly postfurcal; first subdiscal cell closed, CU1b medium-sized; apical 0.1 of M+CU1 sclerotized. Hind wing: M+CU:1-M:1r-m = 22:20:11; cu-a straight; m-cu completely absent.

Legs. Length of femur, tibia and basitarsus of hind leg 3.9, 7.5 and 4.5 × as long as wide, respectively; hind femur with long setae and of hind tibia medium-sized ( Fig. 48 ); carinula of hind tibia long and curved ( Fig. 49 ).

Metasoma. Length of first tergite 1.1 × its apical width, flat and smooth lateral areas of first metasomal tergite narrow, distinctly narrower than sculptured medial part ( Figs 43, 44 ); medially its surface distinctly convex and obliquely rugose, apical half subparallel-sided ( Figs 43, 44 ); second tergite smooth, with pair of small triangular basal depressions ( Fig. 44 ); following tergites smooth; length of setose part of ovipositor sheath 0.07 × fore wing, 0.2 × metasoma and 0.2 × hind tibia ( Fig. 48 ); ovipositor robust ( Figs 40 , 48 ).

Colour. Black; palpi, coxae and trochanters ivory; clypeus, mandible, tegulae, remainder of legs (but telotarsi dark brown) and metasoma (but first tergite black and fourth–sixth tergites anteriorly and laterally rather dark brown) brownish yellow or yellow; scapus and pedicellus partly ventrally, head anteriorly, vertex and frons laterally, temple anteriorly, yellowish brown; wing membrane subhyaline; pterostigma and most veins dark brown.

Distribution. China (Shaanxi).

Biology. Unknown.

Etymology. From “stenotes” (Greek for “narrow”) because of narrow first metasomal tergite.

Figures

FIGURE40. Utetes stenotus Tan & van Achterberg,sp. n., ♀, holotype, habitus, lateral aspect.

FIGURES41–50.Utetes stenotus Tan & van Achterberg, sp.n., ♀, holotype.41—wings.42—mesosoma, lateral aspect. 43— mesosoma, dorsalaspect.44—propodeumand metasoma, dorsalaspect.45—basalantennomeres and head, lateral aspect.46— head, anterior aspect.47—head, dorsal aspect.48—metasoma and hind leg, lateral aspect.49—apex of hind femur and base of tibia, mesal (= inner) aspect, showing basal carinula of tibia. 50—mandible, anterior aspect.