Brachymeria euploeae (Westwood, 1837)

Narendran, T. C. & van Achterberg, Cornelis, 2016, Revision of the family Chalcididae (Hymenoptera, Chalcidoidea) from Vietnam, with the description of 13 new species, ZooKeys 576, pp. 1-202 : 31-33

Taxon classification Animalia Hymenoptera Chalcididae

Brachymeria euploeae (Westwood, 1837) Figs 36-37

Chalcis euploeae Westwood, 1837: 6 (♀, India (HDOU)).

Brachymeria euploeae ; Joseph, Narendran & Joy, 1973: 36; Narendran 1989: 243, 251, 252 (keyed and comments).

Chalcis hearseyi xanthopterus Waterston, 1922: 8 (India (BMNH, FRID) (examined) (synonymised with Brachymeria euploeae (Westwood) by Narendran 1985).

Brachymeria flavotibialis Husain & Agarwal, 1982b: 505 (♀, India, (ZDAMU) (synonymised with Brachymeria euploeae (Westwood) by Narendran 1989).

Material

(RMNH, IEBR). 1 ♀, "S. Vietnam: Dak Lak, Chu Yang Sin N. P., ca 750 m, 1-10.vi.2007, Mal traps near dam and edge of forest, C. v. Achterberg & R. de Vries, RMNH’07”; 1 ♀, "S. Vietnam: Dóng Nai, Cát Tiên N. P., ca 100 m, 14-20.v.2007, Mal traps 20-23, Lagerstroemia tr[ail], C. v. Achterberg & R. de Vries, RMNH’07”; 1 ♀, "Vietnam: Tinh Thuân, Núi Chúa N. P., northwest part, Mal. trap 17, c. 150 m, 24-30.v.2007, C. v. Achterberg & R. de Vries, RMNH’07”.

Diagnosis.

This species comes near Brachymeria jambolana Gahan in the key to species by Narendran (1989), but differs from it in having the metasoma subglobose and ovipositor sheath not visible in dorsal view (in Brachymeria jambolana metasoma acuminate and ovipositor sheath visible in dorsal view). Also the length:width ratio of the antennal segments is different. The female from Núi Chúa N.P. has the apical antennal segment obliquely cut off and may concern a new species.

Description

(female from Chu Yang Sin N.P.). ♀, length of body 4.4 mm.

Colour. Black with following parts as follows: eye gray with reflecting yellow spots; ocelli pale reflecting yellow; tegula pale yellowish white with basal margin dark brown; apices of all femora, fore and mid tibiae and all tarsi pale yellow; hind tibia pale yellow with base black; telotarsi dark brown; wings hyaline with veins dark brown. Pubescence white.

Head. Width of head in anterior view 1.4 × its height; width in dorsal view 2.1 × its length, a little narrower than mesosomal width (16:18); POL twice OOL; AOL subequal to OOL; interocular width 5.3 × POL; vertex and face with close umbilicate setigerous pits, interstices carinate and rugose; area below antennal toruli distinctly punctate without a median smooth area; scrobe reaching anterior ocellus; height of malar space 0.3 × height of eye in profile; height of eye 1.6 × eye length in profile; anterior genal angle acute, 60° to the vertical axis of height of malar space; posterior genal angle obtuse; eye very sparsely and minutely pubescent (careful observation is necessary to observe the minute pubescence of eye); post-orbital carina weakly represented; post-orbital carina reaching geno-temporal margin. Antenna with radicula 0.2 × as long as scape; scape not reaching anterior ocellus. Relative L:W of antennal segments:scape = 22:4; pedicel = 4:6; ring segment = 1:4; F1 = 8:7; F2 = 7:8; F3 = 7:8; F4 = 7:8; F5 = 7:8; F6 = 7:8; F7 = 7:8; clava = 13:8; tip of clava with micropilar area.

Mesosoma. Pronotum, mesonotum and scutellum with close umbilicate pits, interstices carinate and rugose; posterior margin of pronotum concave; dorso-anterior corner of lateral panel of pronotum micro-sculptured, remaining part irregularly sculptured; middle lobe of mesoscutum a little longer than its width (15:12); scutellum as long as wide, shorter than middle lobe of mesoscutum (10:15); apex of scutellum entire; propodeum subvertical; postspiracular tooth weakly represented.

Wings. Fore wing 2.5 × longer than wide; relative length of SMV = 49; parastigma = 9; MV = 30; PMV = 10; STV = 5.

Legs. Hind coxa smooth and shiny dorsally; vertical side with close setigerous pits, without a ventro-mesal tooth; hind femur 1.5 × as long as wide and with a row of 12 differently sized teeth; inner basal tooth absent.

Metasoma. Metasoma shorter than mesosoma (24:29), 1.4 × longer than high; T1 smooth and shiny with a set of few setigerous pits on latero-dorsal part of posterior half; T1 reaching middle of metasoma; T2 smooth and shiny with a row of dot-like pits on anterior margin which becomes wide at middle part; sides of T2 with 2-3 cross rows of setigerous pits;T6 with 6 cross rows of pits. Ovipositor sheath not visible in dorsal view.

Male. Unknown.

Hosts.

Hyperparasitoid in Lepidoptera ( Arctiidae , Bombycidae , Drepanidae , Gelechiidae , Geometridae , Hesperiidae , Hyblaeidae , Lasiocampidae ; Limacodidae ; Lycaenidae , Lymantriidae , Noctuidae , Notodontidae , Nymphalidae , Oecophoridae , Pieridae , Psychidae , Pyralidae , Tortricidae and Zygaenidae ) with Hymenoptera : ( Braconidae , Ichneumonidae ) or Diptera ( Tachinidae ). (For detailed host list, see Noyes (2011).

Distribution.

Oriental region, Australia & U.S.A. New record for Vietnam.