Heteroxiphia sinica Wei & Niu

Wei, Meicai & Niu, Gengyun, 2011, Heteroxiphia Saini & Singh (Hymenoptera, Xiphydriidae), a genus new to China with descriptions of two new species, ZooKeys 102, pp. 41-49 : 44-46

Heteroxiphia sinica Wei & Niu sp. n. Figs 1-9

Description. Female

(holotype, Fig. 8). Body length 11mm. Black, a long and broad stripe on inner orbit, a short stripe on lateral corner of clypeus, a large X-shaped mark on face and anterior margin of frons, malar space (Fig. 2), a broad and long stripe on hind orbit (Fig. 3), outer margin and posterior corner of pronotum, tegula, an elliptical spot on posterior part of lateral lobe of mesoscutum, a round mark on lateral side of mesoscutellum, cenchrus, lateral mark on metascutellum, a strongly curved and narrow middle stripe on first abdominal tergite, a broad transverse band on second abdominal tergite, a short band on third abdominal tergite, a minute lateral dot on 4th abdominal tergite and a long band on 8th abdominal tergite (Figs 7, 8), white; legs black, each tibia and tarsus white, 4th tarsomeres and apical half of each terminal tarsomere dark brown. Body hairs silver. Wings hyaline, stigma and veins dark brown.

Clypeus, face and frons with distinct longitudinal carinae and microsculpture, lateral part of frons densely punctured; vertex and upper part of hind orbit sparsely punctured; head behind eyes strongly shiny (Fig. 1); dorsal side of pronotum densely punctured, lateral lobe largely polished, shiny, bottom of furrows with a row of short carinae; dorsal side of propleuron shiny with some large punctures, ventral side of propleuron densely punctured and microsculptured; mesonotum minutely and densely punctured, lateral sides and posterior half of mesoscutellum sparsely punctured, shiny; bottom of furrows on mesonotum with a row of short carinae; metascutellum densely punctured; mesopleuron and metapleuron coarsely and densely punctured, mat, lower posterior corner glossy, impunctate; first abdominal tergite sparsely punctured, shiny; second abdominal tergite glossy, lateral side with some punctures, basal 2/3-4/5 of other tergites densely microsculptured, weakly shiny; abdominal sternites microsculptured with obscure punctures, feebly shiny; basal sheath polished, apical sheath microsculptured.

Distance between eyes at clypeus level about 1.4 times eye height; malar space 1.3 times length of pedicel (Fig. 2); middle fovea furrow like, broad, lateral fovea punctiform; face and front distinctly above top of eyes (Figs 2, 3); interocellar furrow obscure, postocellar furrow fine, curved; POL: OOL: OCL = 5: 8: 18; vertex roundly convex (Figs 1, 3); lateral side of temple shorter than eye in dorsal view (Fig. 1); occipital carina and genal carina developed, close to each other near lateral corner of postocellar area; length ratio of maxillary palpomeres about 3: 7: 5, first palpomere short, slightly longer than broad, second palpomere 6 times longer than broad, distinctly broadened toward apex, third palpomere 4.3 times longer than broad, apical part strongly tapering (Fig. 5); labial palp with 3 palpomere, first palpomere slightly (1.05 ×) longer than third palpomere, third palpomere strongly enlarged, 2 times as long as second palpomere (Fig. 4). Antenna with 19 antennomeres, slightly shorter than 2 times head breadth, basal part of flagellum weakly compressed, strongly tapering toward apex (Fig. 8), length ratio of basal 5 antennomeres: 18: 7: 13: 7: 7; hairs on antennomeres quite procumbent (Fig. 6). Mesoscutellum 1.25 times as long as broad, distinctly narrowed backward and strongly protruding forward (Fig. 9); cenchrus small, CD=3.5; central part of metascutellum concave. Inner tibial spur of fore leg bifurcate at apex; metabasitarsus slightly shorter than following 4 tarsomeres together; fore and middle claw with inner tooth slightly shorter than half length of outer tooth, inner tooth of hind claw slightly shorter than 1/3 length of outer tooth. Vein Sc in forewing distinctly basal to Rs, 2r curved and interstitial to 1r-m, cell 2Rs slightly shorter than 1Rs, cell 1M about 1.8 times longer than broad, first abscissa of Rs slightly longer than first abscissa of vein 1M, cu-a 1.5 times length of and interstitial to first abscissa of vein 1M; cell R1 in hind wing with a short apical stump, cell M as long as Rs, apex of anal cell acute, upper part of cu-a distinctly oblique inwards. Ovipositor sheath (distance between base of basal sheath and apex of apical sheath) about as long as hind tibia and metabasitarsus together, strongly bent ventrally (Fig. 7), apical sheath about 4 times longer than broad in dorsal view.

Male.

Unknown.

Distribution.

China (Henan Province).

Etymology.

This is the first Chinese species of the genus and so it is named as sinica.

Holotype

♀, China: Jiyuan, Huanglianshu, 1700 m, 2000.VI.7, Wei Meicai leg.

Remarks.

See the key to species for differences between Heteroxiphia sinica and other two species of the genus.