Parapanteles darignac Rousse

Rousse, Pascal & Gupta, Ankita, 2013, Microgastrinae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) of Reunion Island: a catalogue of the local species, including 18 new taxa and a key to species, Zootaxa 3616 (6), pp. 501-547 : 541

Parapanteles darignac Rousse sp. nov.

( Fig. 18 c–d)

Diagnosis. Antero-dorsal corner of pronotum crenulate. Propodeum with areola hardly defined basally, and costulae strongly arched backwards. Tergum 1 shallowly sculptured. Tergum 2 smooth. Legs entirely yellow.

Color. Head black with palpi pale yellow and antenna, labrum and mandibles yellowish testaceous. Mesosoma black with propleuron, tegulae and posterior third of mesopleuron reddish testaceous. Legs yellow. Terga 1–2 reddish testaceous, the laterotergites yellow. Remainder of metasoma reddish testaceous to black. Wings hyaline, pterostigma and venation pale brownish yellow.

Description.

FEMALE (2 specimens). B: 2.2; A: 2.2; L: 2.2 (2.2–2.5).

Head. Entirely densely setose. Clypeus hardly separated from face dorsally, its ventral margin medially truncate, labrum largely exposed. Face densely and shallowly punctate. H i: 0.8; EH i: 0.8; C i: 2.2; Fl 1i: 4.0; Fl 2i: 3.6; FL1– 2 i:1.1; Fl 15i: 1.3; Fl 16i 1.3; OO i: 2.4; IO i: 1.6.

Mesosoma . Densely setose on punctate areas. Pronotum polished but antero-dorsally crenulate, upper and lower furrows deep and crenulate. Mesopleuron densely punctate on anterior third, otherwise largely polished, sternaulus deep and smooth. Metapleuron with a moderate pit anteriorly, polished but posterior third rugose. Entire surface of mesoscutum deeply, densely and regularly punctate, punctures somewhat larger apically. Scuto-scutellar suture moderately deep and large, crenulate. Scutellum shallowly and sparsely punctate. MSC i: 0.8. Propodeum rugose, costulae strong and arched backward, areola apically truncate and hardly defined basally. Fore wing. R1/ Pl i: 1.1; r/Pw i: 0.6; r/2Rs i: 1.0. Hind wing. Apical two thirds of hind margin of vannal lobe weakly convex, densely and very shortly setose. Legs. Hind coxa entirely finely punctate. Cx/T 1i: 1.7; F i: 4.7.

Metasoma. Tergum 1 rectangular, lateral margins parallel sided, shallowly rugose. Tergum 2 short, transverse, trapezoidal, weakly widened posteriorly. Hypopygium not protruding beyond metasomal apex, without median desclerotisation. Ovipositor short, decurved, abruptly tapered from basal half, sheath bare on basal half. T1ai: 1.3; T1bi: 1.3; T1/T 2i: 2.0; T2ai: 0.3; T2bi: 0.6; T2/T 3i: 1.0; OTi: 0.4.

MALE. Unknown.

Material examined. HOLOTYPE Ƥ (MNHN EY8837) Verbatim label data: La Réunion, ML 15, 320m, St Philippe, Mare Longue, Plantation ONF, piège Malaise au sol site 2, 14/ 20.II.2001, Attié Marc leg.; complete. PARATYPE (MNHN EY8838) 1Ƥ Bras Panon / La Caroline, alt. 230m, IX.2010, leg. Cirad (head lacking).

Etymology. Referring to “Baron d’Arignac”, another great elixir of Reunion.

Distribution records. Reunion.

Genus Venanides Mason (Mason 1981, Austin and Dangerfield 1992)

Antenna of female short and stout, without false median subdivision. Propodeum almost smooth. Fore wing with areolet open (r–m absent). Hind wing with margin of vannal lobe straight, proximally hairy and distally bare. Legs short and stout, especially femora. Tibial spurs very long, inner spur of hind tibia longer than half basitarsus. Fore telotarsus of female swollen and usually bearing a large spine. Hind coxa large, compressed above, usually flat, smooth and shining. Tergum 1 smooth, 2– 3 x longer than wide, usually regularly narrowing toward apex, though sometimes its margins sub-parallel and rounded at apex. Tergum 2 subtriangular, its margins diverging backwardly by less than 100°. Hypopygium short and evenly sclerotised. Ovipositor sheath short, apparently hairless or with minute hairs near apex.

Mostly gregarious parasitoids of microlepidopterans ( Agonoxenidae , Gelechidae, Noctuidae and Tortricidae ). This is a tiny genus with to date three described species, but it appears to be widely distributed.

Figures

FIGURE 18. Parapanteles spp. a: P. c o v i n o sp. nov., female, habitus; b: P. covino, propodeum and terga 1 – 2; c: P. darignac sp. nov., female, habitus; d: P. darignac, propodeum and terga 1 – 3.