Apanteles pashmina 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 : 512-513

Apanteles pashmina Rousse , sp. nov.

( Figs 4 d–e)

Diagnosis. Mesopleuron entirely sculptured, anteriorly punctate and posteriorly shallowly striate. Propodeal areola wide on posterior half of propodeum. Female with flagellomere 15 quadrate (male unknown). Tergum 2 shagreened.

Color. Head and mesosoma black with antenna light brown but scape, mandible and labrum reddish, and palpi pale yellow. Legs yellow with fore and middle coxae reddish, and hind coxa black. Tergum 1 black, tergum 2 reddish testaceous, laterotergites 1–2 light reddish, the following tergites reddish testaceous. Wings hyaline, venation pale yellow.

Description.

FEMALE (Holotype). B: 2.2; A: 2.2; L: 2.5.

Head. Entirely densely setose. Clypeus barely separated from face dorsally, its ventral margin concave. Face and clypeus shallowly punctate shagreened. H i: 0.8; EH i: 0.8; C i: 3.7; Fl 1i: 2.3; Fl 2i: 2.0; FL1– 2 i: 1.2; Fl 15i: 0.7; Fl 16i: 1.5; OO i: 2.0; IO i: 1.2.

Mesosoma . Densely setose on punctate areas. Pronotum dorsally polished, ventrally shallowly striate, upper and lower furrows moderately deep and crenulate. Mesopleuron with anterior half densely punctate, posterior half shallowly striate, speculum smooth, sternaulus deep. Metapleuron with a deep pit anteriorly, smooth but posterior third densely punctate. Mesoscutum closely punctate on entire surface, but a narrow smooth area in front of speculum, punctures wider apically. Scuto-scutellar suture thin and long, crenulate. Scutellum polished with some very shallow punctures. MSC i: 0.7. Propodeum rugose reticulate but middle of areola polished. Areola large on posterior half of propodeum, hexagonal, as wide as long, more slightly defined basally, costulae hardly discernable among rugosities. Fore wing. R1/Pl i: 1.0; r/Pw i: 0.9; r/2Rs i: 1.8. Hind wing. Vannal lobe with apical two third of hind margin bare and flattened. Legs. Hind coxa deeply and densely punctate. Cx/T 1i: 1.5; F i: 3.7.

Metasoma. Tergum 1 barrel shaped, curved in profile view, mid-longitudinally moderately bulging with antero-lateral margins flat. Surface coarsely aciculo-punctate with a weak apico-median depression. Tergum 2 shagreened, short and transverse, trapezoidal, slightly widened apically. Hypopygium medially desclerotised, strongly protruding beyond metasomal apex. Ovipositor large and regularly decurved, sheath regularly setose all along. T1a i: 1.7; T1b i: 1.7; T1/T 2i: 3.8; T2a i: 3.5; T2b i: 2.5; T2/T 3i: 0.7; OT i: 1.1.

MALE. Unknown.

Material examined. HOLOTYPE Ƥ (MNHN EY8790) Verbatim label data: La Réunion ML 357 320 m Saint Philippe, Mare Longue, Plantation ONF tente Malaise site 2, 17/ 21.I.2002, Attié Marc leg.; complete.

Etymology. Refering to the finely sculptured mesopleuron, the species is named after “ pashmina ”, an elegant Kashmir wool with fine embroidery, made from fine cashmere fibre. The wool comes from special breed of goat indigenous to high altitudes of the Himalayas in northern India.

Distribution records. Reunion.

Figures

FIGURE 4. Apanteles spp. a: A. fontinalis de Saeger, female, habitus; b: A. fontinalis, male, habitus; c: A. fontinalis, propodeum and terga 1 – 2; d: A. romei sp. nov., female, habitus; e: A. romei, propodeum and terga 1 – 2; f: A. pashmina sp. nov., female, habitus; g: A. pashmina, terga 1 – 2; h: A. pashmina, mesopleuron.