Apanteles minatchy Rousse et Gupta

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 : 510-512

Apanteles minatchy Rousse et Gupta , sp. nov.

( Fig. 6 )

Diagnosis. Sternaulus elongate, reaching subalar prominence. R1 elongate on fore wing, marginal cell nearly enclosed. Pterostigma somewhat enlarged. Hind coxa laterally smooth and dorsally densely punctate. Propodeum with areola and costulae strong. Tergum 1 elongate and regularly narrowed toward apex. Tergum 2 short and smooth. Antenna of female with flagellomere 15 subquadrate.

Description.

COLOR. Black. Mandible and labrum orange testaceous, palpi pale yellow. Legs yellowish orange, but middle coxa basally black, hind coxa black, hind tarsus infuscate, hind femur and hind tibia more or less infuscate apically. Wing hyaline, venation light brown.

FEMALE (10 specimens). B: 2.0; A: 2.5; L: 2.5 (2.2–2.6).

Head. Entirely densely setose. Clypeus hardly separated from face, ventral margin slightly concave. Face and clypeus moderately and shallowly punctate. H i: 0.9; EH i: 0.7; C i: 2.7; Fl 1i: 2.8; Fl 2i: 2.8; FL1– 2 i:1.0; Fl 15i: 1.1; Fl 16i: 1.7; OO i: 2.3; IO i: 2.3.

Mesosoma . Densely setose on punctate areas. Pronotum shagreened, upper and lower furrows moderately deep, crenulate. Anterior third of mesopleuron coarsely puncto-reticulate, posteriorly largely smooth. Sternaulus long and oblique, faintly sculptured, posteriorly widened, extending upwards to subalar prominence. Metapleuron smooth, anterior pit deep. Mesoscutum densely punctate, punctures breaking down into longitudinal striations along posterior course of notauli. Scuto-scutellar suture wide and crenulate. Scutellum almost smooth with very shallow punctures. MSC i: 0.8. Propodeum with areola complete, apically obtuse and basally open. Costulae strong, slightly backward oriented. Fore wing. R1 very long, marginal cell nearly closed. Pterostigma enlarged. R1/Pl i: 1.2; r/Pw i: 0.9; r/2Rs i: 1.9. Hind wing. Apical two thirds of hind margin of vannal lobe distinctly concave and bare. Legs. Hind coxa densely punctate above, laterally smooth. Hind femur swollen. Cx/T 1i: 1.3; F i: 3.1.

Metasoma. Tergum 1 elongate, slightly and regularly narrowing toward apex, its surface aciculo-rugose with a mid-apical elongate depression. Tergum 2 smooth, short, transverse and apically widened. Hypopygium medially desclerotised. Ovipositor large and slightly decurved, the sheath slightly enlarged apically and setose all along. T1a i: 2.5; T1b i: 1.7; T1/T 2i:3.0; T2a i: 2.5; T2b i: 1.2; T2/T 3i: 0.7; OT i: 1.0.

MALE. (10 specimens). B: 1.8; A: 2.6; L: 2.6 (2.4–2.7). Antenna longer and more slender: Fl 1i: 3.0; Fl 2i: 3.0; Fl 15i: 1.8; Fl 16i 2.0. Otherwise similar to female.

Material examined. HOLOTYPE Ƥ (MNHN EY8783) Verbatim label data: St Paul / Tan Rouge, alt. 800m, 02/2011, coll. Cirad; complete. PARATYPES (MNHN EY8784–8789) 1Ƥ same label data; 13 Ravine des Cabris, alt. 320m, I.2012, leg. Bled; 233 Etang Salé, alt. 20m, V.2011, leg. Ramage; 1Ƥ St Leu / Colimaçons, alt. 260m, III. 2011, leg. Cirad; 1Ƥ St Pierre / Ligne Paradis, alt. 170m, III. 2011. Other material 1Ƥ 13 St Paul / Tan Rouge, alt. 800m, VI.2011, leg. Cirad; 1Ƥ same location, II.2011, leg. Cirad; 1Ƥ St Leu / Colimaçons, alt. 260m, XI.2011, leg. Cirad; 1Ƥ same location, III.2011, leg. Cirad; 3Ƥ 13 same location, I.2011, leg. Cirad; 1Ƥ 233 St Pierre / Bassin Martin, alt. 290m, III.2011, leg. Cirad; 233 same location, XII.2010, leg. Cirad; 1Ƥ 13 Le Tampon / ND de la Paix, alt. 1700m, IV.2011, leg. Ramage; 3Ƥ St Paul / Boucan Canot, alt. 50m, I.2011, leg. Cirad; 13 La Possession / Grande Chaloupe, alt. 30m, V.2009, leg. IDR; 1Ƥ St Denis / Grande Chaloupe, alt. 110m, III.2009, leg. IDR; 1Ƥ 533 Petite Ile / Piton Bloc, alt. 750–950m, IV.2007, leg. Cirad; 333 St Pierre / Bassin Plat, alt. 150m, IV.2007, leg. Cirad.

Etymology. Euphonic adaptation from a Creol word naming a small, dark and vicious character.

Distribution records. Reunion.

Comments. Species related to the Indo-Australian taeniaticornis species group of Nixon (1965). Nixon defined this group by the combination of a long R1, a sharp propodeal carination and an elongate and apically narrowed tergum 1. Furthermore, the elongate sternaulus makes this species close to two Philippine species of this group, A. myrsus and A. phalis .

Figures

FIGURE 6. Apanteles minatchy sp. nov. a: female, habitus; b: mesosoma (KOH treated); c: fore wing; d: mesopleuron; e: propodeum and terga 1 – 2.