Chaoilta breviceps, Li & Achterberg & Chen, 2020

Li, Yang, Achterberg, Cornelis van & Chen, Xue-xin, 2020, A new genus and eight newly recorded genera of Braconinae Nees (Hymenoptera, Braconidae) from China, with descriptions of fourteen new species, ZooKeys 1038, pp. 105-178 : 105

Chaoilta breviceps sp. nov. Figures 1 , 2

Material examined.

Holotype: ♀, China, Yunnan Prov., Xishuangbanna Meng'a , 1000 m, 23.V.1958, Pu Fuji, No. IOZ(E)1964614 (IZCAS) . Paratype. 1♀, China, Yunnan Prov., Xiaomengyang , 810 m, 30.III.1957, Zang Lingchao, No. IOZ(E)1964548 (IZCAS) .

Diagnosis.

This new species is very similar to C. lammellata Cameron, 1899 [India], but can be separated from the latter by the following characters: mesoscutum yellow, middle lobe anteriorly and lateral lobes laterally black (entirely yellow in C. lammellata ); ovipositor sheath 0.86-0.88 × as long as body (1.35 × in C. lammellata ); scape entirely blackish brown (reddish brown basally and its apical half black in C. lammellata ); propodeum with strong longitudinal striae medially, and with punctures laterally (smooth in C. lammellata ); T V weakly sculptured (smooth in C. lammellata ).

Description.

Holotype, ♀, length of body 11.1 mm, of fore wing 9.8 mm, of ovipositor sheath 9.6 mm.

Head. Antenna incomplete, with 26 antennomeres remaining; median antennomeres 1.1 × wider than long; third antennomere 1.1 and 1.2 × longer than fourth and fifth, respectively, the latter 1.3 × longer than wide; length of maxillary palp 1.1 × height of head; malar suture with short setae, and with fine sculpture (Fig. 2i ); clypeus height: inter-tentorial distance: tentorio-ocular distance = 3: 10: 8; clypeus with sparse long setae; eye weakly emarginated (Fig. 2g ); face with a moderately developed transverse protrusion, dorsal side of protrusion with a medio-longitudinal carina which with a few branches (Fig. 2g, i ); eye height: shortest distance between eyes: head width = 17: 21: 43; frons smooth, strongly and broadly depressed behind antennal sockets, with some short setae, sparsely and weakly punctate laterally, and with a strong median groove (Fig. 2h ); vertex with some fine punctures, and largely glabrous except for a few short setae; minimum distance between posterior ocelli: minimum diameter of elliptical posterior ocellus: minimum distance between posterior ocellus and eye = 5: 6: 14; length of malar space 0.6 × basal width of mandible; in dorsal view length of eye 1.3 × temple (Fig. 2h ).

Mesosoma. Length of mesosoma 3.4 × its height (Fig. 2c ); pronotum emarginated medio-apically, and with dense setae postero-dorsally; notauli largely absent (Fig. 2d ); middle lobe of mesoscutum weakly convex anteriorly, mesoscutum largely glabrous, but with long setae along imaginary notaulic courses (Fig. 2d ); scutellar sulcus deep and narrow, crenulate (Fig. 2d ); scutellum sculptured, more or less flattened; metanotum flattened medially (Fig. 2d ); propodeum largely smooth, but with some longitudinal striae medially, and with a few weak punctures and long setae laterally (Fig. 2d ).

Wings. Fore wing (Fig. 2a ): SR1: 3-SR: r = 27: 17: 3; 1-SR+M bent after arising from 1-M, 1.7 × longer than 1-M; 2-SR: 3-SR: r-m = 9: 17: 6; cu-a interstitial. Hind wing (Fig. 2b ): SC+R1 1.5 × longer than 1r-m.

Legs. Length of fore femur: tibia: tarsus = 24: 27: 53; length of hind femur: tibia: basitarsus = 37: 60: 25; length of femur, tibia and basitarsus of hind leg 3.1, 7.5 and 5.2 × their maximum width, respectively (Fig. 2f ).

Metasoma. Length of T I 1.3 × its apical width, median area convex and coarsely sculptured (Fig. 2e ); lateral grooves of T I completely smooth (Fig. 2e ); T II largely coarsely sculptured (Fig. 2e ); apical width of T II 2.8 × its median length, triangular medio-basal area of T II medium-sized, attached to short medio-longitudinal carina, but absent near posterior margin of T II, grooves besides medio-basal area strongly crenulate; antero-lateral areas of T II coarse, anterior grooves wide and distinctly crenulate (Fig. 2e ); second suture deep, crenulate, straight medially, and becoming narrower laterally (Fig. 2e ); T III and T IV coarsely sculptured, with distinct antero-lateral areas; T III-V with crenulate transverse subposterior groove (Fig. 2e ); sculpture and antero-lateral areas of T V relatively weak; T VI weakly sculptured; T VII largely smooth except a few weak punctures; hypopygium acute apically, far beyond level of apex of metasoma; ovipositor sheath 0.98 × as long as fore wing.

Colour. Largely black (Fig. 1 ); head largely pale yellow, except for antenna, eyes, stemmaticum and apex of mandible black (Fig. 2g ); anteriorly and laterally mesoscutum black and remainder pale yellow; tegula, pronotum, propleuron, fore legs (except for black claws) and middle legs (except for coxae, trochanters, second-fifth segments of tibia and claws black, first segment of tibia infuscate apically) yellow (Fig. 2c, d, f ); wing membrane infuscate, area below parastigma brownish, pterostigma and veins (except for forewing vein 1-SR+M half basally, 1-SR and 1-M dark brown) pale yellow (Fig. 2a, b ).

Variation. Length of body of female 8.0-11.1 mm, of fore wing of female 7.3-9.8 mm, and of ovipositor sheath 7.0-9.6 mm; length of mesosoma 2.4-3.4 × its height; fore wing vein cu-a slightly postfurcal; hind wing vein SC+R1 1.5-1.9 × longer than vein 1r-m; ovipositor sheath 0.96-0.98 × as long as fore wing; area below parastigma sometimes paler, only greyish brown.

Biology.

Unknown.

Distribution.

China (Yunnan).

Etymology.

Named after the short head, especially in anterior view: brevis is Latin for short and - ceps is Latin for head.

Figures

Figure 1. Chaoilta breviceps sp. nov., ♀, holotype, habitus, lateral view.

Figure 2. Chaoilta breviceps sp. nov., ♀, holotype. a fore wing b hind wing c mesosoma, lateral view d mesosoma, dorsal view e metasoma, dorsal view f hind leg, lateral view g head, anterior view h head, dorsal view i head, lateral view j scapus outer side, lateral view.