Gasteruption pedion Tan & van Achterberg, 2021

Tan, Jiang-Li, Achterberg, Cornelis van, Wu, Jia-Xuan, Wang, Hang & Zhang, Qi-Jing, 2021, An illustrated key to the species of Gasteruption Latreille (Hymenoptera, Gasteruptiidae) from Palaearctic China, with description of four new species, ZooKeys 1038, pp. 1-103 : 1

Gasteruption pedion Tan & van Achterberg sp. nov. Figs 232-234 , 235-245 , 246-252

Type material.

Holotype, ♀ (NWUX), "NW China: Shaanxi, Foping, Panda Valley, 1411 m alt., black Mal[aise] trap, 33.67°N, 107.97°E, 1.vii.-18.viii.2016, Jiangli Tan, NWUX". Paratypes: 1 ♀ + 1 ♂ (NWUX, RMNH), "NW China: Shaanxi, Liangfengya, Foping, 33.09°N, 107.90°E, 28.iv.-9.vi.2019, 1729 m alt., w[hite]/[y]ellow Mal[aise] trap, Qingqing Tan, NWUX"; 2 ♀ + 1 ♂ (NWUX, RMNH), id., but 9.vi-22.viii.2019; 1 ♀ (SCAU), "[S China:] Yunnan, Xianggelila, Gaoshan Botanical Garden, 27°53'47"N, 99°38'22"E, M[alaise]T[rap], 3-27.viii.2017, Jie Zeng"; 1 ♂ (SCAU), "[N China:] Jiangsu, Nanjing, Xianlin, Mt. Duo, 32°6'51"N, 118°54'43"E, 9-15.iv.2012, M[alaise]T[rap], Jie Zhao".

Diagnosis.

Head gradually narrowed in dorsal view and with satin sheen (Fig. 241 ); vertex in lateral view more or less above level of ocelli and evenly convex in front of occipital carina; mandibular condylus near lower level of eyes; occipital carina non-lamelliform medio-dorsally; fourth antennal segment of ♀ 1.5-1.6 × as long as third segment; third antennal segment of ♂ 1.4-1.5 × as long as second segment; clypeus with obsolescent depression; propleuron 0.8-0.9 × as long as mesoscutum in front of tegula; pronotal side entirely finely coriaceous ventrally; mesoscutum very finely coriaceous between sparse punctulation; notauli only crenulate posteriorly and distinctly impressed and anteriorly wider and moderately crenulate; hind femur and tibia slender; ovipositor sheath 0.9-1.1 × as long as body; apical white part of ovipositor sheath 2.1-2.6 × as long as hind basitarsus; apical sternite of ♂ entirely dark brown and paramere densely whitish setose, with its apex ivory or pale yellowish (Fig. 247 ).

Easily confused with G. sinepunctatum Zhao, van Achterberg & Xu, 2012, but the new species has the mesoscutal lobes flattened and very finely coriaceous without transverse elements (mesoscutal lobes bumpy and sculpture with very fine transverse elements in G. sinepunctatum ), the vertex rather matt and densely finely sculptured with very fine transverse rugulae (rather sparsely to densely punctulate and rather shiny), the mandible black (largely brownish-yellow), the metasoma of ♀ black ventrally (largely yellowish-brown) and the fore coxa black (dark brown).

Description.

Holotype, female, length of body 15.0 mm, of fore wing 7.8 mm.

Head. Vertex and frons with rather matt, very finely and densely coriaceous, on vertex mixed with very fine transverse elements; vertex moderately convex in lateral view (Fig. 235 ) and without a depression medio-posteriorly; head gradually contracted behind eyes in dorsal view and temples curved (Fig. 241 ); temple 0.6 × as long as eye in dorsal view; fourth antennal segment 1.5 × as long as third segment and as long as second and third segments combined, fifth antennal segment 1.4 × as long as third segment, third antennal segment twice as long as second segment (Fig. 244 ); occipital carina narrow and non-lamelliform medio-dorsally (Fig. 235 ); OOL slightly longer than POL and 1.7 × as long as diameter of posterior ocellus; face wide, 3.8 × as broad as high (Fig. 240 ); combined height of eye and malar space 1.6 × minimum width of face; malar space slightly protruding below lower level of eyes (Fig. 240 ), its minimum width 0.2 × basal width of mandible and area behind incision nearly triangular (Fig. 235 ); clypeus only medio-ventrally shallowly depressed and latero-ventral corners rather protruding (Fig. 240 ); eye with numerous short setae.

Mesosoma. Length of mesosoma twice its height; propleuron rather robust and 0.9 × as long as mesoscutum in front of tegula, in ventral view rather robust and less narrowed than in G. sinepunctatum ; pronotal side entirely granulate-coriaceous, except for wide crenulated grooves and sparsely setose, with obtuse and rather large lobe-shaped tooth antero-ventrally (Figs 236 and 237 ); antesternal carina narrow and hardly lamelliform; mesosternal sulcus wide and deep, slightly widened posteriorly and coarsely crenulate; mesoscutum and scutellum rather matt, very densely and very finely granulate-coriaceous and with some fine superficial punctures (Fig. 237 ); propodeum reticulate-rugose and without median smooth band or carina. Wings. First discal cell wide, parallel-sided and with outer posterior corner rounded and with vein 3-CU1 near its apical third (Fig. 238 ). Legs. Hind coxa finely granulate-coriaceous, dorsally with superficial transverse rugulae; length of hind femur, tibia and basitarsus 4.4, 5.5 and 6.5 × their width, respectively; hind tibia slightly inflated (Fig. 239 ); middle tarsus 1.2 × as long as middle tibia; middle femur subparallel-sided and more slender than fore femur.

Metasoma. Ovipositor sheath 13.6 mm, 0.9 × as long as body, 1.3 × as long as metasoma and 4.3 × as long as hind tibia; ovipositor sheath with dense cover of very fine adpressed setae, its white apical part (becoming ivory more basally) 2.6 × as long as hind basitarsus; apical half of hypopygium emarginate medio-posteriorly.

Colour. Black (including mandible); subapically antenna somewhat brownish ventrally; tegula, legs (but coxae black, hind tibia with large ivory ventro-basal patch, ivory basal patch of fore and middle tibia and middle basitarsus (except apex)), veins and pterostigma dark brown; wing membrane slightly brownish; apex of ovipositor white (Fig. 243 ).

Male. Very similar to female (including fine sculpture of mesoscutum, but usually somewhat coarser (Fig. 249 ) and with very fine aciculae, especially of small males), but head shorter in dorsal view; third antennal segment 1.4-1.5 × as long as second segment; fourth antennal segment 1.8-2.3 × as long as third segment and 1.1-1.4 × as long as second and third segments combined, fifth antennal segment 1.9-2.3 × as long as third segment (Fig. 251 ); apical sternite entirely dark brown; paramere densely whitish setose and its apex ivory or pale yellowish (Fig. 247 ).

Variations.

Body length of ♀ 12.3-15.7 mm, of ♂ 12.2-14.7 mm; fourth antennal segment of ♀ 1.5-1.6 × as long as third segment; ovipositor sheath 0.9-1.1 × as long as body; apical white part of ovipositor sheath 2.1-2.6 × as long as hind basitarsus; propleuron 0.8-0.9 × as long as mesoscutum in front of tegula.

Distribution.

China (Jiangsu, Shaanxi, Yunnan).

Etymology.

From " Gasteruption pedion " (Greek for "flat, plain"), because of the flat and evenly coriaceous mesoscutum.

Figures

Figures 232 - 234. Gasteruption pedion Tan & van Achterberg, sp. nov., female, holotype 232 habitus lateral 233 apex of ovipositor lateral 234 propleuron ventral.

Figures 235 - 245. Gasteruption pedion Tan & van Achterberg, sp. nov., female, holotype 235 head lateral 236 mesosoma lateral 237 mesosoma dorsal 238 fore wing 239 hind leg 240 head anterior 241 head dorsal 242 apex of metasoma ventral 243 apex of ovipositor sheath 244 base of antenna 245 apex of antenna.

Figures 246 - 252. Gasteruption pedion Tan & van Achterberg, sp. nov., male, paratype 246 habitus lateral 247 apex of metasoma lateral 248 head lateral 249 mesosoma dorsal 250 head dorsal 251 base of antenna 252 hind leg.