Coccophagus perlucidus Chen & Li, 2022

Qin, Yao-guang, Chen, Hai-feng, Li, Cheng-de & Chen, Ye, 2022, On the genus Coccophagus Westwood (Hymenoptera, Aphelinidae) from Xishuangbanna Rainforest. Contribution I: Two new species of the Coccophagus varius group, with an identification key and phylogenetic analysis, ZooKeys 1091, pp. 119-138 : 119

Coccophagus perlucidus Chen & Li sp. nov.

Figs 17-24

Type material.

Holotype: China • ♀ [on slide, C202108-9]; Yunnan Province; Xishuangbanna; Mengla County; Menglun Town; 21°53.59'N, 101°17.29'E; 546 m a.s.l.; 4 May. 2019; Z.-l. Bai, Z.-g. Chen, C. Wang, Y.-f. Tong, H. Yu leg.; LFNU. Paratypes: 1♀ [on slide, C202012-1]; Yunnan Province; Xishuangbanna; Mengla County; Menglun Town; 21°54.33'N, 101°16.78'E; 616m a.s.l.; 26 Apr. 2019; Z.-l. Bai, Z.-g. Chen, C. Wang, Y.-f. Tong, H. Yu leg.; LFNU. 1♀ [destroyed for DNA extraction]; Yunnan Province; Xishuangbanna; Mengla County; Menglun Town; 21°54.18'N, 101°16.71'E; 606 m a.s.l.; 5 May. 2019; Z.-l. Bai, Z.-g. Chen, C. Wang, Y.-f. Tong, H. Yu leg.; LFNU.

Diagnosis.

Coccophagus perlucidus sp. nov. can be distinguished from females of other species in this genus by the following combination of characters: scape (Fig. 19 ) slightly expanded, 3.1-3.3 × as long as wide; fore wing infuscate posterior to stigmal vein, and with a hyaline area bearing sparse and transparent setae below basal half of marginal vein as in Fig. 21 ; the characteristic colour of mesosoma and metasoma as in Fig. 17 .

Description.

Female. Length 0.9-1.4 mm; holotype, 1.4 mm.

Colour. Head, in frontal view, mostly pale yellow, with mouth margin brown; in dorsal view, vertex orange, ocelli and eyes red, with two small dark patches behind each posterior ocellus (Fig. 17 ). Occiput suffused with brown above foramen, remainder pale yellow. Scape mostly white, and dark brown on ventral surface except distal one fourth white and having a pale streak on dark area as in Fig. 19 ; pedicel white except dark ventrally; funicle white except basal one third of F1 dark, C1 and C2 dark, C3 pale brown. Mandible brown. Pronotum largely dark brown except lateral sides yellow; mid lobe of mesoscutum (Figs 17 , 20 ) with a large dark patch on anterior part, the remaining part orange; side lobe and axilla largely dark except lateral sides yellow; mesoscutellum orange except brown posteriorly, and with a small brown inverted triangle anteriorly; metanotum and propodeum brown and with lateral sides paler. Fore wing (Fig. 21 ) with stigma vein brown, largely infuscated below stigma vein, and with a hyaline area bearing sparse and transparent setae below basal half of marginal vein; hind wing (Fig. 22 ) slightly infuscate in distal half. Legs (Fig. 23 ) mostly yellow and with brown parts as following: procoxa apically, profemur ventrally, protibia medially, mesocoxa largely, ventral margin of mesofemur except distal one third, mesotibia submedially, metacoxa apically, metatibia submedially, all tarsomeres. Metasoma (Fig. 24 ) with petiole, Gt1 except posteriorly and Gt5-Gt7 dark brown, Gt7 pale brown anteriorly, Gt2 to Gt4 largely white except Gt3 having a short brown band medially. Ovipositor dark brown.

Head (Fig. 18 ), in frontal view, 0.9 × as high as wide. Ocellar triangle with apical angle acute. Mandible with two teeth and a truncation. Antenna (Fig. 19 ) with scape 3.1-3.3 × as long as wide; pedicel 1.5-1.9 × as long as wide, 0.7 × length of F1; an anellus present between pedicel and F1; F1-F3 ventrally connected, F1 with ventral length a little longer than dorsal length, and 2.1-2.9 × as long as wide; F2 slightly shorter than F1, 2.0-2.3 × as long as wide; F3 nearly as long as F2, and 2.1 × as long as wide; clava 0.8 × length of funicle, and C1-C3 almost same in length, with C3 slightly narrower. Flagellomeres each with 2 longitudinal sensilla.

Mesosoma (Fig. 20 ). Dorsum of mesosoma finely reticulate, and with the sculpture more evident in dark areas. Mid lobe of mesoscutum bearing approximately 70 setae, and with anterior setae short and dense, 0.8 × as long as wide, 1.4 × as long as mesoscutellum; each side lobe of the mesoscutum with 3 setae; each axilla with 3 or 4 setae; mesoscutellum 0.6 × as long as wide, with 3 pairs of setae. Distance between anterior pair of scutellar setae 0.4 × and 0.3 × that between median and posterior pair respectively. Placoid sensilla mesad of the median scutellar setae, and the distance between placoid sensilla about equal to that of anterior scutellar setae. Metanotum as long as propodeum.

Wings. Fore wing (Fig. 21 ) 2.5-2.6 × as long as wide, marginal setae short. Costal cell 0.9-1.0 × length of marginal vein, bearing 1 row of setae; submarginal vein with 8 long setae; marginal vein with 13 setae along anterior margin; postmarginal vein absent; stigmal vein (Fig. 21 , inset) swollen posteriorly and with sensilla arranged in 2 lines. Hind wing (Fig. 22 ) 5.1-5.9 × as long as wide, with marginal setae 0.4-0.5 × wing width.

Legs (Fig. 23 ). Mesotibial spur as long as corresponding basitarsus.

Metasoma (Fig. 24 ). Lateral sides of Gt5, Gt6 and Gt7 clearly imbricate reticulated on dorsal surface. Setation of tergites on dorsal surface as followings: Gt2 with 3 setae on each side, Gt3 and Gt4 with 4 setae on each side respectively, Gt5 and Gt6 with 10 and 6 setae arranged in a line respectively, Gt7 with 18 setae nearly arranged in 3 lines. Gt7 0.3 × as long as wide. Ovipositor originating from base of Gt3, 1.2 × as long as mesotibia, and not or slightly exerted. Second valvifer 1.6-1.8 × as long as third valvula; the latter 1.4-1.5 × as long as mesobasitarsus.

Male. Unknown.

Host.

Unknown.

Etymology.

The specific name refers to this species having a hyaline area on the fore wing.

Distribution.

China (Xishuangbanna of Yunnan Province).

Comments.

Although C. perlucidus sp. nov. is very similar to C. equifuniculatus in having similar antenna and thorax, the new species differs from the latter by two unambiguous characters: (1) fore wing of C. perlucidus obviously with a hyaline area bearing sparse and transparent setae below basal half of marginal vein (vs without the hyaline area, and with setae of disc dark, cf. fig. 91B in Huang 1994); (2) colour of gaster is different. We examined all materials belonging to the Coccophagus varius group in hand, the colour of scape and gaster exhibit very little variation in conspecific individuals. Coccophagus perlucidus with Gt1 except posteriorly and Gt5-Gt7 dark brown, Gt7 pale brown anteriorly, Gt2 to Gt4 largely white except Gt3 having a short brown band medially as in Fig. 17 (vs Gt1 with a broad brown band medially, Gt2 and Gt3 with short brown band medially, Gt4-Gt7 mostly brown cf. fig. 91C in Huang 1994). This new species also resembles C. lii in having a similar colour of gaster and a hyaline area bearing fine setae below basal half of fore wing. It differs from the latter by the following combination of characters: (1) scape and pedicel with dark areas (vs completely white); (2) the dark patch on mid lobe of mesoscutum not touching the posterior margin of mesoscutum (vs touching cf. fig. 86A in Huang 1994); (3) mesoscutellum largely orange except brown anteriorly and posteriorly (vs with a large brown inverted T-shaped patch); (4) scape 3.1-3.3 × as long as wide (vs 3.7 ×), pedicel 0.7 × length of F1 (vs nearly as long as).

Figures

Figures 17 - 24. Coccophagus perlucidus sp. nov. 17 body, dorsal view 18 head 19 antenna 20 mesosoma 21 fore wing 22 hind wing 23 legs, from left to right: fore-, mid- and hind-leg 24 metasoma.