Pseudocyanopterus van Achterberg, Cao & Yang, 2020

Samartsev, Konstantin, Hao, De-Jun & Li, Tao, 2021, A new species of the genus Pseudocyanopterus van Achterberg, Cao & Yang (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Braconinae) from China, Journal of Hymenoptera Research 86, pp. 79-92 : 79

Genus Pseudocyanopterus van Achterberg, Cao & Yang, 2020

Pseudocyanopterus van Achterberg, Cao & Yang, 2020 in Cao et al. 2020: 113 (type species: Pseudocyanopterus raddeivorus Cao, van Achterberg & Yang, 2020).

Diagnosis.

Pseudocyanopterus is very similar to the genera Bracomorpha Papp, 1971 and the recently described Parallobracon Li, van Achterberg & Chen, 2021. The three taxa are associated by the following character states. Malar space more or less impressed, but malar suture not developed; metasoma with five visible tergites, their apical margins thick; second metasomal tergite with large anterolateral triangular areas delineated by anterolateral posteriorly diverging grooves and sublateral S-shaped grooves; median area of second metasomal tergite large, triangular; ovipositor apically acute, with weak nodus located somewhat distant from its apex and with weak serration (both structures become easily obliterated during oviposition and were not found in some species of Bracomorpha ). The members of these genera are known to be parasitoids of xylophagous insects. Species of the genus Bracomorpha attack beetles from the families Cerambycidae and Curculionidae and lepidopterans of the family Tortricidae ( Yu et al. 2016), Pseudocyanopterus raddeivorus Cao, van Achterberg & Yang is recorded from the oak longhorn beetle Massicus raddei (Blessig & Solsky) on Quercus liaotungensis Koidzumi ( Cao et al. 2020); the biology of Parallobracon is unknown, but possibly also associated with xylophages.

Pseudocyanopterus , Bracomorpha , and Parallobracon run to the couplet 121 ( Campyloneurus Szépligeti, 1900) in the key to the Old World genera of Braconinae ( Quicke 1987). The genus Campyloneurus differs from all three genera by the absence of anterolateral posteriorly diverging grooves on second metasomal tergite. The differences between three related genera are presented in the key below (the characters additionally defining taxa under a certain paragraph of a key couplet, but variable in an alternative paragraph, are listed after a dash).

1	Dorsal side of scape (lateral view) longer than its ventral side, laterally straight or only slightly concave (Fig. 4B ). Vein 3-SR 0.3-0.4 × as long as vein SR1 (Figs 2B , 4A ). Ovipositor sheath at least 2.6 × as long as hind tibia, 0.85-1.40 × as long as fore wing (Figs 2A , 3A ). Malar space very weakly impressed. - Hind wing membrane basally evenly (but sometimes sparsely) setose (Fig. 4A, C )	Pseudocyanopterus van Achterberg, Cao & Yang
-	Dorsal side of scape (lateral view) as long as its ventral side or shorter, laterally concave (Fig. 2F ). Vein 3-SR 0.5-0.8 × as long as vein SR1 (Fig. 2E, H ). Ovipositor sheath at most 0.9-2.4 × as long as hind tibia, 0.2-0.7 × as long as fore wing (Fig. 2D, G ). Malar space distinctly impressed	2
2	Ovipositor sheath 2.1-2.4 × as long as hind tibia, 0.5-0.7 × as long as fore wing (Fig. 2G )	Parallobracon Li, van Achterberg & Chen
-	Ovipositor sheath 0.9-1.6 × as long as hind tibia, 0.20-0.45 × as long as fore wing (Fig. 2D )	Bracomorpha Papp

Remarks.

The members of Cyanopterus with developed anterolateral areas on second metasomal tergite are considered here within Bracomorpha after Li et al. (2021), which included the latter taxon in Cyanopterus as a subgenus. In Cyanopterus , third-seventh metasomal tergites are equally sclerotised, with thin posterior margins, while in Bracomorpha five basal tergites are much coarser than the following and conceal them. Because this difference exceeds the subgeneric level, Bracomorpha is considered here a valid genus. The recently described genus Parallobracon differs from Bracomorpha mainly by the length of ovipositor and thus is likely to be considered a subgenus of the latter. However, a separate revision involving much more genera (e.g. Bicarinibracon Quicke & Walker and Indabracon van Achterberg, Campyloneurus Szépligeti, Chelonogastra group of genera, Cyanopterus Haliday, and others) is required in order to redefine their taxonomic statuses. Two species from the Russian Far East previously described in the genus Cyanopterus belong to Parallobracon , P. oriens (Belokobylskij, 2000), comb. nov. and P. tzymbali (Belokobylskij, 2000), comb. nov. The ovipositor sheath is equally long in these two species, 0.6-0.7 times as long as the fore wing, while in the type species Parallobracon prolatus Li, van Achterberg & Chen, 2021 it is 0.5-0.6 times as long as the fore wing ( Li et al. 2021: 154).

Figures

Figure 2. Pseudocyanopterus raddeivorus Cao, van Achterberg & Yang, 2020 (A-C holotype, female), Bracomorpha praecinctus (Shestakov, 1936) (D-F female), and Parallobracon oriens (Belokobylskij, 2000) (G, H paratype, female) A, G habitus, dorsal view D habitus, lateral view B, E, H fore wing C metasoma, dorsal view F scape, lateral view. Scale bars: 1 mm (A, B, D, E, G, H), 0.5 mm (C), 0.25 mm (F).

Figure 3. Pseudocyanopterus pagiophloeusis sp. nov. (female, A, C, E-G holotype B, D paratype) A habitus, lateral view B head, anterior view C head, dorsal view D mesoscutum and scutellum, dorsal view E head, lateral view F mesosoma, lateral view G propodeum, dorsal view. Scale bars: 1 mm (A), 0.5 mm (B-G).

Figure 4. Pseudocyanopterus pagiophloeusis sp. nov. (female, A, B, E, F, I holotype C, D, G, H paratype) A wings B base of antenna, lateral view C base of hind wing D fore femur and tibia E hind leg F hind leg claw G apex of ovipositor H metasoma, dorsal view I first metasomal tergite, dorsal view. Scale bars: 1 mm (A, E), 0.5 mm (C, H, I), 0.25 mm (B, D, F, G).