Gasteruption pannuceum Tan & van Achterberg

Tan, Jiang-Li, Achterberg, Cornelis van, Tan, Qing-Qing & Chen, Xue-Xin, 2016, Four new species of Gasteruption Latreille from NW China, with an illustrated key to the species from Palaearctic China (Hymenoptera, Gasteruptiidae), ZooKeys 612, pp. 51-112 : 94

Taxon classification Animalia Hymenoptera Gasteruptiidae

Gasteruption pannuceum Tan & van Achterberg sp. n. Figs 68, 69-77

Type material.

Holotype ♀ (NWUX), China: Shaanxi, Qinling Mts., Baolongyu, N34°03' E108°09', c 700 m, 10.vi.2015, 24.v.2015, Jiangli Tan.

Comparative diagnosis.

Runs in Zhao et al. (2012) either to Gasteruption varipes (Westwood, 1851) (if the pale apical part of the ovipositor sheath is considered to be minor) or to Gasteruption sinarum Kieffer, 1911 (if the pale part is considered to be intermediate; Fig. 77). The new species differs from Gasteruption varipes by having the mesopleuron black and finely sculptured (orange brown and coarsely vermiculate-reticulate (rarely only weakly so)), the mesoscutum slender and finely rugulose (robust and coarsely rugose), the propodeum mainly coriaceous (coarsely vermiculate-rugose), a shorter ovipositor sheath (3 times hind tibia vs 5 times) and the mandible brownish yellow (blackish). The new species differs from Gasteruption sinarum by having a shorter ovipositor sheath (3.2 times hind tibia vs 4.8-6.0 times in Gasteruption sinarum ), the mesoscutum without coarse punctures (present), the vertex shiny and largely smooth (with satin sheen and punctulate in Gasteruption sinarum ) and the vertex distinctly convex (less so in Gasteruption sinarum ). It shares with Gasteruption parvicollarium Enderlein, 1913, the convex vertex, but the new species has a longer ovipositor sheath (3.1 times hind tibia vs 1.2-1.7 times in Gasteruption parvicollarium ), the mesoscutum transversely wrinkled (mainly coriaceous) and eyes more conspicuously setose.

Description.

Holotype, female, length of body 10.0 mm, of fore wing 6.2 mm.

Head. Vertex and frons shiny and very finely punctulate, nearly smooth (Fig. 75), distinctly convex (Fig. 69) and without a depression medio-posteriorly; head trapezoid and directly narrowed behind eyes in dorsal view (Fig. 75); temple 0.7 times as long as eye in dorsal view; fourth antennal segment 1.1 times as long as third segment and 0.6 times as long as second and third segments combined, fifth antennal segment 1.2 times as long as third segment, third antennal segment 1.4 times as long as second segment; occipital carina narrow and non-lamelliform medio-dorsally (Figs 69, 75); OOL 1.5 times as long as diameter of posterior ocellus; face 3.5 times wider than high, twice wider than eye in anterior view (Fig. 74); minimum width of malar space 0.2 times as long as second antennal segment (Fig. 69); clypeus rather flat, slightly depressed ventrally and shallowly emarginate medio-ventrally; eye densely setose (Fig. 74).

Mesosoma. Length of mesosoma 2.1 times its height; propleuron rather robust and 0.9 times as long as mesoscutum in front of tegulae; pronotal side mainly coriaceous, but ventral half (except anteriorly) largely rugose and grooves crenulate and sparsely setose, with small blunt tooth antero-ventrally (Figs 70, 71); antesternal carina narrow and non-lamelliform; mesopleuron coriaceous and medially moderately rugose; mesosternal sulcus wide and crenulate; mesoscutum and scutellum with satin sheen, finely punctate-coriaceous, but middle lobe mainly transversely rugulose and medio-posteriorly broadly rugose (Fig. 71); propodeum mainly coriaceous but rugose anteriorly.

Wings. First discal cell parallel-sided and with outer posterior corner rounded, and with vein 3-CU1 near its apical third.

Legs. Hind coxa very finely coriaceous; length of hind femur, tibia and basitarsus 4.8, 5.1 and 5.1 times their width, respectively; middle tarsus 1.2 times as long as middle tibia; middle femur subparallel-sided and slightly slimmer than fore femur; hind tibia weakly inflated (Fig. 76).

Metasoma. Ovipositor sheath 8.5 mm, 0.8 times longer than body, 1.1 times as long as metasoma and 3.2 times as long as hind tibia, ivory apical part of sheath 0.3 times as long as hind basitarsus; apical 0.3 of hypopygium incised (Fig. 73).

Colour. Black; mandible brownish yellow and basally slightly darkened; apical antennal segment, apex of ovipositor sheath, fore and middle tibiae basally and hind tibia ventro-basally ivory or pale brown; penultimate antennal segment brown; tegulae, pterostigma, remainder of legs and antenna, hind tibial spurs and remainder of legs mainly dark brown or blackish; wing membrane subhyaline.

Male. Unknown.

Distribution.

China (Shaanxi).

Biology.

Unknown.

Etymology.

Named after the rugulose ( “wrinkled”) sculpture of the middle lobe of the mesoscutum: “pannuceus” is Latin for “wrinkled”.