Myiocephalus niger Fischer, 1957

Tan, Jiangli, Achterberg, Cornelis Van, Tian, Xiaoxia & Zhang, Ruonan, 2019, Revision of Myiocephalus Marshall (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Euphorinae), with description of one new species, Zootaxa 4700 (1), pp. 117-131 : 121-122

Myiocephalus niger Fischer, 1957

Figs 17–35

Myiocephalus niger Fischer, 1957: 14–16 ; Shenefelt 1969: 116; Belokobylskij 2000: 372; Lozan et al. 2011: 6 [examined]. Loxocephalus niger ; Tobias, 1986: 247 (transl. p. 432); Bergamesco et al. 1995: 17.

Material. 3 ♀ + 1 ♂ ( NWUX, RMNH), “ NW China: Shaanxi, Liangfengya, Foping , N33.09° E107.90°, 20.vii.– 26.xi.2017, 1729 m, Y[ellow] Mal. trap, Tan JL & Tan QQ, NWUX” ; 1 ♀ ( RMNH), “ I [taly], Abruzzo, AO, Campo di Giove, Tavola Rotanda , 1400 m, 20.vi. [1]988, P.L. Scaramozinno ” ; 1 ♀ ( RMNH), “ Netherlands: Gld., Nunspeet, Mal. trap, 19.vii.2003, B. v. Aartsen, RMNH’04” ; 1 ♂ ( RMNH), “ Bulgaria, Rila Mts ”, “k. Maloviza , 23.vii.1982, A. Zaykov”; 1 1 ♂ ( RMNH), “BG: Rhodopi, Selishte , 26.vi.1978, A. Zaykov ” .

Short diagnosis. Length of malar space of ♀ about equal to basal width of mandible ( Fig. 28 ; of ♂ approx. 1.2 ×); occipital carina dorsally distinctly below upper level of eye and straight laterally ( Fig. 28 ); basal half of first metasomal tergite straight laterally and nearly parallel-sided in dorsal view, without laterope visible ( Fig. 24 ); hypopygium of ♀ largely membranous ventrally, unsclerotized, protruding latero-posteriorly and comparatively short bristly setae ( Fig. 25 ); only apical third of exserted ovipositor slender in lateral view ( Figs 17, 20 ); mesosoma laterally and legs mainly dark brown ( Figs 17 , 31 ).

Redescription. Specimen from China (Shaanxi), ♀, length of fore wing 3.8 mm, and of body 5.5 mm.

Head. Antenna with 28 segments and 1.2 × as long as fore wing, length of third segment 1.2 × fourth segment, third, fourth and penultimate segments 5.5, 4.5 and 2.1 × as long as wide, respectively ( Figs 29, 30 ); length of max- illary palp equal to height of head, segments slender ( Fig. 28 ); eye 4.1 × as long as temple in dorsal view; temples directly and linearly narrowed behind eyes ( Fig. 27 ); OOL:diameter of posterior ocellus:POL = 10:3:10; vertex and frons largely smooth and shiny, in front of ocelli and vertex medio-posteriorly partly coriaceous; in front of anterior ocellus with depression ( Figs 26, 27 ); occipital carina complete and dorsally remaining far below upper level of eyes ( Fig. 28 ); combined length of clypeus and face (measured from ventral rim of antennal socket to ventral border of clypeus) 1.1 × minimum width of face; face mainly very finely coriaceous, with some rugulae and pale yellowish setae, and with satin sheen ( Fig. 26 ); clypeus convex, medio-ventrally lobe-shaped protruding over slightly concave and thin ventral rim ( Figs 26, 28 ), medially remotely and finely punctate and laterally with some rugulae; anterior tentorial pits large ( Fig. 26 ); malar suture deep, narrow and straight; length of malar space 0.9 × basal width of man- dible, malar space concave in anterior view ( Fig. 26 ); mandible slender, strongly twisted ( Figs 26, 28 ), outer side convex and with deep basal depression ( Fig. 28 ), its second tooth medium-sized and acute ( Fig. 26 ).

Mesosoma . Length of mesosoma 1.4 × its height; side of pronotum largely smooth, but oblique groove crenulate anteriorly, ventrally with some rugulae and posteriorly with some crenulae ( Fig. 23 ); mesopleuron antero-dorsally densely striate and partly costate ( Fig. 23 ), posteriorly partly superficially striate, remainder shiny and largely smooth; prepectal carina absent postero-laterally; precoxal sulcus absent except for shallow depression posteriorly; episternal scrobe linear, long and posteriorly deep ( Fig. 23 ); mesosternum sparsely setose, convex and shiny; mesosternal suture shallow, narrow and smooth; notauli absent except for indistinct impression and mainly smooth anteriorly ( Figs 22, 23 ), mesoscutum very sparsely setose, flattened, moderately shiny and its posterior half aciculate ( Fig. 22 ); scutellar sulcus smooth and deep ( Fig. 22 ); scutellum convex, smooth (except some aciculae antero-laterally) and shiny, medio-posteriorly convex, smooth and no depression; metapleuron coriaceous-rugulose ( Fig. 23 ); propodeum triangularly depressed medially, anteriorly smooth and shiny, remainder rugulose or finely rugose, and anterior face hardly separated from posterior face ( Fig. 22 ).

Wings. Fore wing: 2-M unsclerotized; 1-R1 1.1 × longer than pterostigma; marginal cell slender Fig. 21 ); r:3- SR+SR1:2-SR = 5:67:15; vein r issued submedially from pterostigma; vein SR1 slightly curved basally ( Fig. 21 ); 1-CU1 hardly widened and oblique; cu-a vertical; 1-CU1:2-CU1 = 3:11; basal and subbasal cells of fore wing similarly setose as other cells. Hind wing: M+CU:1-M:1r-m = 40:3:10; basal half of M+CU unsclerotized.

Legs. Middle and hind legs very slender (tibia and tarsus about 2.5 × longer than femur, tibia approx. 4 × longer than coxa; Figs 17, 20 ); fore leg normal, tibia nearly 3 × as long as coxa; length of femur, tibia and basitarsus of hind leg 7.0, 18.8 and 15.6 × as long as their maximum width; hind tibial spurs 0.2 × as long as basitarsus.

Metasoma. First tergite 3.6 × longer than its maximum width, basal half subpetiolate, laterope invisible, slightly widened basally, flat (except minute depression near adductor) and smooth; posterior half convex, subparallelsided but gradually narrowed posteriorly ( Fig. 24 ); first tergite open ventrally ( Fig. 18 ) and laterope deep and large; following segments smooth, compressed and shiny, third–eighth tergites concave medio-apically ( Figs 17, 20 ); sternites folded medially ( Fig. 19 ), fifth sternite aciculate, medio-posteriorly with long setae and strongly protruding ( Figs 19, 20 , 25 ) and hypopygium membranous medially, protruding posteriorly and with apical fringe of comparatively short bristly setae ( Fig. 25 ); second metasomal suture obsolescent; ovipositor sheath rather robust, parallel-sided and narrowed apically, setose part 0.15 × as long as fore wing (but dorso-basally glabrous); ovipositor compressed, widened in lateral view, except its slender apical third ( Figs 20 , 25 ).

Colour. Black; palpi, mandible, pedicellus, ventrally scapus, fore tibia and fore basitarsus mainly pale yellowish; face, tegulae, remainder of legs and of antenna, pterostigma, most veins of fore wing, and metasoma (except first tergite and ovipositor sheath) mainly brown to dark brown ( Fig. 17 ); wing membrane weakly infuscated.

Variation. Length of fore wing 3.8–4.0 mm, and of body 5.5–5.8 mm; antenna with 28(1) or 29(1) segments; first tergite 3.6–3.9 × as long as its maximum width.

Male. Length of fore wing 3.3 mm, and of body 4.5 mm; antenna with 28 segments; length of malar space 1.2 × basal width of mandible; only sternites of basal half of metasoma folded medially and third–eighth tergites weakly concave posteriorly.

Biology. Unknown.

Distribution. West Palaearctic ( Austria, Belarus, * Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Italy, Netherlands, NW Russia), and East Palaearctic (* China (Shaanxi), Far East Russia) regions. Collected near forested peatbog at less than 100 m above sea level ( Netherlands) up to 1730 m ( China; montane forest).

Notes. The specimens from China have the first metasomal tergite slenderer (3.6–3.9 × as long as its maximum width; 3.0–3.5 × in European M. niger ) and are partly darker (tegulae, middle and hind femora (largely), tibiae (except narrowly basally and apically) and tarsi (except darkened telotarsus) dark brown; brown or brownish yellow in European M. niger ), but the differences are relatively minor and considered to be intraspecific.

Figures

FIGURES 17–20. Myiocephalus niger Fischer, ♀, China (Shaanxi). 17. Habitus, lateral aspect; 18. First metasomal tergite, ventral aspect; 19. Metasoma, ventral aspect; 20. Hind leg and metasoma, lateral aspect.

FIGURES 21–30. Myiocephalus niger Fischer, ♀, China (Shaanxi). 21. Wings; 22. Mesosoma, dorsal aspect; 23. Mesosoma, lateral aspect; 24. Propodeum, first–fourth metasomal tergites, dorsal aspect; 25. Apical half of metasoma, lateral aspect; 26. Head, anterior aspect; 27. Head, dorsal aspect; 28. Head, lateral aspect; 29. Base of antenna; 30. Apex of antenna.

FIGURES 31–35. Myiocephalus niger Fischer, ♂, China (Shaanxi). 31. Habitus, lateral aspect; 32. Head, anterior aspect; 33. Head, dorsal aspect; 34. Genitalia, ventral aspect; 35. Propodeum, first–third metasomal tergites, dorsal aspect.