Photelesor taiwanensis Liu & Chen

Liu, Zhen, He, Jun-Hua & Chen, Xue-Xin, 2016, The genus Pholetesor Mason, 1981 (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Microgastrinae) from China, with descriptions of eleven new species, Zootaxa 4150 (4), pp. 351-387 : 361-363

Photelesor taiwanensis Liu & Chen , sp. n.

Figures 5 , 18

Description. Female. Body length ca. 2.1 mm, fore wing length ca. 2.8 mm.

Head. Transverse in dorsal view, 1.8× as wide as long and nearly as wide as mesoscutum. Eye in dorsal view 1.6× longer than temple. Temple shiny with shallow punctures, slightly broad. Face subquadrate, 0.9× as high as wide, relatively dull, evenly with dense minute punctures, not bulging medially, inner margin of eyes subparallel. Ocelli small, distance between fore and a hind ocellus larger than diameter of hind ocellus, POL:OD:OOL=3.5:1.5:4.0. Antenna distinctly longer than body, penultimate antennomere 2× longer than wide.

Mesosoma. Length: breadth: height= 38.0:23.0:25.0. Disc of mesonotum with satin-like sheen posteriorly, and superficial small punctures anteriorly, interspaces distinctly larger than diameter of punctures. Scutellar sulcus straight, narrow without carinae in between. Scutellum with superficial small punctures all over. Postscutellum with a not very strong emargination between its middle point and forwarding-pointing projection, thus, phragma only slightly exposed. Propodeum very shiny, almost polished all over, except rugulose around nucha. Mesopleuron highly polished, its anterior part with shallow punctuation.

Legs. Spines on outer side of hind tibia sparse. Inner spur of hind tibia over 2× longer than outer one, nearly half length of basitarsus, outer spur only 1/5× length of basitarsus. Hind basitarsus nearly as long as tarsal segments 2–4 combined.

Wings. Pterostigma large, 2.5× as long as its widest part. Vein 1-R1 (metacarp) 1.4× longer than pterostigma, 5.6× as long as its distance from apex of marginal cell. Vein r arising from middle of pterostigma, slightly shorter than width of pterostigma, vein r as long as vein 2-SR, both veins distinctly angled at their meeting, vein 2-M 1/2 length of vein 2-SR. 1st discal cell slightly wider than high. 1st submarginal cell of hind wing 1.5× wider than high. Vein cu-a curved.

Metasoma. Almost as long as thorax. T1 narrowing towards apex, 2.1× longer than hind broad, basal width 1.8× hind width, concave at base, dull, uneven with weak obsolescent punctures. T2 highly triangular, nearly straight apically, 1.5× wider than long in the middle, dull and slightly uneven. T3 1.3× longer than T2. Tergites after T1 shiny, smooth, less pubescent. Hypopygium longer than apex of abdomen. Ovipositor sheath a little shorter than basitarsus.

Colour. Body black, except hind of T3 paler. Palpi white. Tegula and spurs of hind tibia pale yellow. Labrum and mandible light reddish yellow. Legs bright reddish yellow, except hind coxa mostly dark and apex of hind tibia with tarsus brownish. Antenna and ovipositor sheath brown. Wing membrane hyaline, vein 1-R1, C+SC+R, r, 2- SR, 2-M and border of pterostigma brown, pterostigma and other alar veins yellowish.

Male. Unknown.

Host. Unknown.

Material examined. Holotype: ♀, Mingchi , Yilan, Taiwan, 2011. VI.13, Tang Pu, No. 201104893.

Distribution. China ( Taiwan).

Etymology. The specific name “ taiwanensis ” refers to its known distribution in Taiwan Island.

Remarks. This species is very similar to P. artusisulcus Liu & Chen , sp. n., except for the following: propodeum almost polished all over and without punctuation anteriorly (the latter coarsely punctate); 1st discal cell only slightly wider than high (the latter 1.3× wider than high); and penultimate antennomere 2× longer than wide (the latter at most 1.6×).

Figures

FIGURE 5. Pholetesor taiwanensis Liu & Chen, sp. n. a mesosoma, dorsal view; b habitus, lateral view; c fore wing; d hind wing; e propodeum and metasoma; f head, frontal view; g head, dorsal view. Scale line = 0.5 mm.

FIGURE 18. Distribution map of bedelliae - group of Pholetesor species in China.: • Pholetesor artusisulcus Liu & Chen, sp. n.; ■: Pholetesor flavigleba Liu & Chen, sp. n.; Δ: Pholetesor maritimus (Wilkinson, 1941); Ŧ: Pholetesor spinadensus Liu & Chen, sp. n.; Ɨ: Pholetesor taiwanensis Liu & Chen, sp. n.; ♥: Pholetesor viminetorum (Wesmael, 1837).