Pholetesor flaviparvus 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 : 377

Pholetesor flaviparvus Liu & Chen , sp. n.

Figures 14 , 20

Description. Female. Body length ca. 1.8 mm, fore wing length ca. 2.1 mm.

Head. Transverse in dorsal view, 1.8× as wide as long and somewhat wider than (1.1×) mesoscutum. Eye in dorsal view 1.2× longer than temple. Temple highly shiny and almost without punctures, broad. Face quadrate, slightly shiny, rough with shallow punctures, inner margin of eyes parallel. Ocelli very small, distance between fore and a hind ocellus larger than diameter of hind ocellus, POL:OD:OOL= 3.0:1.3:2.7. Antenna distinctly longer than body, penultimate antennomere 1.5× longer than wide.

Mesosoma. Length: breadth: height=31.0:19.0:20.0. Disc of mesonotum slightly shiny without punctures posteriorly, weak shallow punctures anteriorly, interspaces larger than diameter of punctures. Scutellar sulcus curved, narrow without carinae in between. Scutellum polished without punctuation. Postscutellum with a strong emargination between its middle point and forwarding-pointing projection, thus, phragma freely exposed. Propodeum shiny, highly polished all over, except several superficial punctures across brow. Mesopleuron highly polished, its anterior part almost without punctuation.

Leg. Spines on outer side of hind tibia scattered. Inner spur of hind tibia longer than outer spur, almost half length of basitarsus, outer spur almost 1/3× length of basitarsus. Hind basitarsus slightly shorter than tarsal segments 2–4 combined.

Wings. Pterostigma 2.5× as long as its widest part. Vein 1-R1 (metacarp) 1.2× longer than pterostigma, at most 3.8× as long as its distance from apex of marginal cell. Vein r arising from middle of pterostigma, 3/5 of width of pterostigma, vein r nearly half of vein 2-SR, both veins distinctly angled at their meeting, vein 2-M 2/5 of vein 2- SR. 1st discal cell 1.2× wider than high. 1st submarginal cell of hind wing 1.7× wider than high. Vein cu-a nearly straight and perpendicular to vein 1-1A.

Metasoma. Slightly shorter than (0.9×) thorax. T1 slightly narrowing (or subparallel) towards apex, and relatively short, 1.9× longer than hind broad, basal width 1.3× hind width, slightly concave at base, shiny, mostly smooth. T2 trapezoidal, straight apically, 2.5× wider than long in middle, smooth. T3 1.5× longer than T2. Tergites after T2 relatively shiny, smooth, less pubescent. Hypopygium not longer than apex of abdomen. Ovipositor sheath somewhat longer than hind basitarsus.

Colour. Body yellowish to bright reddish yellow, except head reddish. Palpi, tegula and spurs of hind tibia pale yellow. Labrum and mandible bright reddish yellow. Legs entirely yellow. Antenna unevenly bright reddish yellow. Ovipositor sheath reddish. Wing membrane hyaline, veins and pterostigma entirely pale yellow.

Male. Unknown.

Host. According to the label, a tortricid larva attacking the sawtooth oak, Quercus acutissima Carruth.

Material examined. Holotype: ♀, Nanjing , Jiangsu, 1980s, No. 871132 . Paratype: 1♀, Nanjing , Jiangsu, 1980s, No. 871132, ex. a tortricid larva on Quercus acutissima Carruth.

Distribution. China (Jiangsu).

Etymology. The specific name “ flaviparvus ” derives from Latin adjective “flavus” and “parvus”, referring to small yellow body.

Remarks. This species is similar to P. salicifoliella Mason , but can be distinguished by the following: T1 mostly smooth (the latter densely rugose apically); T2 also smooth as T1 (the latter densely rugose); and T3 smooth (the latter rugulo-aciculate anterior-medially).

Figures

FIGURE 14. Pholetesor flaviparvus Liu & Chen, sp. n. a head, frontal view; b head, dorsal view; c mesosoma and metasoma, dorsal view; d habitus, lateral view; e hind wing; f fore wing. Scale line = 0.5 mm.

FIGURE 20. Distribution map of circumscriptus - group of Pholetesor species in China. •: Pholetesor acricauda Liu & Chen, sp. n.; ■: Pholetesor argyresthiae Liu & Chen, sp. n.; •: Pholetesor arisba (Nixon, 1973); Δ: Pholetesor circumscriptus Liu & Chen, sp. n.; Ŧ: Pholetesor confusus Liu & Chen, sp. n.; Ɨ: Pholetesor flaviparvus Liu & Chen, sp. n.; *: Pholetesor lithocolletis Liu & Chen, sp. n.; ♥: Pholetesor lyonetiae Liu & Chen, sp. n.; L: Pholetesor teresitergum Liu & Chen, sp. n.