Therophilus punctiscutum, van Achterberg, Cornelis & Long, Khuat Dang, 2010

van Achterberg, Cornelis & Long, Khuat Dang, 2010, Revision of the Agathidinae (Hymenoptera, Braconidae) of Vietnam, with the description of forty-two new species and three new genera, ZooKeys 54, pp. 1-184 : 104-106

Therophilus punctiscutum sp. n. Figs 356-364

Type material.

Holotype, ♀ (RMNH), "N. Vietnam: Hoa Binh, Pa Co Hang Kia N.R., 1321 m, 20°44'36N; 104°53'44E, 10-24.x.2009, Mal. tr. 8, C. v. Achterberg & R. de Vries, RMNH’09”.

Diagnosis.

Recognizable by its slender basal tergites of the metasoma and the slender mesosoma (including a slender mesopleuron), combined with a black head and mesosoma.

Description.

Holotype, ♀, length of body 4.9 mm, of fore wing 3.7 mm, ovipositor sheath 4.6 mm.

Head.

Antenna with 32 segments, length of third segment 1.4 times fourth segment, length of third, fourth and penultimate segments 4.2, 3.0 and 1.5 times thei r width, respectively; length of maxillary palp 0.7 times height of head; malar space 2.2 times as long as basal width of mandible; in dorsal view length of eye 3.8 times temple; temple gradually narrowed posteriorly (Fig. 363); ocelli in rather high triangle, POL:OD:OOL = 6:5:8; face rather shiny and distinctly rather densely and finely punctate; clypeus sparsely finely punctate and moderately convex; frons flat and finely punctate between antennal sockets and without a medial ridge, no triangular area posteriorly, but in front of anterior ocellus with a narrow groove, smooth medially and rather densely finely punctate laterally; vertex and temple shiny and largely smooth, with sparse punctulation.

Mesosoma.

Length of mesosoma 1.7 times its height; pronotum smooth with three weak carinae and double distinct epomial anteriorly, subpronope rather shallow, finely densely punctate and densely setose dorso-posteriorly and posterior groove narrowly crenulate; area near lateral carina of mesoscutum crenulate; mesoscutum moderately coarsely punctate, with distinct smooth interspaces, medio-posteriorly lobes slightly convex; notauli complete and narrowly crenulate; scutellar sulcus 0.4 times as long as dorsal face of scutellum, moderately deep and with one carina; scutellum flat, shiny and with sparse rather coarse punctures, subposterior crest weakly protruding and in front shallowly crenulate (Fig. 358), medio-posteriorly rather steep in front of protruding medial area of pronotum; precoxal sulcus narrow, rather deep, largely smooth and anteriorly absent (Fig. 357); mesopleuron below precoxal sulcus; remainder of mesopleuron shiny and spaced finely punctate, scrobe round and deep, isolated from pleural sulcus; metapleuron densely setose, rather dense but superficially punctate and ventrally rugose; propodeum rather coarsely densely vermiculate-reticulate (Fig. 358); propodeal spiracle medium-sized, 1.4 times as long as wide.

Wings.

Fore wing: second submarginal cell medium-sized and petiolate (Fig. 360); vein SR1 straight; r:3-SR+SR1 = 1:17; r-m about half as long as petiolus; apical half of subbasal cell largely sparsely setose. Hind wing: vein M+CU 0.8 times as long as vein 1-M (Fig. 360); vein 2-CU distinct.

Legs.

Length of hind femur, tibia and basitarsus 4.3, 8.2 and 9.2 times their width, respectively; hind femur spaced finely punctate and with short setae (Fig. 361); length of outer and inner spur of middle tibia 0.35 and 0.50 times middle basitarsus, respectively; outer side of middle tibia with a row of 3 pegs and 2 pegs at apex; length of outer and inner spurs of hind tibia 0.3 and 0.4 times hind basitarsus, respectively; tarsal claws with large obtuse lobe.

Metasoma.

First tergite parallel-sided, rather irregularly and densely longitudinally striate and 2.5 times as long as its apical width, with rather weak dorsal carinae in basal 0.6 of tergite (Fig. 359); second tergite irregularly longitudinally rugulose-striate, but basal 0.4 with nearly round convexity superficially micro-sculptured; second tergite somewhat narrowed anteriorly and with obsolete curved transverse groove (Fig. 359); remainder of metasoma (including second suture) smooth; ovipositor sheath 1.24 times as long as fore wing.

Colour.

Black; antenna, tegulae, fore and middle coxae, apical half of hind tibia and small subbasal patch, hind tarsus, metasoma apically and ventrally (but antero-ventrally largely ivory), ovipositor sheath, hind spurs, veins and pterostigma dark brown; malar space, palpi, mandible, fore trochanter, basal half of middle tibia (except brownish patch subbasally), middle spurs and middle basitarsus largely, remainder of hind tibia, basal third of second tergite and its lateral margin ivory or white; middle trochanter, base of middle femur, apical half of middle tibia and telotarsus brown; remainder of fore and middle legs brownish-yellow; and remainder of hind tibia whitish; wing membrane subhyaline.

Distribution.

NE Vietnam: Hoa Binh.

Biology.

Unknown.

Etymology.

From “punctum” (Latin for "small hole, spot"), and “scutum” (Latin for “shield”), because of the punctate mesoscutum.