Therophilus robustus, 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 : 106-108

Therophilus robustus sp. n. Figs 365-373

Type material.

Holotype, ♂ (RMNH), "N. Vietnam: Ha Noi, Gia Lam, soya bean field, ex O[miodes] indicata, 24.iii.1995, Ha", "Aga 004".

Diagnosis.

Recognizable by the unique feature of the mesoscutum protruding over the pronotum anteriorly; in addition the middle lobe of the mesoscutum is comparatively short and wide.

Description.

Holotype, ♂, length of body 5.1 mm, of fore wing 4.2 mm.

Head.

Antenna with 35 segments, length of third segment 1.5 times fourth segment, length of third, fourth and penultimate segments 4.4, 3.0 and 1.5 times their width, respectively; length of maxillary palp 0.7 times height of head; malar space 1.6 times as long as basal width of mandible; in dorsal view length of eye 4.8 times temple; temple directly narrowed posteriorly (Fig. 373); ocelli in low triangle, POL:OD:OOL = 6:5:7; face flattened but medio-dorsally widely depressed, shiny and spaced finely punctate; clypeus largely smooth and weakly convex, only dorsally punctulate; frons with a short medial ridge, smooth medially and spaced coarsely punctate laterally, in front of anterior ocellus with a somewhat depressed large elongate triangular area and strongly depressed behind antennal sockets; vertex and temple shiny and largely smooth, with sparse punctures.

Mesosoma.

Length of mesosoma 1.3 times its height; pronotum smooth but coarsely crenulate antero-medially and posterior groove distinctly crenulate ventrally; area near lateral carina of mesoscutum finely crenulate; anteriorly mesoscutum porches over pronotum (Fig. 366); mesoscutum robust, very sparsely finely punctate, but rather densely on middle lobe, medio-posteriorly lobes convex and with deep crenulate groove in between; notauli complete and narrowly crenulate; scutellar sulcus 0.7 times as long as dorsal face of scutellum, rather deep and with 5 long carinae; scutellum shiny, weakly convex and with sparse punctulation, subposterior crest distinct and finely crenulate (Fig. 367), medio-posterior depression absent but steep posterior slope rugulose; precoxal sulcus rather deep, distinctly crenulate and anteriorly absent (Fig. 366); remainder of mesopleuron shiny and smooth; mesosternal sulcus largely smooth; metapleuron short setose, superficially punctate but ventrally rugose; propodeum very coarsely reticulate-rugose (Fig. 367); propodeal spiracle rather large (Fig. 367), 1.2 times as long as wide.

Wings.

Fore wing: second submarginal cell rather small and petiolate (Fig. 369); vein SR1 straight; r:3-SR+SR1 = 1:13; r-m about half as long as petiolus; apical half of subbasal cell nearly completely glabrous. Hind wing: vein M+CU as long as vein 1-M.

Legs.

Length of hind femur, tibia and basitarsus 3.5, 6.1 and 7 times their width, respectively; hind femur smooth (only slightly pimply) and with medium-sized setae (Fig. 370); length of outer and inner spur of middle tibia 0.5 and 0.7 times middle basitarsus, respectively; outer side of middle tibia with row of 3 pegs and 2 pegs at apex; length of outer and inner spurs of hind tibia 0.35 and 0.55 times hind basitarsus, respectively; tarsal claws with large lobe; hind coxa superficially granulate.

Metasoma.

First tergite somewhat widened apically, 1.4 times as long as its apical width, longitudinally costate, with dorsal carinae nearly complete but similar to surrounding sculpture (Fig. 368); second tergite rather costate, subparallel-sided, its basal 0.6 with a semicircular convexity and with a curved transverse groove (Fig. 368); remainder of metasoma (including second suture) smooth.

Colour.

Black; pronotum (but ventrally yellowish), mesoscutum, scutellum (but laterally dark brown) and mesopleuron antero-dorsally orange brown, scapus, pedicellus, clypeus ventrally, tegulum, fore and middle legs, propleural flange, hind trochanter and trochantellus, spurs, hind tarsus (but somewhat infuscate) and narrowly apex of metasoma brownish-yellow; humeral plate yellow; remainder of antenna brown to rather dark brown; malar space, metanotum and pterostigma dark brown; palpi, mandible, basal 0.6 of hind tibia (and without dark patch), apex of first tergite, second tergite, third tergite narrowly antero-medially and basal half of metasoma ventrally white or ivory; veins largely brown; wing membrane subhyaline.

Distribution.

N Vietnam: Ha Noi.

Biology.

The holotype was reared from Omiodes indicata (Fabricius, 1775) ( Lepidoptera : Pyralidae : Pyraustinae ) on soybean ( Glycine max (Linnaeus)) according to the label data. It is the first record of a species of Agathidinae as parasitoid of this species.

Etymology.

From “robustus” (Latin for “strong”), because of the robust body.