Confusocentrus, Quicke & Butcher, 2011

Quicke, Donald L. J. & Butcher, Buntika Areekul, 2011, Two new genera of Rogadinae (Insecta, Hymenoptera, Braconidae) from Thailand, Journal of Hymenoptera Research 23, pp. 23-34 : 24-26

Confusocentrus gen. n. Figs 1 2

Type species.

Confusocentrus panturat sp. n. by monotypy

Morphology.

Head. Median flagellomeres longer than wide. Annelus without distinct circular oblique carina. Face and clypeus with no externally visible separation, both smooth and shiny. Hypoclypeal depression not strongly arched. Malar suture absent. Mandibles twisted so that only upper tooth visible in frontal view. Eyes moderately emarginated opposite antennal sockets. Head strongly narrowed behind eyes. Occipital carina complete and strong.

Mesosoma. Largely shiny. Pronotum moderately produced into a shelf, anterior margin strongly upcurved; antero-dorsally with a well-developed, posteriorly directed, ‘V’ -shaped carina. Notauli deep and crenulated. Mesoscutum with a deep longitudinal medial depression posteriorly between notauli. Prepectal carina strongly developed. Precoxal suture deep, sigmoidal, crenulated. Propodeum with midlongitudinal carina on anterior third, otherwise with confused rugose sculpture.

Fore wing. Vein M+CU distinctly angled medially and thickened beyond angulation. Vein 1-CU1 and its junction with cu-a strongly thickened. Subbasal cell with a narrow line of reduced setosity paralleling and close to distal segment of M+CU. Vein 1-SR almost absent. Vein r arising slightly beyond middle of pterostigma.

Hind wing. Veins M+CU and 1-M approximately the same length. Vein 2-SC+R longitudinal. Vein m-cu present, pigmented and reclivous. Vein SR indicated by a pigmented fold.

Legs. Claws simple. Apex of hind tibia with a well-developed comb of specialised adpressed setae both medially and ventrally between spurs.

Metasoma. Tergites 1 to 3 forming a narrow, heavily sculptured carapace, subsequent tergites weakly sclerotised and concealed. First metasomal tergite elongate, subbasally narrowed; dorsal carinae uniting to form complete midlongitudinal carina. 2nd tergite with a small midbasal triangular area produced into a midlongitudinal carina that extends beyond middle of tergite. Ovipositor strongly exserted,

Etymology.

Name in reference to the difficulty of the systematic placement of the new genus and an allusion to the great oriental philosopher Confucius and punned with confusio [Latin for “confusion”], in combination with part of the name of the apparently related genus Clinocentrus .

Notes.

In the key to genera of Chinese Rogadinae ( Chen and He 1997), the only available key to taxa from the region, Confusocentrus will falter at couplet 2, because while it has hind wing vein cu-a and a long ovipositor, it does not have an areolate propodeum and the third tergite is strongly foveolate with no transverse sculpture, and has a well-developed lateral crease.

Placement of this genus within the Rogadinae is indicated by the midlongitudinal carina on the 1st and 2nd metasomal tergites (apomorphic). An affinity with the tribe Clinocentrini is tentative as, with the exception of the absence of a malar suture, the uniting characters are all likely to be symplesiomorphies, such as the relatively long ovipositor. Confusocentrus lacks the transverse curved sculpture on the 3rd metasomal tergite that characterises many Clinocentrus Haliday and Tebennotoma Enderlein, though this feature is not present in all species ( Belokobylskij 1995, 2000); has fore wing vein CU1b present unlike Tebennotoma ; has the dorsal carinae of tergite 1 uniting to form a midlongitudinal carina unlike Artocella van Achterberg. The clinocentrine genus Kerevata described by Belokobylskij (1999) from New Britain, also has the three basal metasomal tergites rather enlarged (but not forming a carapace to the same extent) and has the distal part of the fore wing subbasal cell modified with thickened veins but in this case the distal part of M+CU is curved, and vein cu-a is strongly thickened and curved, these together forming an oval expansion of the subbasal cell. Kerevata also differs from Confusocentrus gen. n. in having the hind wing vein 2-SC+R transverse, tergites 1-3 longitdinally striate and the annellus with an oblique, circular distal carina. All these other Clinocentrini have the clypeus well separated from the face.

Preliminary molecular analyses indicate a relationship with the Clinocentrini , but within this group these is little support for most relationships, and with the currently available sequences, Clinocentrus as currently recognised, does not itself appear to be monophyletic.

Figures

Figure 1. Confusocentrus panturat gen. n., sp. n., holotype, CellD ® light micrographs. A Top of head B head, front view C thorax, dorsal view D mesosoma, lateral view E posterior mesosoma, metasoma and ovipositor, lateral view.

Figure 2. Confusocentrus panturat gen. n., sp. n., holotype, CellD ® light micrographs A Wings B metasomal tergites 2 and 3, dorsal view C propodeum.