Stephanobracon Ranjith & Quicke

Ranjith, A. P., Nasser, M., Rajmohana, K. & Quicke, D. L. J., 2016, A new genus of Braconinae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) from India with remarkable head ornamentation, Zootaxa 4061 (2), pp. 173-180 : 174

publication ID

https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.4061.2.7

publication LSID

lsid:zoobank.org:pub:09377312-102A-4315-BB6F-0B66EBBFF2DC

DOI

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6085249

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/BB1FC163-A724-3506-FF01-8299FC020CD4

treatment provided by

Plazi

scientific name

Stephanobracon Ranjith & Quicke
status

gen. nov.

Stephanobracon Ranjith & Quicke gen. nov.

( Figs 1–3 View FIGURE 1 View FIGURE 2 View FIGURE 3 )

Type species. Stephanobracon narendrani Ranjith & Quicke sp. nov.

Description. female. Head. Scapus longer ventrally than dorsally, distinctly laterally compressed and rather flaring towards apex. Face slightly rugose and bulging, with sublateral vertical ridges extended from to the upper level of clypeus to base of antennal toruli ( Figs 1 View FIGURE 1 B, C, 2B). Dorsally each ridge forms a pointed teeth, behind which is a weakly excavated area, another ridge runs dorsally from antero-lateral area of frons which forms a second tooth on the anterior margin of a laterally-raised, transversely striated protuberance, which laterally slightly overlaps the dorsal margin of the eye and extends backwards up to the level of median ocellus forming a slightly raised carina ( Figs 1 View FIGURE 1 C, D, 2A, B). Raised area sparsely setose. Eyes glabrous, weakly emarginated opposite antennal sockets and bulged ( Fig. 1 View FIGURE 1 B). Mandibles twisted, their tips distinctly turned downwards with only a single tooth visible in frontal aspect ( Figs 1 View FIGURE 1 B, 2A).

Mesosoma. Mesosoma 1.4× longer than high ( Fig. 3 View FIGURE 3 A); mesoscutum smooth, shiny, sparsely setose, middle lobe rounded anteriorly ( Fig. 2 View FIGURE 2 D). Notauli smooth, only distinct anteriorly, running parallel to scutellar sulcus. Pronotum setose anteriorly. Scutellar lunules not wide, divided by eight carinae ( Fig. 2 View FIGURE 2 D). Scutellum smooth; metanotum largely smooth medially, without longitudinal carina. Mesopleuron completely smooth. Propodeum smooth and shiny, setose laterally, with pair of anteriorly diverging rugae arising from mid-posterior margin ( Figs 2 View FIGURE 2 D, E).

Legs. Claws with pointed basal lobes ( Fig. 3 View FIGURE 3 C).

Wings. Evenly setose. Fore wing. Vein r-rs arising at 0.4× of distance from base to apex of pterostigma. Second submarginal cell moderately elongate and distinctly narrowing distally ( Fig. 3 View FIGURE 3 B). Vein (RS+M) slightly curved posteriorly ( Fig. 3 View FIGURE 3 B). Vein 3-M long and largely tubular most of the way to the wing margin ( Fig. 3 View FIGURE 3 B). Vein 2CUa almost perpendicular to 1CUb, posteriorly forming a smooth curve with 2CUb. Second subdiscal cell slightly wider distally than basally ( Fig.3 View FIGURE 3 B). Hind wing. Vein 1r-m slightly curved, distally running parallel to but free from SC+R.

Metasoma. Elongate, approximately 1.7 × longer than the mesosoma. Tergite 1 with laterally flattened areas from base to middle of the lateral margin ( Fig. 2 View FIGURE 2 E). Tergites 1–3 largely coarsely sculptured. Tergites 4 and 5 smooth medially and laterally ( Fig. 2 View FIGURE 2 F). Tergite 2 with elongate smooth, almost parallel-sided medial area ( Fig. 2 View FIGURE 2 F). Tergites 3–5 with subposterior, crenulated transverse grooves ( Fig. 2 View FIGURE 2 F). Ovipositor sheath evenly setose. Ovipositor slightly (1.25×) longer than the body ( Fig. 2 View FIGURE 2 C), with a pre-apical dorsal nodus and four apico-ventral serrations, having a small nodus before the inner serration (same as the pre-apical nodus) ( Fig. 3 View FIGURE 3 D).

Etymology. The name is based on the parasitic wasp family Stephanidae because of the four sharp points on the head reminiscent (though not in the same place) of the ‘crown of thorns’ formation in members of the family Stephanidae , and the generic name Bracon . Gender masculine.

Comments. The new genus would run to couplet 111 in Quicke’s (1987) key to the Old World genera of Braconinae, and then, with a little difficulty, to a group of genera with merinotoid metasomas including Cratobracon Cameron , Gronaulax Cameron , Merinotus Szépligeti , Shelfordia Cameron and various other genera of large-bodied wasps that parasitise wood-boring Coleoptera . The tooth-like protuberances of the antennal socket and region lateral to the socket distinguish it from all genera of the subfamily.

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