Therophilus scutellatus, 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 : 109-112

Therophilus scutellatus sp. n. Figs 383-391

Type material.

Holotype, ♀ (RMNH), "N. Vietnam: Ninh Binh, Cuc Phuong N.P., n[ea]r centre, c. 225 m, 20.xii.1999-10.ii.2000, Mai Phu Quy, RMNH’00”.

Diagnosis.

Closely related to Therophilus nigrolineatus sp. n. from South Vietnam, from which it differs mainly by the shape and sculpture of the scutellum (angulate anteriorly and coarsely punctate; Therophilus nigrolineatus : rounded anteriorly and sparsely punctate) and the colour of the hind tibia (black subbasally; Therophilus nigrolineatus : dark brown subbasally).

Description.

Holotype, ♀, length of body 5.8 mm, of fore wing 5.5 mm, ovipositor sheath 4.0 mm.

Head.

Antenna with 38 segments, length of third segment 1.3 times fourth segment, length of third, fourth and penultimate segments 4.0, 3.2 and 1.5 times their width, respectively; length of maxillary palp 0.7 times height of head; malar space 1.4 times as long as basal width of mandible, rectangularly protruding backwards; in dorsal view length of eye 4.8 times temple; temple gradually narrowed posteriorly; ocelli in rather high triangle (Fig. 390), POL:OD:OOL = 5:5:8; face shiny and rather densely finely punctate; clypeus spaced finally punctate and weakly convex; frons with sharp medial ridge anteriorly and with medium-sized triangular depression in front of anterior ocellus, smooth medially and spaced punctate laterally, behind antennal sockets distinctly depressed; vertex and temple shiny and largely smooth, with sparse fine punctures.

Mesosoma.

Length of mesosoma 1.5 times its height; pronotum smooth, with long epomial carina and behind it some striae and a long sinuate oblique carina, with large and deep subpronope, finely densely punctate dorso-posteriorly and ventral half of posterior groove distinctly crenulate, remainder largely smooth and narrow; area near lateral carina of mesoscutum finely crenulate; mesoscutum densely and rather coarsely punctate, but sparsely medio-posteriorly, medio-posteriorly lobes slightly convex, with some weak striae near elongate depression at end of notauli; notauli complete and moderately crenulate anteriorly and more widely so posteriorly; scutellar sulcus 0.6 times as long as dorsal face of scutellum, shallow and with 1 long and 4 short carinae; scutellum angulate anteriorly and with several coarse punctures, shiny, subposterior crest obsolescent and finely crenulate in front of it (Fig. 385) and behind it a strongly shiny, flat, oblique and largely smooth area, without medio-posterior depression; area behind prepectal carina and pleural sulcus coarsely crenulate; precoxal sulcus rather deep, distinctly but narrowly crenulate and anteriorly absent (Fig. 384); mesopleuron below precoxal sulcus spaced finely punctate (ventrally becoming denser); remainder of mesopleuron shiny and largely smooth, but rather coarsely spaced punctate anteriorly and below scrobe; metapleuron densely setose, spaced coarsely punctate (interspaces about equal to diameter of punctures) and ventrally vermiculate-rugose; propodeum coarsely reticulate, with irregular median crest anteriorly (Fig. 385); propodeal spiracle rather large, nearly round.

Wings.

Fore wing: second submarginal cell rather small and petiolate, petiolus widened (Fig. 387); vein SR1 nearly straight; r:3-SR+SR1 = 1:17; r-m about 1.5 times as long as petiolus; apical half of subbasal cell glabrous but apical fifth sparsely setose. Hind wing: vein M+CU 0.8 times as long as vein 1-M.

Legs.

Length of hind femur, tibia and basitarsus 4.4, 7.8 and 11.4 times their width, respectively; hind femur densely and rather coarsely punctate but with narrow smooth interspaces and with rather short setae; length of outer and inner spur of middle tibia 0.4 and 0.7 times middle basitarsus, respectively; outer side of middle tibia with a row of 2 pegs and 1 peg at apex; length of outer and inner spurs of hind tibia 0.3 and 0.5 times hind basitarsus, respectively; tarsal claws with large obtuse lobe.

Metasoma.

First tergite longitudinally costate, distinctly narrowed behind spiracles without distinct dorsal carinae, its length 2.8 times its apical width (Fig. 386); second tergite distinctly narrowed anteriorly, antero-laterally distinctly depressed and remainder longitudinally costate (but somewhat curved anteriorly), without curved transverse groove (Fig. 386); remainder of metasoma (including second suture) smooth; ovipositor sheath 0.73 times as long as fore wing.

Colour.

Black; antenna blackish-brown; mesoscutum slightly chestnut-brown posteriorly; palpi, mandible apically (remainder rather dark brown), first and second tergites laterally, third tergite antero-laterally, middle spurs and basal half of metasoma ventrally white or ivory; fore leg (but coxa, trochanter, trochantellus, femur largely) and middle tarsus pale yellow; tegulae, middle trochanter, trochantellus and femur, apical half of metasoma ventrally, ovipositor sheath, veins and pterostigma dark brown; hind leg entirely black or blackish-brown, spurs brown; wing membrane rather infuscate (Fig. 387).

Distribution.

N Vietnam: Ninh Binh.

Biology.

Unknown.

Etymology.

From “scutellum” (Latin for "small shield"), because of the angulate and punctate scutellum.