Venifurca Gadelha, Nunes & Zaldivar-Riveron, 2016

Gadelha, Sian de Souza, Nunes, Juliano Fiorelini, Zaldivar-Riveron, Alejandro & de Oliveira, Marcio Luiz, 2016, Venifurca, a new genus of neotropical Doryctinae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), and its phylogenetic placement, Journal of Hymenoptera Research 51, pp. 91-100 : 92-93

Venifurca Gadelha, Nunes & Zaldivar-Riveron gen. n.

Type species.

Venifurca leiosoma Gadelha, Nunes & Zaldívar-Riverón, sp. n.

Diagnosis.

Venifurca gen. n. differs from the remaining doryctine genera by having hind wing vein m-cu bifurcate, with its two sides curving towards the base and apex (Fig. 2E ). It is morphologically similar to Semirhytus and Johnsonius ; however, it mainly differs from them by having the propodeal areola poorly defined or absent (always present and defined in Johnsonius and Semirhytus ). It also differs from Semirhytus by having a smaller oral cavity, less than four times the malar space length (equal to or greater than four times the malar space length in Semirhytus ).

Description.

Body length 6.6-7.9 mm; body mostly smooth and polished, with few carinae (Fig. 2A-B ); clypeus margined dorsally by a distinct carina; occipital carina not meeting hypostomal carina; mesoscutum declivous anteriorly; notauli narrow and smooth, not meeting, present only on anterior part of mesoscutum; propodeum smooth and polished, sometimes with weak lateral and median carinae, areola absent or poorly defined; fore wing vein r-m present; first subdiscal cell open at apex, vein 2cu-a absent; hind wing vein M+CU 0.5 times length of 1M; vein m-cu bifurcate at apex (Fig. 2E ); hind coxa with anteroventral basal tubercle; first metasomal tergite with two parallel longitudinal carinae, extending to half length of tergite, area between longitudinal carinae higher than tergite edges; basal sternal plate of first metasomal segment 0.2 times length of tergum; remaining tergites smooth and polished; ovipositor length equal to metasoma.

Distribution.

French Guiana and Brazil.

Biology.

Unknown

Etymology.

This genus refers to the Latin words vena and furca in reference to its main feature, hind wing vein m-cu bifurcate at the apex.

Figures

Figure 2. Venifurca leiosoma sp. n. (Holotype). Lateral habitus (A), lateral head and mesosoma (B), dorsal head and mesonotum (C), hind wing (D), hind wing with emphasis on the bifurcate m-cu (E), dorsal propodeum and metasoma (F).