Myiocephalus cracentis Li, 2020

Li, Jun, Achterberg, Cornelis van, Zheng, Min-Lin & Chen, Jia-Hua, 2020, A new species of Myiocephalus Marshall (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Euphorinae) from China, ZooKeys 933, pp. 95-105 : 95

Myiocephalus cracentis Li sp. nov. Figures 1-2 , 3-11 , 12-13

Type material.

Holotype, ♀, NW China, Ningxia Province, Liupanshui, Liangdianxia, 21.viii.2001, Guang-hong Liang.

Paratypes: 1♀, same label data as holotype; 1 ♂, C China, Hubei Province, Shennongjia, Tianmenya, 17. viii. 1988, Juchang Huang.

Description.

Holotype, ♀, length of fore wing 3.4 mm, and of body 3.7 mm.

Head. Antenna with 32 segments and 1.2 × as long as fore wing, third segment 1.1 × as long as fourth segment, third, fourth and penultimate segments 4.6, 3.9 and 2.8 × as long as wide, respectively (Fig. 6 ); eye 3.4 × as long as temple in dorsal view; temples directly and linearly narrowed behind eyes (Fig. 3 ); OOL:OD:POL = 8:4:13; vertex and frons largely superficially coriaceous and shiny; in front of anterior ocellus with small convexity (Fig. 3 ); occipital carina complete and dorsally remaining shortly below upper level of eyes (Fig. 5 ); minimum width of face 1.9 × as long as height; face mainly very finely densely punctulate, but latero-ventrally largely smooth, with whitish setae and satin sheen (Fig. 4 ); clypeus convex medially and with slightly concave and thin ventral lamella (Fig. 4 ), medially finely rugulose; anterior tentorial pits large (Fig. 4 ); malar suture deep, narrow and straight; length of malar space equal to basal width of mandible and malar space in anterior view straight (Fig. 4 ); mandible slender, strongly twisted, outer side convex and with deep basal depression (Fig. 4 ), its second tooth similar to first tooth and acute.

Mesosoma. Length of mesosoma 1.3 × its height; side of pronotum mainly rugulose, dorsally largely punctulate (Fig. 8 ); mesopleuron dorsally densely and finely rugulose (Fig. 8 ), ventrally largely (including precoxal sulcus) rugose; prepectal carina completely present; episternal scrobe linear, long and posteriorly deep (Fig. 8 ); mesosternum sparsely setose, convex and shiny; mesosternal suture shallow, narrow and smooth; notauli absent, mesoscutum sparsely setose, flattened, moderately shiny, and its posterior half with posteriorly converging aciculation (Fig. 9 ); scutellar sulcus smooth and deep (Fig. 9 ); scutellum anteriorly convex, rugulose (except some rugae antero-laterally) and shiny, medial part coriaceous, medio-posteriorly convex, smooth and with no depression (Fig. 9 ); metapleuron coriaceous-rugulose (Fig. 8 ); propodeum rectangularly depressed medially (Fig. 10 ).

Wings. Fore wing: 2-M unsclerotized; 1-R1 1.1 × longer than pterostigma; marginal cell slender; r:3-SR+SR1:2-SR = 1:11:3; vein r issued from middle of pterostigma; vein SR1 very slightly curved basally (Fig. 7 ); 1-CU1 slender and vertical; cu-a vertical and distinctly longer than 1-CU1; 1-CU1:2-CU1 = 3:13; basal and subbasal cells of fore wing similarly setose as other cells. Hind wing: M+CU:1-M:1r-m = 27:5:7; basal 0.7 of M+CU unsclerotized.

Legs. Middle and hind legs very slender tibia and tarsus together ca. 2.4 × longer than femur, tibia ca. 3.7 × longer than coxa; fore leg normal, tibia nearly 3 × as long as coxa; length of femur, tibia and basitarsus of hind leg 7.6, 22.7 and 6.0 × as long as their maximum width; hind tibial spurs 0.2 × as long as basitarsus.

Metasoma. First tergite 5.1 × longer than its maximum width, basal half with distinctly concave sides and laterope partly visible, distinctly widened basally, flat (except minute depression near adductor) and smooth; in lateral view slender, posterior half convex, subparallel-sided (Fig. 10 ); first tergite open ventrally and laterope very deep and large (Fig. 11 ); following segments smooth, compressed and shiny, tergite three to eight concave medio-apically; second metasomal suture distinct; sternites folded medially; hypopygium folded and sclerotized medially, protruding medio-posteriorly and with apical fringe of bristly setae (Fig. 2 ); ovipositor sheath robust, parallel-sided, widened basally and slight widened apically, its setose part 0.2 × as long as fore wing (but dorso-basally glabrous) and ca. 5.8 × longer than its basal width; lower valve of ovipositor compressed, widened in lateral view and apex of upper valve narrow and remainder cylindrical (Fig. 2 ).

Color. Reddish brown, dorsally dark than ventrally; palpi, mandible, scapus, pedicellus ventrally, face, tegula, fore leg (but tarsus largely, femur and trochantellus partly infuscate), pronotal side ventrally, propleuron, mesosternum anteriorly, middle leg (except dark brown trochantellus and base of femur), hind tibia and tarsus pale yellowish; pterostigma and most veins of fore wing brown; wing membrane slightly infuscate.

Variation. Length of fore wing 3.2 mm, and of body 3.5 mm (Fig. 12 ).

Male. Length of fore wing 3.0 mm, and of body 2.9 mm; antenna with 30 segments; length of malar space 1.8 × basal width of mandible; first tergite smooth and shiny; only sternites of basal half of metasoma folded medially and tergite three to eight weakly concave posteriorly (Fig. 13 ).

Remarks.

The new species runs in the key by Tan et al. (2019) to M. zwakhalsi , but differs from it as follows: 1) vein cu-a of fore wing distinctly longer than 1-CU1 and vertical (ca. as long as 1-CU1 and oblique in M. zwakhalsi ); 2) prepectal carina present medio-ventrally (absent medio-ventrally); 3) scapus yellow dorsally (dark brown); 4) first metasomal tergite of ♀ slender in lateral view (robust); 5) hind coxa rugulose-striate (finely striate); 6) setose part of ovipositor sheath ca. 5.8 × longer than its basal width (ca. 4.2 × longer than its basal width).

Biology.

Unknown.

Distribution.

China (East Palaearctic).

Etymology.

Named after the slender pterostigma and marginal cell of the fore wing, long narrow legs, and antennae: " cracentis " is Latin for "slender, graceful".

Figures

Figures 1, 2. Myiocephalus cracentis sp. nov., ♀, holotype. 1 Habitus, lateral aspect 2 ovipositor and its sheath, lateral aspect.

Figures 3 - 11. Myiocephalus cracentis sp. nov., ♀, holotype. 3 Head, dorsal aspect 4 head, anterior aspect 5 head, lateral aspect 6 antenna 7 fore wing 8 mesosoma, lateral aspect 9 mesosoma, dorsal aspect 10 propodeum and first metasomal tergites, dorsal aspect 11 first metasomal tergite, lateral aspect.

Figures 12, 13. Myiocephalus cracentis sp. nov., habitus, lateral aspect. 12 ♀, paratype 13 ♂, paratype.