Brachymeria coxodentata Joseph, Narendran & Joy, 1970

Narendran, T. C. & van Achterberg, Cornelis, 2016, Revision of the family Chalcididae (Hymenoptera, Chalcidoidea) from Vietnam, with the description of 13 new species, ZooKeys 576, pp. 1-202 : 30-31

Taxon classification Animalia Hymenoptera Chalcididae

Brachymeria coxodentata Joseph, Narendran & Joy, 1970 Figs 33-35

Brachymeria coxodentata Joseph, Narendran & Joy, 1970: 283 (holotype, ♀, India (BMNH) (in original description holotype by mistake as ‘♂’), 1973: 16 (redescribed and keyed); Narendran 1989: 248 (diagnosis and keyed).

Material.

1 ♀ (RMNH), "N. Vietnam: Hai Phong, Cat Ba N. P., 87 m, N20°47'55", E107°00'19", 18-24.x.2009, Mal. trap, C. v. Achterberg & R. de Vries, RMNH’09”; 1 ♀ (RMNH), "S. Vietnam: Dóng Nai, Cát Tiên N. P., ca 100 m, 13-20.v.2007, Mal. traps 24-29, eco-trail, C. v. Achterberg & R. de Vries, RMNH’07”; 1 ♀ (IEBR), id., but Botanical Garden, Malaise traps 14-19, 13-20.v.2007; 1 ♀ (BPBM), "Vietnam, R.E. Luch, 13.vi.1960".

Diagnosis.

This species comes near Brachymeria tapunensis Joseph, Narendran & Joy in the key to species by Joseph et al. (1973), but differs from it in having: 1) punctures on the mesosoma close and interstices carinate (in Brachymeria tapunensis interstices of punctures on mesosoma as wide as the diameter of a pit on the median regions of scutellum and scapulae); 2) radicula 0.4 × length of scape (in Brachymeria tapunensis radicula is 0.2 × length of scape) and 3) metasoma shorter than combined length of pronotum, mesoscutum and scutellum (in Brachymeria tapunensis metasoma longer than combined length of pronotum, mesoscutum and scutellum).

Description

(based on specimen from Cat Ba N. P.). ♀, length of body 3.4 mm.

Colour. Black with following parts as follows: tegula pale yellowish white. Fore and mid legs: coxa concolorous with body, trochanter black with base and apex pale brown; femur black with apex pale whitish yellow; tibia pale yellow with a dark brown patch on ventro-lateral parts medially; tarsi pale yellow; telotarsi dark brown; hind leg: coxa, trochanter concolorous with mesosoma; femur black with apex pale yellow; tibia black with a pale relatively smaller yellow spot subbasally and one larger yellow spot at apex dorso-laterally; tarsi pale whitish yellow; telotarsi dark brown. Pubescence on body whitish; wings hyaline and veins dark brown.

Head. Head in dorsal view slightly wider than mesosoma (excluding tegula), 2.3 × its length; width in anterior view 1.2 × its height; POL 1.8 × OOL; AOL a little shorter than OOL (3:4); width between eyes in dorsal view 3.4 × POL; eye height in profile 1.5 × its length; height of malar space 0.3 × eye height; surface of head closely pitted with interstices carinate and rugose; scrobe smooth and shiny, reaching anterior ocellus, a little longer than wide; parascrobal space 0.4 × width of scrobe; height of eye in anterior view 1.5 × its width; width of clypeus 2.5 × its length; pre-orbital carina absent; post-orbital carina present, reaching geno-temporal margin; lateral ridges of scrobe not extended in front beyond antennal toruli. Antenna with relatively long radicula, 0.4 × as long as length of scape; scape not reaching anterior ocellus. Relative L:W of antennal segments:scape = 7:7; pedicel = 5:6; ring segment = 2:5 F1 = 7:7; F2 = 7:8; F3 = 7:8; F4 = 7:8; F5 = 7:8; F6 = 6:9; F7 = 6:9; clava = 12:10.

Mesosoma. Mesosoma with close umbilicate pits, interstices carinate and rugose, without any wider areas in scutellum; scutellum 1.2 × as wide as its length, high in lateral view, perpendicularly declined posteriorly, apical margin rounded

Wings. Fore wing 2.7 × longer than wide. Relative length of fore wing veins: SMV = 29; MV = 12; PMV = 7; STV = 3.

Legs. Hind coxa with an inner ventro-mesal tooth; hind femur 1.6 × longer than wide, outer ventral margin with 12 differently sized teeth.

Metasoma. Metasoma a little shorter than pronotum, mesoscutum and scutellum combined (17:19); 1.2 × longer than wide, about 1.5 × longer than high; T1 smooth and shiny; T6 with 5-6 cross rows of pits, each row with about 18-25 rows of pits.

Male. Similar to ♀ except hind coxa without ventro-mesal tooth.

Host.

Gregarious hyperparasitoid in hesperiid pupa on Lilium sp. ( Narendran 1989).

Distribution.

India, Philippines, Vietnam (new record), Malaysia, Thailand ( Narendran 1989).