Leluthia (Leluthia) chinensis Li

Li, Tao, Achterberg, Cornelis Van & Xu, Zhi-Chun, 2015, A new species of genus Leluthia Cameron (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) parasitizing Agrilus sp. (Coleoptera: Buprestidae) from China with a key to the East Palaearctic species, Zootaxa 4048 (4), pp. 594-600 : 595-599

Leluthia (Leluthia) chinensis Li & van Achterberg, sp. nov.

( Figs 1–12 )

Type material. Holotype, ♀, China: Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, Hangjinqi, 17 May 2013, Tao Li. Paratypes: 3 ♀♀ + 1 ♂, same data as holotype.

Holotype. Female, length of body 3.0 mm, and of fore wing 2.0 mm ( Fig. 1 ).

Head ( Figs 2–3 ). Head width 1.4 × its median length, as wide as mesoscutum, shiny and finely reticulate dorsally. Frons slightly concave near antennal sockets. Ocellar triangle situated before middle of head. POL 2.7 × Od, 0.7 × OOL. Eye glabrous, 1.1 × higher than wide, 1.6 × temple in dorsal view. Diameter of antennal sockets about equal to distance between antennal sockets, 1.8 × distance between socket and eye. Length of malar space 0.4 × height of eye, about equal to basal width of mandible. Malar suture absent. Face laterally smooth with long white setae, medially convex with fine transverse wrinkles; width of face 1.2 × height of eye, 1.7 × height of face and clypeus combined. Clypeal suture indistinct. Hypoclypeal depression round, 0.9 × wider than distance from depression to eye and 0.4 × as wide as face. Occipital carina complete dorsally, ventrally remaining separated from hypostomal carina. Antenna ( Figs 1 , 4 ) slender and filiform, 24–25 segments; its length 2.7 mm, 0.9 × as long as body. Scape 1.8 × longer than its maximum width. First segment 4.0 × longer than its apical width, almost equal to second segment. Penultimate segment 3.0 × longer than its maximum width, about equal to apical segment.

Mesosoma ( Figs 5–6 ). Length of mesosoma 2.7 × longer than its height. Pronotum convex laterally with irregular wrinkles. Antescutal depression deep. Mesoscutum slightly convex, glabrous with fine reticulation; median portion with distinctly striae and irregular sculpture between the striae. Notauli indistinct. Scutellar sulcus wide, with seven carinae, smooth, 0.3 × as long as scutellum. Scutellum flat with fine reticulation. Metanotum concave with conspicuous wrinkles in basal half and smooth in posterior half. Upper portion of mesopleuron with one oblique wrinkle and glabrous in other portion; precoxal sulcus deep, straight with fine carinae, running ventrally along entire length of mesopleuron. Propodeum convex, coarsely reticulate, median carina 0.2 × as long as propodeum.

Wings ( Fig. 11 ). Fore wing: length 3.2 × its maximum width. Pterostigma 3.8 × as long as maximum width. Vein M+CU1 straight; vein 1-SR+M slightly curved; vein r-m absent; vein r arising at basal 0.4 of pterostigma and 0.7 × as long as maximum width of pterostigma; vein 2-SR 1.6 × as long as r, 1.5 × as long as m-cu, 0.7 × as long as 1-SR+M; vein 1-CU1 0.3 × as long as 2-CU1. Hind wing: vein 1-M 0.4 × as long as M+CU1 and 3.0 × as long as 1r-m; vein 3-M present.

Legs ( Figs 1 , 7–9 ). Hind coxa 1.6 × as long as wide, without distinct baso-ventral protuberance, smooth, with long white setae; hind femur 3.3 × as long as wide; setae of hind tibia erect and 0.7-0.9 × as long as maximum width of tibia; hind tarsus 1.1 × as long as hind tibia; basitarsus 0.7 × as long as second-fifth segments combined; second segment of hind tarsus 0.6 × as long as basitarsus, 2.1 × as long as fifth segment (without arolium); outer spur of hind tibia visible at 80 ×, 0.9 × as long as maximum width of hind tibia ( Fig. 8 ); inner hind tibial spur 1.3 × maximum width of tibia.

Metasoma ( Figs 1 , 10 ). Length 1.2 × as long as head and mesosoma combined. Tergite I and basal half of tergite II with distinct and irregular longitudinal striae, and with minute transverse sculpture between striae; dorsope medium-sized; basally dorsal carinae distinct; 0.8 × as long as its apical width; apically 2.5 × wider than basally. Length of tergite II about equal to its basal width, 2.1 × as long as tergite III; second tergite without sublateral grooves and no circular area, but tergite III basally with shiny elevated elliptical area ( Fig. 10 ); second suture distinct; tergite II sub-apically reticulate, medially and apical fifth smooth. Basal 0.7 of tergite III, basal 0.6 of tergite IV, and basal half of tergite V finely granulate-reticulate. Remainder of metasoma smooth. Ovipositor sheath 0.3 × as long as metasoma, and 0.3 × as long as fore wing ( Fig. 1 ).

Colour. Dark brown. Six basal segments of antenna, palpi, legs (telotarsus and tarsal claws dark brown), and tegulae yellowish brown; face, laterally frons, mandible (but apically dark yellowish brown), gena, temple, pronotum, metasoma (most of tergite I dark brown to black brown), dark brown with reddish pattern. Medially frons, ocellar triangle, vertex, mesoscutum (anterior stripes of lateral lobes and area behind notauli dark brown with reddish pattern), scutellum, scutellar sulcus, mesopleuron (upper and posterior areas dark brown with reddish pattern), and propodeum, dark brown to black brown. Wings hyaline; pterostigma and veins brown.

Male. Length of body 2.2 mm, and of fore wing 1.5 mm. Antenna with 17 segments. Length of mesosoma 2.7 × its height. Length of tergite I 1.2 × its apical width; apical width 2.2 × its basal width. Length of tergite II 1.5 × its basal width, 2.4 × length of tergite III. Fore wing ( Fig. 12 ) vein r-m present; pterostigma narrowed than of female and vein r about as long as maximum width of pterostigma; hind wing with large brown pterostigma. Body dark brown, propodeum dark brown with reddish pattern, metasoma yellowish brown. Other characters as of holotype.

Distribution. China (Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region).

Biology. Parasitoid of Agrilus sp. ( Coleoptera : Buprestidae ) on Caragana korshinskii Kom. ( Fabaceae [= Leguminosae]).

Diagnosis. Mesoscutum weakly and gradually elevated above pronotum; mesosoma about 2.7 × longer than high; antenna 0.9 × as long as its body; penultimate antennal segment 3.0 × longer than its maximum width; pterostigma of ♀ about 3.8 × longer than its maximum width (of ♂ about 4.8 times); vein r-m of fore wing of ♀ absent ( Fig. 11 ), but weakly developed in ♂ ( Fig. 12 ); vein m-cu of hind wing of ♀ far antefurcal ( Fig. 11 ); hind leg mostly yellowish brown; second metasomal suture weakly curved laterally. The new species is similar to Leluthia disrupta (Belokobylskij) , but the latter species has fore wing vein r-m of ♀ present, hind telotarsus yellow, vein mcu of hind wing of ♀ interstitial with vein 1r-m, and hind leg light to dark reddish brown.

Etymology. The specific name is named after the country of origin because it is the first known species in China.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Leluthia chinensis Li & van Achterberg, sp. nov., female, holotype. Habitus, lateral aspect.

FIGURES 2 – 10. Leluthia chinensis Li & van Achterberg, sp. nov., female, holotype. 2. Head, anterior aspect. 3. Head, dorsal aspect. 4. Basal antennal segments. 5. Mesosoma, dorsal aspect. 6. Mesosoma, lateral aspect. 7. Hind coxa and femur, lateral aspect. 8. Hind tibia, lateral aspect. 9. Hind tarsus, lateral aspect. 10. Metasoma, dorsal aspect.

FIGURES 11 – 12. Leluthia chinensis Li & van Achterberg, sp. nov., female, holotype, but 12 of male paratype. Wings.