Blacus (Blacus) rugifacialis, Lu & Chai & Achterberg & Tang & Chen, 2024

Lu, Qian-Yu, Chai, Hong-Fei, Achterberg, Cornelis Van, Tang, Pu & Chen, Xue-Xin, 2024, The first report of subgenus Blacus Nees, 1819 (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Brachistinae) from China, Zootaxa 5471 (5), pp. 501-535 : 528-529

Blacus (Blacus) rugifacialis sp. nov.

( Figs 25–26 )

Material examined. Holotype: ♀, China, Zhejiang, Anji, Longwang Mtn , 26.VI.1996, Hu Yilian, No. 963687 ( ZJUH).

Description. Female. Length of body 3.0 mm, length of fore wing 2.5 mm.

Head. Antennomeres 17, slender ( Fig. 26D ); length of first flagellomere 1.3 × length of second flagellomere; length of first, second and penultimate flagellomere 4.2, 3.2 and 1.6 × their width, respectively; maxillary palp incomplete; occipital carina complete ( Fig. 26A ); frontal suture present; OOL: OD: POL = 13: 4: 6; length of eye in dorsal view 0.9 × length of temple; face distinctly rugose; malar suture absent, length of malar space 2.0 × basal width of mandible.

Mesosoma. Length of mesosoma 1.8 × its height; side of pronotum rugose ventrally, smooth dorsally ( Fig. 26F ); precoxal sulcus complete, wide and reticulate-rugose ( Fig. 26F ); notauli complete, wide and distinctly crenulate ( Fig. 26D ); mesoscutal middle lobe sparsely pubescence, lateral lobes glabrous ( Fig. 26D ); scutellum rugose, its lateral carina complete, slightly protruding apically; propodeal tubercles absent; surface of propodeum reticulate-rugose, medial area present ( Fig. 26H ).

Wings. Fore wing: parastigma distinctly differentiated from vein C+SC+R, first discal cell acute anteriorly; vein 3-SR+SR1 of fore wing straight; vein CUla of fore wing distinctly bent basally, distinctly below level of vein 2-CU1; 1-CU1: 2-CU1 = 1: 4; vein 2-M present and long ( Fig. 26E ).

Legs. Hind coxa rugose dorsally; length of femur, tibia and basitarsus of hind leg 5.5, 10.75 and 9.7 × their width, respectively.

Metasoma. Length of first tergite 1.7 × its apical width, slightly widened apically, reticulate-rugose ( Fig. 26H ); second tergite punctate basally, remainder of tergites slightly punctate ( Fig. 26H ); length of ovipositor sheath 1.5 × length of fore wing, 5.0 × length of hind femur, 3.5 × length of hind tibia ( Fig. 26I ).

Colour. Black; half basal of antenna, mandible, clypeus, palpi and all legs yellow; propodeum and first metasomal tergite reddish-brown; remainder of metasoma, tegulae, apical half of antenna, pterostigma, parastigma, veins, ovipositor and sheath brown; wing membrane infuscated.

Male. Unknown.

Biology. Unknown.

Distribution. China (Zhejiang).

Etymology. The specific name rugifacialis refers to the rugose face and is derived from “ ruga ” (Latin for wrinkle).

Notes. The new species is similar to B. (B.) longicaudatus Tobias, 1976 because notauli are wide and distinctly crenulate, ovipositor sheath approx. as long as the body, parastigma distinctly differentiated from vein C+SC+R, vein CUla of fore wing distinctly bent basally, distinctly below level of vein, length of first metasomal tergite 1.7 × its apical width, and vein 3-SR+SR1 of fore wing straight, but differs by having scutellum rugose (mainly smooth in B. (B.) longicaudatus ), vein 2-M of fore wing comparatively long (comparatively short), medial area of propodeum present (absent), first discal cell acute widely anteriorly (truncate), scutellar sulcus with about 4 carinae (about 7 carinae), antenna comparatively slender apically (less slender), length of ovipositor sheath 1.5 × length of fore wing (0.97 ×), and face distinctly rugose (superficially rugose).

Figures

FIGURE 25. Blacus rugifacialis sp. nov. (body, lateral aspect).

FIGURE 26. Blacus rugifacialis sp. nov. A. head, dorsal aspect; B. head, anterior aspect; C. antenna; D. mesosoma, dorsal aspect; E. fore wing; F. mesosoma, lateral aspect; G. hind leg; H. propodeum and metasoma, dorsal aspect; I. ovipositor and ovipositor sheath.