Coccophagus distinctus Li & Chen, 2017

Chen, Ye & Li, Cheng-De, 2017, Three new species of Coccophagus (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae) from China, with new distributional data for three additional species, Zootaxa 4294 (2), pp. 256-270 : 261-262

Coccophagus distinctus Li & Chen , sp. nov.

Figs 8 ̄13

Type material. Holotype. ♀ [on slide, NEFU], CHINA, Shandong Province, Pingdu City, Daze Mountain, 18.VII.2014. Hui Geng , Guo-hao Zu , sweeping.

Diagnosis. Female. Head mostly brown. Antenna yellow except ventral surface of scape and C3 with brownish suffusion. Mesosoma largely dark brown, with characteristic pattern of paler lines ( Fig. 10 ). Wings hyaline. Legs yellow except basal one third of metacoxa brown. Metasoma ( Fig. 10 ) dark brown with TI and TII except laterally, and apex of TVII yellow. Head subrectangular, 0.84× as high as wide. Antenna with scape slender, about 6.0× as long as wide; pedicel about as long as F1; funicular segments with F1 narrowest and without longitudinal sensillum, F2 longest, and F3 as long as F1; clava slightly longer than scape. Mesoscutellum with 3 pairs of setae. Fore wing 3.0× as long as wide. Metacoxa about as long as metafemur. Ovipositor 1.2× as long as mesotibia, originating from posterior margin of TIII; second valvifer 2.1× as long as third valvula.

Description. Female. Holotype. Body 0.96 mm. Head largely brown, occiput above foramen with a vertical pale line ( Fig. 8 ). Eyes and ocelli brown. Mandible brown. Antenna yellow except ventral surface of scape and C3 with brownish suffusion. Mesosoma mostly dark brown except for following distinctly paler parts: posterior margin and posterior half of lateral margins of median area of mesoscutum, posterior part of lateral area of mesoscutum, anterior margin of mesoscutellum, and a longitudinal line medially on mesoscutellum, metanotum, propodeum, and also on petiole (these paler parts form an "U" shape on median area of mesoscutum and a "T" shape on mesoscutellum, Fig. 10 ). Wings hyaline. Legs ( Fig. 12 ) yellow except basal one third of metacoxa brown. Metasoma brown, with both TI and TII except laterally, and apex of TVII yellow.

Head ( Fig. 8 ), in frontal view, subrectangular, 0.84× as high as wide, frontovertex 0.47× head width. Face rugose-reticulate with sculpture becoming lineolate on malar space. Eyes densely setose, each seta shorter than diameter of a facet. Frontovertex with numerous brown setae. Ocellar triangle with apical angle obtuse. Torulus with upper margin below level of lower eye margin by about half own length and with its lower margin very close to mouth margin. Mandible with two acute ventral teeth and a short dorsal truncation. Antenna ( Fig. 9 ) slender, scape about 6.0× as long as wide, slightly shorter than clava; pedicel 1.92× as long as wide, and about as long as F1; F1 2.41× as long as wide; F2 1.23× as long as F1, and 2.5× as long as wide; F3 as long as F1 and as wide as F2; clava 3.94× as long as wide, and 0.83× as long as funicle. Flagellomeres with the following number of longitudinal sensilla: 0; 1; 2; 2; 2; 2. Measurements, length (width) of scape, 132 (22); pedicel, 50 (26); F1, 53 (22); F2, 65 (26); F3, 53 (26); clava, 142 (36).

Dorsum of mesosoma ( Fig. 10 ) clearly reticulate, with cells of sculpture on mesoscutellum larger. Mesoscutum with median area 0.69× as long as wide, and with about 30 setae; each lateral area of mesoscutum with 3 setae; mesoscutellum 0.76× as long as wide and 0.72× length of median area of the mesoscutum, and with 3 pairs of setae; axilla with 2 setae. Metanotum 0.76× as long as propodeum. Propodeum ( Fig. 10 ) composed of a single plate, posteriorly with a small triangular projection medially. Fore wing ( Fig. 11 ) relatively long, 3.0× as long as wide; marginal setae 0.13× as long as wing width; costal cell 0.85× as long as marginal vein, with 4 setae on dorsal surface distally, and with a line of setae on ventral surface; submarginal vein with 7 setae, marginal vein with 12 setae along anterior margin; postmarginal vein very short, and about 0.3× as long as stigmal vein, the latter with a distinct neck and swollen stigma; stigma with sensilla ( Fig. 11 ) arranged in a line. Hind wing 6.56× as long wide; marginal setae 0.56× as long as wing width. Mesotibial spur ( Fig. 12 ) slightly longer than corresponding basitarsus; metacoxa elongate, 3.0× as long as its greatest width and as long as metafemur. Measurements, length (width) of fore wing, 772 (257); costal cell, 168; marginal vein, 198; stigmal vein, 37.5; postmarginal vein, 12.5; hind wing, 584 (89); mesotibia, 198; mesotibial spur, 60; mesobasitarsus, 53; metacoxa, 150 (50); metafemur, 150.

Metasoma about 1.28× as long as mesosoma. Ovipositor ( Fig. 13 ) originating from posterior margin of TIII, and 1.2× as long as mesotibia. Second valvifer 2.1× as long as third valvula, and the latter 1.45× as long as mesobasitarsus. Length measurements of ovipositor, 238; second valvifer, 161; third valvula, 77.

Male. Unknown.

Host. Unknown.

Etymology. The specific name refers to the fact that this species is unique and distinctive in this genus.

Comments. This new species is related to species of the zebratus- group ( Hayat 1992) in having a subrectangular head in frontal view, low position of toruli, smaller number of sensilla on flagellomeres, relatively long metacoxa, presence of a triangular projection on propodeum posteromedially, swollen stigma and the arrangement of sensilla on the stigma. However, it cannot be assigned to that species group because the head is not subprognathous and the body is not flat. Furthermore, the mesoscutellum of this new species is less transverse (less than 2.0× as wide as long) and the ovipositor is relatively short (much less than 2.0× as long as the mesotibia).

This is a distinct species and can be easily distinguished from all other species of the genus, including the only two known species in the zebratus- group, C. planus (Sugonjaev) and C. zebratus Howard , by combination of characters listed above and the characteristic patterns of paler lines on the dorsum of the mesosoma, and also by the habitus and colouration of metasoma.

Figures

FIGURES 8 – 13. Coccophagus distinctus sp. nov., ♀: 8, head, frontal view; 9, antenna; 10, body; 11, fore wing; 12, legs; 13, ovipositor.