Apanteles (Choeras) compressifemur ( Chen & Song, 2004 )

Song, Sheng-Nan, He, Jun-Hua & Chen, Xue-Xin, 2014, The subgenus Choeras Mason, 1981 of genus Apanteles Foerster, 1862 (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Microgastrinae) from China, with descriptions of eighteen new species, Zootaxa 3754 (5), pp. 501-554 : 509-511

Apanteles (Choeras) compressifemur ( Chen & Song, 2004)

( Figure 3. a–j )

Choeras compressifemur Chen and Song 2004: 208 –209. Holotype female, pinned with labels as follows: “ 1 ♀, China, Fujian Prov., Wuyishan, Diaoqiao, 1998. VIII. 12, Yang Jianquan” in Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou, China.

Description. Female. Length of body 4.1 mm, of fore wing 4.8 mm.

Head. 2.1 times as wide as long, equal to width of mesoscutum. Antenna with 18 segments, with short setae, almost equal to the body length, subapical antennal segments much elongated, length of 16th segment 0.9 times as long as 15th segment, length of third segment 1.1 times as long as fourth segment, length of third, fourth, 15th, 16th and penultimate segments 3.5, 3.2, 2.3, 2.2 and 2.7 times as long as their width, respectively. In dorsal view length of eye 1.5 times as long as temple. Ocellar triangle densely setose and softly shiny. Ocelli in a very low triangle, the posterior transverse tangent to the median ocellus cutting into the posterior pair; ocelli large, their diameter longer than the distance between the hind and fore ocellus. OOL: OD: POL= 18: 12: 17. Frons shiny, smooth and distinctly concave medially, slightly strigose laterally, narrowly punctulate and setose and posteriorly. Temple and vertex shiny, finely and densely setose and punctulate. Face strongly rugose, finely and densely setose. Clypeus densely punctulate and setose. Face with a median longitudinal carina, 0.8 near the antennal sockets more distinct. Length of malar space 0.6 times as long as basal width of mandible.

Mesosoma. Length of mesosoma 1.3 times as long as its height. Side of pronotum densely setose and punctulate, with distinct ventral furrow which with a few longitudinal carinae. Propleuron smooth and softly shiny. Prepectal carina and precoxal sulcus absent. Mesopleuron largely smooth, glabrous and shiny, narrowly punctulate, setose anteriorly and ventrally. Mesoscutum finely and densely punctulate, indistinct posteriorly and softly shiny, densely setose. Notauli with weak trace. Scutellar sulcus wide with several distinctly longitudinal carinae, its width 1.3 times as long as scutellum. Scutellum relatively sparsely setose and punctulate, strongly shiny. Side of scutellum with rather narrow crenulate depression, lunula large-sized and semi-circular. Propodeum largely smooth and softly shiny, sparsely setose anteriorly, but narrowly rugose laterally, with a strong and regular median longitudinal carina which bifurcates into several short oblique carinae, more distinct at its base.

Wings. Fore wing evenly covered with brown hairs, denser towards the apex. Pterostigma relatively narrow, 3.3 times as long as wide. Vein 1-R1 1.6 times as long as pterostigma and 3.3 times as long as the distance from it to the top of marginal cell. Vein r straight and 1.3 times as long as 2-SR, r arising much far beyond the middle of pterostigma and much longer than breadth of pterostigma. Areolet very small and triangular, vein r-m arising from vein 2-SR at a considerable distance proximal to the junction of vein r and 2-SR. Vein 2-SR distinctly curved. 1- CU1: 2-CU1= 1: 1. Vein 1-SR pointing to 1-CU1. Hind wing evenly covered with brown setae. Vein cu-a straight. Edge of vannal lobe beyond its widest part very slightly concave and without a hair-fringe.

Legs. Hind coxa strongly shiny and smooth, sparsely pubescent dorsally and laterally, but densely pubescent remainder parts. Length of hind coxa longer than half of mesosoma. Tarsal claws setose. Longer spur of middle tibia reaching apex of middle basitarsus and terminating in a long bristle. Length of femur, tibia and basitarsus of hind leg 3.5, 4.9 and 5.1 times as long as their width, respectively. Length of hind tibial spurs 0.4 and 0.6 times as long as hind basitarsus respectively. Hind femur moderately and finely setose.

Metasoma. Tergite I subtriangular and much narrower apically, its basal width 2.9 times as long as its apical width which is 0.5 times as long as median length of tergite II, sides strongly convex basally 0.3, basally 0.7 with a relatively wide and shallow excavation; smooth, sparsely setose and punctulate apically. Tergite II distinctly subtriangular, apical margin straight which is 5.0, 2.6 times as long as basal width and its length respectively; strongly shiny, smooth and sparsely setose. Remaining tergites smooth, shiny and sparsely setose respectively.

Ovipositor sheath finely hairy, narrow and nearly parallel-sided, length of it (total length) 0.7 times as long as hind tibia. Hypopygium largely sclerotized, only near median line membranous and tightly folded along the middle line, with narrow longitudinal creases laterally and acute apically.

Colour. Head black. Labrum, clypeus and mandibles yellowish brown. Face black. Eyes dark brown with black tinge. Scape and pedicel mainly yellowish and dark brown laterally. Flagellum dark brown. Mesosoma black except that propleuron subhyaline yellowish brown. Wing membrane subhyaline and weakly infuscate. Pterostigma dark brown. Veins of fore wing brown except r-m weakly pigmented. Veins of hind wing weakly pigmented. Fore and middle legs all yellow except tarsal claws black. Hind coxa yellowish and a small area at the apex brown. Trochanter and trochantellus yellow. Hind femur subhyaline reddish brown but a small area at the apex brown. Hind tibia largely yellow and brown apically and basally 0.2 respectively. Hind tarsus dark brown. Tibial spurs pale yellow. Tergite I yellow. Tergite II black. Tergite III brown medially and remaining yellowish brown. Remaining tergites yellowish brown. Ovipositor reddish brown, its sheath dark yellowish brown.

Variation. Body length 2.7–4.7mm. Fore wing length 3.5–5.2 mm. And some individuals slightly different in colour pattern of tergites: some individuals tergite II black and remaining tergites yellow; some individuals tergite I black apically and yellow basally, remaining tergites yellow with indefinite black streaks; some individuals tergite I black apically and yellow basally, remaining tergites black; some individuals tergites all yellow; some individuals tergites I yellow and remaining tergites with indefinite black streaks; and some individuals hind coxa black.

Male. Unknown.

Biology. Unknown.

Material examined. 1♀, China, Fujian Prov., Wuyishan, 2007. VIII. 22–25, Xie Cuihong, No. 200807154; 1♀, China, Fujian Prov., Wuyishan, 1989. IX. 26, Wang Jiashe, No. 964199; 1♀, China, Fujian Prov., Jiangle, Longqishan, 1989. VII. 20, Liu Changming, No. 20006293; 1♀, China, Fujian Prov., Jiangle, Longqishan, 1991. VII. 1, Liu Changming, No. 20006514; 1♀, China, Fujian Prov., Jiangle, Longqishan, 1991. VII. 16, Liu Changming, No. 20007034; 1♀, China, Fujian Prov., Jiangle, Longqishan, 1991. VII. 8, Liu Changming, No. 20006915; 1♀, China, Fujian Prov., Jiangle, Longqishan, 1991. VII. 2, Liu Changming, No. 20006659; 2♀, China, Fujian Prov., Yong’an, Tianbaoyan, 2001. VII. 17, Piao Meihua, No. 200106836, 200106845; 1♀, China, Fujian Prov., Nanjing, Letu, 1991. V. 23, Liu Changming, No. 20006054; 1♀, China, Guangdong Prov., Shixing, Chebaling, 2003. VIII. 21, Xu Zaifu, No. 20052282; 3♀, China, Guangdong Prov., Shixing, Chebaling, 2003. VIII. 21, Xu Zaifu, No. 20052135, 20052583, 20052737; 3♀, China, Guangdong Prov., Shixing, Chebaling, 2002. V. 25, Xu Zaifu, No. 20051074, 20051486, 20051662; 1♀, China, Guangdong Prov., Yunan, Tongledashan, 2003. VIII. 12–13, Xu Zaifu, No. 20054647; 1♀, China, Guangxi Prov., Jiuwandashan, Pingying, 2003. VII. 31, Wang Yiping, No. 20037639; 1♀, China, Hainan Prov., Diaoluoshan, 2007. V. 28–31, Liu Jingxian, No. 200702838.

Distribution. China (Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan) ( Fig. 20 ).

Figures

FIGURE 20. Distribution map of Choeras species in China I. ●: Apanteles (Choeras) angustus Song & Chen, sp. n.; ■: Apanteles (Choeras) brevinervus Song & Chen, sp. n.; ▲: Apanteles (Choeras) compressifemur (Chen & Song, 2004); Δ: Apanteles (Choeras) curvinervus Song & Chen, sp. n..

FIGURE 3. a – j. Apanteles (Choeras) compressifemur (Chen & Song, 2004) a, habitus, lateral view; b, antenna; c, fore wing; d, hind wing; e, head, frontal view; f, head, dorsal view; g, mesosoma, lateral view; h, mesosoma, dorsal view; i, metasoma, dorsal view; j, metasoma, lateral view.