Cardiochiles priesneri Fischer, 1958

Edmardash, Yusuf A., Gadallah, Neveen S. & Sharkey, Michael J., 2018, Revision of the subfamily Cardiochilinae Ashmead, 1900 (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) in Egypt, with new records and a new species, Journal of Natural History 52 (5 - 6), pp. 269-297 : 278-279

Cardiochiles priesneri Fischer, 1958

( Figures 1 (a), 2(b))

Cardiochiles priesneri, 1958 . Polskie Pismo Ent. 28(2): 30, ♀. ‘ Gebel Asfar , Ägypten ’ (Wien, ♀) (Leg. Priesner)

Diagnosis

Head dorsally entirely black (or dark reddish brown), except for brownish to orange orbits ( Figure 1 (a)); head obviously swollen behind eyes ( Figure 1 (a)); lateral carina of propodeum not reaching lateral sides ( Figure 1 (a)).

Abbreviated description of female

Length of body: 4.5 – 4.8 mm; length of fore wing: 3.3 – 3.4 mm.

Body generally dark brown to blackish. Head entirely black (or dark reddish brownish) except for brownish orbits of eyes; scape shiny; tips of mandible slightly darker than rest of mandible. The following areas are brownish or generally somewhat paler than the blackish background of the body: scutum, scutellum, metanotum, propodeum, apical 0.2 of hind tibia, entire hind tarsus, hind coxa, ovipositor sheaths (shiny), median groove of metasomal T1, T3 and T4 (except medially); mid- and hind femur slightly darker than the rest of the legs; metasomal T5 – 7 obviously dark brown to blackish. Fore wing: hyaline and weakly infuscated apically, pterostigma (with darker ventral border) and parastigma uniformly pale brown; tegula slightly darker; all veins brown or orange, but the veins of apical third paler and membranous, thus hardly seen. Head: antenna with 27 flagellomeres; OOL: AOL:POL:ØOD = 6:4:5:1. Fore wing: 1-SR+M 5.83× as long as m-cu; 2-SR+M 2.67× as long as mcu; 1-M straight, 1-SR strongly bent at its middle point, junction of 4SRb and 5-SR lacking a sharp angle, m-cu 0.37× as long as 1-M; discal cell 0.55× as long as wide; 1-A absent; 1-2A +3A spectral; 1-Cua 0.38× as long as 1-Cub; 2r 0.47× as long as inside height of SMC2, arising 0.4 along the length of stigma basally; stigma 3.92× as long as wide; angle between 4SRa and Rs 110°; angle between Rs and r-m about 90°; spectral node of 3r absent; SMC2 0.42× as long as wide; 2 + 3-SR strongly curved at the base. Legs: Fore tibial spur 0.3× as long as basitarsus; hind tibia 5.9× as long as wide apically; inner hind tibial spur 1.8× as long as outer spur, 0.65× as long as basitarsus. Metasoma: stem of T1 0.3× as long as bulb; median field of T2 2.37× as broad as high; ovipositor sheath 0.7× as long as hind tibia.

Remarks

One of the specimens examined with slightly darker mesosoma, blackening extends on metasoma; and another female specimen with 28 antennal flagellomeres; small triangular blackish spot may be present on middle lobe of scutellum. In all cases this species is peculiarly diagnosed by the complete reddish brown to blackish head (except for reddish or brownish orbits of eyes ( Figure 1 (a)).

Male

Unknown.

Material examined

1♀, Wadi Kerdasa (= Kerdacá) (Giza) (30.0316°N; 31.112°E), 19 April 1928 (det. P. Marsh) [ AUCE], deposited in [ EFC]; 1♀, Gebel Elba ( Wadi Um Elek ) (23.628°N; 35.066°E), 29 March 1938 (Leg. Farag) (det. P. Marsh) [ PPDD]; 1♀, Wadi Digla (Cairo desert) (29.932°N; 31.428°E), 5 April 1952 (Leg. Saleh) [ EFC] .

Distribution

So far endemic to Egypt ( Fischer 1958; Yu et al. 2012).

Host records

Unknown.

Figures

Figure 1. Dorsal habitus. (a) Cardiochiles priesneri (1× scale line); (b) C. pseudofallax (0.8× scale line); (c) C. weidholzi (0.9× scale line); (d) Schoenlandella acrenulata (1× scale line); (e) S. deserta (1.2× scale line); (f) S. glabra (1× scale line); (g) S. maculata (1× scale line); (h) S. obscuriceps (0.9× scale line); (i) S. pseudoglabra (1× scale line); (j) S. variegata (1× scale line).