Epimicta sulciscutum Zheng, Chen

Zheng, Min-Lin, Chen, Jia-Hua & Achterberg, C. Van, 2013, The discovery of the rare genus Epimicta Foerster (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) in China, with a description of a new species, Zootaxa 3613 (2), pp. 190-194 : 191-193

Epimicta sulciscutum Zheng, Chen & van Achterberg, new species

(Figs.1–11)

Type material. Holotype,female:“[North China:] Heilongjiang, Mudanjiang, national forest park, 15.vii.2011, Min-lin Zheng”.

Description. Head. Antenna with 28 flagellomeres, 1.1 times length of fore wing, first flagellomere 1.2 times as long as second flagellomere, length of first, second, median (fourteenth flagellomere) and penultimate flagellomeres 1.8, 1.5, 1.3 and 1.6 times their width, respectively; in dorsal view head transverse (Fig. 2), 2.4 times as broad as long, 1.2 times as wide as maximum width of mesoscutum; temple 0.7 times as long as eye; OOL: OD: POL=13: 5: 6; eyes 1.2 times as high as broad; face finely punctate and setose (Fig. 1), its width 1.4 times height of eye, 1.7 times median height of face; width of clypeus 3.0 times its median height and 0.7 times width of face; maxillary palp with 5 segments; mandible apically slightly widened and its median length 1.9 times maximum width, first tooth wide and obtuse (Fig. 3), second tooth nearly equilateral triangular and pointed, third tooth rather large and semicircular (Fig. 4), fourth tooth located along ventral margin of mandible, small and obtuse.

Mesosoma. In lateral view length of mesosoma 1.4 times its height; propleuron coarsely sculptured (Fig. 5); notauli complete, distinctly crenulate and extending to posterior margin of mesoscutum (Fig. 7); medio-posterior depression of mesoscutum long, present on whole mesoscutum, finely crenulate and narrowing from posterior margin to anterior margin of mesoscutum (Fig. 7); two lateral areas of scutellum with numerous white setae; metanotum with an strong median longitudinal carina and distinctly dorsally protruding; propodeum irregularly areolate-rugose (Fig. 12); precoxal sulcus fairly wide and complete, strongly rugulose (Fig. 5); posterior mesopleural furrow entirely finely crenulate (Fig. 5); metapleuron crenulate-rugose, setose (Fig. 5).

Wings. Length of fore wing 2.5 times its width; length of pterostigma 3.3 times its width and vein r arising slightly basal of midpoint of pterostigma, vein 1-R1 1.1 times as long as pterostigma, 3-SR+SR1 ending before tip of wing; vein r 1.1 times as long as maximum width of pterostigma, 0.2 times as long as 3-SR+SR1, 0.5 times as long as 1-SR+M; 1-SR+M hardly S-shaped; m-cu antefurcal; vein cu-a slightly postfurcal and 1-CU1 much shorter than cu-a (Fig. 8); first subdiscal cell somewhat widened and closed distally. Hind wing 3.0 times as long as wide, vein cu-a of hind wing distinctly distally issuing from middle of M+CU + 1-M (Fig. 8).

Legs. Hind femur 3.2 times as long as wide; hind tarsus as long as hind tibia, second tarsal segment 0.5 times as long as basitarsus, almost as long as fifth segment, basitarsus 0.6 times as long as second-fifth segments combined, tarsal claws distinctly shorter than arolium (Fig. 11); tibial spurs of hind leg respectively 0.4 and 0.2 times as long as basitarsus.

Metasoma. First tergite broad and coarsely rugose (Fig. 9), median length of tergite 0.8 times its apical width, spiracles situated in four-sevenths from apical side of tergite, the portion of tergite beyond spiracles distinctly less broadening than the portion before spiracles; second tergite sculpture longitudinally and median length of it 0.4 times its apical width, 0.9 times length of third tergite; third tergite also with some sculpture extending from second tergite,and middle part heavily so(Fig. 6)?fourth tergite 1.2 times as long as third tergite; ovipositor sheath quite short and never protruding behind tip of metasoma (Fig. 10).

FIGURES 1–13. Epimicta sulciscutum sp. nov., Ƥ, holotype. 1. head (frontal view); 2. head (dorsal view); 3. mandible (maximum view on 1st tooth); 4. mandible (maximum view on 3rd tooth); 5. mesosoma (lateral aspect); 6. metasomal tergites(dorsal aspect, behind 2nd tergite); 7. mesosoma (dorsal aspect); 8. wings; 9. first tergite (dorsal aspect); 10. metasoma (lateral view); 11. hind tarsus and claw; 12. metanotum and propodeum; 13. antenna (scapus, pedicellus, 1st–3rd flagellomeres).

Colour. Body mainly black; scapus and pedicellus of antenna reddish yellow, remainder of antennal segments reddish brown; mandibles reddish yellow (but the apically dark brown); palpi pale yellow; pterostigma dark brown; hind tarsus dark brown, some parts of femora and tibiae infuscate, telotarsus dark brown, other parts of legs yellow; apical margin of third to fifth metasomal tergites yellowish-brown, last tergite (sixth tergite) reddish yellow; ovipositor sheath black.

Male: unknown.

Biology: unknown.

Etymology. The name is derived from the Latin words “sulcus” (for “groove”) and “scutum” (for “shield”) which refers to the grooved mesoscutum.

Distribution. Known only from the type locality in Heilongjiang (North Palaearctic China).

Diagnosis: This new species is similar to E. marginalis (Haliday) , but differs from the latter as follows: 1) the medio-posterior depression of the mesoscutum is long, present on the anterior half of the mesoscutum (absent on the anterior half of the mesoscutum in E. marginalis ); 2) the sculpture on the third metasomal tergite is much coarser (comparatively fine); 3) vein SR1 of the fore is more sinuate (less sinuate).