Aleiodes (Hemigyroneuron) amoretae Butcher and Quicke, 2011

Areekul-Butcher, Buntika & Quicke, Donald L. J., 2011, Revision of Aleiodes (Hemigyroneuron) parasitic wasps (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Rogadinae) with reappraisal of subgeneric limits, descriptions of new species and phylogenetic analysis, Journal of Natural History 45 (21 - 24), pp. 1403-1476 : 1411-1414

Aleiodes (Hemigyroneuron) amoretae Butcher and Quicke sp. nov.

( Figure 2 )

Material examined

Holotype. Female , South Africa, “E. Cape Prov., Katberg. 4000 ft. 1–10.ii.1933; S. Africa. R. E. Turner, Brit. Mus. 1933-139” ( BMNH).

Paratypes. Two females, same data as holotype except xii.1932 ( BMNH) .

Morphology

Length of body 6.7–6.8 mm, of fore wing 7.1–7.2 mm.

Head. Antenna with 56–57 flagellomeres; terminal flagellomere strongly acuminate; head transverse, 1.65 times wider than maximally long in dorsal view; width of head 2.44 times shortest distance between eyes; height of eye 1.43 times shortest distance between eyes; face and malar space strongly striate; frons smooth and shiny with hardly any trace of mid-longitudinal groove; posterior ocellar line: transverse diameter of posterior ocellus: shortest distance between posterior ocellus and eye = 1.55: 2.9: 1.0; occiput steep behind stemmaticum, largely finely costate; occipital carina broadly absent medially.

Mesosoma . Mesoscutum coarsely coriaceous becoming ruglose-coriaceous posteriorly and densely short-setose and with conspicuous punctures at bases of setae, notauli weak, margined on inner side by fine ridge and with distinct line of crenulae; mesopleuron densely setose and smooth and shiny between setae, without depression; prepectal carina complete; scutellar sulcus with five carinae between the outer ones; scutellum finely aciculate and with large, ovoid punctures at bases of setae; median area of metanotum virtually smooth and shiny; propodeum largely irregularly foveaterugulose with complete mid-longitudinal carina.

Fore wing. Subbasal cell densely setose on basal 0.75, weakly narrowed before largely glabrous distal part which contains a setose sclerome connected by band of setae to basal setose area but not to vein cu-a; anterior of distal part of cell with broad setose border; vein 1-1A with a broad, transverse, posteriorly-directed spur approximately at its mid-point; vein 1-CU1 0.375 times length of 2-CU1; vein cu-a more or less vertical and straight, weakly knobbed posteriorly; length of veins r: 3-SR: SR1 = 1.0: 2.0: 4.5; vein 2-M 3.3 times length of r-m, forming angle of 100 ◦ with 3-CU1; vein m-cu 1.8 times length of 2-SR+M, forming an angle of 100 ◦ with 3-CU1.

Hind wing. Vein M+CU 1.1 times length of vein 1-M; vein 2-SC+R short longitudinal; basal, subbasal, and discal+subdiscal cells evenly setose.

Claws. With pecten of eight teeth reaching just beyond middle of basal lobe.

Metasoma. Tergites 1, 2 and basal 0.4 of tergite 3 irregularly longitudinally striate with deep punctures between the striae; 2nd tergite 1.55 times wider than medially long, 1.1 times longer than 3rd; tergite 3 posteriorly punctate superimposed on shiny aciculate background.

Colouration

Bright ochreous yellow except antenna, stemmaticum and metasomal tergites 4–6 which are black. Wings hyaline with brown-grey markings: fore wing basal cell except postero-distally, a transverse band at level of parastigma, apical half except large window around vein r-m; hind wing grey except post-medial transverse zone and spot at apex.

Etymology

Named after the junior author’s friend and colleague, Amoret Whitaker.

Figures

Figure 2. Aleiodes (Hemigyroneuron) amoretae sp. nov., CellD® (Olympus Corporation, Tokyo, Japan) light micrographs. (A) Lateral habitus; (B) head, dorsal aspect; (C) fore wing subbasal cell; (D) head, frontal aspect; (E) fore wing showing colour pattern; (F) anterior metasoma.