Aleiodes (Hemigyroneuron) trianguliscleroma 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 : 1464-1466

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

( Figure 33 )

Material examined

Holotype. Female, “ Malawi, Bunda 17-iii-84 J. Keularts; ex No. 32, endoparasite No. 44” ( BMNH).

Paratype. One specimen KENYA, sex unknown (metasoma missing), Taveta Forest , viii.1947, M. Steele ( BMNH) .

Morphology

Length of body 8 mm and of fore wing 7.9 mm.

Head. (Antennae incomplete in both known specimens); transverse, 1.7 times wider than maximally long in dorsal view; width of head 3.1 times shortest distance between eyes; height of eye 2.35 times shortest distance between eyes; frons largely smooth and shiny, weakly broadly depressed along midline and with a few transverse crenulae posteriorly; with distinct carina close to margin of eye; lateral ocelli almost touching eye, posterior ocellar line: transverse diameter of posterior ocellus: shortest distance between posterior ocellus and eye = 4: 8: 1; occiput coriaceous; occipital carina broadly interrupted medially.

Mesosoma . Mesoscutum coriaceous-rugulose and densely short-setose; notauli narrow but distinctly impressed and indicated by deeper larger foveae; mesopleuron without depressed area, with area of fine dorso-ventral striation; prepectal carina complete; scutellar sulcus with three strong carinae between the outer ones; scutellum strongly sculptured, longitudinally striate-rugulose medially, more coarsely rugose laterally; median area of metanotum with pair of anteriorly converging ridges that fuse to form the mid-anterior metanotal carina; propodeum rugulose with strongly crenulated posterior margin and complete mid-longitudinal carina.

Fore wing. Subbasal cell with clearly demarked, oval expansion distally, containing one small, elongate, basal sclerome and a large, triangular, brown distal one; largely glabrous except a few setae around margin; vein 1-CU1 2 times length of 2-CU1; vein cu-a strongly curved and swollen medially; length of veins r: 3-SR (vein SR1 incomplete in remaining wing) = 1: 1.5; vein m-cu 1.3 times length of 2-SR+M, forming an angle of 135 ◦ with 3-CU1; vein 2-M 2.5 times length of r-m.

Hind wing. Vein M+CU 1.3 times length of vein 1-M; vein 2-SC+R distinctly longitudinal; vein 2-M giving rise to distinct trace of vein m-cu just beyond junction with 1r-m; with trace of vein m-cu; basal, subbasal and discal+subdiscal cells more or less evenly setose.

Claws. With strong pecten of five teeth extending to middle of concavity between basal lobe and claw proper.

Metasoma. Tergite 2 1.57 times wider posteriorly than long, 1.15 times longer than 3rd; tergite 2 and medio-basal part of tergite 3 finely longitudinally striate, remainder of tergite 3 densely finely punctate superimposed on aciculate background; midbasal area of 2nd tergite very broad.

Colouration

Yellow except antennae and stemmaticum black. Wings pale yellow, apical 0.2 pale grey.

Figures

Figure 33. Aleiodes (Hemigyroneuron) trianguliscleroma sp. nov., CellD® light micrographs. (A) Habitus, lateral aspect; (B) head, frontal aspect; (C) wing features showing modified subbasal cell and straight vein 1-SR+M of fore wing, and hind wing with trace of vein m-cu; (D) head, dorsal aspect; (E) metasomal tergites 1–3.