Heteroxiphia tenuipalpa Wei & Niu

Wei, Meicai & Niu, Gengyun, 2011, Heteroxiphia Saini & Singh (Hymenoptera, Xiphydriidae), a genus new to China with descriptions of two new species, ZooKeys 102, pp. 41-49 : 46-48

Heteroxiphia tenuipalpa Wei & Niu sp. n. Figs 10-18

Description. Female

(holotype, Fig. 18). Body length 13 mm. Black, a long and broad stripe on inner orbit, a short stripe on lateral corner of clypeus, a large X-shaped mark on face and anterior margin of frons, malar space (Fig. 11), a broad and long stripe on hind orbit (Fig. 12), narrow anterior margin, broad lateral and posterior margins of pronotum, tegula, lateral stripe on prescutum, an elliptical spot on posterior part of lateral lobe of mesoscutum, a round mark on lateral side of mesoscutellum, cenchrus, lateral mark on metascutellum, a strongly curved middle stripe on first abdominal tergite, a broad transverse band on second abdominal tergite, a medially separated band on third abdominal tergite (Fig. 18), a small lateral spot on 4th and 5th abdominal tergites, a long band on 8th abdominal tergite and a short stripe on posterior corner of 9th tergite (Fig. 17), white; lateral side of postocellar area with obscure brown stripe (Fig. 10); legs black, apex of hind coxa and hind trochanter brown, each tibia and tarsus white, extreme apex of hind tibia, tibial spurs, 4th tarsomere and apical half of each terminal tarsomere black brown. Body hairs silver. Wings hyaline, apical part slightly infuscate, stigma and veins dark brown.

Clypeus, face and frons with distinct longitudinal carinae and microsculpture, lateral part of frons densely punctured; vertex and upper part of hind orbit sparsely punctured, head behind eyes strongly shiny (Fig. 10); dorsal side of pronotum densely punctured, lateral lobe largely polished, shiny, bottom of middle and lateral furrows with short carinae; dorsal side of propleuron shiny with some large punctures, ventral side of propleuron densely punctured and microsculptured; mesonotum minutely and densely punctured, lateral sides and posterior 2/3 of mesoscutellum sparsely punctured, shiny; bottom of furrows on mesonotum with many short carinae; metascutellum coarsely punctured; mesopleuron and metapleuron coarsely and densely punctured, mat, lower posterior corner glossy, impunctate; first abdominal tergite sparsely punctured, shiny; second abdominal tergite glossy, lateral side with some punctures, basal 4/5 of other tergites densely microsculptured, weakly shiny; abdominal sternites microsculptured with obscure punctures, feebly shiny; basal sheath polished, apical sheath microsculptured.

Distance between eyes at clypeus level about 1.5 times eye height; malar space 1.3 times length of pedicel (Fig. 11); middle fovea round, lateral fovea punctiform; face and front distinctly above top of eyes (Figs 11, 12); interocellar furrow obscure, postocellar furrow fine, curved; POL: OOL: OCL = 5: 9: 20; vertex roundly convex (Figs 10, 12); lateral side of temple slightly longer than eye in dorsal view; occipital carina and genal carina developed, close to each other near lateral corner of postocellar area; maxillary palp slender, length ratio of palpomeres about 3: 7: 5, first palpomere short, 2 times longer than broad, second palpomere 10 times longer than broad, not broadened toward apex, third palpomere 7 times longer than broad, gradually tapering toward apex (Fig. 14); labial palp with 3 palpomeres, first palpomere 1.25 times length of third palpomere, third palpomere strongly enlarged, 2 times as long as second palpomere (Fig. 13). Antenna with 19 antennomeres, slightly shorter than 2 times head breadth, basal part of flagellum weakly compressed, strongly tapering toward apex (Fig. 18), length ratio of basal 5 antennomeres: 18: 7: 15: 9: 8; hairs on antennomeres oblique, not procumbent (Fig. 15). Mesoscutellum about as long as broad, not narrowed posteriorly and roundly protruding anteriorly (Fig. 16); cenchrus small, CD=3.2; central part of metascutellum concave. Inner tibial spur of fore leg bifurcate at apex; hind basitarsus slightly shorter than following 4 tarsomeres together (10: 11); fore and middle claws with inner tooth slightly shorter than half length of outer tooth, inner tooth of hind claw about 1/3 length of outer tooth. Vein Sc in forewing interstitial with base of vein Rs, 2r curved and interstitial with 1r-m, cell 2Rs slightly shorter than 1Rs, cell 1M about 1.8 times longer than broad, first abscissa of Rs as long as first abscissa of vein 1M, cu-a 1.5 times length of and interstitial to first abscissa of vein 1M; cell R1 in hind wing with a short apical stump, cell M as long as Rs, apex of anal cell acute, upper part of cu-a distinctly oblique inwards. Ovipositor sheath 1.2 times as long as hind tibia and metabasitarsus together, distinctly bent ventrally (Fig. 17), apical sheath slightly more than 4 times longer than broad in dorsal view.

Male.

Unknown.

Distribution.

China (Gansu Province).

Etymology.

This species is named after its slender maxillary palp.

Holotype

♀, China: Gansu, Maiji, Dongcha Forest Plant, 2007.VI.13, Wu Xingyu leg.

Remarks.

See the following key to species for differences between Heteroxiphia sinica and other two species of the genus.