Asobara epiclypealis Fischer, 2003

Peris-Felipo, Francisco Javier, Achterberg, Cornelis Van & Belokobylskij, Sergey A., 2019, Revision of the Afrotropical Asobara Foerster, 1863 (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Alysiinae), with the descriptions of twenty five new species, European Journal of Taxonomy 557, pp. 1-146 : 13-14

Asobara epiclypealis Fischer, 2003

Figs 15–16

Asobara epiclypealis Fischer, 2003: 76 ; 2007: 859.

Asobara epiclypealis – Fischer 2007: 859 . — Yu et al. 2016.

Material examined

Holotype

SOUTH AFRICA • ♀; ‘Southbroom, Natal’; 3–4 Dec. 1963; E. Haeselbarth leg.; NHMW.

Redescription

Female (holotype)

LENGTH. Body 2.2 mm, fore wing 2.3 mm, hind wing 1.6 mm.

HEAD. In dorsal view, 1.5 times as wide as long, 1.5 times as wide as mesoscutum, smooth, with temple rounded behind eyes. Eye in lateral view 2.2 times as wide as temple medially. Face 1.4 times as wide as high. Clypeus 1.6 times as wide as high. Mandible 1.8 times as long as its maximum width. Upper tooth wide; middle tooth rather wide and short; lower tooth shorter than upper tooth. Antennae 25-segmented.

First flagellar segment 3.5 times as long as its apical width; 2 nd segment 5.1 times and 3 rd segment 4.5 times as long as their maximum width.

MESOSOMA. In lateral view 1.4 times as long as high. Mesoscutum (in dorsal view) as long as its maximum width. Notauli mainly absent on horizontal surface of mesoscutum. Mesoscutal pit present, elongate. Prescutellar depression smooth, with median and lateral carinae, 1.2 times as long as its maximum width. Precoxal sulcus present, crenulate, reaching anterior and posterior margins of mesopleuron. Posterior mesopleural furrow smooth. Propodeum smooth, with complete longitudinal carinae with short and weakly carinae with smooth patches. Propodeal spiracle small, its diameter 0.3 times as large as distance from spiracle to anterior margin of propodeum.

WINGS. Marginal cell ending at apex of wing, 3.8 times as long as its maximum width. Vein r longer than pterostigma width. Vein 3-SR 8.3 times as long as vein r, 2.6 times as long as vein 2-SR. Vein SR1 1.6 times as long as vein 3-SR.

LEGS. Hind femur 4.8 times as long as its maximum width.

METASOMA. First tergite weakly widened towards apex, 1.4 times as long as its apical width. Visible part of ovipositor sheath 2.9 times as long as 1 st tergite, 0.8 times as long as metasoma, 1.5 times as long as hind femur.

COLOUR. Body light brown to reddish. Mandible, antennae, legs and pterostigma yellow. Head and mesoscutum in dorsal view similarly coloured as 1 st– 3 rd metasomal tergites. Wings hyaline.

Male

Unknown.

Comparative diagnosis

This species is similar to A. transversaria Fischer, 2007 , but differs from it in having the body light brown to reddish (dark coloured in A. transversaria ), mandible 1.8 times as long as its maximum width (1.5 times in A. transversaria ), 1 st flagellar segment 3.5 times as long as its maximum width (3.0 times in A. transversaria ), 2 nd segment 5.1 times (6.0 times in A. transversaria ), and 3 rd segment 4.5 times (3.0 times in A. transversaria ), and visible part of ovipositor sheath 0.8 times as long as metasoma in lateral view (0.4 times in A. transversaria ).

Distribution

South Africa ( Yu et al. 2016).

Figures

Fig. 15. Asobara epiclypealis Fischer, 2003, ♀, holotype (NHMW). A. Habitus, lateral view. B. Head, lateral view. C. Mandible. D. Antenna. E. Head, front view. F. Head, dorsal view.

Fig. 16. Asobara epiclypealis Fischer, 2003, ♀, holotype (NHMW). A. Mesosoma, lateral view. B. Mesoscutum, dorsal view. C. Propodeum. D. First metasomal tergite, dorsal view. E. Hind leg, metasoma and ovipositor, lateral view. F. Fore wing.