Asobara ghesquierei ( Fischer, 1963 )

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 : 16-17

Asobara ghesquierei ( Fischer, 1963)

Figs 19–20

Phaenocarpa ghesquierei Fischer, 1963: 211 .

Phaenocarpa ghesquierei – Papp 1966: 135 . — Shenefelt 1974: 1009.

Asobara ghesquierei Fischer, 2007: 860 .

Asobara ghesquierei – Yu et al. 2016 .

Material examined

Holotype

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO • ♀; Eala; 14 Sep. 1936; J. Ghesquière leg.; MRAC.

Paratypes

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO • 6 ♀♀, 2 ♂♂; same data as for holotype; MRAC • 1 ♀, 1 ♂; same data as for holotype; NHMW .

Redescription

Female (holotype)

LENGTH. Body 2.0 mm, fore wing 2.1 mm, hind wing 1.3 mm.

HEAD. In dorsal view, 1.6 times as wide as long, 1.5 times as wide as mesoscutum, smooth, with temple rounded behind eyes. Eye in lateral view 2.5 times as wide as temple medially. Face 1.3 times as wide as high. Clypeus 2.1 times as wide as high. Mandible 1.4 times as long as its maximum width. Upper tooth very wide; middle tooth rather wide and short; lower tooth wide. Antennae 24-segmented. First flagellar segment 3.1 times as long as its apical width; 2 nd segment 5.5 times and 3 rd segment 4.5 times as long as their maximum width.

MESOSOMA. In lateral view 1.3 times as long as high. Mesoscutum (in dorsal view) about as long as its maximum width. Notauli mainly absent on horizontal surface of mesoscutum. Mesoscutal pit present, oval. Prescutellar depression smooth, without lateral carinae, 1.3 times as long as its maximum width. Precoxal sulcus present, crenulate, not reaching anterior and posterior margins of mesopleuron. Posterior mesopleural furrow smooth. Propodeum sculptured, with pentagonal areola and smooth fields. Propodeal spiracle small, its diameter 0.2 times distance from spiracle to anterior margin of propodeum. WINGS. Marginal cell ending at apex of wing, 3.5 times as long as its maximum width. Vein r shorter than pterostigma width. Vein 3-SR 5.5 times as long as vein r, 1.7 times as long as vein 2-SR. Vein SR1 2.7 times as long as vein 3-SR.

METASOMA. First tergite weakly widened towards apex, 1.8 times as long as its apical width. Visible part of ovipositor sheath 2.2 times as long as 1 st tergite, 0.6 times as long as metasoma and 1.3 times as long as hind femur.

COLOUR. Body, antennae and pterostigma brown. Mandible and legs light brown. In dorsal view, head similar colour to mesoscutum. First metasomal tergite similar colour to 2 nd and 3 rd tergites. Wings hyaline.

VARIATION. Body1.9–2.0 mm, fore wing 2.1–2.3 mm, hind wing 1.3–1.4 mm.Antennae 20–25-segmented.

Male

Length. Body 1.8–1.9 mm, fore wing 1.9–2.0 mm, hind wing 1.2–1.4 mm. Antennae 22-segmented. First flagellar segment 3.5 times and 2 nd segment 6.0 times as long as their maximum width. Otherwise similar to female.

Comparative diagnosis

This species is similar to A. cracentis sp. nov. and A. zululana sp. nov., but differs from them in having the eye in lateral view 2.5 times as wide as temple medially (2.2 and 2.0 times in A. cracentis sp. nov. and A. zululana sp. nov., respectively), hind femur 4.5 times as long as its maximum width (5.7 and 5.9 times in A. cracentis sp. nov. and A. zululana sp. nov., respectively), visible part of ovipositor sheath 2.2 times as long as 1 st tergite (4.0 and 1.5 times in A. cracentis sp. nov. and A. zululana sp. nov., respectively), 0.6 times as long as metasoma (1.3 and equal to in A. cracentis sp. nov. and A. zululana sp. nov., respectively) and 1.3 times as long as hind femur (1.9 and equal to in A. cracentis sp. nov. and A. zululana sp. nov., respectively); additionally the clypeus 2.1 times as wide as high (2.9 times in A. zululana sp. nov.), 1 st flagellar segment 3.1 times as long as its maximum width (5.4 times in A. zululana sp. nov.) and 1 st metasomal tergite 1.8 times as long as its apical width (1.5 times in A. zululana sp. nov.).

Distribution

Democratic Republic of the Congo ( Yu et al. 2016).

Figures

Fig. 19. Asobara ghesquierei (Fischer, 1963), ♀, holotype (MRAC). A. Habitus, lateral view. B. Head, lateral view. C. Mandible. D. Antenna. E. Head, front view. F. Head, dorsal view.

Fig. 20. Asobara ghesquierei (Fischer, 1963), ♀, holotype (MRAC). 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 and hind wings.