Asobara cracentis van Achterberg, 2019

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 : 10-12

Asobara cracentis van Achterberg , sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:FADFB042-6C01-475B-A77A-983DE54C34FD

Figs 11–12

Etymology

Specific name fro the Latin ‘cracentis’, meaning ‘graceful, slender’, and referring to the slender 1 st metasomal tergite.

Material examined

Holotype

NIGERIA • ♀; Ibadan , IITA compound; 9–28 Aug. 1991; Malaise trap; A. Polaszek leg.; RMNH.

Paratypes

NIGERIA • 1 ♀; same data as for holotype; RMNH • 1 ♀; same data as for holotype; FJPF .

Description

Female (holotype)

LENGTH. Body 1.9 mm, fore wing 2.1 mm, hind wing 1.5 mm.

HEAD. In dorsal view, 1.7 times as wide as long, 1.6 times as wide as mesoscutum, smooth, with temple rounded behind eyes. Eye in lateral view 1.2 times as high as wide and 2.2 times as wide as temple medially. POL 1.3 times OD; OOL 4.0 times OD. Face 1.4 times as wide as high, with sparse setae; inner margins of eyes subparallel. Clypeus 2.3 times as wide as high. Anterior tentorial pits short, far not reaching inner margin of eye. Mandible 1.7 times as long as its maximum width. Upper tooth wide; middle tooth wide and short; lower tooth short. Antennae 25-segmented, 1.6 times as long as body. Scape as long as pedicel. First flagellar segment 3.2 times as long as its apical width, 0.4 times as long as 2 nd segment. Second flagellar segment 8.3 times, 3 rd– 4 th segments 4.8 times, 5 th– 6 th segments 4.2 times, 7 th– 8 th segments 4.0 times, 9 th– 10 th segments 3.6 times, 11 th 3.4 times, 12 th– 16 th segments 3.2 times, 17 th– 24 th segments 3.0 times and 25 th (apical segment) 2.5 times as long as its maximum width.

MESOSOMA. In lateral view 1.4 times as long as high. Mesoscutum (in dorsal view) 0.9 times as long as its maximum width, smooth. Notauli mainly absent on horizontal surface of mesoscutum. Mesoscutal pit present, oval. Prescutellar depression smooth, with only median crenulae, 0.8 times as long as its maximum width.Precoxal sulcus present, weakly crenulate, not reaching anterior and posterior margins of mesopleuron. Posterior mesopleural furrow almost smooth. Propodeum weakly and sparsely sculptured, with several smooth patches, with large, wide and mainly smooth pentagonal areola; basolateral areas rugose, sparse rugose along carinae. Propodeal spiracle small, its diameter 0.3 times distance from spiracle to anterior margin of propodeum.

WINGS. Length of fore wing 3.6 times its maximum width. Marginal cell ending at apex of wing, 4.1 times as long as its maximum width. Vein r longer than pterostigma width. Vein 3-SR 6.6 times as long as vein r, 2.3 times as long as vein 2-SR. Vein SR1 1.8 times as long as vein 3-SR. Hind wing 6.5 times as long as its maximum width.

LEGS. Hind femur 5.7 times as long as its maximum width. Hind tibia weakly widened to apex, 10.0 times as long as its maximum subapical width, about as long as hind tarsus. First segment of hind tarsus 1.8 times as long as 2 nd segment.

METASOMA. First tergite almost parallel-sided, 1.9 times as long as its apical width, rugose-striate. Visible part of ovipositor sheath 4.0 times as long as 1 st tergite, 1.3 times as long as metasoma and 1.9 times as long as hind femur.

COLOUR. Body, mandible, flagellar segments of antennae (except apical part), legs and pterostigma brown to dark brown. Coxae, trochanters and the ten apical segments of antennae paler than other segments. Head and mesoscutum in dorsal view similarly coloured as 1 st– 3 rd metasomal tergites. Wings almost hyaline.

VARIATION. Body 1.9–2.1 mm, fore wing 2.1–2.2 mm, hind wing 1.4–1.6 mm.

Male

Unknown.

Comparative diagnosis

This new species is similar to A. zululana sp. nov., but differs from it in having the 1 st metasomal tergite 1.9 times as long as its apical width (1.5 times in A. zululana sp. nov.), clypeus 2.3 times as wide as high (2.9 times in A. zululana sp. nov.), 1 st flagellar segment 3.2 times as long as its maximum width (5.4 times in A. zululana sp. nov.), 2 nd segment 8.3 times (6.7 times in A. zululana sp. nov.), and visible part of ovipositor sheath 1.3 times as long as metasoma in lateral view (equal to in A. zululana sp. nov.).

Distribution

Nigeria.

Figures

Fig. 11. Asobara cracentis van Achterberg, sp. nov., ♀, holotype (RMNH). A. Habitus, lateral view. B. Head and mesosoma, lateral view. C. Mandible. D. Antenna. E. Head, front view. F. Head and mesoscutum, dorsal view.

Fig. 12. Asobara cracentis van Achterberg, sp. nov., ♀, holotype (RMNH). A. Propodeum, dorsal view. B. First metasomal tergite, dorsal view. C. Hind leg, metasoma and ovipositor, lateral view. D. Fore and hind wings.