Asobara harrinsmithensis Peris-Felipo, 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 : 18-20

Asobara harrinsmithensis Peris-Felipo , sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:D4A048EE-4455-4690-AC79-E8BF61898C80

Figs 23–24

Etymology

The name is from the geographical area ‘Harrinsmith’, the type locality of the species.

Material examined

Holotype

SOUTH AFRICA • ♀; Orange Free State, Harrinsmith ; 1–20 Mar. 1927; R.E. Turner leg.; BMNH 1927- 147 .

Paratype

SOUTH AFRICA • 1 ♀; same data as for holotype; BMNH .

Description

Female (holotype)

LENGTH. Body 1.7 mm, fore wing 1.8 mm, hind wing 1.3 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 about as high as wide and 2.0 times as wide as temple medially. POL 1.1 times OD; OOL 3.7 times OD. Face 1.4 times as wide as high, with sparse setae; inner margins of eyes subparallel. Clypeus 1.6 times as wide as high, slightly concave ventrally. Anterior tentorial pits short, far not reaching inner border of eye. Mandible 1.5 times as long as its maximum width. Upper tooth wide; middle tooth rather narrow and long; lower tooth wide. Antennae 21-segmented, 1.4 times as long as body. Scape 1.6 times as long as pedicel. First flagellar segment 3.9 times as long as its apical width, 0.5 times as long as 2 nd segment. Second flagellar segment 8.3 times, 3 rd segment 5.6 times, 4 th– 5 th segments 5.0 times, 6 th– 7 th segments 4.8 times, 8 th– 9 th segments 4.0 times, 10 th– 11 th segments 3.6 times, 12 th– 18 th segments 3.0 times and 19 th (apical segment) 3.5 times as long as its maximum width.

MESOSOMA. In lateral view 1.4 times as long as high. Mesoscutum (in dorsal view) 1.2 times as long as its maximum width, smooth. Notauli mainly absent on horizontal surface of mesoscutum. Mesoscutal pit present, elongate-oval. Prescutellar depression smooth, with only median carina, 1.1 times as long as its maximum width. Precoxal sulcus present, crenulate, not reaching anterior and posterior margins of mesopleuron. Posterior mesopleural furrow weakly crenulate below. Propodeum weakly and sparsely sculptured, with several smooth paches, with large, wide and mainly smooth pentagonal areola; basolateral areas smooth, 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 3.0 times its maximum width. 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 6.6 times as long as vein r, 2.0 times as long as vein 2-SR. Vein SR1 2.4 times as long as vein 3-SR. Hind wing 6.6 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, 10.2 times as long as its maximum subapical width, about as long as hind tarsus. First segment of hind tarsus 2.0 times as long as 2 nd segment.

METASOMA. First tergite weakly widened towards apex, 1.4 times as long as its apical width, smooth. Visible part of ovipositor sheath 5.7 times as long as 1 st tergite, 0.9 times as long as metasoma and 1.9 times as long as hind femur.

COLOUR. Body, mandible, antennae and pterostigma dark brown. Legs light brown. Head and mesoscutum in dorsal view similarly coloured. First metasomal tergite paler than 2 nd and 3 rd tergites. Wings almost hyaline.

VARIATION. No variation observed.

Male

Unknown.

Comparative diagnosis

This new species is similar to A. subdentata ( Granger, 1949) , but differs from it in having the eye in lateral view 2.0 times as wide as temple medially (1.6 times in A. subdentata ), 1 st flagellar segment 3.9 times as long as its maximum width (4.5 times in A. subdentata ), 2 nd segment 8.3 times (5.8 times in A. subdentata ), and 3 rd segment 6.7 times (3.3 times in A. subdentata ), antennae without pale apical segments (with pale apical segments in A. subdentata ), 2 nd submarginal cell narrowed basally (broadened basally in A. subdentata ), and visible part of ovipositor sheath as long as metasoma in lateral view (0.3 times in A. subdentata ).

Distribution

South Africa.

Figures

Fig. 23. Asobara harrinsmithensis Peris-Felipo, sp. nov., ♀, holotype (BMNH 1927-147). A. Habitus, lateral view. B. Head, lateral view. C. Mandible. D. Antenna. E. Head, front view. F. Head, dorsal view.

Fig. 24.Asobara harrinsmithensisPeris-Felipo, sp. nov.,♀, holotype(BMNH1927-147).A. Mesoscutum, dorsal view. B. Propodeum, dorsal view. C. First metasomal tergite, dorsal view. D. Hind leg, metasoma and ovipositor, lateral view. E. Fore and hind wings.