Asobara mellicephalata 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 : 31-32

Asobara mellicephalata van Achterberg , sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:EFD230E5-0EC8-470C-9333-D61859648060

Figs 41–42

Etymology

Specific name from the Latin ‘mellis’, meaning ‘honey’, and ‘cephalus’, meaning ‘head’, and referring to the honey coloured head.

Material examined

Holotype

UGANDA • ♀; Kibale Forest, Kanywara ; 20 Jul. 1995; M. Nummelin leg.; RMNH.

Paratype

UGANDA • 1 ♀; same data as for holotype; RMNH .

Description

Female (holotype)

LENGTH. Body 2.1 mm, fore wing 2.3 mm, hind wing 1.4 mm.

HEAD. In dorsal view, 1.7 times as wide as long, 1.3 times as wide as mesoscutum, smooth, with temple rounded behind eyes. Eye in lateral view 1.1 times as high as wide and 2.3 times as wide as temple medially. POL 1.2 times OD; OOL 2.6 times OD. Face 1.3 times as wide as high; inner margins of eyes subparallel. Clypeus 3.0 times as wide as high. Anterior tentorial pits short, far not reaching inner border of eye. Mandible 1.8 times as long as its maximum width. Upper tooth wide; middle tooth rather narrow and long, directed upwards; lower tooth wide. Antennae 24-segmented, 1.2 times as long as body. Scape 1.1 times as long as pedicel. First flagellar segment 3.0 times as long as its apical width, 0.6 times as long as 2 nd segment. Second flagellar segment 4.2 times, 3 rd segment 4.2 times, 4 th– 10 th segments 3.5 times, 11 th– 21 st segments 3.0 times and 22 nd (apical segment) 4.0 times as long as its maximum width.

MESOSOMA. In lateral view 1.3 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 carina, 1.4 times as long as its maximum width. Precoxal sulcus present, weakly crenulate, not reaching anterior and posterior margins of mesopleuron. Posterior mesopleural furrow smooth. Propodeum weakly and sparsely sculptured, with several smooth areas, with large, wide and mainly smooth pentagonal areola; basolateral areas smooth. Propodeal spiracle small, its diameter 0.3 times distance from spiracle to anterior margin of propodeum.

WINGS. Length of fore wing 2.7 times its maximum width. Marginal cell ending at apex of wing, 3.5 times as long as its maximum width. Vein r as long as pterostigma width. Vein 3-SR 5.0 times as long as vein r and 1.8 times as long as vein 2-SR. Vein SR1 2.4 times as long as vein 3-SR. Hind wing 5.2 times as long as its maximum width.

LEGS. Hind femur 4.7 times as long as its maximum width. Hind tibia weakly widened towards apex, 9.5 times as long as its maximum subapical width, 1.2 times as long as hind tarsus. First segment of hind tarsus 1.9 times as long as 2 nd segment.

METASOMA. First tergite weakly widened towards apex, as long as its apical width, weakly striate. Visible part of ovipositor sheath 3.4 times as long as 1 st tergite, 0.8 times as long as metasoma, 1.7 times as long as hind femur.

COLOUR. Mesosoma, metasoma, antennal segments (except apical ones) and pterostigma brown to dark brown. Head, mandible and legs yellow. The last six apical segments of antennae whittish. In dorsal view, head paler than mesoscutum. First metasomal tergite paler than 2 nd and 3 rd tergites. Wings almost hyaline.

VARIATION. Body 2.1–2.3 mm, fore wing 2.3–2.6 mm, hind wing 1.4–1.7 mm.

Male

Unknown.

Comparative diagnosis

This new species is similar to A. laticlypeata sp. nov.; the differences between both species are described under the latter species.

Distribution

Uganda.

Figures

Fig. 41. Asobara mellicephalata 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, dorsal view.

Fig. 42. Asobara mellicephalata van Achterberg, sp. nov., ♀, holotype (RMNH). A. Mesoscutum, dorsal view. B. Propodeum, dorsal view. C. First metasomal tergite, dorsal view. D. Hind leg, metasoma and ovipositor, lateral view. E. Fore wing.