Asobara malawiana Fischer, 2007

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 : 28-29

Asobara malawiana Fischer, 2007

Figs 37–38

Asobara malawiana Fischer, 2007: 862 .

Asobara malawiana – Yu et al. 2016 .

Material examined

Holotype

MALAWI • ♀; “ 70 km N Liongwe Mponela env.”; 28 Dec. 2001; J. Halada leg.; OLML.

Redescription

Female (holotype)

LENGTH. Body 1.9 mm, fore wing 1.9 mm, hind wing 1.3 mm.

HEAD. In dorsal view, 1.3 times as wide as long, 1.5 times as wide as mesoscutum, smooth, with temple rounded behind eyes. Eye in lateral view as wide as temple medially. Face 1.6 times as wide as high. Clypeus 1.4 times as wide as high. Mandible 1.4 times as long as its maximum width. Upper tooth very wide; middle tooth rather narrow and short; lower tooth wide. Antennae more than 9-segmented (apical segments missing). First flagellar segment 3.0 times as long as its apical width; 2 nd segment 4.0 times and 3 rd segment 3.0 times as long as their maximum width.

MESOSOMA. In lateral view 1.2 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, elongate. Prescutellar depression smooth, without lateral carinae, 1.2 times as long as its maximum width. Precoxal sulcus present, crenulate, not reaching anterior and posterior margins of mesopleuron. Posterior mesopleural furrow smooth. Propodeum smooth, with short medio-longitudinal carina and with short transverse carinae not reaching lateral border of propodeum. Propodeal spiracle small, its diameter 0.2 times distance from spiracle to anterior margin of propodeum.

WINGS. Marginal cell ending at apex of wing, 3.6 times as long as its maximum width. Vein r shorter than pterostigma width. Vein 3-SR 8.0 times as long as vein r and 2.3 times as long as vein 2-SR. Vein SR1 1.9 times as long as vein 3-SR.

LEGS. Hind femur 5.0 times as long as its maximum width.

METASOMA. First tergite weakly widened towards apex, 1.5 times as long as its apical width, weakly striate. Visible part of ovipositor sheath 4.7 times as long as 1 st tergite, 0.9 times as long as metasoma, 1.8 times as long as hind femur.

COLOUR. Body, antennae and pterostigma dark brown. Mandible and legs brown. 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. nigerrima Fischer, 2003 , but differs from it in having the head in dorsal view 1.3 times as wide as long (1.8 times in A. nigerrima ), mandible 1.4 times as long as its maximum width (1.7 times in A. nigerrima ), clypeus 1.6 times as wide as high (2.0 times in A. nigerrima ), mesosoma in lateral view as long as high (1.3 times in A. nigerrima ), and vein 3-SR 2.3 times as long as 2-SR (2.7 times in A. nigerrima ).

Distribution

Malawi ( Yu et al. 2016).

Figures

Fig. 37. Asobara malawiana Fischer, 2007, ♀, holotype (OLML). A. Habitus, lateral view. B. Habitus, dorsal view. C. Mandible. D. Antenna. E. Head, front view. F. Head, dorsal view.

Fig. 38. Asobara malawaiana Fischer, 2007, ♀, holotype (OLML). 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.