Proaphelinoides huangi Chen & Jiang, 2024

Jiang, Yan-yan, Zhao, Huifeng & Chen, Ye, 2024, A new species of Proaphelinoides Girault (Hymenoptera, Aphelinidae) from China, with a phylogenetic analysis, ZooKeys 1217, pp. 263-272 : 263-272

Proaphelinoides huangi Chen & Jiang sp. nov.

Figs 1–9

Type material.

Holotype: China • ♀; Yunnan Province; Xishuangbanna; Mengla County; Menglun Town ; 21 ° 53.89 ' N, 101 ° 16.72 ' E; 568 m a. s. l.; 12 May. 2019; Z-l Bai, Z-g Chen, C Wang, H Yu leg.; LFNU Proap 202405-1 [on slide] . Paratypes: • 8 ♀♀ [5 ♀♀ on slides, Proap 202405-2 – Proap 202405-7 ; • 2 ♀♀ destroyed for DNA extraction]; same data as holotype; LFNU .

Diagnosis.

Proaphelinoides huangi sp. nov. can be distinguished from other species in this genus by the following combination of characters: antenna yellow, fore wing with 10–14 bristles below marginal vein, linea calva proximally bordered by a single line of setae, F 3 1.0–1.2 × as long as wide, the distance between posterior pair of setae of the mid lobe of mesoscutum more than the distance from a seta to later margin of the plate; the length of Gt 8 0.8 × as long as the distance between two cercal plates.

Description.

Female. Body length 0.9–1.2 mm (holotype, 1.2 mm).

Colour. Head with face pale yellow, vertex orange, ocelli red and setae on vertex dark. Mandible brown to dark brown. Antenna yellow. Pronotum pale with brown suffusion. Dorsum of mesosoma yellow, except dark-brown posterior margin of mesoscutellum. Lateral sides of propodeum and mesopleuron brown yellow. Fore wing with following infuscate areas: two small patches below end of submarginal vein, a pale brown band below proximal third of marginal vein, a large area below stigmal vein (Fig. 6 ). Hind wing mostly hyaline, with slight infuscation below end of marginal vein (Fig. 7 ). Legs (Fig. 8 ) pale yellow, with metafemur infuscate dorsally. Gaster with anterior half of Gt 1, Gt 2 and Gt 8 pale, posterior half of Gt 1 pale brown, remaining tergites dark brown.

Head 0.8 × as high as wide, with weakly reticulate sculpture. Vertex 0.3–0.4 × the width of head, with approximately 14 setae. Ocellar triangle with apical angle obtuse. Mandible with three teeth (Fig. 3 , inset). Face with 7 setae along inner margin of eyes. Antenna (Fig. 4 ) with scape 4.2–5.1 × as long as wide; pedicle 1.4–1.8 × as long as wide; F 1 and F 2 small and transverse, F 1 0.6–0.7 × as long as wide, with ventral margin a little longer than F 2; F 2 0.5 × as long as wide; F 3 1.0–1.2 × as long as wide, with 3 longitudinal sensilla; clava 2.9 × as long as wide, a little longer than combined length of pedicle and funicle, with 9–11 longitudinal sensilla.

Mesosoma. Mesoscutum with reticulate sculpture. Mid lobe of mesoscutum 0.8 × as long as wide, with approximately 16 setae (Fig. 5 ), side lobe with 2 setae. Mesoscutellum 0.6 × as long as wide, about as long as the mid lobe of mesoscutum, with 2 pairs of setae. The distance between anterior of scutellar setae 1.5 × that between posterior pair. Placoid sensilla located in median region of mesoscutellum; distance between sensilla about equal to that between posterior scutellar setae. Metanotum narrow medially. Propodeum long, with median length 0.5 × as long as mesoscutellum, with 3 or 4 setae proximal to each spiracle.

Wings. Fore wing (Fig. 6 ) 2.4–2.9 × as long as wide. Costal cell 0.7 × length of marginal vein, with 5 or 6 fine setae and 2 long setae distally; submarginal vein with 2 setae; parastigma with 1 seta; marginal vein with 10 setae along anterior margin; postmarginal vein short, about 0.5 × as long as stigmal vein; basal cell with 2 setae below end of submarginal vein; 10–14 dark bristles present in a group below proximal third of marginal vein; linea calva proximally bordered by a single line of setae, and closed posteriorly by 1 line of setae. Hind wing (Fig. 7 ) 3.8–4.6 × as long as wide, with longest marginal fringe 0.3 × wing width.

Legs. Mesotibial spur about as long as corresponding basitarsus.

Metasoma. Metasoma about 1.5 × as long as mesosoma measured from slide-mounted specimens. Gaster (Fig. 9 ) with setae on each tergite as follows: Gt 1 – Gt 3 2 (left side) + 2 (right side )), Gt 4 3 + 2, Gt 5 12–15 setae, arranged in 3 lines; Gt 6 1 + 1, Gt 7 1 + 1, Gt 8 with approximately 11 setae. Ovipositor originating from apex of Gt 2, clearly exerted, and 2.1–2.4 × as long as mesotibia. The second valvifer 2.7–3.0 × as long as third valvula, the latter 1.5 × as long as mesobasitarsus.

Male. Unknown.

Host.

Unknown.

Etymology.

The specific name is derived from the family name of Jian Huang, in honor of his contribution to the taxonomic study of Aphelinidae from China.

Distribution.

China (Yunnan).

Comments.

This new species resembles P. bendovi , and the differences between P. huangi sp. nov. and that species are shown in the key. Also, this species is similar to P. elongatiformis , and the differences are as follows: (1) fore wing with 10–14 bristles below proximal third of marginal vein (15–17 setae in P. elongatiformis ); (2) linea calva proximally bordered by a complete line of setae (Fig. 6 ) (not complete in P. elongatiformis ); (3) the distance between posterior pair of setae of the mid lobe of mesoscutum more than the distance from a seta to later margin of the plate (less than in P. elongatiformis ); (4) the length of Gt 8 0.8 × as long as the distance between two cercal plates (1.2 × in P. elongatiformis , measurements based on fig. 12 in Hayat 1984). This new species seems difficult to distinguish from P. australis and P. assamensis . The species differs from P. australis by: (1) F 3 1.0–1.2 × as long as wide (F 3 1.5 × as long as wide in P. australis ); (2) the length of Gt 8 0.8 × as long as the distance between two cercal plates (Gt 8 notably longer, 1.8 × in P. australis ); (3) ovipositor 2.1–2.4 × as long as mesotibia (2.6 × in P. australis ). From P. assamensis , the species can be distinguished by: (1) fore wing with 10–14 dark bristles below proximal third of marginal vein (17–20 in P. assamensis ); (2) linea calva proximally bordered by a single line of setae (bordered by 2 lines of setae which become 3 lines in posterior third in P. assamensis ); (3) Gt 8 0.8 × as long as the distance between two cercal plates (as long as in P. assamensis ); (3) ovipositor originates from apex of Gt 2 (ovipositor originates from posterior half of Gt 1 in P. assamensis ).

Figures

Figures 1–9. Proaphelinoides huangi sp. nov., holotype female (except Figs 1, 2, 5) 1 body, dorsal view 2 body, lateral view 3 head (inset: mandible) 4 antenna 5 mesosoma 6 fore wing (inset: stigmal vein) 7 hind wing 8 legs (left to right: fore-, mid- and hind-leg) 9 metasoma. Scale bars: 100 μm.