Brachymeria lasus (Walker, 1841)

Narendran, T. C. & van Achterberg, Cornelis, 2016, Revision of the family Chalcididae (Hymenoptera, Chalcidoidea) from Vietnam, with the description of 13 new species, ZooKeys 576, pp. 1-202 : 37-39

Taxon classification Animalia Hymenoptera Chalcididae

Brachymeria lasus (Walker, 1841) Figs 46-47

Chalcis lasus Walker, 1841: 219 (lectotype ♂ (designated by Bouček 1988) India (Calcutta) (BMNH) (examined); Joseph et al. (1973) transferred Chalcis lasus to Brachymeria in the sense of Brachymeria obscurata and Brachymeria euploeae of previous authors).

Chalcis inclinator Walker, 1862: 355 (♂, China (lectotype designated by Bouček 1988b), Hong Kong (BMNH, HDOU); Joseph et al. (1973) synonymised it with Brachymeria lasus (Walker, 1841)).

Chalcis nitator Walker, 1862: 356 (North Australia, ♂ (lectotype designated by Bouček 1988b, and synonymised it with Brachymeria lasus (Walker, 1841)).

Chalcis obscurata Walker, 1874: 399-400 (Japan, (BMNH), Joseph et al. (1973) synonymised it with Brachymeria lasus (Walker, 1841)).

Oncochalcis marginata Cameron, 1904: 162 (♀, India (BMNH) (examined); Mani (1938) transferred it to Brachymeria Westwood).

Chalcis punctiventris Cameron, 1911: 3 (♀, Sarawak, (BMNH); Joseph et al. (1973) synonymised it with Brachymeria lasus (Walker, 1841)).

Chalcis papuana Cameron, 1913: 85 (♀, Indonesia, (ITZA) (lectotype designated by Bouček 1988b, and synonymized it with Brachymeria lasus (Walker, 1841)).

Tumidicoxa regina Girault, 1913a: 103 (♂, holotype, Australia (UMB); synonymised with Brachymeria lasus (Walker, 1841) by Bouček (1988b)).

Material

(RMNH, IEBR). 1 ♀, "S. Vietnam: Dóng Nai, Cát Tiên N. P.; Mal. traps 14-19, c. 100 m, 13-20.v.2007, C. v. Achterberg & R. de Vries, RMNH’07”; 1 ♀, id., but Bird trail, Malaise traps 30-35, 15-20.v.2007; 2 ♀, id., but Botanical Garden, 13-20.v.2007, Malaise traps 14-19; 2 ♀ + 2 ♂, id., but Dong trail, 1-8.iv.2007; 2 ♂, id., but 9-30.iv.2007; 2 ♀ + 5 ♂, id, but 9.iv.-19.v.2007; 1 ♂, id., but 1-9.x.2005, Ficus trail, Malaise traps 1-8; 1 ♀ + 3 ♂, id., but 19-25.iv.2007, Dong trail, Mai Phu Quy & Nguyen Tanh Manh; 1 ♀, id., but near Head Quarters, 3-8.x.2005; 1 ♀, "S. Vietnam: Dak Lak, Chu Yang Sin N. P., n[ea]r dam, c. 500 m, Mal[aise] traps, 3-9.vi.2007, C. v. Achterberg & R. de Vries, RMNH’07”.

Diagnosis.

This species comes very close to Brachymeria albotibialis (Ashmead) in general colour and in having hind coxa with an inner ventro-mesal tooth. However, it differs from Brachymeria albotibialis in having: 1) T1 smooth and shiny (in Brachymeria albotibialis T1 shagreened); 2) metasoma ovate and about as long as mesosoma (in Brachymeria albotibialis metasoma distinctly shorter than mesosoma, not ovate, T6 subvertical) and 3) area below scrobe with a smooth part (in Brachymeria albotibialis area below scrobe without a smooth part).

Description

(based on Vietnamese specimens). ♀, length of body 6.8 mm.

Colour. Black with following parts as follows: eyes grayish yellow with reflecting spots; ocelli pale reflecting yellow; all coxae and trochanters concolorous with mesosoma; tegula yellow; all femora black with apices yellow; fore and mid tibiae yellow with a black patch on inner middle part; hind tibia yellow with base and inner ventral marginal area black; all tarsi yellow; telotarsi black; fore wing hyaline with veins dark brown.

Head. Width of head in anterior view 1.3 × its height (24:18); head width in dorsal view 2.7 × as long as its length, as wide as mesosoma (excluding tegulae); POL 2.4 × OOL; AOL a little shorter than OOL (4:5); width between eyes in dorsal view 2.8 × POL; vertex, occiput and face with umbilicate setigerous close pits, interstices carinate and rugose; pre-orbital carina absent; post-orbital carina present, reaching geno-temporal margin; area below scrobe with a smooth portion at middle; scrobe reaching anterior ocellus, surface smooth; height of malar space 0.25 × height of eye; eye height 1.8 × its length in profile; anterior genal angle acute, hind genal angle rectangular but widely rounded. Antenna with scape reaching anterior ocellus but not exceeding it; relative L:W of antennal segments: scape = 35:7; pedicel = 5:7; ring segment = 6:1; F1 = 9:8; F2 = 9:9; F3 = 9:9; F4 = 9:9; F5 = 9:10; F6 = 8:10; F7 = 8:10; clava = 15:10.

Mesosoma. Median length of pronotum 0.3 × width of pronotum, with close umbilicate pits, interstices narrower than diameter of a pit, rugose and micro-striate, not carinate; mesoscutum length a little over twice median length of pronotum (17:8), with close pits as in pronotum; interstices a little wider on median part of scapula; scutellum a little shorter than mesoscutum (16:17), a little wider than long (18:16), with close umbilicate, setigerous pits, interstices shorter than diameter of a pit, smooth and shiny; scutellum high in profile, abruptly declined posteriorly, apex rather widely explanate, weakly bi-lobed.

Wings. Fore wing 2.6 × longer than wide; relative length of fore wing veins: SMV = 28; MV = 15; PMV = 7; STV = 3.

Legs. Hind coxa strongly and densely punctate on ventral side with a tooth on inner ventral side; hind femur 1.9 × as long as its width, minutely densely punctate and densely pubescent on outer and inner sides, inner basal tooth absent, outer ventral margin with a row of 9 differently sized teeth.

Metasoma. Metasoma subequal in length to mesosoma or slightly longer than mesosoma; T1 slightly reaching beyond middle, smooth and shiny; T2 with setigerous close pits on sides, dorsally with one or 2 rows of minute pits near anterior margin, remaining parts of T2 with extremely minute pit like sculpture; T6 with 8 to 9 cross rows of closely set setigerous pits, interstices with dense micro-sculpture. Ovipositor sheath visible in dorsal view, 0.6-0.7 × as long as epipygium in dorsal view; epipygium 0.4 × as long as T6 in dorsal view.

Male. Similar to female but hind coxa without inner ventro-mesal tooth and funicle with trichoid sensillae on ventral side.

Hosts.

Polyphagous species, parasitising pupae of a wide range of Lepidoptera . Occasionally hyperparasitic on Lepidoptera with Hymenoptera or Diptera (for detailed host lists see Noyes 2011).

Distribution.

Australia, China (including Taiwan), Fiji, Guam, India, Indonesia (Irian, Java), Japan, Korea, Malaysia (Sarawak, Palau), Philippines, Papua New Guinea, U.S.A. and Vietnam.

Variation.

The colour of hind tibia varies greatly in specimens of different regions. In many south eastern forms the black patch of hind tibia is much more pronounced than those of South Indian forms. In Japanese specimens the black colour of hind tibia is more pronounced than any other regional specimens seen by the first author.