Iconella similus Zargar & Gupta, 2019

Zargar, Mohammad, Gupta, Ankita, Talebi, Asghar & Farahani, Samira, 2019, A review of the Iranian species of genus Iconella Mason (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Microgastrinae) with description of two new species, Zootaxa 4586 (3), pp. 491-504 : 499

Iconella similus Zargar & Gupta sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:F17662C0-B4BB-4BC0-93E3-F3925364CDB1

Type material: Holotype: ♀ (mounted on card); Southwestern Iran: Khuzestan, Baghmalek, Dobagh , (31°31’16.14”N, 49°52′53.00”E, 688m), 4.iv.2017; Malaise trap in citrus orchard; leg. M. Zargar; ICAR̄NBAIR. Paratypes: 4 ♀, 3#, Khuzestan, Baghmalek, Dobagh , (31°31’16.14”N, 49°52′53.00”E, 688m), 4.iv.2017, 5.v.2017; Malaise trap in citrus orchard; leg. M. Zargar ; 1 ♀, Khuzestan, Baghmalek, Shang , (31°31’46.00”N, 49°53′14.61”E, 716m), 22.v.2017; Malaise trap in citrus orchard; leg. M. Zargar TMUC, ICAR ̄ NBAIR .

Diagnosis. Width of face 1.7× as long as height ( Fig. 6A ); apical flagellomere 1.5× longer than penultimate flagellomere; Propodeum with strong medial longitudinal ( Fig. 6C ); 1-R1 1.1× as long as pterostigma, 1-R1 4× as long as distance from end of 1-R1 to tip of radial cell ( Fig. 6D ); TI parallel sided at base, converging from middle to apex; TI 2.0× longer than basal width, basal width 2.5× as long as apical width ( Fig. 6E ).

Description. Female. Body length 2.5 mm, fore wing length 3.0 mm ( Fig. 6F ).

Head ( Figs 6 A–B). Shallowly rugose with sparse setation, setae denser near the eye margin; width of head 1.15× as long as height, width of face 1.7× as long as height; ocelli small, POL: MOD: OOL– 6.4: 3: 5; eyes large, 1.6× as high as wide. Antenna as long as body; flagellomeres finely setose, apical flagellomere 1.5× longer than penultimate; penultimate flagellomere length as long as wide.

Mesosoma ( Fig. 6C ). Mesoscutum densely and evenly punctate, pubescent; notauli indistinct; scutellum smooth, scutellar sulcus crenulate; postscutellum rugose; prepectal carina absent; precoxal sulcus absent; propodeum with strong medial longitudinal carina with fine short radiating lines, shallowly rugose on the both sides of median carina; laterally with fine transverse striations.

Wings ( Fig. 6D ). Areolet absent, vein r arising little after from middle of pterostigma. 1-R1 1.1× as long as pterostigma,1-R1 4.0× as long as distance from end of 1-R1 to tip of radial cell, pterostigma 3.0× as long as wide. 1-R1 3.0× as long as r, r 2.1× as long as 2-SR. 1-cu1 as long as 2-cu1; width of discoidal cell 1.1× as long as height. Legs ( Fig. 6F ). Metafemur length 3.5× as long as median width. Hind basitarus 1.7× longer than inner hind tibial spur; hind basitarus 3.7× longer than telotarsus.

Metasoma ( Figs 6 E–F). TI parallel sided at base, converging from middle to apex; TI 2× longer than basal width, basal width 2.5× as long as apical width and finely pitted; TII strongly constricted at base and triangular, its apical width 3.1× longer than median length; tergites posterior to TI with rough finely pitted surface and scattered long setae; ovipositor sheath 1.3× as long as hind tibia and setose; hypopygium strongly sclerotized, sharp edged and not truncated apically, scattered with medium sized setae.

Colouration ( Fig. 6F ). Body black; antenna black; palpi pale yellow; tegula yellowish brown and black at apex; profemur black on anterior half and yellowish brown on posterior half; mesofemur black except yellowish apex; metafemur black; protibia and mesotibia yellowish brown; metatibia yellowish brown on anterior half and black on posterior half; protarsus and mesotarsus yellow; metatarsus dark brown, except yellowish on anterior half of first tarsomere; fore wing with at least some veins with thin brown margins and interior of veins yellow to light brown, pterostigma pale yellow.

Male. Unknown

Host. Unknown.

Biology. Unknown.

Distribution. Khuzestan province ( Iran).

Etymology. This name is chosen considering the similarity between this new species with Iconella isus ( Nixon, 1965) .

Comments. This new species comes near to Iconella isus ( Nixon, 1965) from which it can be separated by the sculpture of mesoscutum that is densely and evenly punctate and dull in I. similus ( Fig. 6C ) vs strongly shiny and very superficially punctate in I. isus ; 1-R1 of fore wing 4× as long as distance between its end to tip of the radial cell in I. similus ( Fig. 6D ) vs 2.5× in I.isus , and first tergite basal width 2.5× as long as apical width in I. similus ( Fig. 6E ) vs 2.0× in I. isus .

Figures

FIGURE 6. Iconella similus Zargar and Gupta sp. nov. A. Head, frontal view; B. Head, dorsal view; C. Mesosoma, dorsal view; D. Fore wing; E. Metasoma, dorsal view; F. Habitus, dorsal view.