Spathius chamelae Belokobylskij & Zaldivar-Riveron

Belokobylskij, Sergey A. & Zaldivar-Riveron, Alejandro, 2014, The genus Spathius Nees (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Doryctinae) in Mexico: occurrence of a highly diverse Old World taxon in the Neotropics, ZooKeys 427, pp. 59-73 : 67-71

Taxon classification Animalia Hymenoptera Braconidae

Spathius chamelae Belokobylskij & Zaldivar-Riveron sp. n. Figs 17-30

Type material.

Holotype: female, “México, Jalisco, Est. Chamela. Camino a Calandria, 19.50485N, 105.03786W, 45 m. 18-20.XI.2009. Platos amarillos, Selva baj. cad. Cham-034, Alejandro Zaldívar R.", voucher no. BOLD ASDOR 433, GenBank accession no. (COI) HM434538 (IB UNAM).

Paratypes. 1 male, same data as holotype, voucher no. BOLD ASDOR 432, GenBank accession no. (COI) HM434537 (ZISP); 1 male, “México, Jalisco, Est. Chamela. Camino a Calandria, 19.504N, 105.037W, 52 m. 04.XI.2009. Red de barrido. Selva baja mediana. Cham-019, H. Clebsch / A. Zaldívar ", voucher no. BOLD ASDOR 371, GenBank accession no. (COI) HM434515 (IB UNAM); 1 female, “México, Jalisco, Est. Chamela. Camino a Calandria, 19.504N, 105.037W, 45 m. 3-5.IX.2009. Platos amarillos, Selva baj. cad. Cham-013, H. Clebsch / A. Zaldívar R.", voucher no. BOLD ASDOR: 373, GenBank accession no. (COI) HM434517 (ZISP); 1 female, same data, voucher no. BOLD ASDOR: 372, GenBank accession no. (COI) HM434516 (IB UNAM); 1 male, same data, voucher no. CHAM-13-Spath-X-4, ASDOR 375, GenBank accession no. (COI) HM434 (IB UNAM); 1 male, “México, Jalisco, Chamela Fund. Cuixmala El sendero, 19.419N, 104.973W, 61 msnm. 7 –IX– 2009. Red de barrido. Selva baj. cad. Cham-023, H. Clebsch / A. Zaldívar R." (ZISP).

Description.

Female. Body length 3.4-4.3 mm; fore wing length 2.2-2.7 mm.

Head. Head width (dorsal view) 1.5 times its median length, 1.3-1.4 times width of mesoscutum. Vertex convex. Head behind eyes (dorsal view) distinctly and evenly roundness decreased; eye transverse diameter (dorsal view) 1.25-1.4 times longer than temple. Ocelli with ocellar triangle base 1.2-1.3 times its sides; POL 1.6-2.2 times Od, 0.45-0.5 times OOL. Eye with sparse and rather distinct setae, maximum diameter of eye 1.2 times its minimum diameter. Malar space 0.45-0.5 times maximum diameter of eye, 0.8-1.0 times basal width of mandible. Face slightly convex, its width 1.1-1.2 times maximum diameter of eye, 1.1-1.2 times height of face and clypeus combined. Clypeal suture distinct and complete. Ventral margin of clypeus with distinct flange. Hypoclypeal depression medium-sized and rounded, its width 0.8-1.0 times the shortest distance from edge to eye, 0.4-0.5 times width of face. Occipital carina dorsally complete, not broken toward ocellar triangle, not reaching hypostomal carina and obliterated on short distance before area posterior to the mandible base, sometimes fused with hypostomal carina by additional ruga. Hypostomal flange rather wide.

Antennae slender, almost filiform, 30-31-segmented, 1.1-1.2 times longer than body. Scape 1.5-1.6 times longer than maximum width. First flagellar segment 4.0-4.6 times longer than its apical width, 1.1-1.2 times longer than second segment. Penultimate segment 2.5-2.8 times longer than their width, 0.55 times as long as first segment, 0.8-0.9 times as long as apical segment, the latter subpointed apically and without spine.

Mesosoma. Mesosoma not depressed, maximum length 2.0-2.1 times its maximum height. Pronotal keel distinct, its posterior branch distinct, not fused and at least slightly separated from posterior margin of pronotum. Pronotum (dorsal view) subanteriorly with high and thick transverse carina. Pronotal lateral depression shallow, delineated by carinae below or upper and below, wide, entirely coarsely and densely transverse crenulate. Mesoscutum (lateral view) slightly curvedly and highly elevated above pronotum, its median lobe (dorsal view) distinctly convex anteriorly and without anterolateral corners; mesoscutum in dorsal view about as long as wide. Notauli complete, wide, deep anteriorly, slightly shallow posteriorly, coarsely irregularly crenulate. Scutellar sulcus (prescutellar depression) deep, long, with three coarse carinae, almost smooth between carinae, 0.45-0.5 times as long as scutellum. Scutellum slightly convex, with fine lateral carinae. Subalar depression narrow, shallow, widely and coarsely rugose-striate. Precoxal sulcus (sternaulus) about half length of lower part of mesopleuron, slightly curved, wide, deep, distinctly and sparsely crenulate. Postpectal carina absent. Metanotum with short, wide and pointed apically dorsal tubercle. Metapleural flange (lobe) narrow, long, slightly rounded apically. Propodeum without lateral tubercles.

Wings. Fore wing 4.0-4.3 times longer than wide. Pterostigma 3.8-4.0 times longer than its maximum width. Radial vein (r) arising behind middle of pterostigma, from its basal 0.65-0.7. Radial (marginal) cell not shortened, metacarp (R1) 1.5-1.6 times longer than pterostigma. Second radial abscissa (3RSa) 3.0-5.0 times longer than first abscissa (R) and forming with it obtuse angle, 0.55-0.6 times as long as the almost straight third abscissa (3RSb), 1.1-1.4 times longer than first radiomedial vein (2RS). Second radiomedial (submarginal) cell not narrowed distally, its length 3.0-3.7 times maximum width, 1.3-1.5 times length of brachial (first subdiscal) cell. Second abscissa of medial vein ((RS+M)b) rather or very short, 0.1-0.3 times as long as recurrent vein (m-cu). Nervulus (cu-a) postfurcal, distance between basal vein and nervulus 0.2-0.3 times nervulus length. Parallel vein (2CUb) not interstitial, arising from anterior third of distal margin of brachial (first subdiscal) cell. Mediocubital vein (M+CU) in distal half weakly curved to longitudinal anal vein (1-1A). Hind wing 5.6-6.0 times longer than its maximum width. First costal abscissa (C+Sc+R) about 0.5 times as long as second abscissa (Sc+R). First abscissa of mediocubital vein (M+CU) 0.5-0.6 times as long as second abscissa (1M). Recurrent vein (m-cu) more or less unsclerotised, faintly pigmented, slightly antefurcal, strongly oblique towards base of wing.

Legs. Fore tibia anterior margin with rather long, dense spines arranged in narrow stripe. Segments of middle tarsus longer than their width. Hind coxa with distinct basoventral tubercle, 1.8-2.0 times longer than maximum width. Hind femur elongate-oval, 2.9-3.1 times longer than wide. Hind tibia with outer apical lobe having two-three slender and short spines. Hind tarsus 0.9 times as long as hind tibia. Hind basitarsus with distinct ventral carina, 0.55-0.6 times as long as remaining segments combined. Second segment of hind tarsus 0.55 times as long as basitarsus, 1.1-1.2 times longer than fifth segment (without pretarsus). Tarsal segments slightly thickened. Claws short, thick basally, with short curved apical part.

Metasoma. Petiole (lateral view) ventrally slightly curved, dorsal distinctly and almost evenly arched, in apical half nearly straight, highest near middle; in dorsal view petiole slender, slightly widened at spiracular tubercles and distinctly widened apically. Length of petiole 2.8-2.9 times its apical width, about 2.0 times length of propodeum; apical width about 1.8 times minimum subbasal width. Second tergite without laterotergites separated. Suture between second and third tergites (second suture) absent. Median length of second and third tergites combined 1.2-1.4 times its basal width, 0.7-0.8 times their maximum width. Ovipositor almost straight. Ovipositor sheath 2.5-2.9 times longer than petiole, 1.2-1.3 times longer than metasoma, 1.8-2. times longer than mesosoma, almost as long as fore wing.

Sculpture and pubescence. Vertex entirely smooth. Frons densely and slightly curvedly transverse striate, without rugulosity between striae, smooth laterally. Face distinctly striate, with fine rugulosity between striae, smooth latero-ventrally. Temple entirely smooth. Mesoscutum distinctly and densely granulate-reticulate, finely reticulate-coriaceous or sometimes almost smooth posteriorly, its medioposterior third with several distinct longitudinal striae, median lobe laterally and anteriorly with dense and fine transverse striation; lateral lobes near notauli with short and sparse additional rugosity. Scutellum mainly smooth, sometimes finely reticulate-coriaceous or rugulose laterally. Mesopleuron medially smooth, striate in upper 0.2-0.3 and anteriorly, rugulose posteriorly. Metapleuron entirely coarsely rugose-reticulate. Propodeum in anterior (dorsal or basolateral) areas entirely rugose or rugulose, usually with coarse additional carina along areola margins; basal (median) carina rather long; areola narrow and long, 2.0-2.3 times longer than wide; petiolate area long and rather narrow, separated from areola by distinct carina; propodeum mainly coarsely rugose-striate. Hind coxa rugose in dorsal half and with additional transverse striation dorso-posteriorly, finely rugulose to smooth in ventral half. Hind femur smooth, sometimes partly finely striate dorsally. Petiole dorsally distinctly and densely longitudinally striate with distinct dense rugulosity between striae in basal half, medially usually reticulate-rugulose. Second and following tergites entirely smooth. Vertex almost entirely with very sparse, long and erect pale yellowish setae, glabrous medially. Mesoscutum with very long, sparse and almost erect yellowish setae arranged widely along margins of notauli and in single line laterally. Setae of hind tibia almost erect, mainly long and rather sparse, but dorsally in apical quarter additionally with very sparse and short setae; length of long setae 1.5-2.0 times maximum width of tibia.

Colour. Body black, head mainly and mesosoma anteriorly dark reddish brown or partly reddish brown, metasoma behind petiole dark reddish brown, paler laterally, brownish yellow apically; occasionally (in small specimens) body almost entirely reddish brown. Antennae dark reddish brown or reddish brown, almost black apically, without pale subapical segments. Palpi pale yellow or whitish yellow. Legs mainly almost black or reddish brown, fore and middle coxae yellow, all trochanters and trochantelli white or pale yellow, most part of fore femur, base and apex of middle femur (sometimes), apical 0.3-0.4 of fore and middle tibiae and their subbasal short areas, and all tarsi yellow or brownish yellow; hind tibia subbasally in wide area whitish yellow, apically yellow. Ovipositor sheath pale yellow to yellow, black apically. Fore wing infuscate, with narrow hyaline transverse stripe crossing beginning of pterostigma. Pterostigma almost black, pale yellow to whitish yellow in basal third and apically.

Male. Body length 2.3-3.3 mm; fore wing length 1.6-2.2 mm. Antennae 29-32-segmented. Penultimate segment 3.3-3.8 times longer than their width. Mesoscutum distinctly and densely granulate almost entirely. Propodeal areola short, 1.8-2.0 times longer than maximum width. Second radial abscissa (3RSa) 3.0-3.8 times longer than first abscissa (R), 1.1-1.2 times longer than first radiomedial vein (2RS). Hind femur 2.6-2.8 times longer than wide. Hind basitarsus with distinct inner apical process. Second segment of hind tarsus as long as fifth segment (without pretarsus). Length of petiole 3.0-4.0 times its apical width, 2.3-2.5 times longer than propodeum. Second and sometimes basal half of third tergites with laterotergites separated. Median length of second and third tergites combined 1.8-2.0 times its basal width, 0.8-0.9 times their maximum width. Otherwise similar to female.

Distribution.

Mexico (Chamela, Jalisco).

Comparative diagnosis.

Spathius chamelae sp. n. belongs to the Spathius fasciatus Walker species group. This new species is very similar to Spathius mexicanus sp. n., but differs from it in having the POL distinctly larger than Od (shorter in Spathius mexicanus ); eye with sparse and short setae (glabrous in Spathius mexicanus ); pronotal keel distinct, with its posterior branch present and not fused with posterior margin of pronotum (indistinct or fine and without its posterior branch in Spathius mexicanus ); pronotal lateral depression entirely coarsely transverse crenulate (almost entirely smooth in Spathius mexicanus ); pterostigma wider (narrower in Spathius mexicanus ); second radial abscissa (3RSa) distinctly longer than first radiomedial vein (2RS) (almost equal in Spathius mexicanus ); petiole (lateral view) dorsal distinctly arched (slightly arched in Spathius mexicanus ); basolateral areas of propodeum entirely rugose, basal (median) carina rather long, and areola less narrow (smooth, basal carina almost absent and areola narrow in Spathius mexicanus ); setae on hind tibia long (shorter in Spathius mexicanus ); hind tibia subbasally in wide area whitish yellow (mainly almost black in Spathius mexicanus ); fore wing faintly infuscate (strongly infuscate in Spathius mexicanus ).