Vipiomorpha sulcata, Li & Achterberg & Chen, 2020

Li, Yang, Achterberg, Cornelis van & Chen, Xue-xin, 2020, A new genus and eight newly recorded genera of Braconinae Nees (Hymenoptera, Braconidae) from China, with descriptions of fourteen new species, ZooKeys 1038, pp. 105-178 : 105

Vipiomorpha sulcata sp. nov. Figures 31 , 32

Material examined.

Holotype: ♀, China, Yunnan Prov., Jinghong , 9.IV.1981, He Junhua, No. 811668 (ZJUH) . Paratype: 1♂, China, Yunnan Prov., Ruili , 6.V.1981, He Junhua, No. 813014 (ZJUH) .

Diagnosis.

This new species is very similar to Vipiomorpha ypsilon Tobias, 1962 [China; Korea; Russia], but can be separated from the latter by the following characters: notauli relatively shallow, smooth, not crenulate (deep, at least crenulate anteriorly, in V. ypsilon ); T I 1.5 × as long as apical width (1.0-1.2 ×); metasomal tergites yellowish brown, without spots (with distinct spots); T V largely coarsely sculptured (largely smooth); head largely blackish brown dorsally, or at least (male) stemmaticum blackish brown (head yellow dorsally).

Description.

Holotype, ♀, length of body 5.4 mm, of fore wing 5.3 mm, of ovipositor sheath 7.0 mm.

Head. Antenna with 42 antennomeres; apical antennomere acute, 1.7 × longer than its maximum width (Fig. 32k ); third antennomere 1.2 and 1.3 × longer than fourth and fifth, respectively, the latter 1.5 × longer than wide; median antennomeres ca. 1.5 × longer than their widths; malar suture with sparse short setae and with fine punctures (Fig. 32i ); clypeus height: inter-tentorial distance: tentorio-ocular distance = 3: 15: 7; clypeus smooth and shiny, with a single row of sparse and long setae; eye weakly emarginate (Fig. 32g ); face largely smooth, with some sparse and long setae (Fig. 32g ); eye height: shortest distance between eyes: head width = 23: 22: 42; frons smooth, strongly depressed behind antennal sockets, with a strong median groove (Fig. 32h ); vertex smooth, but with some sparse short setae; minimum distance between posterior ocelli: minimum diameter of elliptical posterior ocellus: minimum distance between posterior ocellus and eye = 8: 3: 10; temples largely glabrous except for a few short setae, and subparallel immediately behind eyes (Fig. 32h ).

Mesosoma. Length of mesosoma 1.6 × its height (Fig. 32c ); anterior margin of pronotum with a single row of short setae; notauli deeply impressed (Fig. 32d ); mesoscutum smooth, with short and moderately dense setae (Fig. 32d ); middle lobe of mesoscutum strongly convex medially; scutellar sulcus narrow and deep, with crenulae (Fig. 32d ); scutellum with dense short setae posteriorly; metanotum strongly convex medially (Fig. 32d ); propodeum smooth, with a complete medio-longitudinal groove, with sparse setae medially, and with dense long setae laterally (Fig. 32d ).

Wings. Fore wing (Fig. 32a ): r very short; SR1: 3-SR: r = 8: 7: 1; 1-SR+M straight, and 1.2 × longer than 1-M; 2-SR: 3-SR: r-m = 6: 11: 6; first submarginal cell of forewing short; vein SR1 ends ca. half-way between pterostigma and wing apex; cu-a interstitial. Hind wing (Fig. 32b ): SC+R1: 2-SC+R: 1r-m = 8: 3: 5.

Legs. Length of fore femur: tibia: tarsus = 11: 13: 16; length of hind femur: tibia: basitarsus = 39: 58: 23; length of hind basitarsus 5.75 × its maximum width (Fig. 32f ).

Metasoma. Length of T I 1.5 × its apical width, median area convex and strongly rugose (Fig. 32e ); lateral grooves of T I sparsely crenulate (Fig. 32e ); median length of T II 0.7 × as long as its apical width; T II strongly rugose but antero-lateral areas smooth (Fig. 32e ); T II without medio-basal area; antero-lateral areas of T II developed and smooth, anterior grooves wide, with a few crenulae (Fig. 32e ); second suture deep and wide, with crenulae, slightly urved medially (Fig. 32e ); median length of T III 0.5 × as long as its apical width; T III and T IV with antero-lateral areas (of T IV weak), and crenulate transverse subposterior groove (Fig. 32e ); T V with weakly crenulate transverse subposterior groove; T III-V strongly rugose; T VI-VII largely smooth, and with some long setae posteriorly; hypopygium rather acute apically, reaching far beyond level of apex of metasoma; ovipositor sheath 1.32 × as long as fore wing.

Colour. Largely yellowish brown (Fig. 31 ); head blackish brown except for face and mandible (but apically blackish brown) yellow (Fig. 32g, h ); for legs (but claws blackish brown) yellow; ovipositor sheath black (Fig. 31 ); wing membrane yellow, pterostigma and veins yellowish brown (Fig. 32a, b ).

Male. Length of body of male 4.6 mm, of fore wing of male 4.3 mm; antenna of male with 42 antennomeres; length of forewing vein SR1: 3-SR: r = 8: 6: 1; length of T I 1.7 × its apical width; T IV with noticeably antero-lateral areas; head largely yellow, area surrounded stemmaticum black brown; other characters similar with the female.

Biology.

Unknown.

Distribution.

China (Yunnan).

Etymology.

Named after the well-developed medio-longitudinal groove of the propodeum: sulcus is Latin for groove.

Figures

Figure 31. Vipiomorpha sulcata sp. nov., ♀, holotype, habitus, lateral view.

Figure 32. Vipiomorpha sulcata sp. nov., ♀, holotype a fore wing b hind wing c mesosoma, lateral view d mesosoma, dorsal view e metasoma, dorsal view f hind leg, lateral view g head, anterior view h head, dorsal view i head, lateral view j scapus outer side, lateral view k apex of antenna l apex of ovipositor, lateral view.