Bathycentor Saussure, 1862

Belokobylskij, Sergey A. & Zaldívar-Riverón, Alejandro, 2021, Reclassification of the doryctine tribe Rhaconotini (Hymenoptera, Braconidae), European Journal of Taxonomy 741, pp. 1-168 : 20-22

Genus Bathycentor Saussure, 1862

Bathycentor Saussure in Grandidier, 1892: pl. 21.

Epirhacon Belokobylskij, 1990b: 141

(type species: Epirhacon laetus Belokobylskij, 1990 , by original designation).

Sinaodoryctes Chen & Shi, 2004: 59

(type species: Sinaodoryctes aurus Chen & Shi, 2004 , by original designation).

Bathycentor – Viereck 1914: 20. — Shenefelt & Marsh 1976: 1267. — Yu at al. 2016. — Belokobylskij 2018: 506, 766. — Jasso-Martínez et al. 2019: 165.

Epirhacon – Belokobylskij 1992: 907 (as synonym of Ipodoryctes Granger, 1949 ); 2018: 506.

Sinaodoryctes – Belokobylskij 2018: 506.

Type species

Bathycentor kraesselini Saussure, 1892 , by subsequent designation ( Viereck 1914).

Description ( Figs 5–7 )

HEAD. Head transverse (dorsal view). Ocelli small or medium-sized, arranged in obtuse triangle. Frons weakly concave or almost flat, with or without small median furrow. Eyes glabrous. Occipital carina distinct, below reduced over wide or narrow distance. Malar suture usually absent, rarely developed but very shallow. Clypeal suture complete. Hypoclypeal depression rather large, round or widely oval. Face above clypeal suture with two distinct or inconspicuous oblong-oval submedian depressions. Palps rather long; maxillary palps 6-segmented; labial palps 4-segmented. Postgenal bridge developed but narrow. Scapus of antenna wide and rather long, without apical lobe. First flagellar segment longer than second segment.

MESOSOMA. Mesosoma not depressed dorsoventrally. Neck of pronotum short, convex dorsally (lateral view). Pronotal keel more or less distinct, situated nearly middle of pronotum. Posterodorsal propleural lobe distinct and wide. Mesoscutum usually highly and roundly elevated above pronotum. Median lobe of mesoscutum clearly protruding forwards, without anterolateral corners, with rather distinct or indistinct and complete or incomplete median furrow. Notauli deep (at least in anterior half), wide, always complete, coarsely or clearly rugose or crenulate. Prescutellar depression rather long, relatively deep, more or less distinctly sculptured, with median carina. Scuto-scutellar suture developed. Scutellum convex, with or without fine lateral carinae. Metanotum without median tooth, occasionally with short and thick tooth (lateral view). Sternaulus (precoxal furrow) rather deep, narrow, more or less long. Prepectal carina distinct. Prepectus additionally with two distinct longitudinal lateral carinae. Postpectal carina absent. Metapleural lobe rather short, more or less wide, rounded at apex, with coarse median carina. Propodeum usually with areas delineated by rather distinct carinae; lateral tubercles absent or (occasionally) poorly developed; propodeal bridge narrow. Propodeal spiracle small.

WINGS. Radial vein (r) of fore wing arising from, or slightly before middle of pterostigma. Radial (marginal) cell not shortened. First (2-SR) and second (r-m) radiomedial veins present. Recurrent vein (m-cu) interstitial or antefurcal. Discoidal (discal) cell petiolate anteriorly. Mediocubital vein (M+CU1) in distal half more or less curved towards anal vein (1–1A). Nervulus (cu-a) distinctly postfurcal. Parallel vein (CU1a) non-interstitial, arising rarely from middle or, more frequently, behind middle (from posterior 0.3–0.4) of vein (3-CU1) closing distally brachial (subdiscal) cell. Brachial (subdiscal) cell always closed distally by brachial vein (CU1b). Transverse anal veins (2A, a) absent. Hind wing with three hamuli. Nervellus (cu-a) developed. Submedial (subbasal) cell closed by veins and rather long. First mediocubital abscissa (M+CU) shorter than second abscissa (1-M). Recurrent vein (m-cu) long, sclerotized or pigmented. Medial (basal) cell wide, widened towards apex, about half as long as hind wing. Radial (marginal) cell subparallel-sided, without additional cross vein (r).

LEGS. Fore and middle tibiae with rather sparse and thick spines arranged almost in single line. Hind coxa medium-sized, with distinct basoventral tubercle. All femora with small and wide dorsal tubercles. Hind femur rather slender or more or less thickened. Inner spur of hind tibia rather long, 0.30–0.35 times as long as hind basitarsus; outer spur short. Hind basitarsus with narrow but rather distinct carina on lower margin, 0.5–0.8 times as long as second–fifth segments of hind tarsus combined.

METASOMA. First tergite not petiolate. Its acrosternite about 0.2 times as long as tergite. Dorsope of first tergite distinct; basolateral lobes absent or only poorly developed; spiracular tubercles indistinct or poorly developed; dorsal carinae developed though occasionally present only at base of tergite. Second tergite with large semi-oval basal area separated along posterior margin by wide and rather deep, curved and crenulate furrow, with distinct wide and anteriorly curved or (rarely) nearly straight posterior furrow separating anteriorly wide lenticular apical area. Second suture distinct, rather deep, more or less wide. Fourth and (occasionally) fifth tergites with small, curved and crenulate basal furrow. Second–sixth tergites with separate laterotergites (epimera). Sixth tergite distinctly enlarged, as long as or longer than fifth tergite. Hypopygium rather short, pointed or slightly obtuse in middle of posterior margin.

Diagnosis

Bathycentor is morphologically very similar to Ipodoryctes , but it differs from the latter by having the following characters: recurrent vein (m-cu) of the fore wing antefurcal or interstitial (vs postfurcal); parallel vein (CU1a) of the fore wing arised from the posterior third or (less frequently) almost from the middle of the vein (3-CU1) closing the brachial (subdiscal) cell distally (vs before middle or sometimes interstitial); basal area of the second metasomal tergite long and separated by a deep furrow along the posterior margin (vs short and usually weakly separated often only different type of sculpture).

Composition

Bathycentor aurus ( Chen & Shi,2004) (OR) ; B. kraesselini Saussure, 1892 (AF); B. laetus ( Belokobylskij, 1990) (OR) ; B. parallelus ( Granger, 1949) (AF) ; B. tricoloricornis ( Granger, 1949) comb. nov. (AF); B. zimbabwensis sp. nov. (AF).

Hosts

Unknown.

Distribution

Afrotropical and Oriental regions.

Remarks

The revision of this genus with designation of its lectotype, new synonymies and description of new species was recently published by Belokobylskij (2018).

Key to species of Bathycentor

1. Posterior margin of sixth metasomal tergite regularly convex, without median processes or emargination, usually without arcuate striae ( Fig. 5G ) .................................................................... 2

– Posterior margin of sixth metasomal tergite with median processes or emargination, with distinct arcuate striae ( Fig. 7C ) ..................................................................................................................... 4

2. Vertex rugose. Temples short; transverse diameter of eye (dorsal view) more than 2.0 times length of temple. Malar space 0.3 times as high as eye. Mesoscutum very weakly elevated above pronotum. Sternaulus crenulate. Mesosoma and metasoma mainly reddish-brown. Length of body 4.4 mm. China..................................................................................................... B. aurus ( Chen & Shi, 2004)

– Vertex punctate-granulate, without rugae ( Fig. 5B ). Temples long; transverse diameter of eye (dorsal view) 1.3–1.4 times length of temple. Malar space half as high as eye ( Fig. 5C ). Mesoscutum highly elevated above pronotum ( Fig. 5F ). Sternaulus coriaceous to finely granulate ( Fig. 5F ). Mesosoma and metasoma mainly dark brown to black ( Fig. 5F ) ....................................................................... 3

3. Recurrent vein of fore wing antefurcal. All coxae, trochanters, trochantelli, and tibiae yellow or brownish yellow. Ovipositor sheath yellow except for black apex. Hind tibia distinctly thickened towards apex. Flagellum of antenna behind second segment yellow. Length of body 12.7 mm. Madagascar......................................................................................... B. parallellus ( Granger, 1949)

– Recurrent vein of fore wing almost interstitial ( Fig. 5H ). All coxae, trochanters, trochantelli, and tibiae nearly black ( Fig. 5A ). Ovipositor sheath nearly black in basal 0.4–0.5 and at apex, pale brown in subapical part ( Fig. 5A ). Hind tibia weakly thickened towards apex ( Fig. 5A ). Flagellum of antenna behind second segment reddish-brown ( Fig. 5A ). Length of body 12.1–15.0 mm. Madagascar.......................................................................................... B. kraesselini Saussure, 1892

4. Posterior margin sixth metasomal tergite with two distinct median processes. Pterostigma entirely brown. Length of body 8.9 mm. Democratic Republic of Congo...................................................... ....................................................................................................... B. trjapitzini Belokobylskij, 2018

– Posterior margin of sixth metasomal tergite with median emargination, without distinct processes ( Fig. 7C ). Pterostigma dark brown, with pale areas at least at base ( Fig. 7A ) ................................. 5

5. Propodeum without areas delineated by carinae. Second tergite long, its length (with posterior area) along midline equal to its basal width. Basal (anterior) area of second tergite rather long medially and narrow anteriorly, along midline about 0.3 times length of tergite, its posterior area 0.5 times as long as tergite length. Length of body 5.7 mm. Vietnam................. B. laetus ( Belokobylskij, 1990)

– Propodeum with areas delineated by distinct carinae ( Fig. 6F ). Second tergite short, its length (with posterior area) along midline 0.6 times its basal width ( Fig. 7C ). Basal (anterior) area of second tergite short medially and wide anteriorly, along midline 0.15 times length of tergite, and posterior its area 0.7 times as long as tergite length ( Fig. 7C ). Length of body 3.5 mm. Zimbabwe................................................................................................... B. zimbabwensis sp. nov.

Figures

Fig. 5. Bathycentor kraesselini Saussure, 1892, ♀, lectotype, MNHN (A–G); Ipodoryctes parallellus Granger, 1949, ♀, paralectotype, MNHN (H). A. Habitus, lateral view. B. Head, dorsal view. C. Head, front view. D. Head, lateral view. E. Mesosoma, dorsal view. F. Mesosoma, lateral view. G. Metasoma, dorsal view. H. Wings.

Fig. 6. Bathycentor zimbabwensis sp. nov., ♀, holotype, BMNH. A. Habitus, lateral view. B. Head, front view. C. Head, dorsal view. D. Basal segments of antenna. E. Head, lateral view. F. Mesosoma, dorsal view. G. Mesosoma, lateral view. H. Hind leg.

Fig. 7. Bathycentor zimbabwensis sp. nov., ♀, holotype, BMNH. A. Fore wing. B. Hind wing. C. Metasoma, dorsal view. D. Metasoma, lateral view.