Bracon (Punctobracon) rhyacioniphilous, Li, Yang, He, Jun-Hua & Chen, Xue-Xin, 2016

Li, Yang, He, Jun-Hua & Chen, Xue-Xin, 2016, Four subgenera of Bracon Fabricius (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Braconinae) newly recorded from China, with description of five new species, Zootaxa 4208 (5), pp. 459-473 : 467-469

Bracon (Punctobracon) rhyacioniphilous sp. nov.

( Figs 4 a–j)

Holotype: Length of body 3.4 mm, fore wing 3.7 mm, ovipositor 2.8 mm.

Head. Antenna with 29 flagellomeres; terminal flagellomere strongly acuminate, 2.5 × longer than basal width; first flagellomere 1.6 × longer than wide, 1.2 and 1.3 × longer than the second and third respectively, the latter being 1.3 × longer than maximal width. Clypeus height: inter-tentorial distance: tentorio-ocular distance = 3: 8: 5. Clypeus with dense and long setae. Eyes glabrous, weakly excavated ( Fig. 4 f). Face weakly punctate. Eye height: shortest distance between eyes: head width= 13: 16: 29. Frons smooth, hardly impressed behind antennal sockets, without mid-longitudinal sulcus. Vertex and temples with sparse short setae. Shortest distance between posterior ocelli: narrower diameter of elliptical posterior ocellus: shortest distance between posterior ocellus and eye = 3: 2: 10. Head subparallel immediately behind eyes ( Fig. 4 e).

Mesosoma. Mesosoma smooth and polished, with sparse setae, 1.5 × longer than deep ( Fig. 4 b). Notaulus unsculptured, deep anteriorly, evanescent posteriorly; notaulus setose along the entire length ( Fig. 4 g). Scutellum smooth; with dense short setae apically. Prescutellar furrow narrow, deep, and crenulate. Metanotum with complete median longitudinal carinae. Propodeum smooth, with sparse long setae laterally, and without median longitudinal carinae or groove ( Fig. 4 i).

Wing. Length of fore wing veins SR1: 3-SR: r = 35: 21: 8. Fore wing vein 1-SR+M weakly arched, and 1.5 × longer than length of 1-M. Fore wing vein m-cu straight, 2.4 × longer than 2-SR+M. Length of fore wing veins 2- SR: 3-SR: r-m = 15: 31: 11. Fore wing veins C+SC+R and 1-SR forming an angle of approximately 80°. Fore wing vein cu-a interstitial. Length of hind wing veins SC+R1: 2-SC+R: 1r-m = 15: 4: 7.

Leg. Length of fore femur: tibia: tarsus = 22: 25: 11. Length of hind femur: tibia: basitarsus = 30: 38: 14. Hind basitarsus 3.86 × longer than wide.

Metasoma. First metasomal tergite mainly glabrous, parallel-sided, approximately as long as posterior width, posterior part of 1st tergite distinctly elevated medially, with short longitudinal sulcus laterally ( Fig. 4 j). Second metasomal tergite 0.34 × longer than wide, with deep and large punctures baso-medially, glabrous apically and laterally ( Fig. 4 h). Second and third metasomal tergites separated by a deep, carinate suture which is curved medially. Third metasomal tergite 0.29 × longer than wide, with dense, deep, large punctures. Tergites 4–7 sparsely setose, with deep and large punctures. Ovipositor 0.76 × length of fore wing.

Colour. Head and body mainly black brown. Lateral areas of tergites 2–5 and entire tergites 6–7 reddish yellow. Legs yellow brown. Fore and hind wings pale brown.

Variation. Females: Length of body 3.2–3.4 mm, fore wing 3.6–3.9 mm, ovipositor 2.9–3.2 mm. Ovipositor 0.74–0.84 × length fore wing.

Specimens examined. Holotype, ♀, Shunchang, Fujian, 1988. V, Qian Fanjun , No. 881482 ( ZJUH) . Paratype: 5♀♀, Shunchang, Fujian, 1988. V, Qian Fanjun , No. 881482 ( ZJUH) .

Biology. According to the collecting data, host is Rhyacionia pinicolana Doubleday, 1849 ( Lepidoptera : Tortricidae ).

Distribution. China (Fujian) (Fig. 6).

Etymology. From the genus Rhyacionia and the Latin suffix “philous”, meaning a liking for the host Rhyacionia pinicolana Doubleday, 1849 .

Diagnosis. This species is similar to Bracon (Punctobracon) corroboratus Papp, 1996 , but can be separated from the latter by the following characters: head in dorsal view less transverse, 1.4 × as broad as long ( Fig. 4 e) ( B. (P.) corroboratus 1.6–1.7 × as broad as long); fore wing vein SR1 terminating at wing apex ( Fig. 4 c) ( B. (P.) corroboratus not reaching wing apex); fore wing vein 1-SR+M slightly arched ( Fig. 4 c) ( B. (P.) corroboratus straight); and fore wing vein cu-a interstitial ( Fig. 4 c) ( B. (P.) corroboratus antefurcal).

Figures

FIGURE 4. Bracon (Punctobracon) rhyacioniphilous sp. nov.: a. body, lateral view; b. mesosoma, lateral view; c. fore wing; d. hind wing; e. head, dorsal view; f. head, frontal view; g. mesosoma, dorsal view; h. 2 – 7 metasomal tergites, dorsal view; i. propodeum, dorsal view; j. first metasomal tergite, dorsal view. Scar bar 200 µm.