Euurobracon bhaskarai Quicke, 2022

Quicke, Donald L. J., Gafar, Dian, Watanabe, Kyohei & Butcher, Buntika A., 2022, A new species of the long-tailed wasp genus Euurobracon Ashmead (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Braconinae) from Java, Indonesia, is described and the type species redescribed, ZooKeys 1116, pp. 71-83 : 71

Euurobracon bhaskarai Quicke sp. nov.

Figs 2-7

Type material.

Holotype ♀, Indonesia, West Java, nr Mt Halimun, ii.2021, local collector, DNA voucher CCDB-24624-H04 (MZB). Paratypes: 3 ♀, same data as holotype (1 MZB, DNA voucher CCDB-6326-B09; 2 CUMZ, DNA vouchers CCDB-24624-H05, CCDB-24624-H07).

Diagnosis.

Body largely orange-yellow; wings largely yellow, fore wing with greyish margin narrowly infuscate, a small dark brown mark at apex of pterostigma, a dark brown patch around the confluence of veins 1RS, 1-M and (RS+M)a, and a brown patch at the posterior part of the 1st subdiscal cell; hind wing vein R (or RSa) interstitial or short transverse; 2nd metasomal tergite without transverse groove at approximately midlength; ovipositor more than 4 × longer than body. In addition, apex of hind wing basal cell with a small elongate sclerome in the membrane at approximately midlength of 1r-m.

The new species is morphologically very similar E. yokahamae , the only other predominantly yellow species with very long ovipositor. Nearly all specimens of E. yokahamae have hind wing vein R longitudinal (i.e., vein RSa arising from R distal to 1r-m); very rarely it is interstitial. In E. bhaskarai sp. nov. vein RSa is short but distinctly transverse or occasionally interstitial. The most conspicuous difference is in the extent of the dark markings of the fore wing. There is some variation in wing colour pattern in female E. yokahamae and this was illustrated by Sonan (1932), but this does not include restriction of the fore wing grey pattern to a faint narrow margin with just three small brown spots as in the new species. In addition, in the distal part of hind wing basal cell there is a small thickening of the cell membrane creating a tiny sclerome which is absent in E. yokahamae . The antennal flagellum of the four available specimens of the new species is parallel-sided whereas in E. yokahamae it is distinctly widened distally.

Description.

Length of body 19.5-23.5 mm, of fore wing 18.7-20.0 mm, of antenna 16.6-18.0 mm and of ovipositor, 97-123 mm. Head. Antenna with 70-71 flagellomeres, more or less parallel-sided. Terminal flagellomere tapering progressively to a point and distinctly acuminate, approximately 1.5 × longer than basally wide. Median flagellomeres transverse, 1.5 × wider than long. Length of first flagellomere: second flagellomere: third flagellomere = 1.45: 1.1; 1.0, the latter being more or less quadrate. Width of head: width of face: height of eye (measured at level of antennal socket) = 2.5: 1.45: 1.0. Dorsal half of clypeus densely long setose. Face densely long setose except for a small median triangular area above the clypeus. Inter-tentorial distance 1.25 × tentorio-ocular distance. Frons sparsely setose. Head widest behind eyes; length of head behind eye 1.1 × length of eye in dorsal view. Malar space 0.9 × longer than basal width of mandible. Minimum length of malar space located at above inner articulation of mandible. Shortest length of mandible 1.2 × longer than basal width of mandible. Mesosoma. Mesosoma 1.75 × longer than high. Middle lobe of mesoscutum often largely moderately densely setose laterally. Notauli present anteriorly only. Anterior margin of propodeum without a deep medial emargination. Propodeal spiracle elongate, ca 2.0 × longer than maximum width. Wings. Fore wing vein 1cu-a far postfurcal, vein 1CUb 3.3 × 1CUa. Forewing vein 2CUa only weakly and gradually expanded posteriorly. Vein (RS+M)a 1.0-1.1 × length of 1-M. Forewing vein m-cu straight, 2.0 × longer than (RS+M)b. Lengths of fore wing veins r-rs: 3RSa: 3RSb = 1.0: 5.5: 6.0. Lengths of fore wing veins 2RS: 3RSa: rs-m = 1.0: 2.75: 1.1. Hindwing vein 1r-m approximately 1.3 × longer than R1 before it reaches wing margin hind wing vein R marginally longitudinal, interstitial or marginally transverse (i.e., with very short vein rs-m). Legs. Length of fore femur: tibia: tarsus = 1.0: 1.0: 1.25. Anterolateral aspect of fore tibia more or less densely clothed with slightly thickened setae. Fore basitarsus 4.3 × longer than maximally deep. Length of hind femur: tibia: basitarsus = 1.0: 1.4: 1.2. Hind femur 6.0 × longer than maximum depth in lateral view. Hind tibia 12.5 × longer than maximum depth in lateral view. Hind basitarsus 8.3 × longer than deep. Metasoma. First tergite 1.2 × longer than maximally wide. Second tergite smooth, 1.2-1.35 × wider than long, without any trace of median transverse groove or furrow. Second + third metasomal tergites 1.3-1.4 × longer than maximally wide. Ovipositor long, 5.2-6.2 × forewing, 5.0-5.3 × longer than body. Coloration. Antenna black. Head, including stemmaticum, and body uniformly ferruginous-yellow (orange-yellow), usually with few black marks as follows: posterior margin of propodeum, medio-anterior of tergite 1, anterolateral part and longitudinal sublateral grooves of tergite 2, anterolateral part of tergite 3, posterior margins of tergites 3-5. Wings largely yellow, narrowly weakly infuscate distally and postero-distally, with dark brown marks at apex of pterostigma, around junction of veins 1RS, 1-M and (RS+M)a but excluding parastigma, and posterior part of first subdiscal cell, membrane. Fore and mid legs ferruginous-yellow except apex of hind tibia and basal three hind tarsomeres which are piceous. Ovipositor sheaths black.

Male. Unknown.

Etymology.

Named after Mr Edy Bhaskara, friend of the first author, who lives on the island where the new species was collected.

Biology.

Unknown.

Figures

Figures 2 - 7. Euurobracon bhaskarai Quicke sp. nov, ♀, holotype 2 habitus, dorsal view 3 head, anterior view 4 head, dorsal view 5 head, lateral view 6 medial part of fore and hind wings 7 propodeum and metasomal tergites 1 and 2, dorsal view.