Psyttalia majocellata Wu & van Achterberg

Wu, Qiong, Achterberg, Cornelis van, Tan, Jiang-Li & Chen, Xue-Xin, 2016, Review of the East Palaearctic and North Oriental Psyttalia Walker, with the description of three new species (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Opiinae), ZooKeys 629, pp. 103-151 : 122-127

Taxon classification Animalia Hymenoptera Braconidae

Psyttalia majocellata Wu & van Achterberg sp. n. Figs 44, 45-52, 53, 54-64

Type material.

Holotype, ♀ (ZJUH), "[S. China:] Hainan, Bawangling Mts, 28.v.3.vi. 2007, Liqiong Weng, No. 200804217". Paratypes (2 ♀ 2 ♂): 1 ♀ 2 ♂ (ZJUH, RMNH), id., but 9-10.vi.2007, Jingxian Liu, Nos 200703438, 200703465 and 201503525; 1 ♀ (ZJUH), "[SW. China:] Guizhou, Mayanghe river, 1-3.x.2007, Jingxian Liu, No. 200709564".

Comparative diagnosis.

The new species runs in the key to the subgenus Psyttalia by Fischer (1987) to the Oriental Psyttalia walkeri (Muesebeck, 1931). The new species differs by having a short median carina on the propodeum, bifurcated medially and posterior half of propodeum with crenulae (Fig. 48; vs median carina long, bifurcated apically and posteriorly smooth in Psyttalia walkeri ), POL equal to diameter of posterior ocellus (vs smaller), face and mesosoma similarly yellow (Fig. 46; vs face pale yellow, different from reddish yellow mesosoma), second tergite smooth (vs superficially granulate) and first tergite slightly longer than wide apically (Fig. 48; vs about 1.3 times). The new species can be easily confused with pale Psyttalia carinata (Thomson). The new species differs by having larger ocelli (OOL 1.2-1.7 times diameter of posterior ocellus and POL 0.8-1.0 times diameter of ocellus (Fig. 50) vs OOL 2.0-2.4 times diameter of posterior ocellus and POL slightly longer than diameter of ocellus in Psyttalia carinata (Fig. 8)), frons and vertex laterally punctate (vs largely smooth), vein 2-SR+M of fore wing 0.6-0.8 times as long as vein m-cu (vs about 0.4 times), second tergite half as long as third tergite (vs 0.8-0.9 times), first discal cell more transverse (vs transverse), base of hind tibia dark brown (vs brownish yellow) and distributed N. Oriental (vs Palaearctic). See note under Psyttalia carinata about a similar species from S. China.

Description.

Holotype, ♀, length of body 3.3 mm, of fore wing 3.2 mm.

Head. Antenna with 40+ segments (apical segments missing), bristly and rather erect setose and at least 1.3 times as long as fore wing; third segment 1.2 times as long as fourth segment, length of third and fourth penultimate segments 3.2 and 2.6 times their width, respectively (Fig. 44); maxillary palp 1.1 times as long as height of head; length of eye in dorsal view 3.9 times temple (Fig. 50); temple shiny, smooth except for some punctulation posteriorly and with sparse setae; OOL: diameter of ocellus: POL = 22:13:13; area behind stemmaticum reclivous (Fig. 50); face coarsely punctate with interspaces about equal to diameter of punctures and with satin sheen (Fig. 49); frons slightly depressed behind antennal sockets and with triangular depression between antennal sockets, shiny, smooth and glabrous but laterally (as vertex) setose and punctate (Fig. 50); labrum nearly flat; clypeus transverse, convex, punctate and its ventral margin truncate and thin (Fig. 49); width of clypeus 2.7 times its maximum height and 0.7 times width of face; hypoclypeal depression wide and deep (Fig. 49); malar suture largely absent; malar space 0.4 times longer than basal width of mandible and punctate; mandible not twisted, apically moderately narrowed and with both teeth wide, normal basally and with narrow ventral carina; occipital carina remains far removed from hypostomal carina and dorsally absent; hypostomal carina medium-sized ventrally.

Mesosoma. Length of mesosoma 1.4 times its height; pronope absent and only with groove; pronotal side largely smooth, but anterior and posterior grooves present, anteriorly and posteriorly with some crenulae (Fig. 46); propleuron flattened; epicnemial area smooth dorsally; precoxal sulcus moderately punctate-crenulate, absent posteriorly and nearly complete anteriorly (Fig. 46); remainder of mesopleuron smooth (except for band of fine punctures medially) and shiny; pleural sulcus smooth ventrally; mesosternal sulcus medium-sized and moderately crenulate; postpectal carina absent; mesoscutum very shiny and nearly entirely glabrous (Fig. 47); notauli only anteriorly as pair of partly finely crenulate impressions and absent on disc; scutellar sulcus deep and with 4 short crenulae, parallel-sided medially; scutellum slightly convex and smooth, only laterally sparsely setose (Fig. 47); metanotum with short longitudinal carina antero-medially and finely crenulate posteriorly (Fig. 47); surface of propodeum smooth, except for crenulae near reversed Y-shaped median carina (median carina part rather short), distinctly depressed posteriorly near triangular areola and with lateral crenulate groove above spiracle (Fig. 48).

Wings. Fore wing: 1-SR about 4 times longer than wide and linear with 1-M; pterostigma triangular and r linear with postero-basal border (Figs 45, 55); 1-R1 ending at wing apex and 1.7 times as long as pterostigma; r linear with 3-SR and medium-sized; r-m unsclerotized; 1-SR+M narrow and sclerotized; r:3-SR:SR1 = 2:9:16; 2-SR:3-SR:r-m = 23:45:13; 1-M straight and SR1 slightly curved; m-cu far antefurcal and straight, converging to 1-M (Fig. 45); 2-SR+M rather long and narrow (Fig. 55); cu-a medium-sized, oblique and far postfurcal; 1-CU1 straight and widened; 1-CU1:2-CU1= 15:24; first subdiscal cell widened apically and closed, CU1b medium-sized; only apex of M+CU1 sclerotized. Hind wing: 2-M slightly sinuate; M+CU:1-M:1r-m = 5:5:3; cu-a straight; m-cu and SR absent.

Legs. Length of femur, tibia and basitarsus of hind leg 3.5, 8.6 and 5.6 times as long as width, respectively (Fig. 42); hind femur with rather long setae.

Metasoma. Length of first tergite 1.1 times its apical width, convex medio-posteriorly, its surface largely finely rugose (Fig. 48), dorsal carinae strong in basal 0.7 of tergite and with depressed area below; second suture slightly indicated; basal depressions of second tergite deep and elliptical; second tergite 0.5 times as long as third tergite; second partly superficially coriaceous and following tergites smooth, shiny and sparsely setose; combined length of second and third metasomal tergites 0.25 times total length of metasoma; length of setose part of ovipositor sheath 0.47 times fore wing, as long as metasoma, 3.2 times first tergite, twice hind femur and 1.5 times hind tibia; hypopygium about 0.5 times as long as metasoma, distinctly acute apically and reaching apex of metasoma (Fig. 51).

Colour. Brownish yellow; stemmaticum black; antenna (except scapus and pedicellus but with dark patch on outer side, third segment darker than fourth one and apical segments becoming paler), ovipositor sheath, base of hind tibia and hind tarsus largely dark brown; tegulae pale yellow; palpi and base of legs ivory; pterostigma pale brown with margins darkened (Fig. 45) and veins brown; wing membrane subhyaline.

Variation. Length of fore wing 2.9-3.3 mm; antenna of ♀ with 37-44 segments and 1.4-1.5 times as long as fore wing; OOL 1.2-1.7 times diameter of posterior ocellus and POL 0.8-1.0 times diameter of ocellus; first tergite 1.1-1.3 times as long as its apical width (Figs 48, 59); hind femur 3.4-3.8 times as long as wide; setose part of ovipositor sheath 0.45-0.47 times as long as fore wing and 1.4-1.5 times hind tibia; second tergite more or less coriaceous; pterostigma of ♂ somewhat darker than of ♀ (Fig. 55); posterior areola of propodeum short (♀) or elongate triangular (♂) with long and rather short median carina, respectively (Figs 63-64); second–sixth tergites of ♂ partly dark brown and first tergite infuscate (Figs 53, 59); ♀ from Guizhou has base of hind tibia yellowish, basal half of antenna mainly brownish yellow (including third segment), propodeum more sculptured, antenna with 37 segments and second tergite almost entirely smooth. Males have mesoscutum only slightly darker brown laterally than medially, without distinct pattern (Fig. 58).

Distribution.

China (Hainan, Guizhou).

Biology.

Unknown.

Etymology.

From “major” (Latin for “larger”) and “ocellus” (Latin for "small eye") because of the larger ocelli.