Eripnopelta ithyvena Xiong, van Achterberg & Chen, 2017

Chen, Xue-Xin, 2017, A new genus of the tribe Cotesiini Mason (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Microgastrinae) from China, Zootaxa 4324 (2), pp. 391-396 : 392-395

Eripnopelta ithyvena Xiong, van Achterberg & Chen , sp. nov.

Figures 1 –3

Description. Holotype, ♀, body length: 2.5 mm, fore wing length: 2.5 mm.

Head. Transverse in dorsal view, 1.9 × as wide as long and 1.1 × as wide as mesoscutum. Frons smooth. Face, vertex and temple shiny and nearly smooth, with superficial punctation, face about 0.85 × as high as wide, inner margin of eyes parallel. Clypeus smooth. Temple behind eyes rounded. Ocelli form a low triangle, POL: OD: OOL = 5: 2: 5. Antenna thick and short, about as long as fore wing. Scape as long as wide, first flagellomere 2.3 × as long as wide, penultimate flagellomere 1.3 × longer than wide.

Mesosoma. Length: breadth: height = 47: 25: 32. Pronotum rather narrow and shiny, finely crenulate ventrally. Propleuron smooth. Mesoscutum densely punctate. Mesopleuron without distinct precoxal sulcus (but with depression medially), its anterior half sculptured and smooth posteriorly. Scutellar sulcus shallow. Scutellum convex and steep posteriorly, strongly shiny and somewhat protruding above level of sculptured middle part of scutellum. Propodeum coarsely reticulate-rugose with a distinct median carina.

Wings. Fore wing: 2.7 × as long as wide, Pterostigma 1.4 × as long as its maximum width. Vein 1-R1 1.8 × as long as its distance from it to apex of the marginal cell and 0.9 × pterostigma. Vein r-m present, but minute and not pigmented, resulting in a minute and triangular second submarginal cell about as wide as surrounding veins ( Fig. 1B ). Vein 2-SR+M of fore wing medium-sized, vein r of fore wing long and vertical, vein r: width of pterostigma: vein 2-SR = 8: 9: 6; vein 2-SR+M medium-sized. First discal cell nearly as wide as high, 1-CU1: 2-CU1 = 4: 7, 1- M: m-cu = 2: 1; 1-SR: 1-M = 3: 1.2; m-cu as long as 2-SR+M. Hind wing: cu-a vertical and straight; submarginal cell length: width = 9: 6; M+CU: 1-M = 16: 23.

Legs. Hind coxa medium-sized, its apex up to level of apex of T2, and only dorsally densely rugose; hind femur 3.5 × as long as wide and 1.6 × as long as coxa.

Metasoma. About 0.8 × as long as mesosoma. T1 rugose and widened apically, length: basal width: apical width = 15: 8: 13, basal half shiny and less extensively rugose and only anteriorly slightly depressed. Median triangular area of T2 surrounded by two rugose grooves. T2 rectangular, 2.2 × wider than long. T3 as long as T2 and wider. T3 and following tergites smooth. Hypopygium more or less protruding but remains removed from apex of metasoma ( Fig. 2I ). Ovipositor sheath 0.3–0.4 × as long as hind basitarsus, and largely glabrous except some apical setae.

Colour. Body black. Antenna brown but scape, pedicel and first flagellomeres always yellowish brown. Mandible brown. Palpi, tegulae, spurs and legs yellowish except black coxa. Wing membrane subhyaline, pterostigma brownish, most veins brown. T3 (except dark brown base) and T4–5 brownish yellow.

Male. Antenna relatively slender and dark. Tegulae pale yellow. Legs rather brown. Metasoma completely black.

Variation. Body length 2.1–2.5 mm. Shape of second submarginal cell of fore wing (= areolet) varies from triangular to subquadrate, because of the more or less slightly distal vein r-m. Antenna colour always yellowish brown to brown in paratypes.

Host. Unknown.

Distribution. China (Zhejiang, Ningxia, Guizhou).

Material examined. Holotype ( ZJUH): ♀, China, Zhejiang, Hangzhou , V.1954, Can Li, No. 5406.1 . Paratypes ( ZJUH, RMNH): 27♀, 5♂, same data as holotype . 1♂, China, Ningxia, Mt. Liupan , 8.VII.2008, Jingxian Liu, No. 200905485 . 1♂, id., but 1.VII.2008, No. 200905512; 1♂, China, Guizhou, Mayanghe , 01.XI.2007, Jingxian Liu, No. 200709096.

Etymology. The name refers to the straight and nearly vertical vein r of the fore wing: “ithys” is Latin for “straight” and “vena” is Latin for “vein”.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Eripnopelta ithyvena Xiong, van Achterberg & Chen, sp. nov., ♀, holotype. A Habitus dorsal aspect B Wings. Scale line = 0.2 mm.

FIGURE 2. Eripnopelta ithyvena Xiong, van Achterberg & Chen, sp. nov., ♀, holotype, except E and H of paratype. A mesosoma, lateral aspect B mesosoma, dorsal aspect C scutellum, lateral aspect D propodeum and T 1, dorsal aspect E T 1, basal part of metasoma, dorsal aspect F head, anterior aspect G head, dorsal aspect H metasoma, lateral aspect I hind leg J basal segments of antenna K apical segments of antenna.