Townesia sulcata Sheng & Li

Li, Tao, Sun, Shu-Ping, Sheng, Mao-Ling, Liu, Jing-Xian & Pham, Nhi Thi, 2019, Taxonomic study of the genus Townesia Ozols (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae, Pimplinae) with description of a new species from China and a key to world species, ZooKeys 878, pp. 23-32 : 26-28

Townesia sulcata Sheng & Li sp. nov. Figures 1-5 , 6-9 , 10

Diagnosis.

Face ( Fig. 2 ) 1.2 times as wide as long. Malar space approximately 0.3 times as long as basal width of mandible. Postocellar line approximately 0.8 times as long as ocular-ocellar line. Antenna with 24 flagellomeres. Forewing vein 1cu-a opposite to 1/M. Areolet receiving 2m-cu approximately at its posterior 0.2. Hind wing vein 1-cu about as long as cu-a. Basal 0.6-0.7 of propodeum with median longitudinal furrow. Apical portion of ovipositor evenly downcurved.

Description.

Female ( Fig. 1 ). Body length approximately 10.4-12.2 mm. Forewing length 7.1-7.8 mm. Ovipositor sheath 11.5-13.1 mm.

Head. Face ( Fig. 2 ) approximately 1.2 times as wide as long, smooth with sparse, fine punctures and white hairs; median portion slightly convex. Basal portion of clypeus smooth, with sparse, fine punctures and yellowish-brown hairs; apical portion with dense, fine punctures and short, yellowish-brown hairs; apical margin with deep, median concavity. Malar area with finely granulose texture. Malar space approximately 0.3 times as long as basal width of mandible. Inner orbits of compound eyes convergent downwards. Gena smooth ( Fig. 3 ), with fine, sparse punctures and short, yellowish-brown hairs. Vertex ( Fig. 4 ) smooth, laterally with very sparse punctures, hind part with relatively dense punctures and white hairs. Postocellar line approximately 0.8 times as long as ocular-ocellar line. Upper part of frons with evenly dense punctures and short, white hairs; lower portion concave, with weak, fine, transverse wrinkles. Antenna with 24 flagellomeres, ratio of length from first to fifth flagellomeres: 1.2:1.0:1.0:0.9:0.8. Occipital carina complete.

Mesosoma. Pronotum ( Fig. 6 ) smooth; upper and upper-posterior portions with fine punctures and short, white hairs. Mesoscutum ( Fig. 5 ) slightly convex, with dense punctures and yellowish-white hairs, distance between punctures 0.5-3.5 times diameter of puncture, posterior portion distinctly more sparsely punctate than anterior portion. Notaulus evident, reaching about 0.6 the distance to posterior margin of mesoscutum. Scutellum slightly convex, with dense punctures. Posterior portion of postscutellum transversely convex, with sparse punctures; anterior portion oblique concavity. Mesopleuron ( Fig. 6 ) smooth; anterior and lower portions with dense punctures and grey-white hairs. Speculum with few hairs. Metapleuron with sparse punctures. Submetalpeural carina complete. Wings yellowish hyaline; fore wing with vein 1cu-a opposite to 1/M. Areolet oblique quadrangle, receiving 2m-cu approximately at its posterior 0.2. Hind wing vein 1-cu about as long as cu-a. Claws with large basal lobe. Ratio of length of hind first to fifth tarsomeres: 9.5:5.0:3.1:1.0:2.5. Propodeum ( Fig. 7 ) smooth, shiny, with uneven punctures and yellowish-white hairs; apical median portion smooth; basal 0.6-0.7 with median longitudinal furrow; spiracle small, circular.

Metasoma ( Fig. 8 ). Tergite I ( Fig. 9 ) about 1.7 times as long as apical width; with dense punctures; median portion obviously raised, median longitudinal portion weakly concave; spiracle small, circular, located as basal 0.4 of tergite I. Tergite II ( Fig. 9 ) about 1.9 times as long as apical width; with same texture as that of tergite I, apical 0.25 glabrous. Tergites III–V with the same texture as that of tergite II, subbasal weakly concave, with lateral tubercles, apical 0.25 glabrous. Tergites VI–VII with dense punctures. Ovipositor slender, apical portion decurved, dorsal valve smooth, ventral valve with 10 or 11 ridges ( Fig. 10 ).

Coloration ( Fig. 1 ). Black, except following. Maxillary and labial palpi, tegula, and basal portion of fore wing, yellow. Clypeus fusco-testaceous. Legs reddish brown. Fore and mid trochanters yellow; tibia yellowish brown; first to fifth tarsi brown; fifth tarsus dark brown. Hind trochantellus yellow; main portion of tibia yellowish brown to brown, apical portion dark brown; tarsus dark brown to black brown. Veins and pterostigma brown.

Male.

Unknown.

Etymology.

The name of the new species is based on the form of the propodeum which is characterized by having a median, longitudinal groove.

Type material.

Holotype: ♀, CHINA, Hongqiling, Chagou, Haicheng City, Liaoning Province, 15 May 2015, leg. Mao-Ling Sheng. Paratypes: 4 ♀♀, same data as holotype except leg. Mao-Ling Sheng, Tao Li.

Host.

Unknown.

Distribution.

China.

Comments.

This new species is similar to T. qinghaiensis He, 1996 in having the gena, vertex, mesopleuron ( Fig. 6 ), and propodeum smooth and shiny; propodeum almost without transverse wrinkles; and main portion of hind tibia yellowish brown to brown, with subbasal and apical portion dark brown to black. It can be distin guished from the latter by the following combination of characters: forewing vein 1cu-a opposite 1/M (distal in T. qinghaiensis ), basal 0.6 to 0.7 of propodeum with median longitudinal furrow (absent in T. qinghaiensis ), apical portion of ovipositor distinctly curved, dorsal valve smooth, without ridge ( Fig. 10 ), straight and dorsal valve with weak ridges in T. qinghaiensis ( Fig. 13 ), hind coxa red-brown (brownish black in T. qinghaiensis ). The new species can be distinguished from all other species by the key provided above.

Figures

Figures 1 - 5. Townesia sulcata Sheng & Li, sp. nov. Holotype, ♀ 1 habitus, lateral view 2 head, anterior view 3 head, lateral view 4 head, dorsal view 5 mesoscutum.

Figures 6 - 9. Townesia sulcata Sheng & Li, sp. nov. Holotype, ♀ 6 mesosoma, lateral view 7 propodeum 8 metasoma, dorsal view 9 tergites I-II, dorsal view.

Figures 10 - 14. Apical part of ovipositor, lateral view 10 Townesia sulcata Sheng & Li, sp. nov. 11 Townesia cheni Liu & He 12 Townesia exilis Gupta & Tikar 13 Townesia qinghaiensis He 14 Townesia tenuiventris (Holmgren).