Bracon (Glabrobracon) bitumor Papp 2018, sp. n.
Creators: name: Papp, Jenő
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2018
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Braconidae
Bracon
Bracon bitumor

description: Bracon (Glabrobracon) bitumor sp. n.
(Figs 22–27)
Material examined – Male holotype: Korea, Pyongyang City, Daesong-san (san = montain), 16 June 1988, leg O. Merkl et Gy. Szél, loc. no. 1317. Holotype is in good condition: (1) glued on card point by its mesosternum, (2) missing: tarsomeres 3–5 of right middle and tarsus of right hind legs.
Type depository – Holotype is deposited in the Hungarian Natural History Museum (Department of Zoology), Budapest, Hym. Typ. No. 12272.
Etymology – The species name refer to the tumescence-shape two swellings of the face (Fig. 24).
Description of the male holotype – Body 2 mm long. Antenna as long as body (2 mm) and with 22 antennomeres. Scape somewhat thick (Fig. 24). First flagellomere twice and penultimate flagellomere also twice as long as broad, flagellum faintly attenuating. – Head in dorsal view subcubic (Fig. 22), 1.5 times as broad as long, eye 1.3 times longer than temple, latter weakly rounded, occiput feebly excavated. Ocelli small and almost round, OOL 1.6 times as long as POL (Fig. 22). Eye in lateral view 1.5 times as high as wide, gena beyond eye narrowing ventrally, eye 1.3 times as wide as gena (Fig. 23 see arrows). Face quadrate: somewhat wider below antennal socket than high medially (Fig. 24 see arrows), inner margin of eyes converging ventrally; face (between eyes) with a apir of tumescenceshape swellings (Fig. 24). Horizontal diameter of oral opening about twice as long as shortest distance between opening and eye. Head polished.
Mesosoma in lateral view elongate, 1.6 times as long as high, polished. Notaulix faintly distinct on declivous anterior part of mesoscutum. Prescutellar furrow weak, smooth (i.e., not crenulated). Propodeum entirely smooth. – Hind femur thick, 3.1 times as long as broad medially, its lower margin almost straight (Fig. 25). Hind tibia one-fifth shorter than hind tarsus. Hind basitarsus slightly shorter than tarsomeres 2–4 combined.
Fore wing slightly longer than body (2.2 mm). Pterostigma 2.6 times as long as wide and issuing r just proximally from its middle, r almost as long as width of pterostigma. 3–SR almost twice longer than r, 3–SR a bit longer than 2–SR, SR1 straight, twice longer than 3–SR and reaching tip of wing (Fig. 26). First discal cell less high, 1–M twice as long as m–cu.
First tergite long, 1.3 times as long as broad, evenly and weakly broadening posteriorly, smooth and shiny. Second tergite 1.5 times longer than third tergite, suture between them straight and smooth (i.e., not crenulated), together with further tergites polished (Fig. 27).
Body and legs fully black, except pair of yellow facial tumescence-shape swellings. Wings brown fumous. Pterostigma opaque brownish, veins light brownish.
Female and host unknown.
Distribution – Korea.
Taxonomic position – The braconine new species, Bracon (Glabrobracon) bitumor, is close to B. (Gl.) claripennis Thomson considering their common features: head in dorsal view less transverse (Figs 22, 29), ground colour of body black; the two species differ from each other as follows:
1 (2) Face close below pair of antennal sockets with a pair of tumescenceshape swellings; inner margin of eyes converging ventrally (Fig. 24 see arrows). Head in dorsal view subcubic: 1.5 times as broad as long, eye 1.3 times longer than temple (Fig. 22). Fore wing: r almost as long as width of pterostigma, 3–SR a bit longer than 2–SR, SR1 twice as long as 3–SR (Fig. 26). Legs fully blackish. m: 2 mm. – Korea Bracon (Glabrobracon) bitumor sp. n.
2 (1) Face without swelling as usually; inner margin of eyes parallel (Fig. 28 see arrows). Head in dorsal view less cubic, 1.7(–1.8) times as broad as long, eye 1.5 times longer than temple (Fig. 29). Fore wing: r clearly shorter than width of pterostigma, 3–SR 1.7–1.8 times as long as 2–SR, SR1 less than twice as long as 3–SR (45:32, Fig. 30). Legs (usually) yellow, coxae dark. m: 1.8–2.2 mm. – Europe Bracon (Glabrobracon) claripennis Thomson, 1894
With the key to the Bracon species of Asiatic Russia (TOBIAS & BELOKOB-YLSKIJ 2000: 113–164) Bracon (Glabrobracon) bitumor runs to B. (Gl.) nigropterus Tobias, the two species are distinguished by the features keyed (B. nigripterus known only by its description):
1 (2) Face quadrate: somewhat wider than high (Fig. 24 see arrows), innermargin of eyes converging ventrally; face with a pair of tumescence-shape swellings. Hind femur 3.1 times as long as broad (Fig. 25). Second tergite 1.5 times longer than third tergite (Fig. 27). Fore leg entirely black. Body black, only facial swellings yellow. m: 2 mm. – KoreaBracon (Glabrobracon) bitumorsp. n.
2 (1) Face wide: 2.3 times wider than high, inner margin of eyes faintly converging ventrally; face without swellings. Hind femur four times as long as broad. Tergites 2–3 equal in length. Fore leg brownish yellow, head and mesosoma black with brownish yellow pattern. f: 4 mm. – Asiatic Russia: Primorski krai Bracon (Glabrobracon) nigropterus Tobias, 2000
Taxonomic remark – The new species, B. (Gl.) bitumor sp. n., is separated by a few features from B. (Gl.) nigropterus. The morphological distinction of the two species seems firmly supported, however, critical arguments may raise against the species validity of B. bitumor: (1) The holotype ” bitumor ” may represent the male sex of nigropterus (by the unusual facial trait), the latter species (i.e., B. nigropterus), contrarily, is known only by the female holotype. (2) The facial swelling may restrict to the male form. (3) The subcubic head in dorsal view (Fig. 67 / 1 in Tobias & Belokobylskij 2000: 144; Fig. 22), the elongate mesosoma (1.5 times as long as high), the length of first tergite, black coloured body and brown fumous wings, i.e., the common features of the two species imply unintentionally their supposed specific identity. More specimens: females and males as well as reared material of them are needed to decide unambiguously whether we are confronting one or two species. Currently I consider the two holotype-forms as representing two distinct species.
description: Published as part of Papp, Jenő, 2018, Braconidae (Hymenoptera) From Korea, Xxiv. Species Of Thirteen Subfamilies, pp. 21-50 in Acta Zoologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae 64 (1) on pages 26-29, DOI: 10.17109/AZH.64.1.21.2018, http://zenodo.org/record/5734617