Blacus (Ganychorus) mystrus Lu, Chai, Achterberg, Tang & Chen, 2025, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Lu, Qian-Yu
name: Chai, Hong-Fei
name: Achterberg, Cornelis Van
name: Tang, Pu
name: Chen, Xue-Xin
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2025
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Braconidae
Blacus
Blacus mystrus

description: Blacus (Ganychorus) mystrus sp. nov.
(Figs 23–24)
Material examined. Holotype: ♀, China, Sichuan, Tianquan, Laba River, 15.VII.2006, Zhang Hongying, No. 200612017 (ZJUH).
Diagnosis. The new species is similar to B. (G.) annulatus van Achterberg, 1988 because has the malar suture absent, first discal cell acute anteriorly, wing membrane more or less infuscated, fore and middle claws with blackish bristles, hind claws simple, length of ovipositor sheath approx. 0.16 × length of fore wing, propodeal tubercles absent, and propodeum without areola, but differs by having 21 antennomeres (19 in B. (G.) annulatus), precoxal sulcus wide and striate-rugose (narrow and crenulate medially), length of malar space 2.6 × basal width of mandible (1.5 ×), side of pronotum rugose ventrally and smooth dorsally (largely smooth), wings hyaline (infuscated), length of first metasomal tergite 2.1 × its apical width (1.7 ×), notauli only crenulate anteriorly (crenulate entirety), and antenna yellow, not contrasting with other antennomeres (twelfth-seventeenth antennomeres of ♀ whitish yellow, contrasting with other dark antennomeres).
Description. Female. Length of body 2.6 mm, length of fore wing 2.6 mm.
Head. Antennomeres 21 (Fig. 24C); length of first flagellomere 1.5 × length of second flagellomere; length of first, second and penultimate flagellomere 3.7, 2.5 and 1.4 × their width, respectively; length of maxillary palp 1.1 × height of head; occipital carina complete; frons smooth and sparsely setose, frontal suture present; OOL: OD: POL = 10: 4: 7; length of eye in dorsal view 0.9 × length of temple; face smooth or nearly so; malar suture absent, length of malar space 2.6 × basal width of mandible.
Mesosoma. Length of mesosoma 1.3 × its height; side of pronotum rugose ventrally and smooth dorsally; precoxal sulcus wide and striate-rugose (Fig. 24D); notauli rather wide, crenulate anteriorly and rugose posteriorly (Fig. 24E); mesoscutal middle lobe setose; scutellum mostly smooth, strongly protruding dorsally, spoon-like; propodeal tubercles absent; surface of propodeum superficially rugose, medial area absent (Fig. 24F).
Wings. Fore wing: first discal cell acute anteriorly; 1-CU1: 2-CU1 = 11: 17 (Fig. 24H).
Legs. Hind coxa rugose dorsally; length of femur, tibia and basitarsus of hind leg 5.8, 10.2 and 7.1 × their width, respectively; fore and middle claws with blackish bristles (Fig. 24J); hind claws missing.
Metasoma. Length of first tergite 2.1 × its apical width, slightly widened apically, longitudinally rugose (Fig. 24G); second tergite smooth; length of ovipositor sheath 0.17 × length of fore wing.
Colour. Yellowish brown (but mesonotum lighter, propodeum and first metasomal tergite darker); antenna, palpi, clypeus, mandible, tegulae, fore and middle legs yellow; hind leg brown; wing membrane largely infuscated.
Male. Unknown.
Biology. Unknown.
Distribution. China (Sichuan).
Etymology. The specific name refers to the spoon-like protruding carina of the scutellum and “mystron” is Greek for spoon.
description: Published as part of Lu, Qian-Yu, Chai, Hong-Fei, Achterberg, Cornelis Van, Tang, Pu & Chen, Xue-Xin, 2025, The first review of the subgenus Ganychorus Haliday, 1835 (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Brachistinae) in China, pp. 201-250 in Zootaxa 5575 (2) on pages 228-230, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5575.2.1, http://zenodo.org/record/14746703