Presoter Mahmood, Quicke & Papp, gen. nov.
Creators: name: Mahmood, Khalid
name: Papp, Jeno
name: Quicke, Donald L. J.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2010
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Braconidae
Presoter

description: Presoter Mahmood, Quicke & Papp, gen. nov. (Figs 1–3 a/b)
Head: Terminal flagellomere pointed, not acuminate, approximately as long as basally wide, flagellum approximately equal to fore wing, median flagellomeres approximately as long as wide. Scapus large subglobose, longer ventrally than dorsally, apico-laterally emarginate (Fig. 1 e). Head strongly cubic, smooth and shiny dorsally (Fig. 1 c). Eye moderately large, glabrous and weakly emarginated (Fig. 1 b). Clypeus separated from the hypoclypeal depression by a carina, clearly delineated from face dorsally by a distinct carina. Frons slightly depressed. Face micro sculptured with a clear median longitudinal carina (Fig. 1 b). Malar space with a well-developed groove running from lower margin of eye to the base of mandibles (Fig. 1 d). Labiomaxillary complex distinctly elongate.
Mesosoma: Mesosoma smooth, notauli distinct and deep along almost entire length (Fig. 2 a). Mesoscutum smooth and shiny, sparsely setose. Scutellar sulcus narrow and finely crenulate. Median area of metanotum large and swollen. Pre-coxal suture absent. Propodeum simple, without carina. Propodeal spiracle round-oval
Wings (Fig. 2 b): 2nd sub-marginal cell of forewing long (veins 2-M & 3-SR, 3.1 times & 2.4 times as long as r-m, respectively), veins 2-M and 3-SR more or less parallel. Vein SR1 reaching wing margin more than 0.8 of the distance from apex of the pterostigma to the wing tip. Vein 1-SR+M straight. Vein 1-SR distinct. Vein 1-M almost straight. Vein cu-a interstitial to marginally post furcal and slightly curved. Vein 3-CU distinct, not thickened posteriorly. Vein r more than 0.72 times longer than m-cu. Vein 2-SR+M longitudinal. Hind wing evenly setose. Vein 2-SC+R short, longitudinal. Vein 1r-m shorter than SC+R1. Vein 2-1A absent or indistinct.
Legs: Apex of fore tibia with a transverse row of pegs and with one apical spur. Claw without basal lobe, claw large and strongly curved, particularly on the fore leg (Fig. 2 c). Fore basitarsus more than 5 times longer than the sub-apically deep. Hind femur robust. Hind tibia slender, with weak longitudinal lateral groove and two apical spurs.
Metasoma: Metasoma transverse. 1st tergite with dorsal and dorso-lateral carina, lateral areas narrow and crenulate (Fig. 2 e). 2nd tergite entirely setose, finely and weakly crenulated, with a mid-basal triangular area which is produced posteriorly into a mid-longitudinal carina and with clearly defined antero-lateral areas (Fig. 2 f). Second metasomal suture narrow. Tergites 2+3 0.7 times longer than the posterior width of 3rd tergite. Tergites 3-5 with clearly defined antero-lateral areas. Poster-lateral margin of fifth tergite with small denticulate (Fig. 3 a). Ovipositor sheath long. Ovipositor with a pre-apical dorsal nodus and lower valve of ovipositor with teeth (Fig. 3 b).
Etymology: Based on the generic name Soter in reference to the less well developed tooth-like processes of the posterior margin of 5th metasomal tergite.
Phylogenetic position: It is possible that Presoter is related to Soter sharing an at least partially denticulate posterior margin to the 5th metasomal tergite as a putative synapomorphy. The incomplete condition in Presoter is arguably a less derived stage in the evolution of this character. The enlarged and strongly recurved claws, and the elongate labio-maxillary complex are putative autapomorphies of Presoter.
Discussion: This genus is similar to recently described genus Serrundabracon Achterberg in following characters: presence of distinctly impressed notauli, fore and mid tarsal claw strongly hooked, and ovipositor with a distinct pre-apical dorsal nodus and lower valve of ovipositor with teeth. This genus differs from closely related genera Rhytimorpha Szépligeti, Soter and Serrundabracon in restriction of 5th tergite denticulation to just a narrow lateral part of the hind margin, and by the very hooked fore tarsal claws.
Type species: Presoter yusufi sp. nov.
description: Published as part of Mahmood, Khalid, Papp, Jeno & Quicke, Donald L. J., 2010, Two new Afrotropical genera and species of braconine wasps (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) with descriptions of new species, pp. 14-22 in Zootaxa 2476 on pages 14-17, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.294200