Alysia sparsa Zhu & Achterberg & Chen 2018, sp. n.
Creators: name: Zhu, Jia-Chen
name: Achterberg, Cornelis Van
name: Chen, Xue-Xin
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2018
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Braconidae
Alysia
Alysia sparsa

description: Alysia sparsa sp. n.   
Figs 9–10  
 Type material. Holotype, ♀ (ZJUH), “ [NE. China:] Hubei, Mt. Xiaowutai, Jinhekou 23.?.2005, Zhang Hongying, No. 200608958”.   
 Diagnosis. Body black (Fig. 9); two basal antennomere of antenna brownish yellow; mandible and palpi yellow; third antennomere (including annellus) 1.3 × longer than fourth antennomere (Fig. 10G); eye in dorsal view 1.6 × as long as temple (Fig. 10I); eye in lateral view 1.1 × higher than wide (Fig. 10K); frons smooth posteriorly, but rugose between antennal sockets; vertex and temple smooth (Fig. 10I); face weakly rugose medially, twice wider than high, rather convex medially, with a medio-longitudinal ridge (Fig. 10J); clypeus small, semi-elliptical and with some punctures (Fig. 10J); precoxal sulcus narrowly crenulated and small, not reaching middle coxa and anterior edge of epicnemial area (Fig. 10C); notauli incomplete, only present anteriorly; medioposterior depression deep and droplet-shaped, remaining far from middle of mesoscutum (Fig. 10D); surface of propodeum densely reticulate-rugose, areola absent posteriorly (Fig. 10E); pterostigma 5.0 × longer than its maximum width (Fig. 10A); hind coxa smooth (Fig. 10N); length of first tergite 1.3 × its apical width, its surface longitudinally striate and some rugae between striae, its dorsal carinae connected subposteriorly (Fig. 10E); ovipositor sheath with very few setae and only apically present; convexity of upper valve of ovipositor steep basally; total visible sheath 0.3 × as long as fore wing, and nearly as long as hind tibia (Fig. 10H); metasoma except first tergite dark reddish brown; legs yellowish brown, but apical part of hind tibia brown (Fig. 9).   
 Description. Holotype, ♀, length of body 3.5 mm, of fore wing 4.3 mm.   
Head. Transverse, width of head 2.0 × its lateral length, and 1.5 × wider than mesoscutum (Fig. 10I); antenna with 34 antennomere, third antennomere (including annellus) 1.3 × longer than fourth antennomere, length of third, fourth and penultimate antennomere 4.0, 4.0 and 2.2 × their width, respectively (Fig. 10G); maxillary palp incomplete (Fig. 10K); eye in dorsal view 1.6 × as long as temple (Fig. 10I); eye in lateral view 1.1 × higher than wide (Fig. 10K); frons smooth posteriorly, but rugose between antennal sockets (Fig. 10I); vertex and temple smooth (Fig. 10I); OOL:diameter of ocellus:POL= 13:5:6; face weakly rugose in middle, twice wider than high and with a medio-longitudinal ridge (Fig. 10J); clypeus small, semi-elliptical and with some punctures; mandible enlarged apically, dorsal tooth enlarged, lobe-shaped (Fig. 10L), ventral tooth medium-sized and lobe-shaped (Fig. 10M), middle tooth curved and acute, with no incision between first and second tooth (Fig. 10L), medial length of mandible 1.4 × its maximum width.  
Mesosoma. Length of mesosoma 1.4 × its height (Fig. 10C); pronope absent; medio-anteriorly pronotum crenulate, remainder of pronotum smooth; epicnemial area weakly rugose; precoxal sulcus narrowly crenulated and small, not reaching middle coxa and anterior edge of epicnemial area (Fig. 10C); pleural sulcus narrowly crenulated; episternal scrobe linear and deep (Fig. 10C); metapleuron reticulate-rugose ventrally, remainder smooth; notauli incomplete, only present anteriorly (Fig. 10D); medio-posterior depression deep and dropletshaped, remaining far from middle of mesoscutum, scutellar sulcus deep, with four small carinae, sulcus 3.8 × wider than its maximum length (Fig. 10D); scutellum smooth; surface of propodeum densely reticulate-rugose, areola absent posteriorly (Fig. 10E).  
Wings (Figs 10A–B). Pterostigma wide, 5.0 × longer than its maximum width. r:3-SR:SR1 = 1:3:13; 1-SR+M nearly straight; SR1 straight; r 0.4 × as long as width of pterostigma; cu-a postfurcal; 1-CU1:2-CU1 = 3: 20; 3-CU1 as long as CU1b; 2-SR:3-SR:r-m = 25:16:12; m-cu interstitial, converging to 1-M posteriorly; first subdiscal cell 4.0 × as long as wide; M+CU1 largely unsclerotized. Hind wing: M+CU: 1-M: 1r-m = 20:12:12; m-cu interstitial.  
Legs. Hind coxa smooth, without ventro-basal tubercle (Fig. 10N); length of femur and tibia of hind leg 4.3 and 10.0 × their width, respectively; hind tarsal segments missing.  
Metasoma. Length of first tergite 1.3 × its apical width, its surface longitudinally striate and some rugae between striae, its dorsal carinae connected subposteriorly; dorsope distinct; ovipositor sheath with very few setae and only apically; convexity of upper valve of ovipositor steep basally; total visible sheath 0.3 × as long as fore wing, and nearly as long as hind tibia.  
Colour. Blackish brown (Fig. 9); two basal segments of antenna brownish yellow; mandible, palpi yellow; metasoma except first tergite dark reddish brown; legs (except apical part of hind tibia brown) yellowish brown; pterostigma and veins brown; wing membrane hyaline.  
 Comparative diagnosis. This species is similar to A. nudinotum Wharton but differs by having the ovipositor sheath with very few setae (versus densely setose in A. nudinotum); width of head twice its lateral length (versus 1.6 times); length of first tergite approx. 1.3 × its apical width (versus 1.6 times); mandible with no incision between first and second tooth (versus with small incision).   
 Etymology. Named “ sparsa ” because the ovipositor sheath has only a few setae: “ sparsus ” is Latin for “few, rare”.
description: Published as part of Zhu, Jia-Chen, Achterberg, Cornelis Van & Chen, Xue-Xin, 2018, Review of the genus Alysia Latreille (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Alysiinae), with description of six new species from China, pp. 1-42 in Zootaxa 4500 (1) on pages 15-17, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4500.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/5755225