Spathius
Creators: name: Ranjith, A. P.
name: Belokobylskij, Sergey A.
name: Priyadarsanan, Dharma Rajan
name: Aswaj, Punnath
name: Nasser, M.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2020
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Braconidae
Spathius

description: Key to brachypterous, micropterous and apterous species of the genus Spathius
1. Face almost entire with excessively fine, absolutely even, transverse aciculation; clypeal suture mostly absent. (Present as fullwinged as micropterous forms). (Fig. 11) Body length 2.5–3.1 mm [India]................ Spathius critolaus Nixon, 1939
- Face without such fine aciculation, rugulose-striate or reticulate, sometimes almost smooth; clypeal suture present at least laterally................................................................................................ 2
2. Mesonotum distinctly concave (hollowed out) medially, this cavity mainly smooth and with fine median keel. (Malar space half length of longitudinal diameter of eye) (Fig. 6). Body length 2.2 mm [Australia]............ Spathius turneri Nixon 1943
- Mesonotum not concave medially, mostly sculptured, granulate or coriaceous with rugosity.......................... 3
3. Dorsal body, metapleuron and legs with extremely long dark setae; setae on dorsal surface of hind tibia more than 3.0 × longer than its maximum width; body of female having a mottled white, dark brown and brown pattern. Body length 3.9 mm [Lord Howe Island]..................................................... Spathius lubomiri Austin et Jennings, 2009
- Dorsal body, metapleuron and legs with short or long pale setae, if setae long (Spathius cursor, S. maderi, S. himalayicus sp. nov.), then distinctly shorter than in S. lubomiri; setae on dorsal surface of hind tibia less than 3.0 × longer than it maximum width; body of female predominantly monochromic or partly mixed pale or dark colour............................. 4
4. Mesoscutum without notauli and prescutellar depression (scutal sulcus); scutellum not delineated, indistinct; malar space distinctly longer than height of eye; promesosoma, meso-, and metapleuron entirely coarsely longitudinally striate. Body length 3.2–3.6 mm. (Figs 7, 8) [Canary Islands]...................................... Spathius canariensis Hedqvist, 1976
- Mesoscutum with rather distinctly delineated notauli, prescutellar depression (scutal sulcus) and scutellum; malar space not longer than height of eye; promesosoma, meso-, and metapleuron without longitudinally striate, granulate-rugulose and sometimes partly almost smooth.............................................................................. 5
5. Propodeum strongly convex, upper laying more or less upper level of scutellum, without protuberances and delineated basolateral areas. (scutellum distinctly convex; ovipositor sheath usually longer than metasoma; body covered by short, semi-erect setae). Body length 2.0– 3.3 mm. (Fig. 10) [U.K., Denmark, Belgium, Netherlands, France, Spain (with Canary Is), Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Slovenia, Yugoslavia (former), Poland, Czechoslovakia (former), Hungary, Romania, Ukraine, Russia (European part), Georgia, Israel, New Zealand (accidental introduction)]............................................................................................. Spathius pedestris Wesmael, 1838 (= S. apterus Wollaston, 1858)
- Propodeum weakly convex, laying far below scutellum level, with distinct protuberances and delineated basolateral areas (except S. apotanus)..................................................................................... 6
6. Scutellum in form of rounded hump or conical projection; propodeum without postero-lateral protuberances and delineated basolateral areas; metasoma behind petiole matt. Body length 2.0–4.0 mm. (Fig. 4) [South Africa]............................................................................................. Spathius apotanus Wilkinson, 1931
- Scutellum normal, weakly evenly convex or almost flat; propodeum with more or less distinct postero-lateral protuberances and delineated basolateral areas; metasoma behind petiole smooth and shining........................................ 7
7. Vertex smooth; setae of upper surface of hind tibia rather short and semi-erect, their length 0.5–0.8 × maximum width of tibia; petiole of metasoma short, 1.4–1.7 × longer than apical width; ovipositor sheath 1.0–1.3 × as long as metasoma. Body length 1.9–2.6 mm. (Fig. 9) [Spain, Serbia, Albania, Russia (south of the European part)]..................................................................................... Spathius maderi Fahringer, 1930 (= S. hirtus Hedqvist, 1976)
- Vertex sculptured; setae of upper surface of the hind tibia long and outstanding, almost erect, much longer than maximum width of tibia; petiole of metasoma long, 2.1–3.0 × longer than apical width; ovipositor sheath shorter than metasoma.......... 8
8. Face almost entirely smooth, with delicate transverse striae partly; scutellum almost flat; body yellowish-brown with dark metasoma; hind tibiae honey-brown, faintly paler at extreme base. Body length 2.5–2.7 mm. (Fig. 5) [South Africa]................................................................................. Spathius cursor Wilkinson, 1931
- Face entirely coarsely transversely striate with rugulosity and/or granulation; scutellum distinctly convex; body brownish yellow or mainly dark reddish brown; hind tibia mainly pale brown to yellow, dark medially and at extreme base............ 9
9. Apical segments of female antennomeres dark, same colour as preceding segments; head, mesosoma and legs with sparse and shorter setae; precoxal sulcus running along anterior half of lower part of mesopleuron; areola of propodeum distinctly delineated, basolateral areas mainly smooth; second metasomal tergite entirely smooth. Body length 2.2–3.2 mm [New Zealand]............................................................... Spathius thorpei Belokobylskij et Austin, 2013
- Apical segments of female antennomeres light brown, much paler than preceding submedial segments; head, mesosoma and legs with more dense and distinctly longer setae; precoxal sulcus running along entire length of lower part of mesopleuron; areola of propodeum not delineated, basolateral areas entirely sculptured; second metasomal tergite finely striate basally. Body length 2.2–2.8 mm. (Figs 2, 3) [India]........................ Spathius himalayicus Ranjith et Belokobylskij, sp. nov.
description: Published as part of Ranjith, A. P., Belokobylskij, Sergey A., Priyadarsanan, Dharma Rajan, Aswaj, Punnath & Nasser, M., 2020, A new micropterous species of the genus Spathius Nees (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Doryctinae) from the North Eastern Himalayas, India, pp. 1-16 in Zootaxa 4763 (1) on pages 3-4, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4763.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/3743973