Chelonus (Microchelonus) melanochromus Zhou & Achterberg & Tang & Chen 2024, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Zhou, Jin-Jin
name: Achterberg, Cornelis Van
name: Tang, Pu
name: Chen, Xue-Xin
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Braconidae
Chelonus
Chelonus melanochromus

description: Chelonus (Microchelonus) melanochromus sp. nov.
Figs 51–54
Material examined. Holotype: female, Gaoligong Mt., Yunnan Prov., China, 16–17.VII.2006, Jie Zeng, No. 200611340 (ZJUH). Paratype: 1 male, Tengchong, Yunnan Prov., China, 11–14.VII.2006, Jie Zeng, No. 200611366.
Diagnosis. This new species is similar to C. (M.) amurensis (Tobias, 1986), both species having the metasomal carapace widest after middle in dorsal view (Figs 52E, 54E), legs almost entirely black, and apical aperture of male in posterior view large, oval (Fig. 54F). The two species can be separated by the following characters: temple strongly narrowed posteriorly (Figs 52G, 54H) (versus widened in C. (M.) amurensis); lateral tubercles of propodeum weak and small (Figs 52C, 54C) (versus strongly and distinctly developed); and median process of male apical aperture horizontal and oval (Fig. 54F) (versus consisting of vertical carina).
Description. Holotype, female, length of body 3.7 mm, of fore wing 2.1 mm.
Head. Head transverse, width of head 2.7 × its dorsal length, occiput excavated; antenna slightly widened medially, antennomeres 16, length of 3 rd and penultimate antennomeres 2.9 ×, 1.6 × their width, respectively (Fig. 52H); eye in dorsal view 1.2 × as long as temple; OOL: OD: POL=20: 7: 13; temple strongly narrowed posteriorly, frons and vertex finely striate-rugose (Fig. 52G); face flat, irregular punctate-rugose medially, width of face 1.7 × its height; eyes slightly converging ventrally; clypeus rather flat and dense punctulate, semicircular, 1.7 × wider than high; distance between tentorial pits 1.6 × distance between pits and eyes (Fig. 52F).
Mesosoma. Length of mesosoma 1.5 × its height, side of pronotum finely punctate, mesopleuron reticulate-rugose (Fig. 52B); notauli indistinct, and its area coarsely reticulate-rugose; scutellum evenly convex, densely punctulate; scutellar suture comparatively deep and narrow, with carinae; propodeum coarsely reticulate, lateral tubercles rather weak and small (Fig. 52C).
Wings. Vein r somewhat arched; marginal cell 1.1 × as long as pterostigma; pterostigma 2.7 × longer than wide; r: 3-SR: SR1=14: 17: 66; SR1 straight; marginal cell 3.5 × longer than second submarginal cell; 1-CU1: 2-CU1=13: 23; 2-R1 short (Fig. 52A).
Legs. Hind coxa punctate and shiny laterally; length of hind femur and tibia 3.5 × and 5.7 × their maximum width, respectively; length of inner hind tibial spur 0.4 × hind basitarsus.
Metasoma. Length of carapace 2.3 × its maximum width in dorsal view, widest after middle, apically narrowed; base of carapace striate-rugose, rugulose apically (Fig. 52E); carapace in lateral view 2.7 × longer than its height, posterior height of metasoma 1.7 × its anterior height, posteriorly rounded and ventrally slightly incurved (Fig. 52D).
Colour. Body black; antenna black; palpi dark brown, pterostigma dark brown; wing and its veins dark brown; legs almost entirely black but hind tibia with narrow light ring, carapace entirely black.
Male. Antennomeres 26, antenna filiform, not widened; lateral teeth of propodeum relatively strong (Fig. 54C); metasomal carapace distinctly incurved in lateral view (Fig. 54D); apical aperture in posterior view large, oval, 4 × wider than high and its process elliptical (Fig. 54F); other characters as in female.
Biology. Unknown.
Distribution. China (Yunnan).
Etymology. Named after its black body: “ melam- ” is Greek prefix for black, dark and “ chroma ” is Greek for colour of the skin.
description: Published as part of Zhou, Jin-Jin, Achterberg, Cornelis Van, Tang, Pu & Chen, Xue-Xin, 2024, A review of the subgenera Carinichelonus, Microchelonus, Parachelonus and Stylochelonus of the genus Chelonus Panzer (Braconidae: Cheloninae) with descriptions of twenty-one new species from China, pp. 1-127 in Zootaxa 5412 (1) on pages 61-63, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5412.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/10675974