Vipio abnormis Li & He & Chen 2020, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Li, Yang
name: He, Jun-Hua
name: Chen, Xue-Xin
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2020
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Braconidae
Vipio
Vipio abnormis

description: Vipio abnormis sp. nov.
Figs 47–48
Type material. Holotype. ♀, China, Neimenggu Prov., Houqi, 20.VI.1981, Huang Xuchang, No. 816131 (ZJUH). Paratype: 1♀, China, Neimenggu Prov., Zhongqi, 15. VI.1981, Huang Xuchang, No. 816130 (ZJUH).
Diagnosis. This new species is very similar to Vipio mongolicus Telenga, 1936, but can be separated from the latter by the following characters: lateral grooves of first tergite smooth (crenulate in V. mongolicus); second metasomal tergite approx. 0.9 × longer than wide (1.1–1.2 × longer than wide); second metasomal tergite without triangular medio-basal area (with well-developed triangular medio-basal area).
Description. Holotype, ♀, length of body 9.0 mm, of fore wing 7.5 mm, of ovipositor sheath 19.5 mm.
Head. Antenna incomplete, remaining part with 49 antennomeres; median flagellomeres 1.0 × as long as its width; first flagellomere 1.3 and 1.4 × longer than second and third, respectively, the latter being 1.4 × longer than wide; malar suture with some short setae and weak sculptures (Fig. 48g); clypeus height: inter-tentorial distance: tentorio-ocular distance = 8: 15: 12; clypeus with two groups of bristles submedially; eye not emarginated (Fig. 48g); face largely smooth, but with sparse weak punctures and some long setae laterally (Fig. 48g); eye height: shortest distance between eyes: head width = 22: 35: 58; frons largely smooth except for a few weak punctures, weakly concave behind antennal sockets, with a shallow median groove (Fig. 48h); vertex largely smooth, with a few short setae; shortest distance between posterior ocelli: shortest diameter of elliptical posterior ocellus: shortest distance between posterior ocellus and eye = 4: 3: 8; temples linearly narrowed behind eyes (Fig. 48h).
Mesosoma. Length of mesosoma 1.6 × its height (Fig. 48c); notauli rather shallow posteriorly (Fig. 48d); mesoscutum smooth and sparsely short setose posteriorly (Fig. 48d); scutellar sulcus deep, moderately narrow, with crenulae (Fig. 48d); scutellum smooth, with some short setae posteriorly; metanotum moderately convex medially (Fig. 48d); propodeum largely smooth, without medio-longitudinal carina or groove, and sparsely setose medially, with dense long setae laterally (Fig. 48d).
Wings. Fore wing (Fig. 48a): SR1: 3-SR: r = 28: 26: 5; 1-SR+M nearly straight after arising from 1-M, 1.3 × longer than 1-M; 2-SR: 3-SR: r-m = 13: 26: 14; vein SR1 reaching wing margin approx. half-way between pterostigma and wing tip; cu-a more or less interstitial. Hind wing (Fig. 48b): SC+R1: 2-SC+R: 1r-m = 23: 5: 18.
Legs. Length of fore femur: tibia: tarsus = 31: 37: 45; length of hind femur: tibia: basitarsus = 44: 65: 23; length of hind basitarsus 5.1 × its maximum width.
Metasoma. First tergite as long as its apical width, median area oval and convex (Fig. 48j); first tergite largely smooth except for lateral carinae, sparse crenulae of lateral grooves (Fig. 48j); second tergite 0.9 × as long as its wide, weakly elevated medio-basally, but not forming a medio-basal area, and with developed antero-lateral areas; oblique anterior grooves of second tergite deep and sparsely crenulate; second tergite smooth except for crenulate anterior grooves (Fig. 48e); second suture deep, crenulate, curved and wide medially (Fig. 48e); third tergite 0.6 × as long as wide, without antero-lateral areas (Fig. 48e); third–seventh tergites smooth (Fig. 48e); hypopygium acute apically, reaching far beyond level of apex of metasoma; ovipositor sheath 2.6 × as long as fore wing.
Colour. Largely yellow (Fig. 47); antenna, mandible apically, area around ocelli, lateral lobes of mesoscutum, metapleuron ventrally and ovipositor sheaths black (Figs 47, 48c, 48d, 48g, 48h); claws, hind tibia apically and hind tarsus dark brown (Fig. 48f); wing membrane infuscate, but fore wing with pale stripes around veins 1-SR+M, 2-SR+M, m-cu, 2-CU1 apically, 3-CU1 and r-m, pterostigma (except for yellow basal patch) and veins dark brown (Figs 48a, 48b).
Variation. Length of body of female 8.5–9.0 mm, of fore wing of female 7.0– 7.5 mm, and of ovipositor sheath 15.5–19.5 mm; antenna of female with 56 antennomeres; apical flagellomere 1.8 × longer than its maximum width; length of mesosoma 1.6–1.8 × its height; second metasomal tergite more or less flattened medio-basally; second suture moderately shallow and weakly crenulate; ovipositor sheath 2.2–2.6 × as long as fore wing.
Biology. Unknown.
Distribution. China (Nei Menggu).
Etymology. Named after the abnormal second metasomal tergite (lacking a medio-basal area): “abnormis” is Latin for “deviating from the rule”.
description: Published as part of Li, Yang, He, Jun-Hua & Chen, Xue-Xin, 2020, Review of six genera of Braconinae Nees (Hymenoptera, Braconidae) in China, with the description of eleven new species, pp. 1-74 in Zootaxa 4818 (1) on pages 60-63, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4818.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/3954745