Chelonus (Microchelonus) cyclotus 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 cyclotus

description: Chelonus (Microchelonus) cyclotus sp. nov.
Figs 27–28
Material examined. Holotype: male, Heiwan Lake, Guizhou Prov., China, 28.VII.2001, Yun Ma, No. 200108004 (ZJUH).
Diagnosis. This new species is similar to C. (M.) sulcatus Jurine, 1807, considering the moderate maximum height of metasomal carapace in lateral view and apex of carapace distinctly incurved (Fig. 28D), but the two species can be separated by the following characters: carapace apically rounded (Fig. 28E) (versus distinctly narrowed 1/4 apically in C. (M.) sulcatus); hind femur 3.6 × longer than their maximum width (Fig. 28F) (versus 3.0 ×); and apical aperture of male medium-sized, its width 0.4–0.7 × width of metasoma (Fig. 28G) (versus large, its width> 0.7 × metasoma width).
Description. Holotype, female, length of body 7.2 mm, of fore wing 5.0 mm.
Head. Head transverse, width of head 2.0 × its dorsal length; occiput hardly excavated; antennomeres 34, antenna slightly widened medially, length of 3 rd and penultimate antennomeres 3.2 × and 1.3 × their width, respectively; eye 1.1 × as long as temple in dorsal view; OOL: OD: POL=44: 11: 24; temple widened behind eyes; frons and vertex finely coarsely rugose-reticulate (Fig. 28I); face flat, coarsely irregularly reticulate-rugose, width of face 1.6 × its height; eyes about parallel; clypeus densely punctulate, its apical margin convex medially, clypeus remaining below lower level of eyes, clypeus shiny and 1.7 × wider than high, distance between tentorial pits 1.4 × distance between pits and eyes (Fig. 28H).
Mesosoma. Length of mesosoma 1.3 × its height; side of pronotum densely punctulate; mesopleuron completely coarsely reticulate-rugose (Fig. 28B); notauli distinct, mesoscutum slightly convex, densely alveolate-rugose; scutellum rugose; scutellar suture comparatively deep, with carinae; propodeum coarsely reticulate-rugose and tubercles distinct (Fig. 28C).
Wings. Vein r somewhat arched; marginal cell 0.7 × as long as pterostigma; pterostigma 3.3 × longer than wide; r: 3-SR: SR1=15: 15: 51; SR1 slightly sinuate; marginal cell 2.9 × longer than second submarginal cell; 1-CU1: 2-CU1=3: 7; 2-R1 short (Fig. 28A).
Legs. Hind coxa punctate laterally; length of hind femur 3.6 × their maximum width; length of inner hind tibial spur 0.5 × hind basitarsus.
Metasoma. Length of carapace 1.9 × its maximum width in dorsal view, tapering towards base, apically rounded; base of carapace irregular reticulate-rugose and rugose apically (Fig. 28E); length of carapace in lateral view 2.3 × its height, posterior height of carapace 1.7 × its anterior height, maximum height moderate, apex of metasomal carapace distinctly incurved, ventral opening of carapace 0.6 × carapace, forming sac-like shape (Fig. 28D); apical aperture of male medium-sized, its width 0.4–0.7 × width of carapace, elongate, slit-shaped and median process of aperture horizontal, nearly round (Fig. 28G).
Colour. Black; antenna black; mandible brown; palpi black; pterostigma and parastigma dark brown; wing and its veins dark brown; legs black; carapace entirely black.
Female. Unknown.
Biology. Unknown.
Distribution. China (Guizhou).
Etymology. Named after its sac-shaped shape carapace: “ cyclotus ” is Latin for circle, ring, round.
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 37-39, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5412.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/10675974