Blacus (Blacus) rufiabdominus Lu, Chai, Achterberg, Tang & Chen, 2024, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Lu, Qian-Yu
name: Chai, Hong-Fei
name: Achterberg, Cornelis Van
name: Tang, Pu
name: Chen, Xue-Xin
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Braconidae
Blacus
Blacus rufiabdominus

description: Blacus (Blacus) rufiabdominus sp. nov.
(Figs 23–24)
Material examined. Holotype: ♀, China, Zhejiang, Deqing, Fatou, 27.V.1995, He Junhua, No. 957342 (ZJUH). Description. Female. Length of body 2.2 mm, length of fore wing 1.8 mm.
Head. Antennomeres 17, slender (Fig. 24C); length of first flagellomere 1.25 × length of second flagellomere; length of first, second and penultimate flagellomere 5.0, 4.0 and 1.7 × their width, respectively; maxillary palp approx. 1.0 × height of head; occipital carina complete (Fig. 24A); frontal suture absent; OOL: OD: POL = 8: 3: 5; length of eye in dorsal view 0.7 × length of temple; face smooth (Fig. 24B); malar suture absent, length of malar space 1.8 × basal width of mandible.
Mesosoma. Length of mesosoma 1.8 × its height; side of pronotum rugose ventrally, smooth dorsally (Fig. 24F); precoxal sulcus complete, wide and reticulate-rugose (Fig. 24F); notauli complete and narrow, nearly smooth (Fig. 24D); mesoscutal lobes largely glabrous (Fig. 24D); scutellum largely smooth, its lateral carina complete, slightly protruding apically; propodeal tubercles absent; surface of propodeum reticulate-rugose, medial area absent (Fig. 24E).
Wings. Fore wing: parastigma slightly differentiated from vein C+SC+ R, first discal cell acute anteriorly; vein 3-SR+SR1 of fore wing nearly straight; vein CUla of fore wing nearly at same level as vein 2-CU1; 1-CU1: 2-CU1 = 3: 14; vein 2-M absent (Fig. 24G).
Legs. Hind coxa slightly rugose; hind femur swollen apically, length of femur, tibia and basitarsus of hind leg 4.7, 12.25 and 10.0 × their width, respectively.
Metasoma. Length of first tergite 2.1 × its apical width, nearly parallel-sided, reticulate-rugose (Fig. 24E); remainder of tergites smooth (Fig. 24E); length of ovipositor sheath 0.30 × length of fore wing, 1.3 × length of hind femur, 0.9 × length of hind tibia.
Colour. Blackish; 4 basal antennomeres, palpi, tegulae, pterostigma, parastigma, veins and all legs yellow; pronotum, mandible, hind coxa and hind trochanter yellowish-red; basal half of metasoma reddish; ovipositor and sheath reddish-brown; wing membrane slightly infuscated.
Male. Unknown.
Biology. Unknown.
Distribution. China (Zhejiang).
Etymology. The specific name rufiabdominus refers to the reddish metasoma and derived from “ rufus ” (Latin for red and reddish) and “ abdomen ” (Latin for abdomen).
Notes. The new species is similar to B. (B.) inopinus van Achterberg, 1976 because parastigma is small and narrow, slightly differentiated from vein C+SC+R, first discal cell of fore wing acute anteriorly, scutellum largely smooth, ovipositor sheath somewhat longer than hind femur, vein CUla of fore wing nearly at same level as vein 2-CU1, vein 2-M of fore wing absent, propodeal tubercle absent, length of ovipositor sheath 0.30 × length of fore wing, and basal half of metasoma reddish, but differs by having narrow and nearly smooth notauli (wide and distinctly crenulate in B. (B.) inopinus), length of first metasomal tergite 2.1 × its apical width (1.7 ×), posterior surface of propodeum less reticulate (more reticulate), antenna equally wide overall (narrowed medially and widened apically), and length of malar space 1.8 × basal width of mandible (1.2 ×).
This new species is also similar to B. (B.) adustiabdominus sp. nov., but differs by having more slender antenna (more robust in B. (B.) adustiabdominus), frontal suture absent (present), vein 2-1A of fore wing long (short), length of first metasomal tergite 2.1 × its apical width (1.7 ×), basal half of metasoma reddish ventrally (yellow), hind coxa and hind trochanter yellowish-red (yellow), length of ovipositor sheath 0.30 × length of fore wing (0.21–0.22 ×).
description: Published as part of Lu, Qian-Yu, Chai, Hong-Fei, Achterberg, Cornelis Van, Tang, Pu & Chen, Xue-Xin, 2024, The first report of subgenus Blacus Nees, 1819 (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Brachistinae) from China, pp. 501-535 in Zootaxa 5471 (5) on pages 525-528, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5471.5.1, http://zenodo.org/record/12207563