Hylcalosia melasaraia Zhu & Achterberg & Chen 2018, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Zhu, Jiachen
name: Achterberg, Cornelis Van
name: Chen, Xue-Xin
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2018
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Braconidae
Hylcalosia
Hylcalosia melasaraia

description: Hylcalosia melasaraia sp. nov.
Figs. 3–4
Type material. Holotype, ♀ (ZJUH), “ [SE. China:] Guizhou, Guiyang, 20.?.1983, He Junhua, No. 840517”. Paratype: 1♀ (ZJUH), Guangdong, Ruyuannanling, 25.?.2003, Xu Zaifu, No. 20054049.
Diagnosis. Body (except head) black (Fig. 3); head transverse and orange brown (Fig. 4I); eye 1.7 × longer than temple in dorsal view (Fig. 4I), eye in lateral view 1.2 × higher than wide (Fig. 4J); frons flat; vertex rather convex (Fig. 4I); face densely and coarsely rugose-reticulate with transverse striation laterally (Fig. 4J); clypeus subtriangular, protruding forward, densely and finely reticulate-punctate (Fig. 4J); mandible rugose and with 4 teeth or lobes (Fig. 4J); mesoscutum sparsely setose; notauli distinctly impressed on disc, crenulated but absent posteriorly, medio-posterior depression long and deep, extending to middle of mesoscutum (Fig. 4C); precoxal sulcus crenulate (Fig. 4D); metapleuron reticulate-rugose and with a round pit anteriorly (Fig. 4D); surface of propodeum reticulate-rugose, areola absent (Fig. 4E); hind coxa with some punctures anteriorly, hind femur and tibia (except pale yellow basal one sixth of latter) yellowish (Fig. 4N); metasoma longitudinally striate and some reticulate-rugosity between striae (Fig. 4F), length of first tergite equal to its apical width, setose part of ovipositor sheath 0.5 × as long as fore wing (total visible sheath 0.7 ×), flattened and setose basally and 1.5 × as long as hind tibia (Fig. 4H).
Description. Holotype, ♀, length of body 4.3 mm, of fore wing 5.3 mm.
Head. Transverse and smooth, width of head 1.7 × its lateral length (Fig. 4I); antenna with 55 segments, third segment (including annellus) 0.9 × longer than fourth segment, length of third, fourth and penultimate segments of antennal 2.5, 3.6 and 2.5 × their width, respectively (Fig. 4G); length of maxillary palp 1.8 × height of head; eye glabrous, 1.7 × as long as temple in dorsal view (Fig. 4I), eye in lateral view 1.2 × higher than wide (Fig. 4K); frons flat (Fig. 4I); vertex rather convex (Fig. 4I); OOL:diameter of ocellus:POL= 10:3:3; face 2.1 × wider that high, densely and coarsely rugose-reticulate with transverse striation laterally (Fig 4J); clypeus small, subtriangular, protruding forward, densely and finely reticulate-punctate (Fig. 4J); malar space absent; mandible rugose and with 4 teeth or lobes, enlarged apically, dorsal tooth large and lobe-shaped (Fig. 4L), ventral carina protruding and middle tooth medium-sized, curved (Figs 4 M-N); medial length of mandible 1.7 × its maximum width.
Mesosoma. Length of mesosoma 1.5 × its height (Fig. 4D); pronope deep and medium-sized, side of pronotum largely smooth except some indistinct crenulae present medio-anteriorly and posteriorly (Fig. 4D); mesoscutum with lateral carina in front of tegulae present; epicnemial area largely crenulated; precoxal sulcus long and widely crenuate, almost reaching middle coxa; pleural sulcus crenulate; episternal scrobe round and deep; metapleuron reticulaterugose and with a round pit anteriorly (Fig. 4D); notauli crenulated, distinctly impressed on disc but absent posteriorly, medio-posteriorly depression long and deep, extending to middle of mesoscutum (Fig. 4C); mesoscutum with sparse setose; scutellar sulcus crenulated, with three carinae, sulcus 3.8 × wider than its maximum length; scutellum and its side smooth (Fig. 4C); surface of propodeum reticulate-rugose and areola absent (Fig. 4E).
Wings (Figs 4 A-B). Pterostigma 5.0 × as long as wide, vein r issuing from its posterior third, r 0.8 × maximum width of pterostigma; r: 3-SR: SR1= 5:10:38; m-cu of fore wing postfurcal; 1-CU1:2-CU1 = 2:17; 3-CU1 much longer than CU1b; cu-a postfurcal; 2-SR:3-SR:r-m = 25:15:9; first subdiscal cell 3.4 × as long as wide. Hind wing: M+CU:1-M:1r-m = 20:13:12; m-cu present, and weakly postfurcal.
Legs. Hind coxa with some punctures anteriorly (Fig. 4O); tarsal claws robust; length of femur, tibia and basitarsus of hind leg 5.0, 6.7 and 5.0 × their width, respectively; apical appendages of first-fourth hind tarsal segments absent.
Metasoma. Length of first tergite equal to its apical width, dorsope distinct (Fig. 4F); surface of metasoma longitudinally striate and some reticulate-rugosity between striae, dorsal carinae narrowly united posteriorly, convex medially (Fig. 4E); median length of second tergite 0.9 × its basal width, 0.7 × its maximum posterior width, 1.1 × length of third tergite; combined length of second and third tergites of metasoma 1.4 × maximum width; setose part of ovipositor sheath 0.5 × as long as fore wing (total visible sheath 0.7 ×), flattened and 1.5 × as long as hind tibia (Fig. 4H).
Colour. Black (Fig. 3A); head and mandible and 3 basal segments of antennal orange brown, hind femur, hind tibia (except pale yellow basal one sixth), palpi and remainder of legs yellowish; pterostigma and veins brown; wing membrane slightly infuscated.
Variation. Body length: 3.8–4.3 mm, of fore wing 4.0– 5.3 mm.
Comparative diagnosis. This species is similar to H. hymaenei Belokobylskij, but differs by having a comparatively long vein r (0.8 × maximum width of pterostigma versus 0.5 × in H. hymaenei), slender pterostigma (versus robust), suture between second and third tergites deep and distinct (versus shallow); and metasoma entirely black (versus light reddish brown except partly darkened third tergite).
Etymology. Named “ melasaraia ” because of the entirely black metasoma: “melas” is Greek for “black” and “ araia ” is Greek for “belly”.
description: Published as part of Zhu, Jiachen, Achterberg, Cornelis Van & Chen, Xue-Xin, 2018, Review of the genus Hylcalosia Fischer (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Alysiinae), with description of four new species from China, pp. 547-565 in Zootaxa 4462 (4) on pages 552-553, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4462.4.7, http://zenodo.org/record/1441855