Blacus (Contochorus) capillosus Lu & Achterberg & Tang & Chen 2023, sp. nov

Blacus (Contochorus) capillosus sp. nov. (Figs 1–2) Material examined. Holotype: ♀, China, Shaanxi, Qinling, Tiantai Mtn, 4.IX.1999, Chen Xuexin, No. 991398 (ZJUH). Paratype: 1♀, China, Shaanxi, Qinling, Tiantai Mtn, 3.IX.1999, He Junhua, No. 990176 (ZJUH). Description. Female. Length of body 2.4 mm, length of fore wing 2.35 mm. Body setosity. Body with dense setae, although sparser on mesopleuron. Head. Width of head in dorsal view 1.4 × its length (Fig. 2A); antennomeres 16 (Fig. 2C); length of first flagellomere 1.3 × length of second flagellomere; length of first, second and penultimate flagellomeres 4.6, 4.2 and 1.6 × their width, respectively; length of maxillary palp 1.0 × height of head; OOL: diameter of posterior ocellus: POL = 22:9:11; eyes with short dense setae (Fig. 2A); length of eye in dorsal view 0.85 × length of temple; occiput almost level (Fig. 2A); face with dense setae; temple with dense setae; malar suture present, length of malar space 1.75 × basal width of mandible. Mesosoma. Length of mesosoma 1.45 × its height; pronotal sides coarsely reticulate ventrally, dorsally smooth; area behind prepectal carina less conspicuously crenulate (Fig. 2E); precoxal sulcus narrow, with a few very short crenulae (Fig. 2E); notauli absent (Fig. 2D), without transverse carinae anteriorly; scutellar sulcus with medio-longitudinal carina (Fig. 2D); scutellum smooth, its lateral carina present, not protruding apically; surface of propodeum smooth between carinae, its medial area rectangular (Fig. 2F). Wings. Fore wing: first discal cell widely truncate anteriorly (Fig. 2H); vein r 1.2 × longer than maximum width of pterostigma; 1-CU1:2-CU1 = 13:21 (Fig. 2H). Legs. Hind coxa smooth, but with a distinct carina dorsally (Fig. 2F); length of femur, tibia and basitarsus of hind leg 6.2, 9.9 and 11.0 × their width, respectively; fore and mid claws with bristles (Figs 2I, 2J). Metasoma. Length of first tergite 2.6 × its apical width, almost parallel-sided, its surface rugulose, dorsal carinae complete (Fig. 2F); second tergite rugose; length of ovipositor sheath 0.10 × as long as fore wing. Colour. Body reddish-brown; palpi, mandible, tegulae, fore and middle legs, hind coxa and trochanter yellow; pterostigma, parastigma, veins, ovipositor, ovipositor sheath and all basitarsus brown; bristles of fore and mid claws blackish; wing membrane slightly infuscate. Variation. Length of first tergite 2.4–2.6 × its apical width. Male. Unknown. Biology. Unknown. Distribution. China (Shaanxi). Etymology. The specific name capillosus refers to the setose body and is derived from “ capillosus ” (Latin for hairy). Notes. The new species is similar to B. (C). turbidus Papp, 1985. Both species have medial area of propodeum rectangular, first discal cell of fore wing widely truncate anteriorly, and area behind prepectal carina less conspicuously crenulate than B. (C). mellitarsis and B. (C). epomidus but B. (C). capillosus differ by having 16 antennomeres of female (21–23 in B. (C). turbidus), lateral carina of scutellum not protruding apically (strongly protruding apically in B. (C). turbidus), mid claws of female with blackish bristles (only setose in B. (C). turbidus), length of eye of ♀ in dorsal view 0.85 × temple (1.3–1.6 × in B. (C). turbidus) and notauli absent (complete in B. (C). turbidus).
Published as part of Lu, Qian-Yu, Achterberg, Cornelis Van, Tang, Pu & Chen, Xue-Xin, 2023, The discovery of the subgenus Contochorus van Achterberg, 1976 (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Brachistinae, Blacini, Blacus) in China, pp. 277-287 in Zootaxa 5306 (2) on pages 278-279, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5306.2.7, http://zenodo.org/record/8058845
{"references":["Papp, J. (1985) Three new Blacus Nees, 1818 species from India (Hym., Braconidae: Blacinae). Annales historico-naturales Musei nationalis hungarici, Zoology, 77, 227 - 232."]}