Austroterobia achterbergi Mitroiu 2017, sp. nov.

Austroterobia achterbergi sp. nov.

(Figs 1–10)

Diagnosis. Female (male unknown): head at most with slight dark metallic reflections (Fig. 1); legs yellowishbrown (Fig. 1); inner margins of eyes very slightly sinuate (Fig. 3); gena conspicuously depressed at mouth corner (Fig. 5); POL about 0.7× OOL; toruli closer to median ocellus than to ventral margin of clypeus (Fig. 5); scape reaching slightly above lower margin of median ocellus (Fig. 3); basal two teeth of right mandible large and wide apart (cf. Fig. 13); notauli visible only in anterior third of mesoscutum (Fig. 7); marginal vein more than 8× as long as broad (Fig. 10).

Due to the incomplete notauli, A. achterbergi most closely resembles A. maldica and A. heydoni, those being the only known species of the genus that display this feature. Of these, it is more similar to A. maldica, from which it differs mainly in having the POL shorter than the OOL (Fig. 4), a longer scape, and an indistinct malar sulcus (Fig. 5). Austroterobia achterbergi is also superficially similar to A gatesi, but this latter species has complete notauli (Fig. 17).

Material examined. Type material. Holotype ♀ (deposited in RMNH) [entire; on triangular card]. INDONESIA: ‘ Indonesia: Sumbawa, nr Pancasila, Gn. Tambora, Mal. trap 1, c 1250 m, 22.ix.-2.x.1993, C. v. Achterberg, RMNH ‘93’, ‘BE. 68011’.

Paratypes. MALAYSIA: 1♀ ‘ Borneo: Sarawak, sw. Gunung Buda, 64 km s. Limbang, 4°13’N 114°56’E, 8- 15.XI.1996 MT, S L Heydon & S Fung’ (UCD); 1♀, same information, ’ 22-28.XI.1996 ’ (UCD). THAILAND: 1♀ ‘ Thailand: Khao Yai Nat. Park, 10-17.II.1989, T. W. Thormn’, ‘ Austroterobia det. R. A. Burks 2004’ (CNC); VIETNAM: 1♀ ‘S. Vietnam: Dak Lak, Chu Yang Sin N.P., nr dam, c. 500 m, 3-9.vi.2007, Mal. traps, C. v. Achterberg & R. de Vries, RMNH ‘07’, ‘BE. 67987’, ‘ DNA voucher D # 4895, UCR, J.M. Heraty’, ‘ RMNH, UCRENT 00491220 ’ (RMNH).

Description. Female. Body length: 1.5–1.8 mm.

Colour. Head dark brown to blackish, in the latter case with dark green metallic reflections (Fig. 1). Dorsal side of mesosoma brown to dark brown except for lighter propodeum (Fig. 7); lateral side of mesosoma brown (Fig. 8). Gaster brown, lighter ventrally and basally on dorsal side (Fig. 2). Eyes and ocelli whitish-grey (Figs 3, 4). Antenna (Figs 5, 6) with scape, pedicel, anelli and ventral side of funicular segments and clava yellowish-brown; dorsal side of funicular segments and clava brown. Mandibles pale yellow, teeth reddish-brown (Figs 3, 5). Legs entirely yellowish-brown except for darker pretarsi (Fig. 1). Wings hyaline; tegula and venation light brown (Fig. 10). Body setation whitish, wing setation brown (Figs 3, 7, 10).

Sculpture. Head finely reticulate except for smooth clypeus (Figs 3, 4); malar region with sculpture denser (Fig. 5); mesoscutum and mesoscutellum reticulate, axillae almost smooth anterolaterally (Fig. 7); median area of propodeum, except median carina and plicae, extremely finely alutaceous, and with several superficial carinulae (Fig. 9); mesopleuron with shallow femoral depression and almost indistinct central pit (Fig. 8); prepectus, mesepimeron and metapleuron almost smooth (Fig. 8); upper mesepisternum alutaceous, lower mesepisternum very finely and densely reticulate (Fig. 8); gaster smooth.

Structure. Head. Toruli closer to median ocellus than to ventral margin of clypeus, their lower margins much higher than lower margins of eyes (Fig. 5). Scape surpassing lower margin of median ocellus (Fig. 3). Gena conspicuously depressed at mouth corner (Fig. 5), posterior margin carinate. Malar sulcus absent (Fig. 5). Eyes broad oval, inner margins slightly sinuate in middle and almost parallel in lower part (Fig. 3). Funicular segments slightly to distinctly pedicellate. Head width 2.3–2.5× length (60:24) in dorsal view and about 1.2× height (60:50) in frontal view. POL about 0.7× OOL (10:14). Eye height about 1.2× length (23:19), 1.35× malar space (23:17), and 1.10–1.35× scape length (23:17). Head width 0.9–1.1× length of pedicel plus flagellum (60:53). F1 width 0.9–1.2× length (7:6); F5 width 1.1–1.4× length (7:6); clava length 2.4–2.8× width (17:7).

Mesosoma. Dorsally setose, except metanotum and median area of propodeum (Fig. 7); prepectus and metapleuron bare (Fig. 8); mesopleuron bare except for some setae on lower mesepisternum (Fig. 8). Pronotum barely visible in dorsal view (Fig. 7). Notauli visible only in anterior third of mesoscutum (Fig. 7). Axillae wide apart, medially connected by wide groove separating mesoscutum from mesoscutellum (Fig. 7). Posterior margin of mesoscutellum evenly curved (Fig. 7). Anterior margin of propodeum not distinctly raised, not concealing dorsellum (Fig. 9). Propodeum with distinct median carina and posteriorly converging, almost complete plicae (Fig. 9). Fore wing (Fig. 10) with very small speculum, otherwise completely setose; parastigma without hyaline break; marginal vein hardly thickened. Mesosoma length subequal to width (55:52), width about 1.3× height (52:40). Mesoscutum width 2.4–2.6× length (52:20). Mesoscutellum length about 0.9× width (24:26). Propodeum length about 0.5× mesoscutellum length (13:24). Fore wing length 1.85–2.10× width (130:70); MV 1.2–1.4× SV (24:19); PV 1.4–1.6× MV (35:24).

Gaster. Wider in distal half, from about equal to slightly longer than head plus mesosoma (Figs 1, 2); length 1.6–2.0× width (80:40).

Male. Unknown.

Distribution. Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam.

Biology. Unknown.

Etymology. Named in honour of Dr. Ing. Cees van Achterberg (RMNH), world specialist of Braconidae and collector of the holotype.