The genus Braunsia Kriechbaumer, 1894 from China with description of two new species (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Agathidinae)

Abstract The species of Braunsia Kriechbaumer, 1894 (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Doryctinae) from China are revised and ten species are recognized. Two new species, B. guangdongensis sp. n. and B. shenyangensis sp. n., are described and illustrated. B. fumipennis (Cameron, 1899), B. pilosa Belokobylskij, 1986, B. postfurcalis Watanabe, 1937, and B. smithii (Dalla Torre, 1898), are recorded from China for the first time. A key to the Chinese species of the genus Braunsia is provided.


Braunsia bipunctata Enderlein, 1906
Braunsia bipunctata Enderlein, 1906: 263;Shenefelt 1970: 371;Bhat and Gupta 1977: 64;Chou and Sharkey 1989: 175;Chen and Yang 2006: 105. Remarks. Chou and Sharkey (1989) and Chen and Yang (2006) recorded this Indonesian species from Taiwan and Fujian, respectively, but these specimens may be misidentified. According to the description by Chou and Sharkey (1989) and Chen and Yang (2006) their specimens differ from the Indonesian B. bipunctata by having a complete and regular basal transverse carina on the propodeum (transverse propodeal carina partly weakly developed and irregular in B. bipunctata) and the large stigmal spot of the fore wing connected to a dark brown band below it (without dark band below stigmal spot in B. bipunctata). Unfortunately, we did not have access to these specimens and their taxonomic position remains uncertain.  Guangdong prov., Meizhou Fengxi, 29.VII.2003, Chen Jujian, No. 20048502, 20048677 (ZJUH).
Diagnosis. Body black. Antenna, hind coxa and hind femur yellowish brown. Area below face and clypeus ivory. Wing membrane evenly dark brown. Vein cu-a of fore wing antefurcal. Length of hind femur 5.2-5.3 times as long as wide. Length of first tergite 2.7-2.8 times its apical width. Ovipositor sheath ribbon-shaped widened.
Description. Holotype, ♀, length of body 9.0 mm, of fore wing 7.0 mm. Head. Antennal segments 45, length of third segment 1.15 times fourth segment, length of third, fourth and penultimate segments 2.5, 2.2 and 1.7 times their width, respectively; length of maxillary palp 0.7 times height of head; in dorsal view head transverse and 1.3 times as wide as mesoscutum; length of eye 2.2 times temple; POL:OD:OOL = 9:6:13; antennal sockets not tubular; occipital flange sharp; malar space 1.8 times as long as basal width of mandible; face shiny with sparse fine punctures, frons and vertex smooth.
Mesosoma. Length of mesosoma 1.5 times its height; subpronope large and deep; side of pronotum smooth; area near lateral carina of mesoscutum crenulate; lateral lobes of mesoscutum almost smooth, sparsely finely punctate anteriorly; middle lobe with sparse fine punctures; notauli deep, smooth; scutellar sulcus 0.5 times as long as dorsal face of scutellum and with one carina; scutellum convex anteriorly, smooth and with long setae; mesopleuron above precoxal sulcus largely smooth; mesopleuron below precoxal sulcus setose, with sparse fine punctures; precoxal sulcus wide, shallow and distinctly crenulate; metapleuron mainly smooth with long setae; propodeum setose, with a strong transverse carina subbasally, rugose posteriorly; spiracle medium-sized, round, 1.8 times as long as wide.
Wings. Fore wing: second submarginal cell pentagonal, narrow anteriorly, with rather long ramellus, 0.9 times as long as vein 2-SR (14:15); r:3-SR:SR1 = 8:3:72; Legs. Length of hind femur, tibia and basitarsus 5.2, 9.2 and 5.0 times their width, respectively; hind coxa smooth; hind femur with short and sparse setosity; outer side of apical third of middle tibia with a row of 4 pegs; outer side of apex of hind tibia with a cluster of 6 pegs; length of outer and inner spurs of middle tibia 0.4 and 0.5 times middle basitarsus, respectively; length of outer and inner spurs of hind tibia 0.3 and 0.4 times hind basitarsus.
Metasoma. First tergite slender shiny, rugulose near apex, slightly and roundly widened apically; length of first tergite 2.7 times its apical width; dorsal carinae of first tergite divergent and on three-fourths of tergite; second tergite 1.6 times as long as wide apically and with posteriorly diverging striae, apical third of second tergite with transverse furrow; anterior half of third tergite striate and apical half finely granulate; remainder of metasoma smooth, ovipositor sheath wide and ribbon-shaped, as long as fore wing.
Colour. Black; malar space, lower part of temple and face laterally narrowly ivory, clypeus, palpi and medial part of face pale yellow; antenna, legs and metasoma yellowish-brown, but tarsi paler than tibiae; wing membrane rather dark brown.
Variations. Vein M+CU of hind wing 0.5-0.6 times as long as 1-M; length of first tergite 2.7-2.8 times its apical width; length of hind femur, tibia and basitarsus 5.2-5.3, 9.0-9.4 and 5.0-5.2 times their width; outer side of apical third of middle tibia with a row of 3-5 pegs; outer side of hind tibial apex with cluster of 6-7 pegs.

Biology. Unknown.
Remarks. This new species is very similar to B. antefurcalis Watanabe, but differs in having the first tergite 2.7-2.8 times as long as its apical width; length of hind femur about 5.2-5.3 times as long as its width and area below face and clypeus ivory.
Etymology. From "Guangdong", the province of the type locality.
Mesosoma. Length of mesosoma 1.5 times its height; subpronope large and deep; side of pronotum smooth; area near lateral carina of mesoscutum smooth; lateral lobes of mesoscutum almost smooth; notauli deep, smooth, scutellar sulcus 0.5 times as long as dorsal face of scutellum and with 3 carinae; scutellum smooth, distinctly convex anteriorly and sloping posteriorly; mesopleuron above precoxal sulcus shiny and smooth, below precoxal sulcus shiny with minute punctures; precoxal sulcus narrow, similar to a smooth groove; metapleuron smooth; propodeum with a subbasal transverse carina, without a closed areola, spiracle large, elliptical, close to lateral carina and 2.8 times as long as wide; lateral carina of propodeum completely.
Legs. Length of hind femur, tibia and basitarsus 4.9, 8.3 and 8.6 times their width, respectively; hind coxa smooth; hind femur with short and dense setosity; outer side of apical third of middle tibia with a row of 4 pegs and cluster of 4 pegs at apex; outer side of apex of hind tibia with a cluster of 6 pegs; length of outer and inner spurs of middle tibia 0.4 and 0.5 times middle basitarsus, respectively; length of outer and inner spurs of hind tibia 0.3 and 0.4 times hind basitarsus, respectively.
Metasoma. First tergite moderately long, widened apically, 1.8 times its apical width; first tergite entirely longitudinally striate; dorsal carinae of first tergite strong, diverging apically; second tergite as long as third tergite, deep striate transverse groove on apical third; third tergite with parallel striae but smooth on extreme apex; striate transverse groove on apical third wide; remainder of metasoma smooth with sparse setae apically; ovipositor sheath broken; ovipositor about as long as fore wing.
Colour. Brownish yellow; fore wing with a brown stigmal spot; apical third of wings infuscate and basal two-thirds yellow; parastigma yellow; hind leg black; metasoma black, but basal half of first and second tergites and ventral part of first-third metasomal segments brownish yellow.

Biology. Unknown.
Remarks. This new species is very similar to B. matsumurai Watanabe, but differs by having no closed areola on the propodeum; the fore wing with a small isolated stigmal spot; the hind leg black; and vein cu-a of the fore wing almost interstitial.
Etymology. From "Shenyang", the type locality of the species.