A New Genus and Species of Brachyscleromatinae (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) from China, Laxiareola ochracea

Laxiareola Sheng and Sun, gen.nov. and Laxiareola ochracea Sheng and Sun, sp.nov. belong to Brachyscleromatinae of the family Ichneumonidae, from the Jiangxi Province in China, are described in the present study. A key to the genera of Brachyscleromatinae is given.


Introduction
Brachyscleromatinae, resurrected and diagnosis restated by Quicke et al. (2009), is a small subfamily belonging to family Ichneumonidae of Hymenoptera and comprises five genera including Lygurus Kasparyan 1983. Two genera, Brachyscleroma Cushman 1940 and Lygurus Kasparyan 1983, have been reported in China. In this article, one new genus and its type species collected in Quannan County, Jiangxi Province, China, are described. The type specimen is deposited in the Insect Museum, General Station of Forest Pest Management, State Forestry Administration, in the People's Republic of China.
The morphological terminology is mostly that of Gauld (1997). Wing vein nomenclature is based on Mason (1986Mason ( , 1990.

Description
Laxiareola Sheng and Sun, gen.nov.
Diagnosis. Forewing about 8.6 mm long. Clypeal suture weak, not clearly separating face from clypeus. Clypeus almost flat, apical margin thick, with a fringe of parallel hairs. Mandible with two teeth, upper tooth longer than lower tooth. Antenna short; scape subcylindric, at least 2 times longer than its widest diameter; its apical truncation almost transverse. Occipital carina complete, middorsal portion horizontal. Notaulus weak, not reaching to center of mesoscutum. Upper end of epicnemial carina reaching to midheight of hind margin of pronotum and distant from front margin of mesopleuron. Scutellum with lateral carina at basal 0.4. Areolet absent. Hind wing vein 1-cu strongly inclivous, at least 4 times as long as cu-a. Tarsal claw pectinate. Propodeum completely carinated. Area superomedia wider than long. First tergum strongly widened toward apex, approximately 1.8 times as long as its apical width, with deep glymmae. Second tergum with a longitudinal groove outside of the spiracle. Ovipositor sheath longer than hind tibia. Ovipositor ( Figure 5) evenly upcurved, tip elongate, subapical portion of upper valve with nodus, lower valve with about 8 ridges, basal 4 widely spaced, distal 4 moderately close together.

Distribution.
There is a single Chinese species, described below.
Etymology. The name of the new genus is based on very wide area superomedia, which is wider than it is long. The gender is female.  1, 2, 3, 4, 5)

Diagnosis
Body yellowish brown. Speculum dark brown, smooth and shining. Antenna less than 0.7 length of forewing. Postero-ocellar line about 0.3 times as long as ocular-ocellar line. Hind wing vein 1-cu strongly inclivous, about 4.6 times as long as cu-a. Apical edge of first trochanter of leg with a small tooth on the outer side. Area superomedia very wide, approximately 1.8 times as wide as long. Ovipositor evenly upcurved.

Description
Female. Body length about 9.3 mm. Forewing length about 8.6 mm. Antenna length about 5.5 mm. Ovipositor sheath length about 3.5 mm.
Head. Face (Figure 2) 2.0 times as wide as long, with dense punctures; median portion convex and smooth; upper median portion with a longitudinal protuberance. Clypeal suture indistinct. Clypeus almost flat, with unclear punctures; apical margin with a fringe of long parallel hairs, and a row of tubercles on median section. Mandible long, basal width nearly as wide as apex, its median portion slightly narrow; with shallow transverse punctures; upper tooth slightly longer than lower tooth. Malar space slightly rough, with unclear longitudinal lines, 0.6 times as long as basal width of mandible. Subocular sulcus indistinct. Gena nearly smooth, with sparse and fine punctures, in lateral view about 0.9 times as long as width of eye. Vertex with dense punctures, and deep concave nearby lateral ocellus. Interocellar area with punctures denser and finer than vertex.      Area externa with distinct punctures. Residual portion with indistinct fine punctures. Propodeal spiracle oval, slightly raised.

Metasoma.
First tergum evenly and strongly narrowed toward base, well-proportioned convex, approximately 1.8 times as long as its apical width, with fine punctures; spiracle small, round, placed at midlength of the tergum, apex of sternite approximately at 0.2 of tergum. Glymmae very deep, separated from the grymma on opposite side only by a translucent partition.
Second tergum approximately 0.6 times as long as its apical width, with fine and indistinct punctures; spiracle small, round, placed slightly in front of midlength of the tergum. Third and the following terga with brown fluff and indistinct punctures. Ovipositor ( Figure 5) evenly upcurved, tip elongate, subapical portion of upper valve with a weak nodus, lower valve with 8 weak ridges, basal 4 widely spaced, distal 4 moderately close together.
Color (Figure 1). Yellowish brown. Antennae darkish brown. Upper-posterior corner of pronotum, small fleck behind spiracle of first tergum, oblique strip on lateral portion of second tergum and submedian transverse bands of third to sixth terga puce. Anterior fleck of middle lobe and longitudinal bands of lateral lobes of mesoscutum brownish black. Speculum shining blackish brown. Hind leg mostly reddish brown, its tarsi darkish brown.

China (Jiangxi)
Etymology. The name of the new species is based on the ochraceous color of body.

Remarks.
The new genus resembles Lygurus Kasparyan 1983, but can be distinguished from the latter by the following characters: clypeus almost flat (without median transverse ridge); tarsal claw pectinate; first tergum strongly widened toward apex, approximately 1.8 times as long as its apical width; second tergum with a longitudinal groove outside of the spiracle; ovipositor sheath more shorter than body, less than 0.4 length of body; ovipositor comparatively strong, upper valve with nodus, lower valve with distinct ridges. Lygurus Kasparyan: clypeus with median transverse ridge; tarsal claw simple; first tergum strongly elongate, at least 3 times as long as its apical width; basolateral of second tergum with short groove; ovipositor sheath very long, 1.2 times as long as body; ovipositor slender, without nodus and ridge. exploration in Jiangxi Province. This project was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC, No. 30671686;No. 30872035).
Editor's note: Paper copies of this article will be deposited in the following libraries. The date of publication is given in 'About the Journal' on the JIS website.
Universitaetsbibliothek Johann Christian Senckenberg, Frankfurt Germany; National Museum of Natural History, Paris, France; Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, Illinois USA; University of Wisconsin, Madison, USA; University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona USA; Smithsonian Institution Libraries, Washington D.C. USA; The Linnean Society, London, England.