Anastatus (Anastatus) echidna (Motschulsky, 1863) Fig. 6 Cacotropia echidna Motschulsky, 1863: 57, fig. 10. Described: female. Cacotropia echidna; Islam and Hayat, 1986: 65. Anastatus echidna; Bouček, 1988: 550. Anastatus (Anastatus) echidna; Narendran, 2009: 81, 94; Gibson, 2020: 504–511. Anastatus acherontiae; Yang et al., 2015b: 161–162, 255, fig. 82. Misidentification. Diagnosis. FEMALE. Macropterous (Figs 6A, B). Fore wing with anterior and posterior hyaline spot with white setae behind marginal vein separated by infuscate region with dark setae similar to elsewhere within infuscation (Figs 6A, H); infuscate region basal to hyaline spots with dark setae similar to elsewhere or with region of paler, more orangish setae extending at least to level of medial fold (Fig. 6H); basal region with basal cell and cubital and vanal areas extensively setose, the cubital and vanal areas usually with dark setae but basal cell with inconspicuous white setae (Fig. 6I). Head (Fig. 6F) with scrobal depression distinctly separated from anterior ocellus, by distance equal to about 1–2× longitudinal diameter of ocellus. Antenna (Fig. 6C) with fl2 longer than pedicel (Fig. 6G) but not all funiculars longer than wide, the apical 1–3 funiculars quadrate to slightly transverse (Fig. 6C, insert). Mesosoma with at least mesonotum (Fig. 6E) dark with metallic green luster and pronotum, prepectus, tegula and acropleuron similarly dark brown as mesonotum or variably paler brown to contrastingly orangish; procoxa pale to variably dark brown similar to acropleuron; mesotibial apical spur uniformly pale; mesotarsus with at least basal four tarsomeres pale similar to mesotibial apical spur (Fig. 6D) and much lighter than dark mesotarsal pegs. Mesoscutum (Fig. 6E) with convex anterior part of medial lobe entirely punctate-reticulate and with posterior concave part of mesoscutum broadly setose with white setae medially, though apices of setae not extending laterally to carinate margin of lateral lobe; mesoscutal lateral lobe with bare, minutely mesh-like coriaceous band anterior of posteromedian carina relative to smoother and shinier outer inclined surface. Profemur with ventral margin evenly curved, without distinct angulation or tooth apically (cf. Fig. 1H). MALE. Undescribed. Species concept. Our concept of A. echidna is based on original type material and other females listed in Gibson (2020). Regional records. Yang et al. (2015b) previously reported A. echidna, under the name A. acherontiae, as an egg parasitoid of Pentatomidae and Arctiinae (Lepidoptera: Erebidae) in Hebei and Hunan provinces. Regional material examined. Fujian: Fuzhou, 27.VIII.1954, eggs of Dendrolimus (1♀ IZCAS). Jiangxi: Shangrao, 1995, Y.-C. Yu, eggs of Dendrolimus (4♀ FAFU). Hebei: Dongling, Tangshan City, VIII.1981, ex. egg of Dendrolimus (5♀ CAF). Hunan: Huitong, IX.1983, Tong, ex. Arctiidae (1♀ CAF). Suining County, VII.1986, X. Zhang, ex. Arctiidae (2♀ CAF). Yunnan: Shichuagnzhai, Gejiu City, VIII.1980, IOZ(E) 1653098, IOZ(E) 1653099 (2♀ IZCAS). Shiyanzhai Forest Farm, Honghe, 1980, G. Li, ex. Dendrolimus punctatus (1♀ IZCAS). Distribution. ORIENTAL: China (* Fujian, * Jiangxi, Hunan, * Yunnan), India, Pakistan, Thailand (Noyes 2019; Gibson 2020). PALAEARCTIC: China (Hebei) (Yang et al. 2015b). Hosts. HEMIPTERA. Pentatomidae: unidentified egg of Nezara Amyot and Serville, 1843 (Gibson 2020). LEPIDOPTERA. Erebidae: Arctiinae: unidentified species (Yang et al. 2015b). Lasiocampidae: Dendrolimus tabulaeformis Tsai and Liu, 1962 attacking Pinus tabuliformis Carrière (Pinaceae) and D. spectabilis (Butler, 1877) attacking P. densiflora Siebold and Zuccarini (Yang et al. 2015b). Sphingidae: unidentified egg (Gibson 2020). If A. acherontiae and/or A. amarus (Subba Rao, 1957) are junior synonyms of A. echidna (see further below) then additional hosts have been reported under these names (see Noyes 2019). Remarks. This is the only currently known species of Anastatus from China whose females have two hyaline spots with white setae separated medially by an infuscate region with dark setae (Fig. 6H). The females of other recognised species have a complete hyaline cross band, though some of these do have some dark setae medially within the hyaline band (e.g., A. dexingensis, Fig. 4I and A. gansuensis, Fig. 12I). Yang et al. (2015b) was the first to report this species from China, but as A. acherontiae. Gibson (2020) redescribed and imaged the remaining type material of A. echidna. Based on the keys and illustrations of Narayanan et al. (1960), Hayat (1975), Mani (1989), and Narendran (2009), as well as females that had been identified as A. acherontiae or A. amarus by various experts, he suggested that one or both of these names could be junior synonyms of A. echidna. Formal synonymy of the names was not possible because type specimens of the latter two names were not examined; however, we did examine voucher material from Yang et al. (2015b) and confirm that what was identified as A. acherontiae is A. echidna in the sense of Gibson (2020).

Published as part of Peng, Lingfei, Gibson, Gary A. P., Tang, Lu & Xiang, Jiawei, 2020, Review of the species of Anastatus (Hymenoptera: Eupelmidae) known from China, with description of two new species with brachypterous females, pp. 351-401 in Zootaxa 4767 (3) on pages 366-369, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4767.3.1, http://zenodo.org/record/3772901