Holotype, ♀ (ZUH), “S. China: Hunan, nr Zhangjiajie, Badagong Mts, Longtanping, 4–5.VI.2009, 550 m, Xi-Ying Li, RMNH’09”, “4249, sp. 15” [= DNA sample taken from this specimen]. Paratypes (RMNH): 1 ♂, same label data; 3 ♀, id., but Bamaoxi, 2–3.VI.2009, 540 m; 1 ♂, “S. China: Hunan, nr Chengbu, Nan Mt., Shaoyang, 1500 m, 10–11.VI.2009, Xi-Ying Li, RMNH’09”.

Second metasomal tergite smooth or nearly so (Fig. 45); apical third of antenna of ♀ dark brown subapically; face dark brown; frons without depressions above or between antennal sockets; pronotum short and vertical; medio-posterior depression of mesoscutum absent (Fig. 44); scutellar sulcus finely crenulate; precoxal sulcus narrowly crenulate; propodeum areolate and smooth between carinae (Fig. 44); vein 3-SR of fore wing slightly curved and twice as long as vein 2-SR (Fig. 43); vein m-cu of fore wing gradually merging into vein 2-CU1; first metasomal tergite partly smooth and shiny (Fig. 45).

Holotype, ♀, length of body 1.7 mm, of fore wing 2.0 mm.

Head. Antenna with 21 segments and 1.2 times as long as fore wing; length of third segment 1.2 times fourth segment, length of third, fourth and penultimate segments 5.5, 4.5 and 3.5 times their width, respectively (Fig. 46); length of maxillary palp 1.3 times height of head; labial palp segments elongate; occipital carina moderately close to hypostomal carina and dorsally absent; median groove behind stemmaticum obsolescent; hypostomal carina narrow; length of eye in dorsal view 3.6 times temple; frons flat and glabrous medially, smooth and laterally convex and largely glabrous; face smooth, medially elevated (Fig. 48); width of clypeus 1.8 times its maximum height and 0.5 times width of face, clypeus convex, smooth and its ventral margin not differentiated and straight medially (Fig. 48); hypoclypeal depression medium-sized (Fig. 48); mandible slightly convex and with fine ventral carina (Fig. 51).

Mesosoma. Length of mesosoma 1.5 times its height; dorsal pronope absent; pronotal side smooth, but medial groove indistinctly crenulate posteriorly, with ventral oblique carina posteriorly and posterior groove obsolescent (Fig. 42); epicnemial area smooth dorsally; precoxal sulcus only medially distinctly impressed, posteriorly with few indistinct crenulae (Fig. 42); rest of mesopleuron smooth; pleural sulcus smooth; mesosternal sulcus narrow and finely crenulate; notauli absent on disc, except for a short smooth part anteriorly (Fig. 44); mesoscutum glabrous; medio-posterior depression of mesoscutum absent (Fig. 44); scutellar sulcus finely crenulate; scutellum smooth and flat; dorsal surface of propodeum smooth except for a medio-longitudinal carina connected to a pentagonal areola and complete costulae (Fig. 44).

Wings. Fore wing (Fig. 43): pterostigma nearly elliptical; 1-R1 reaching wing apex and 1.5 times as long as pterostigma; r:3-SR:SR1 = 2:33:56; 2-SR:3-SR:r-m = 14:33:10; r widened; 1-M, 3-SR and SR1 nearly straight; m-cu slightly postfurcal and gradually merging into vein 2-CU1; cu-a slightly postfurcal and 1-CU1 widened; first subdiscal cell closed, CU1b short; apical quarter of M+CU1 sclerotized. Hind wing (Fig. 43): M+CU:1-M:1r-m = 10:11:5; cu-a straight; m-cu absent.

Legs. Length of femur, tibia and basitarsus of hind leg 5.2, 10.7 and 8.0 times as long as wide, respectively; setae of hind femur long and of tibia moderately long (Fig. 50); hind tibia with a long nearly straight carinula basally (Fig. 47).

Metasoma. Length of first tergite 1.1 times its apical width, its surface evenly convex medially, largely smooth, but with a few oblique weak carinae and dorsal carinae united in its anterior 0.3 and absent behind it (Fig. 45); second tergite smooth, but antero-medially with indistinct patch of sculpture; second suture smooth and shallowly impressed; third and following tergites smooth and partly desclerotized apically; length of setose part of ovipositor sheath 0.1 times fore wing and 0.3 times hind tibia (Fig. 49).

Colour. Dark brown; antenna dark brown but 4 basal segments brownish-yellow; palpi, mandible, tegulae, legs, base of second tergite and apex of third tergite pale yellowish; clypeus and malar space mainly, side of pronotum ventrally, propleuron and area below precoxal sulcus yellowish-brown; pterostigma and veins mainly brown; wing membrane subhyaline.

Molecular data. COI, 16S, 28S (CVA4249).

Variation. Length of body 1.4–1.7 mm, of fore wing 2.0-2.1 mm; antenna of ♀ with 20 (2) or 21 (2) segments, of ♂ with 21 (1) or 22 (1) segments; third and fourth antennal segments and face dark brown or yellowish-brown.

Name derived from “carinula” (Latin for small carina or crest) and “fero” (suffix in Latin meaning carrying or having), because of the carinula on the inner side of the hind tibia.

Does not run well in the key by Chen and Weng (2005) to any species of the group with a carinula of the hind tibia. It is similar to Areotetes laevigatus (Weng & Chen, 2005) comb. n., but it has the length of the mesosoma 1.5 times its height (1.7 times in Areotetes laevigatus), the propodeum without a median carina posteriorly (present), vein 3-SR of fore wing about 2.4 times vein 2-SR (about twice) and length of the hind femur about 5 times as long as wide (4 times).