Rhopus tamilanus, Manickavasagam & Rameshkumar, 2013

Manickavasagam, Sagadai & Rameshkumar, Anandan, 2013, Description Of Two New Species Of Encyrtidae (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea) From Tamil Nadu, India, Journal of Threatened Taxa 5 (2), pp. 3642-3645 : 3644-3645

Rhopus tamilanus sp. nov.

( Images 6–13 ) urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:9D14FF64-CE84-451D-B40E-6C3FEA195CFC

Material examined

Holotype: EDAU /Enc5/ 2012m, 12.ix.2009, female ( EDAU) on card labelled “ Rhopus tamilanus Manickavasagam & Rameshkumar ”, reared from unidentified mealy bug on grass, Annamalai University campus, Chidambaram, Cuddalore, Tamil Nadu, India (11.230 N & 79.410 E), coll. Manickavasagam & Rameshkumar.

Paratypes: 3 females on slide under four cover slips with same data as in holotype (1 with NBAII DNR /Reg. no. 1/4/2012 and 2 with EDAU: EDAU /Enc5P1/2012) .

Female ( Image 6 ). Holotype. Length 0.8 mm.

Colour: Head orange except area below toruli yellowish; genae pale brown; radicle, scape and pedicel pale yellow; flagellum uniformly brown. Pronotum yellowish with black tinge; mesoscutum uniformly yellow except a narrow parallel blackish patch at the base; axill and basal half of scutellum yellowish, apical half and border blackish; propodeum yellowish; part of mesopleuron blackish; venter of mesosoma pale yellow. Forewing with a pale but distinct infuscation below distal half of venation. Legs uniformly pale yellow except part of outer coxae blackish. Gaster with T 1 basally yellow; apex of T 1 and base of T 2 pale black, remainder of the

6 - female habitus; 7 - head frontal view; 8 - antenna; 9 - fore wing.

metasoma yellow; venter of metasoma uniformly pale yellow except brown apex of hypopygium.

Head: ( Image 7 ) Almost as broad as high (210:200); frontovertex width 0.75× head width. Antenna ( Image 8 ) with scape 2.2× as long as broad; pedicel slightly broader than scape (28:25); all funicle segments broader than long with one longitudinal sensilla each; F2 and F3 subequal in length; F1, F4 and F5 equal; F6 larger than F5; clava 3-segmented and longer than preceding four funicle segments combined (83:75); clava with 10 longitudinal sensillae.

Relative measurements (in microns): Head width, 210; head height, 200; frontovertex width, 150; POL, 80; AOL, 40; OOL, 50; OCL, 10; eye height, 90; malar space, 80; distance between toruli, 46; torulus length, 24; torulus width, 19; length: width of antennal segments - scape length, 60; width, 30; pedicel length, 40; width, 30; length and width of F1, 18: 20; F2, 15: 22; F3, 15: 25; F4, 18: 25; F5, 18: 25; F6, 25: 28; clava length, 83.

Mesosoma: ( Image 11 ) Shorter than metasoma (300:410). Pronotum, mesoscutum and scutellum with two, two and six pairs of setae respectively. Forewing 2.9× as long as broad ( Image 9 ); marginal fringe 0.4×

10 - hind wing; 11 - meso and metasoma dorsal view;

12 - leg showing mid tibia; 13 - ovipositor.

wing width; hindwing 8× as long as broad ( Image 10 ); marginal fringe equal to wing width. Mid tibial spur longer than mid basitarsus (33:25) ( Image 12 ), but equal to hind basitarsus; hind tibia with dense cilia on the ventral side.

Relative measurements (in microns): pronotum length, 23; mesoscutum length, 130; scutellum length, 113;fore wing length,570;fore wing width,200;marginal fringe length,70; hind wing length, 480; hind wing width, 60; marginal fringe length, 60; mid tibia length, 148; mid tibial spur length, 33; mid basitarsus length, 25; hind tibia length, 163; hind basitarsus length, 33.

Metasoma: Ovipositor not exserted and 1.26× as long as mid tibia (187:148) ( Image 13 ) and 5.3× as long as mid tibial spur.

Relative measurements (in microns): metasoma length, 410; ovipositor length, 187.

Male: Unknown.

Host: Unidentified grass mealybug ( Hemiptera :

Pseudococcidae ).

Distribution: India: Tamil Nadu.

Etymology: This new species is named afer the

Indian state from which types were collected.

Comments: This species is closer to Rhopus

aligarhensis (Shamim & Shafee) and can be differentiated from it based on the following characters:Head as broad as height (1.05×); all funicle segments slightly broader than long; fore wing 2.9× as long as broad with a pale but distinct infuscation below distal half of venation; marginal fringe 0.4× of wing width; hind wing 8× as long as broad; ovipositor length 1.26× as long as mid tibial length [In R. aligarhensis , head 1.4× as broad as high; all funicle segments subquadrate; fore wing slightly infuscate, 2.4× as long as broad and marginal fringe 0.12 of wing width; hind wing 4.84× as long as broad; ovipositor length 1.40× as long as mid tibial length. Based upon the redescription given by Noyes & Hayat, 1994.]

Figures

Images 6-9. Rhopus tamilanus sp. nov.

Images 10-13. Rhopus tamilanus sp.nov.