Andreimyrme paniya Terine, Lelej & Girish Kumar, 2021

Terine, Joshua B., Lelej, Arkady S. & Kumar, Girish P., 2021, Discovery of the genus Andreimyrme Lelej, 1995 (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae) in India and description of a new species from the Western Ghats, Zootaxa 5020 (1), pp. 184-190 : 185-188

Andreimyrme paniya Terine, Lelej & Girish Kumar , sp. nov.

( Figs 1–9 )

Diagnosis. This is the only known female of Andreimyrme with the head and metasoma predominantly reddishbrown. Other useful diagnostic features include: clypeus apically emarginated, basomedially with a longitudinal tubercle not reaching the apex. Scutellar scale lacking. T2 posteriorly with a medially interrupted white fringe. T3–5 with black erect setae. Pygidial plate long sub-ovate, widest sub-apically with lateral carina, smooth and shiny throughout.

Description. FEMALE. Body length 4.76 mm. Coloration and setation. Body ferruginous-red, vertex with black tint, mandible and clypeus with same color as body, mandible apically black, antennae black dorsally, reddish ventrally; pronotum dorsally brownish-red, posterior propodeal face with large dorsomedial black spot; legs ferruginous-brown with darker reddish-brown tibia and tarsus. Frons with sub-erect black setae, vertex with mixed black and yellowish setae, gena and ventral portion of occiput with sub-appressed white setae. Mandible and clypeus with sub-erect white setae. Mesosoma dorsally with sub-erect black setae mixed with white ones on mesoscutum anteriorly and posteromedially. Posterior propodeal face, except dorsomedial black spot with long erect white setae. Mesopleuron and metapleuron with sub-appressed white setae, propleuron with sparse sub-appressed white setae. Legs with white sub-erect setae. T1 with white erect setae. T2 with sub-appressed and erect black setae and apically with narrow band interrupted medially of white sub-appressed setae. T3–5 with black erect setae. T6 except pygidial plate with white erect setae. S1–5 with white erect setae, S6 with black setae mixed with some white ones.

Head. Shape almost oval in frontal view, not elongated behind eyes, width behind eye 1.2 × pronotum width; eyes oval, longitudinal eye diameter 1.04 × minimal distance between eyes, inner margin with slight shallow emargination; genal carina distinct, forming raised small distinct tooth with hypostomal carina; mandible acuminated apically and tridentate; clypeus emarginated apically, not bidentate, basomedial portion convex, with tubercle. Scape 4.39 × maximal width; F1–3 length ratio 20:18:18; frons with large punctures, gena reticulate.

Mesosoma. Maximal pronotal width 0.85 × head width behind eye; pronotum width 1.2 × propodeum width; mesosomal dorsum with coarse confluent large punctures; dorsal and lateral faces of pronotum and mesonotum separated by a wavy carina; humeral carina distinct, expanded dorsally; scutellar scale lacking; mesopleuron and metapleuron with dense small punctures; lateral and posterior propodeal faces separated by wavy sub-dentate carina; lateral propodeal face smooth and shiny; posterior propodeal face reticulate, basally with small punctures.

Legs. Mid and hind tibia with two rows of spines.

Metasoma. T1 not constricted posterad; T2 maximal width 2.0 × T1 maximal width; T2 with lateral felt line; S1 with simple longitudinal lamella; T6 with long sub-ovate pygidial plate, widest sub-apically with lateral carina, smooth and shiny throughout; S6 posterior margin truncate; T1–5 and S3–6 with small punctures throughout, denser on T2 disc; S2 with large sparse punctures.

MALE. Unknown.

Material examined. Holotype ♀, INDIA, Kerala, Wayanad district, Periya, Camp shed, 11°51’5.06”N, 75°47’22.55”E, 594 m, 10.II.2021, K.A. Subramanian & party, ZSI/ WGRC /IR/INV. 17336 [ ZSIK].

Distribution. India (Kerala).

Etymology. The specific name paniya is derived from the name of an indigenous tribe present in Wayanad and other parts of the Western Ghats. The term Paniya means ‘someone who does work’, which described their social standing, as a community who does work for their landlords. Paniyas were agrestic slaves who worked in the agricultural field of the janmis (jenmis) or landlords. This new species is named after the ‘paniya’ to honour this indigenous tribal community of the Western Ghats and to speak against the caste system that prevailed in the past. Treat as a noun in apposition.

Remarks. The new species Andreimyrme paniya is similar to A. sarawakensis Lelej, 1996 and A. neaera ( Mickel, 1935) but differs from both by having the head mostly ferruginous-red (entirely black in both), the metasoma reddish-brown (dark metallic blue in both). The new species differs from A. sarawakensis by having T2 posterior margin with the narrow band of white setae interrupted medially (with broad, medially slightly widened band of appressed yellowish setae in A. sarawakensis ), and the pygidial plate smooth with lateral carinae (anterior half of pygidial plate obscurely and longitudinally rugose and posterior half smooth in A. sarawakensis ). Andreimyrme paniya differs from A. neaera by having T2 without setal spots, posteriorly with narrow band of white setae interrupted medially (with antero-medial small spot of pale setae and posteriorly with wide complete band of yellowish setae in A. neaera ), and the T6 with pygidial plate smooth (pygidial area smooth, anterior half weakly, obscurely, longitudinally rugose in A. neaera ).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Andreimyrme paniya sp. nov., holotype, ♀, habitus, lateral view.

FIGURES 2–9. Andreimyrme paniya sp. nov., holotype, ♀. 2. Head, face view. 3. Head, ventro-lateral view. 4. Clypeus and mandible, face view. 5. Head and mesosoma, dorsal view. 6. Posterior propodeal face. 7. Metasoma, dorsal view. 8. Metasoma, ventral view. 9. Pygidial plate.