Dipara wayanadensis Surya and Sureshan, 2022

Surya, K. Suresh & Sureshan, Pavittu Meethal, 2022, Description of a new species of Dipara Walker (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae) from southern Western Ghats, India with taxonomic notes on Indian species, Records of the Zoological Survey of India 122 (2), pp. 153-161 : 154-155

Dipara wayanadensis Surya and Sureshan sp. nov.

Type material: Holotype Female, mounted on triangular card. India: Kerala, Wayanad district, Chandanathod , Periya (11°50’22.5096”N and 75°48’26.3952”E),

04.ii.2021, Coll. K. A. Subramanian, ( ZSIK. Reg. No. IR /INV/20253). Paratype. 2 Females, Kerala, Wayanad district, Chandanathod, Periya (11°50’22.5096”N and 75°48’26.3952”E) , 04.ii.2021, Coll. K. A. Subrahmanian, ( ZSIK. Reg. Nos. IR /INV/20254 & IR/INV/20255) .

Description: Holotype Female. Body length 2.92 mm, length of fore wing stump 0.57 mm.

Colour: Body dark brown; eyes dark; antenna black, lower side of pedicel yellowish white, clava and preceding funicle yellowish white; mesoscutum almost black; scutellum with semi-circular dark patch; axillae yellowish brown; fore wing stump dark brown; bristles of body black; legs with fore coxa and mid coxa brown, hind coxa yellowish white with a black patch antero-dorsally; apical half of femora yellowish white, rest brown; fore and mid tibia anteriorly black rest brown; hind tibia with basal half brownish black, rest yellowish white; all tarsus pale yellow; Gt 1 with horizontal wide yellowish band dorsally; Gt 5 and Gt 6 yellow, rest black.

Head: In dorsal view width 3.45 × length; in frontal view width 1.20 × height; temple narrow, malar space 0.44 × eye length; POL 0.81 × OOL; eye length 1.84 × width (in profile); regularly punctate reticulate; reticulation fine on gena; malar groove distinct; scrobe deep, reaching half-length of face, parascrobal area transversely striate reticulate, tentorial pits distinct; clypeus with fine striae, mandibles tridentate; vertex almost straight, with three pairs of long bristles; occipital area finely reticulate with faint carina far below; toruli separated by distance equal to their individual diameter; antenna inserted almost level with lower margin of eye, antennal formula 11173, scape

0.85 ×as long as eye, pedicel plus flagellum 2.98 × as long as scape, pedicel length 1.95 ×width, fu 1 0.83 × as long as pedicel, clava little longer than preceding 3 segments combined; all funicular segments with four rows of long white sensillae.

Mesosoma: Length 1.4 × width, pronotum width 3.06 × median length in dorsal view; striate reticulate, two pairs of strong black long bristles arising from posterior half, presence of white smaller setae in lower half; mesoscutum

0.71 × as broad as long, finely punctate, almost completely black except for small area anteriorly; scutellum with pair of black strong bristles arising antero-medially and pair present in posterior corners; mesoscutum and scutellum covered with sparse white pubescence; notauli distinct, complete, converging posteriorly; scutellum raised, medially 0.11 × as long as mesoscutum, frenal area almost shiny with fine rugae in hind part; propodeum width 1.1 × median length, almost completely shiny, with irregular rugae; distinct median carina present, connected to V shaped small carina anteriorly; nucha distinct, plicae finely indicated anteriorly; spiracle small, round; callus without setae; mesopleura, metapleura, and prepectus smooth and shiny; hind coxae with strong transverse rugae in upper half; hind tibia with two unequal spurs; fore wing stump long, reaching beyond petiole, with seven strong bristles; 5.4 × as long as broad.

Metasoma: Petiole short, 0.4 × as long as hind coxa,

smooth and shiny; metasoma elongate, ovate, 1.84 × as long as wide (without petiole) in dorsal view, 0.6 × as long as head plus mesosoma (including petiole) in dorsal view,

Gt 1 largest, 0.57 × length of metasoma (without petiole); posterior margin of terga straight; Gt 2 with pair of bristles arising posteriorly; dense white pubescence present on lower one third of metasoma; ovipositor and ovipositor sheath slightly exerted.

Diagnosis: The species resembles Dipara thirumalaii Sureshan in general morphology but differs from the same in having: 1) head punctate reticulate, 3.45 × as broad as long in dorsal view (in D. thirumalaii head moderately reticulate, 2.2 × as broad as long in dorsal view); 2) pronotum striate reticulate with no distinct transverse carina (in D. thirumalaii pronotum transversely ridged reticulate with distinct transverse carina); 3) mesoscutum

0.71 × as broad as long, finely punctate (in D. thirumalaii mesoscutum 1.6 × as broad as long, moderately raised reticulate; 4) propodeum width 1.1 × median length, almost completely shiny, with irregular rugae; distinct median carina present, connected to a V shaped small carina anteriorly (in D. thirumalaii propodeum 1.8 × as broad as long with an irregular median carina connected to irregular transverse carinulae); 5) fore wing stump long, reaching beyond petiole, with seven strong bristles (in D. thirumalaii fore wing stump reaching up to propodeal spiracle with one short and one long bristle in the middle).

Etymology: The species name is derived from the district name Wayanad from where the specimens are collected.

Distribution: India: Kerala.

Host: Unknown.

Remarks: All the specimens for the present study are obtained from yellow pan traps, the species being brachypterous and forest floor dwellers.