Ficobracon kallithi, Binoy & Achterberg & Sureshan, 2025
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publication ID |
https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.5691.1.7 |
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publication LSID |
lsid:zoobank.org:pub:FF82B1BF-FE21-4111-BA87-1016EEA5DF92 |
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DOI |
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17360393 |
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persistent identifier |
https://treatment.plazi.org/id/82198786-FFCD-FF1C-8E92-7D25628FFEEF |
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Plazi |
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scientific name |
Ficobracon kallithi |
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sp. nov. |
Ficobracon kallithi sp. nov.
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:
Figs 5–14 View FIGURE 5–14 , 15–19 View FIGURE 15–19
Materials examined. Holotype ♀. India: Kerala, Wayanad district, Kurumbalakotta ( 11.696659°N, 76.034009°E, 992 m asl), ex. syconia of F. tinctoria subsp. gibbosa , 07.ii.2024, coll. C. Binoy. GoogleMaps Paratypes. 14 ♀, 6 ♂, same details as holotype. GoogleMaps
Description. Female ( holotype). Body length 2.9 mm, fore wing length 3.0 mm.
Colour. Head, and mesosoma yellowish brown with black marking on mesoscutum and mesoscutellum ( Fig. 9 View FIGURE 5–14 ), reflective on mesosoma; lower face, gena and propleuron white ( Fig. 10 View FIGURE 5–14 ); metasoma pale yellow with black marking dorsally on T1 and T2 ( Fig. 14 View FIGURE 5–14 ). Scape, and pedicel yellowish brown, flagellomeres brownish black ( Fig. 7 View FIGURE 5–14 ). Setae on head and body white. All legs yellow with apical pale brown band on metatibia ( Fig. 13 View FIGURE 5–14 ). Ovipositor sheath brown. Fore wing subhyaline, reflective under varying angle of light, wing venation and setae brown ( Fig. 12 View FIGURE 5–14 ).
Setosity. Face with short setae, concentrated on lower face ( Fig. 7 View FIGURE 5–14 ); setae sparse on anterior half of mesoscutum and denser on posterior half and mesoscutellum. Propodeum dorsally bare ( Fig. 11 View FIGURE 5–14 ), laterally with long setae. Meso-and metapleuron with long setae ( Fig. 10 View FIGURE 5–14 ). Setae on metasoma sparse ( Figs 13, 14 View FIGURE 5–14 ).
Head. Antenna with 24 antennomeres; first flagellomere somewhat longer than the second (ratio ca. 2.6:2.3); head width across eyes slightly broader than head height (1.5 ×) ( Fig. 7 View FIGURE 5–14 ). Face uniformly yellowish brown. Face finely granulose, occiput polished with faint reticulations ( Fig. 9 View FIGURE 5–14 ). Ventral clypeal margin concave. Maxillary palp five segmented, labial palp three segmented. POL: OD: OOL= 1.5: 1.0: 4.0 ( Fig. 9 View FIGURE 5–14 ).
Mesosoma. Mesosoma 1.2 × as long as high ( Fig. 10 View FIGURE 5–14 ), mesoscutum smooth, anteriorly glabrous except for rows of setae along notauli; dorsal surface polished with finely coriaceous to alutaceous sculpture appearing embedded within the integument, not distinctly raised. Notauli shallow, mesoscutellar sulcus wide, deep, crenulate, dorsal surface slightly convex without pronounced punctures ( Fig. 9 View FIGURE 5–14 ). Propodeum smooth without any indication of medio-longitudinal carina, posterior margin brown ( Fig. 11 View FIGURE 5–14 ). Metapleuron smooth, with long setae, pilosity distinct ( Fig. 10 View FIGURE 5–14 ). Fore wing: r: 3-SR: SR1 = 1.5: 2.1: 8.4; 2-SR: 3-SR: r-m = 2.1: 2.1: 1.2; angle between veins 2-SR and 2-M about 50°; CU1a almost straight ( Fig. 12 View FIGURE 5–14 ). Hind leg: Length of metafemur, tibia and basitarsus 3.9, 5.7 and 4.2 × their width; metatibia longer than metafemur; pro- and mesotarsi slender in comparison with metatarsi ( Figs 5, 13 View FIGURE 5–14 ).
Metasoma. First tergite largely smooth, rugose apically, without medial groove, sublateral grooves converge anteriorly, length 1.1 × its apical width; T2 approximately 1.2 × longer than T3, longitudinally rugulose with wide smooth medial area (onto posterior third) surrounded by a pair of rugose grooves, sublateral grooves absent; T3 with transverse crenulate strip on anterior margin, remainder of surface granulose; following tergites with dorsum granulose, apical margin smooth ( Fig. 14 View FIGURE 5–14 ). Setose part of ovipositor sheath 1.3 × as long as metasoma, ovipositor 0.65 × as long as fore wing, ovipositor sheath moderately setose ( Fig. 5 View FIGURE 5–14 ); hypopygium narrow, apically acute, its tip extending beyond the metasomal apex ( Fig. 13 View FIGURE 5–14 ).
Paratype. Male ( Figs 15–19 View FIGURE 15–19 ). Body length 2.06 mm, fore wing length 2.19 mm.
Antenna 21 antennomeres ( Fig. 14 View FIGURE 5–14 ); propleuron, all coxae white, T1 medially smooth, without medial groove or carina; T2 longitudinally rugulose with smooth medio-basal area surrounded by rugose grooves; T3–T6 yellowish brown, finely granulose, apical margin smooth ( Fig. 19 View FIGURE 15–19 ).
Association ( Figs 2–4 View FIGURE 1–4 ). Emerged from syconia of Ficus tinctoria subsp. gibbosa (Blume) Corner ( Rosales : Moraceae ). Specimens were reared from syconia of Ficus tinctoria collected in a mixed deciduous forest in Kerala. Field observations suggest that F. kallithi sp. nov. is a parasitoid of non-pollinating fig wasps associated with the fig’s galling insects. Although precise host identification remains under investigation, the morphology of the ovipositor and the collection context strongly imply a life history similar to that of other Ficobracon species ( Ramírez & Marsh 1996; Wu et al. 2013).
Etymology. The species name kallithi is derived from the Malayalam vernacular name of Ficus tinctoria .
Distribution. Kerala, India.
Differential diagnosis. Ficobracon kallithi sp. nov. is readily distinguished from its congeners by the following combination of characters. In the female, the antenna comprises 24‐antennomeres (scape + pedicel + 22- flagellomeres) ( vs. 23 antennomeres in F. codonatus and 23–26 in F. kashmirensis ). The head is slightly wider than high (width across eyes 1.5 × its height) with POL: OD: OOL = 1.5: 1.0: 4.0 (proportionally 15: 10: 40), whereas F. codonatus has POL: OD: OOL = 2: 2: 7 and F. kashmirensis 1: 1: 3. Propodeum in F. kallithi is completely smooth and lacks any median carina, whereas in F. codonatus a distinct medio-longitudinal carina is present on the posterior half of the propodeum and F. kashmirensis similarly has a posterior median carina (propodeum smooth, with medio-longitudinal carina on its posterior half).
The fore wing of F. kallithi has the vein ratios r: 3-SR: SR1 = 1.5: 2.1: 8.4 and 2-SR: 3-SR: r-m = 2.1: 2.1: 1.2, with the angle between veins 2-SR and 2-M about 50°. By contrast, F. codonatus has r: 3-SR: SR1 = 5: 10: 42 and 2-SR: 3-SR: r-m = 2: 2.3: 1.3, with the 2-SR–2-M angle ≈57°. F. kashmirensis has r: 3-SR: SR1 = 1: 2: 6 and 2-SR: 3-SR: r-m = 1.8: 2.0: 1.1, with angle ≈70°. In each species CU1a is almost straight. The pterostigma and wing setae are brown in all species.
In F. kallithi , first metasomal tergite (T1) is about 1.1× as long as its apical width; the dorsal surface of T1 is largely smooth, with coarse rugosity only on the apical half, and lacks a median groove. In F. codonatus , T1 is similar in proportion but has a smooth, bell-shaped medial area divided by a distinct median groove, the posterior half of T1 being coarsely rugose. F. kashmirensis also lacks a median groove on T1. T 2 in F. kallithi is about 1.2× as long as T3 and is longitudinally rugulose with a broad smooth medio-basal area bounded by a pair of rugose grooves. By contrast, F. codonatus has T2 roughly equal in length to T3 and almost entirely smooth (only the submedial areas finely rugulose). F. kashmirensis has T2 as long as T3 and longitudinally rugulose with a smooth medio-basal patch and rugose lateral grooves (no sublateral grooves in any of these species). T3 of F. kallithi bears a transverse crenulate ridge at the anterior margin and the remainder finely granulose. In F. codonatus T3 is largely rugose-reticulate (with a sharp lateral crease basally), whereas in F. kashmirensis T3 is longitudinally rugose with a smooth apical margin. The following tergites (T4–T6) are smooth or finely granulose in all three species.
The ovipositor sheath of F. kallithi is about 1.3 × as long as metasoma (0.65 × as long as fore wing length). In F. codonatus the sheath is longer (≈1.6 × metasoma, 0.76 × as long as fore wing). In F. kashmirensis it is shorter (≈1.2 × metasoma, 0.56 × as long as fore wing). In all species the ovipositor sheath is setose and the hypopygium is long, narrow and sharply acute apically (extending beyond the metasomal apex).
No known copyright restrictions apply. See Agosti, D., Egloff, W., 2009. Taxonomic information exchange and copyright: the Plazi approach. BMC Research Notes 2009, 2:53 for further explanation.
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