Coriophagus calcaneus, Roy, Sukhendu & Hazra, Niladri, 2016

Roy, Sukhendu & Hazra, Niladri, 2016, Two new species of Halictophagidae (Insecta: Strepsiptera) including the first record of genus Coriophagus Kinzelbach from India, Zootaxa 4189 (1), pp. 581-587 : 582

Coriophagus calcaneus n. sp.

LSIDurn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:B1 CAD 218-DB2D-482E-AF1A-7FE2C3332ED9 ( Figs. 1–10 )

Material examined. Holotype male (Type No. BU Ent. 286), India, West Bengal, Malda , Adina Deer park (25°14'N, 88°17'E), 20.xi.2015, open light trap, Coll. S. Roy.

Etymology. The name “ calcaneus ” refers to Latinised version of the heel-like base of the aedeagus.

Male adult (n = 1). Total length 2.79 mm; length of the metathorax 1.22 mm; width of metathorax 0.44 mm; length of the antenna 0.49 mm.

Colour. Head light brown, thorax deep brown, abdomen light brown, and hind wing smoky.

Head ( Fig. 1 ). Head elongated laterally; length 0.2 mm, width 0.7 mm. Eyes prominent, 17–19 ommatidia when viewed dorsally. Antenna seven segmented ( Fig. 2 ), antennomeres I and II equal in length, 0.06 mm long, bases of III–VI extended laterally into flabella, III with longest flabellum, 0.37 mm long, IV with flabellum 0.33 mm long, antennomeres V, VI with flabella and antennomere VII equal in length, 0.27 mm long. Maxillary palp globular and shorter than the maxillary base ( Fig. 3 ). Maxillary base 0.06 mm long; palp 0.03 mm long. Mandible 0.09 mm long, strongly sclerotized ( Fig. 4 ), triangular with sharp tip and 3 times longer than the maxillary palp.

Metathorax ( Fig. 5 ). Prescutum slightly rounded anteriorly, protruded from scutum, prescutum 0.37 mm in length and 0.18 mm in width; scutellum pentagonal shaped, triangular at the apical end, 0.22 mm in length; postlumbium slightly constricted in centre by inward curvature of both anterior and posterior margins, postlumbium narrow, 0.13 mm in length and width 0.4 mm; postnotum almost triangular with 0.5 mm long and 0.37 mm width.

Hind wing ( Fig. 6 ). Hind wing with two detached veins – R2 and R3, R2 almost one third the length of R3, R3 and R5 long, nearly touching the wing margin; R5 attached slightly behind the apex of R4; MA and CuA1 almost touching the wing margin; MA and CuA1 almost equal in length. CuP 1.5 times shorter than CuA1 and almost touching the wing margin.

Legs ( Figs. 7–9 ). Fore coxa 0.28 mm long, fore femur 0.3 mm long, fore tibia spatulate with 0.29 mm long, tarsomere I enlarged, rounded and 0.17 mm long, tarsomeres II and III of fore leg almost equal in length and 0.1 mm long each. Mid coxa 0.34 mm long, mid femur length 0.4 mm, mid tibial length 0.43 mm, tarsomere I 0.14 mm, II 0.15 mm and III 0.13 mm long. Hind coxa 0.2 mm long, hind femur 0.37 mm long, hind tibial length 0.46 mm, hind tarsomere I 0.16 mm, II 0.15 mm and III 0.13 mm long. Ventral surface of last tarsomere hairy, with no claw.

Abdomen. Abdomen sclerotized, ten segmented.

Aedeagus ( Fig. 10 ). Aedeagus 0.22 mm long with terminal hook 0.05 mm long, at ca. 84° angle with shaft; shaft two times longer than the terminal hook, shaft stout, 0.11 mm long, bending basally into 0.06 mm long extension; base well pronounced, heel-like in appearance and at ca. 68° angle with shaft.

Remarks. The proposed new species is included in the genus Coriophagus of subfamily Coriophaginae on account of the presence of distinct frontal and epistomal sutures, distal end of fore tibia spatulate, enlarged fore tarsomere I and larger body size (> 2.5mm). Coriophagus calcaneus n. sp. from India resembles C. borneensis Kathirithamby (1993) in the shape of the fore tarsomere I and the maxillary palp but differs in antenna, metathorax and shape of the aedeagus. Coriophagus casui Cowley (1984) is somewhat similar to new species in the aedeagus and mandible but differs in wing venation, shape of maxilla, scutellum and postnotum. The new species is quite dissimilar from C. jennyae Kogan (2012) in the shape of fore tarsomere I, maxilla, wing venation and aedeagus. The new species shows affinities with C. maai Kifune & Hirashima (1989) in the shape of prescutum, postlumbium, postnotum and foretibia but is dissimilar in shape of the aedeagus, wing venation, fore tarsomere I and shape of the scutellum. The shape of the scutellum of the new species is somewhat similar to C. gressitiorum Kifune & Hirashima (1989) but shape of the maxillary base, aedeagus, and terminalia are different.

Female. Unknown.

Host. Unknown.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 6. Coriophagus calcaneus n. sp., adult male. 1: head in ventral view, 2: antenna, 3: maxilla, 4: mandible, 5: metathorax in dorsal view, 6: right hind wing.

FIGURES 7 – 10. Coriophagus calcaneus n. sp., adult male. 7: prothoracic leg, 8: mesothoracic leg, 9: metathoracic leg, 10: aedeagus.