Odontomutilla sairandhriensis Terine, Girish Kumar & Lelej, 2020

Lelej, Arkady S., Terine, Joshua B., Kumar, Girish P., Das, Dipanwita & Sureshan, Pavittu M., 2020, Review of the genus Odontomutilla Ashmead, 1899 (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae) of the Indian subcontinent, with description of two new species, Zootaxa 4822 (2), pp. 191-208 : 199-200

10. Odontomutilla sairandhriensis Terine, Girish Kumar & Lelej , sp. nov.

( Figs 19–26 )

Diagnosis. FEMALE. Head ferruginous, rugose with irregular deep striations. F1 length 1.0–1.1 × F2. Head and mesosoma with thick erect golden setae. T1 dorsally with appressed black setae and golden triangular spot of setae medially. T2 basally with golden band of setae projected posteromedially. T3 and T4 with golden band of setae, with few brownish setae anteromedially. Mesosoma ferruginous, dorsum deeply and irregularly striated. MALE. Unknown.

Description. FEMALE. Body length 14 mm. Body stout, large-sized, moderately convex, broadest at metasoma. Colouration and setation. Scape and mandible black except base of mandible and base and apex of scape ferruginous; clypeus and legs black except coxae mixed with brown; flagellomeres blackish brown; frons, vertex and mesosoma ferruginous; head and mesosoma with long erect golden setae; tibial and tarsal spines brown; T1 dorsally with appressed black setae and triangular golden spot medially; T2 basally with band of golden setae which projected posteromedially; T3 and T4 with band of golden setae, anteromedially with few brownish setae; T5 black with few sparse subappressed golden setae; T6 black with dense erect golden setae; metasomal sterna black except apical margin of S2–S4 with dense appressed golden setae, S5 and S6 apically with dense appressed brownish golden setae.

Head. Small, almost quadrangular in dorsal view, slightly convex behind compound eyes, posterior margin almost straight, irregularly rugose; eyes small, oval and bulged; longitudinal eye diameter in fronto-lateral view, 2.35 × distance between eye and mandibular base; clypeus strongly depressed basally and apically; mandible bidentate, apical tooth larger than subapical; upper half of gena with smaller punctures than in lower half and bordered beneath by carina; hypostomal carina tuberculate in anterior two thirds.

Mesosoma. Humeral angles not well developed; scutellar scale lacking; mesopleuron convex, dorsally with strong dent; pronotum distinctly broader than propodeum; mesosoma dorsally deeply irregularly striated; propodeum posteriorly abrupt and almost flat; mid and hind tibia with rows of tibial spines.

Metasoma. T1 wide, narrower than T2; T2 with deep antero-lateral oval elongate fovea; pygidium with irregular transverse striations, with few irregular microrugosity.

Measurements. Ratios of pedicel length, F1 length, F2 length, and F3 length, 6:10.2:10:9; longitudinal eye diameter in fronto-lateral view: 1.31 mm, mesosoma width in dorsal view: 3.87 mm (including propodeal tubercle), mesosoma length in dorsal view: 4.78 mm, T2 length in dorsal view: 3.60 mm. Ratios of humeral angle width, distance between anterior spiracles, widest point of mesonotum, distance between propodeal spiracle, and posterolateral propodeal angle 41:43.5:50.5:39.5:36. Metatibio-tarsal length ratio 39:11.5:9:7:4:7.5.

Paratype ♀. Similar to holotype except as follows: Body length 13.5 mm. Clypeus black with apex brown; legs entirely black; flagellomeres black.

MALE. Unknown.

Type material. Holotype ♀ (on triangular card), India: Kerala, Palakkad district, Silent Valley National Park , 11°3’50.86”N 76°32’16.14”E, 553 m, 7.II.1988, coll. G.U. Kurup & party, ZSI/WGRC/IR/INV.13568 [ ZSIK] . Paratype ♀, India: Kerala, Kasaragod district, Ranipuram hills, 12°24’56’’N 75°21’11’’E, 901 m, 22.I.2020, coll. Swafvan Kananchery, ZSI/WGRC/IR/INV.13630 [ ZSIK] .

Distribution. India: Kerala ( Fig. 36 ).

Etymology. The species name is derived from Malayalam “Sairandhri vanam”, the local name for Silent Valley National Park with reference to the place where the holotype was collected.

Remarks. In the key of Das et al. (2017) this new species comes close to Odontomutilla spectra and O. aurifex , but distinctly differs from both species. This new species differs from O. spectra by having the head, mesosoma and metasoma with stiff, erect golden setae (black ones in O. spectra ); broad band on T2 basally (three round subbasal spots in O. spectra ); uninterrupted band of golden setae on T3 (interrupted in O. spectra ); uninterrupted band of golden setae on T4 (lateral golden spots in O. spectra ); and posterior face of propodeum almost flat (distinctly concave in O. spectra ). This new species differs from O. aurifex by having the mesosoma deeply irregularly striated dorsally (coarsely rugose in O. aurifex ); and head rugose with irregular deep striations (coarsely rugose in O. aurifex ).

Odontomutilla sairandhriensis also differs from O. paderua by having frons and vertex with erect long golden setae (sparse subappressed silver setae intermixed with erect black setae in O. paderua ); mesosoma with erect golden setae dorsally (sparse erect black setae intermixed with few decumbent yellowish setae in O. paderua ); T1 with a median triangular spot of golden setae (black in O. paderua ); T2 basally with a band of golden pubescence (with three circular spots of yellowish setae placed transversely in O. paderua ); T3 with band of golden pubescence uninterrupted medially (interrupted medially in O. paderua ); T4 with band of golden pubescence (black in O. paderua ); pygidium with irregular transverse striations (coarsely punctured, and apex irregularly striated in O. paderua ).

This new species belongs to the group of females which has T1 medially with spot of pale setae and T 2 in basal half with wide transverse band of pale setae but differs from O. pulchrina and O. aurifex by short F1 which is 1.0–1.1 × as long as F2 (F1 length 1.5 × F 2 in O. pulchrina and O. aurifex ).

Figures

FIGURE 36. Distribution map of the Indian subcontinent species of Odontomutilla Ashmead.

FIGURES 19–26. Odontomutilla sairandhriensis sp. nov., holotype, ♀. 19. Habitus, lateral view. 20. Face view. 21. Lower part of head, face view. 22. Head and mesosoma, dorsal view. 23. Mesosoma, lateral view. 24. T1 & T2, dorsal view. 25. T3–T6, dorsal view. 26. Pygidium.