Eosmicromyrmilla balakrishnani Terine, Lelej & Girish Kumar, 2021

Lelej, Arkady S., Terine, Joshua B. & Kumar, Girish P., 2021, New species of Ticoplinae (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae) from India, Zootaxa 5052 (4), pp. 567-578 : 573-576

Eosmicromyrmilla balakrishnani Terine, Lelej & Girish Kumar , sp. nov.

( Figs 12–20 , 24–26 )

Diagnosis. MALE. Clypeus convex, punctate, with preapical groove. Pronotum conspicuously reticulate. Metapleuron dorsally transversely striate, mid and ventral part with weak rugae and few punctures. Lateral propodeal face reticulate with weak rugae adjacent to metapleuron. Lateral and posterior propodeal faces separated by wavy sub-dentate carina. S6 posteriorly with strong angulate concavity and median narrow emargination almost half the length of visible (punctured) part of S6. S7 partly visible. Apical part of paramere 1.5 times longer than paramere base (lateral view), compressed bilaterally, downcurved and pointed apically; paramere outside with few short whitish setae. Penis valve lamellate, apically rounded, with blunt tooth preapically. FEMALE. Unknown.

Description. MALE. Body length 5.79–8.27 (holotype 8.27 mm). Coloration and setation. Body black. Ocellar triangle with sparse subappressed black and white setae. Mandibles black with small preapical brownish spot. Clypeus with long dense recumbent white setae. Legs black, mid and hind tibial spurs white, fore tibial spurs brownish. Mandible, frons, vertex and genae with scattered recumbent white setae mixed with few erect black setae. Mesosoma with sparse, recumbent and erect white setae, which denser on mesopleuron, mixed with sparse erect black setae on pronotum, mesoscutum and mesoscutellum. Mesopleuron with dense white setae above mid coxa. Legs with recumbent and erect white setae. Metasomal segments 1–4 with scattered long, erect white setae, T2 disc and T5–7 with sparse long black setae. T1–4 and S2–5 with apical fringe of white setae. S6 with long white erect setae mixed with shorter recumbent black setae, S8 with long erect brownish setae mixed with shorter recumbent black setae.

Head. Almost oval (frontal view), not elongated behind eyes, head width 1.13 × maximal pronotal width. Ocelli small, POL 0.55 × OOL. Mandible tridentate, without sub-basal inner tubercle. Ratio of pedicel and F1–3 length 1.0:1.2:3.3:3.3. Clypeus convex, punctate, with preapical groove.

Mesosoma. Pronotum densely punctate, laterally mostly rugulose, anteriorly pronotal carina strongly developed. Mesoscutum sparsely punctate, with parapsidal furrows, notauli lacking. Mesoscutellum produced and overhanging metanotum, posterior margin slightly emarginated, mesoscutellum reticulate, reticulae size smaller than on propodeal posterior face. Mesopleuron rugose to densely punctate; tegula with smooth disc and large punctures anteriorly and posteriorly. Metapleuron transversely striate dorsally, mid and ventral part with weak rugae and few punctures. Lateral propodeal face reticulate with weak rugae adjacent to metapleuron. Dorsal and posterior propodeal faces reticulate, reticulae size larger towards metapostnotum, posterior and lateral propodeal faces separated by wavy carina.

Wings. Forewing evenly setose, hyaline except brownish apical third, veins brown, veins distal of cell nebulose; two submarginal cells, second submarginal cell petiolate with marginal cell and smaller than marginal cell, marginal cell with four abscissae.

Metasoma. T1 maximum width 0.75 × T2 maximum width, T1 length 0.57 × T2 length, T1 not constricted posteriorly. T2 with short lateral felt line, S2 with long lateral felt lines. S6 posteriorly with strong angulate concavity and median narrow emargination almost half the length of visible (punctured) part of S6. S7 partly visible. S8 (hypopygium) with median longitudinal narrow emargination which carinated laterally and narrowed basally, with notch near apical third of carina, and oblique carina from notch to latero-basal corner of S8, densely punctate laterad of emargination.

Genitalia. Apical part of paramere 1.5 times longer than paramere base (lateral view), compressed bilaterally, downcurved and pointed apically; paramere outside with few short whitish setae. Penis valve lamellate, apically rounded, with blunt tooth preapically. Volsella lamellate, ventrally and apically with long yellowish setae.

Paratypes. Body length 5.79–6.34 mm; white setae denser at gena.

FEMALE. Unknown.

Material examined. Holotype ♂, INDIA, Kerala, Wayanad district, Muthanga, Ponkuzhi , 11°41'20.01"N 76°23′26.38″E, 844 m, 7.II.2021, coll. K.A. Subramanian & party, ZSI/ WGRC /IR/INV.17651 [ ZSIK] . Paratypes. INDIA: Kerala, Wayanad district, Edavambam , 11°40′56.42″N 76°20′17.00″E, 876 m, 20.II.2021, 2 ♂, K.A. Subramanian & party, ZSI/ WGRC /IR/INV.17652-17653 [ ZSIK] .

Distribution. India: Kerala.

Etymology. This species is named in honor of Balakrishnan Valappil for his dedication to the study of natural history and taxonomy of Indian Lepidoptera .

Figures

FIGURES 12–20. Smicromyrmilla balakrishnani sp. nov., holotype, ♂. 12. Habitus, lateral view. 13. Head, frontal view. 14. Mandible, dorso-lateral view. 15. Head and mesosoma, dorsal view. 16. Metasoma, dorsal view. 17. Metasoma, ventral view. 18. S6–8, ventral view. 19. Fore and hind wings. 20. Mesosoma, lateral view.

FIGURES 21–26. Genitalia. 21–23. Smicromyrmilla subbuka sp. nov., holotype, ♂. 21, dorsal view; 22, lateral view; 23, ventral view. 24-26. S. balakrishnani sp. nov., holotype, ♂. 24, dorsal view; 25, lateral view; 26, ventral view).