Leluthia pongamiacola Gupta & Belokobylskij, 2024

Gupta, Ankita, Belokobylskij, Sergey A., Achterberg, Cornelis Van, Pattar, Rohit, Broad, Gavin R., Gracy, R. G. & Sushil, S. N., 2024, Parasitoid complex of doryctine wasps (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) reared from Pongamia pinnata (L.) (Fabaciae) coleopteran complex (Coleoptera) with description of two new species from India, Zootaxa 5506 (3), pp. 402-427 : 410-413

Leluthia pongamiacola Gupta & Belokobylskij , sp. nov.

( Figs 5 , 6 )

Type material. Holotype: female, INDIA: Karnataka, Bengaluru , 28.viii.2023, ex cerambycid infested Pongamia pinnata (L.) wood logs, coll. R. Pattar, Code- NIM/ NBAIR /Hym/Brac/Lelu/230823B-H; P1; P2 ( NIM).

Paratypes: same label as in holotype, 2 females, 1 male ( NIM) .

Description. Body length 2.2 mm, fore wing 1.9 mm, visible part of ovipositor sheath 0.9 mm.

Head. Head width 2.0 × its median length in dorsal view, 1.1 × its height in anterior view, 1.2 × width of mesoscutum. Transverse diameter of eye (dorsal view) 0.5 × longer than temple. POL 2.0 × Od, 0.5 × OOL. Eye 1.8 × as high as broad. Malar space 0.4 × eye height, almost equal to proximal width of mandible. Hypoclypeal depression round, its width 0.6 × distance from edge of depression to eye border, 0.3 × width of face. Occipital carina complete dorsally. Vertex including ocellar region with dense and curved transverse striations, with few sparse setae on sides; frons rugose with rough striations; face (excluding smooth narrow central region) finely rugose with irregular striations, with few setae.

Antenna filiform, with 16 antennomeres, about as long as body. First flagellomere 5.2 × longer than its apical width, 1.2 × longer than second flagellomere. Penultimate flagellomere 3.5 × longer than wide, 0.7 × as long as first flagellomere, 0.9 × as long as apical flagellomere; the latter weakly acuminate apically and without spine.

Mesosoma 1.5 × longer than high. Mesoscutum (lateral view) distinctly and sub-perpendicularly elevated above pronotum. Neck of prothorax short. Mesoscutum rugose with few scattered setae, lateral lobes granulate and mostly bare. Scutellum finely rugose, entirely setose. Mesopleuron transversely striate in upper half and smooth in lower half. Propodeum and metapleuron entirely coarsely reticulate-rugose, sparsely setose, without areola, with two prominent curved carinae in mid-lateral region.

Wings. Length of fore wing 3.5 × its width. Radial (marginal) cell not shortened. Metacarp (1-R1) 1.2 × longer than pterostigma. Radial vein (r) arising below middle of pterostigma. Second radiomedial vein (r-m) absent; second radiomedial (submarginal) cell absent. Second radial abscissa (3-SR+SR1) almost 6.0 × longer than first radial abscissa (r). First abscissa of medial vein (1-SR+M) weakly curved. Recurrent vein (m-cu) weakly antefurcal. Distance (1-CU1) between basal vein (1-M) and nervulus (cu-a) almost equal to nervulus (cu-a). Hind wing 5.0 × longer than wide. First abscissa of costal vein (C+SC+R) 0.8 × longer than its second abscissa (1-SC+R). First abscissa of mediocubital vein (M+CU) 0.9 × as long as its second abscissa (1-M).

Legs. Hind coxa 1.7 × longer than width, dorsally transversely striate. Hind femur almost 3.0 × longer than wide, finely granulate and setose. Hind tibia 6.0 × longer than wide, finely granulate. Setae on dorsal surface of hind tibia about 0.5 × as long as maximum width of tibia. Hind tarsus 1.2 × longer than hind tibia. Hind basitarsus 0.5 × as long as second to fifth segments combined. Second segment of hind tarsus 0.6 × as long as basitarsus, 1.4 × longer than fifth segment (without pretarsus).

Metasoma. Length of first tergite 0.9 × its posterior width; posterior width 1.6 × its minimum width. Second suture deep and wide, distinctly curved medially, with shallow sublateral bands directed forwards. Median length of second tergite 0.3 × its anterior width, 0.75 × length of third tergite. Fifth metasomal tergite not enlarged. First metasomal tergite with coarse longitudinal striation, sparsely setose; second tergite with longitudinal striation; third tergite longitudinally striate in middle and almost smooth posteriorly; fourth tergite granulate in anterior half; fifth tergite densely reticulate rugose anteriorly; sixth tergite antero-laterally granulate, antero-medially transversely striate and posteriorly smooth. Ovipositor sheath distinctly widened subapically, 0.9 × as long as metasoma, 1.2 × longer than mesosoma, 0.5 × as long as fore wing.

Colour. Body in general light reddish brown. Antenna dark brown, but three proximal antennomeres reddish brown. Palpi yellow. Legs in general yellowish brown with all tibia light yellowish brown except paler base, pretarsus dark brown. Wings subhyaline; pterostigma and most veins dark brown or brown.

Variation (female paratypes). Body length 2.2–2.5 mm, fore wing 1.9–2.2 mm, visible part of ovipositor sheath 0.95–1.2 mm. Head. Head width 1.8–2.0 × its median length in dorsal view, 1.1–1.2 × its height in anterior view, 1.0–1.2 × width of mesoscutum. Transverse diameter of eye (dorsal view) 1.9 × longer than temple. POL 1.7 × Od. Eye 1.8–1.9 × as high as broad. First flagellomere 1.2–1.3 × longer than second flagellomere. Metacarp (1-R1) of fore wing 1.1–1.2 × longer than pterostigma. Second radial abscissa (3-SR+SR1) 6.0–6.3 × longer than first radial abscissa (r). Hind femur 3.0–3.3 × longer than wide. Hind tibia 5.8–6.0 × longer than wide. Hind basitarsus 0.5–0.6 × as long as second to fifth segments combined. Length of first metasomal tergite 0.8–0.9 × its posterior width; its posterior width 1.5–1.6 × minimum width. Median length of second tergite 0.3–0.4 × its anterior width, 0.7–0.8 × length of third tergite. Ovipositor sheath 0.8–0.9 × as long as metasoma, 1.1–1.2 × longer than mesosoma.

Male. Body length 2.1 mm, fore wing 1.8 mm. Head width 1.5 × its median length in dorsal view, subequal to width of mesoscutum. Transverse diameter of eye (dorsal view) 1.7 × longer than temple. POL 3.3 × Od, 0.6 × OOL. Antenna with 14 antennomeres. First flagellomere 5.3 × longer than its apical width. Mesosoma 1.8 × longer than high. Wings. Metacarp (1-R1) subequal to pterostigma. Second radial abscissa (3-SR+SR1) about 7.3 × longer than first radial abscissa (r). Hind coxa 1.5 × longer than width. Hind femur 2.7 × longer than wide. Hind tibia 5.2 × longer than wide. Hind basitarsus 0.6 × as long as second to fifth segments combined. Length of first metasomal tergite subequal to its posterior width; its posterior width 1.7 × minimum width. Median length of second tergite 0.5 × its posterior width, 0.6 × length of third tergite. Otherwise similar to female.

Comparative diagnosis. Leluthia (Euhecabolodes) pongamiacola sp. nov. is similar to L. (E.) ruguloscolyti (Fischer, 1962) ( Figs 7 , 8 ) but differs from the latter in the following characters: 1) radial (marginal) cell of fore wing practically not shortened (weakly shortened in L. ruguloscolyti ); 2) second metasomal tergite shorter medially and with weak sublateral bands (longer medially and with rather strong sublateral bands in L. ruguloscolyti ); 3) vertex only transversely striate (densely granulate with sparse transverse striation in L. ruguloscolyti ); 4) discoidal (discal) cell narrow and subparallel-sided (wide and trapezoid in L. ruguloscolyti ); 5) irregular median carina of propodeum restricted to its anterior 0.3 (median carina absent in L. ruguloscolyti ).

The new species also resembles L. (E.) acceptum ( Belokobylskij, 1986) ( Figs 9 , 10 ), which has similar structure of the second and third metasomal tergites and sculpture of the mesoscutum. However, L. pongamiacola sp. nov. differs from the latter in the following characters: 1) vertex distinctly transversely striate (only densely granulate-coriaceous in L. acceptum ); 2) medial lobe of mesoscutum anteriorly in dorsal view almost straight or even weakly concave medially (evenly curved in L. acceptum ); 3) mesopleuron transversely striate in anterior half (mesopleuron entirely uniformly densely granulate-coriaceous in L. acceptum ); 4) irregular median carina of propodeum restricted to its anterior 0.3 (median carina present in anterior 0.7 and continued beyond middle of propodeum in L. acceptum ); 5) discoidal (discal) cell of fore wing widened basally (practically not widened in L. acceptum ); 6) head dorsally in lateral view rather distinctly narrowed to its upper border (evenly curved in L. acceptum ).

Figures

FIGURE 5. Leluthia pongamiacola Gupta & Belokobylskij, sp. nov. (A) Head, front view. (B) Head and mesoscutum, dorsal view. (C) Mesosoma, dorsal view. (D) Head and anterior part of mesosoma, lateral view. (E) Metasoma, dorsal view. (F) Propodeum and anterior part of metasoma, dorsal view. (G) Wings.

FIGURE 6. Leluthia pongamiacola Gupta & Belokobylskij, sp. nov. (A) Habitus, dorsal view (female). (B) Habitus, lateral view (male).

FIGURE 7. Leluthia ruguloscolyti (Fischer) (holotype of L.minuta (Tobias)). (A) Habitus, lateral view. (B) Head and mesosoma, lateral view. (C) Mesosoma and first tergite, dorsal view. (D) Head, front view. (E) Head, dorsal view. (F) Hind leg. (G) First to third metasomal tergites, dorsal view.

FIGURE 8. Leluthia ruguloscolyti (Fischer) (holotype of (L. minuta Tobias)). (A) Wings. (B) Propodeum and metasoma, dorsal view. (C) Metasoma, lateral view.

FIGURE 9. Leluthia acceptum (Belokobylskij) (holotype). (A) Habitus, lateral view. (B) Head and mesosoma, lateral view. (C) Mesosoma, dorsal view. (D) Head, front view. (E) Head, dorsal view. (F) Apical segments of antenna. (G) Propodeum and first to third metasomal tergites, dorsal view.

FIGURE 10. Leluthia acceptum (Belokobylskij) (holotype). (A) Wings. (B) Metasoma, dorsal view. (C) Metasoma, lateral view.