Chakra gotamiae Veenakumari, 2022

Veenakumari, Kamalanathan, Sreedevi, Kolla & Mohanraj, Prashanth, 2022, Additions to the genus Chakra Rajmohana and Veenakumari, 2014 (Hymenoptera: Platygastroidea: Scelionidae) from India, Journal of Natural History 56 (41 - 44), pp. 1657-1707 : 1674-1677

Chakra gotamiae Veenakumari sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:8E3836C0-C9B4-4CA9-864C-15B6A19F8011

( Figures 8 (a–f), 9(a–b), 23(e))

Female body length = 1.70–1.86 mm (n = 8); male body length = 1.59–1.65 (n = 2).

Colour

Head yellow-brown; mesosoma orange-brown; metasoma yellow except brown T4, brown-black T5–T6; inner margins of ocelli with black markings; radicle and A1 yellow, A2 and A4 brown, A3 dark brown and remaining antennomeres brown-black; all legs yellow with black apical tarsomeres.

Head

1.1× as wide as high, 1.3× as high as long. Setation on head: sparse. IOS: 0.6× head width, 1.3× eye length. POL> LOL = OOL: 6.7:4.3:4.3. OOL: 1.8× MOD. Compound eye: large (L:W = 16.6:14.9). Sculpture on vertex: with sparse setose protuberances, furrows between protuberances with weak reticulations. Sculpture of frons: with sparse setose protuberances, furrows between protuberances with weak reticulations, except for weak transverse striae medially and oblique reticulations ventrally. Central keel: absent. Sculpture of gena: sparse setose protuberances with weak striae in between. Facial and malar striae: weak. Interantennal process: smooth, gradually narrowing apically, beak-like.

Mesosoma

L:W of mesoscutum: 25.2:30.3. Setation of mesoscutum: sparse. Sculpture of mesoscutum: with sparse setose protuberances, furrows between protuberances with weak reticulations. Mesoscutal humeral sulcus: not foveate. Mesoscutal suprahumeral sulcus: not foveate. Scutoscutellar sulcus: entirely foveate. L:W of mesoscutellum: 11.2:20.4. Sculpture of mesoscutellum: weakly reticulate interspersed with sparse setose protuberances. Setation of mesoscutellum: sparse. Sculpture of metascutellum: anteriorly foveate, remainder longitudinal carinate with weak foveae between carinae. Armature of metascutellum: triangular spine extending over horn on T1. Sculpture of metanotal trough: foveate. Sculpture of lateral propodeal area: with sparse depressions. Posterior propodeal projection: pointed, directed posteriorly. Sculpture of lateral pronotal area: dorsally with setose protuberances followed by weak transverse striations, posteriorly with weak transverse carinae, remainder smooth. Pronotal cervical sulcus: not foveate. Netrion sulcus: foveate. Speculum of mesopleuron: transversely carinate. Episternal sulcus: foveate. Postacetabular sulcus: not foveate. Prespecular sulcus: not foveate. Mesepimeral sulcus: indicated by weak wide foveae. Mesepimeral area: smooth, narrower than mesepimeral sulcus. Mesopleural carina: present. Sculpture of femoral depression: dorsally smooth, ventrally obliquely carinate. Mesopleural pit: present. Sculpture of ventral mesopleuron: with setose protuberances. Sculpture of metapleuron: dorsally and ventrally with shallow depressions. Metapleural sulcus: foveate. Paracoxal sulcus: foveate. Metapleural epicoxal sulcus: not foveate. L:W of fore wing: 98.2:27.7. L:W of hind wing: 88.9:14.2. Marginal cilia on posterior margin of proximal fore wing: absent.

Metasoma

L:W of metasoma: 84.5:32.6. Sculpture of T1: longitudinally costate. Length of T1: 0.7× the length of T2. Horn on T1: indicated as a short protuberance. Length of T2: 0.7× the length of T3. Sculpture of T2: basal foveae present followed by longitudinal costae, with foveae between costae. Sculpture of T3: longitudinally striate, with punctae between striae. Sculpture of T4: reticulate. Sculpture of T5–T6: predominantly smooth.

Male

Similar to female. Shape of antennomeres: elongate.

Material examined

Holotype. Female ( ICAR / NBAIR / P4436 ), INDIA: Karnataka: Tumkur, Huliyur Durga , 12.825° N 77.034°E, 719 m, SN, 19 August 2011.

Paratypes. 1 female ( ICAR / NBAIR / P4437 ), Karnataka: Chikkaballapur, Nandi Hills, 13.617° N 77.692°E, 1448 m, SN, 08 September 2010 ; 1 female ( ICAR / NBAIR / P4438 ), Karnataka: Tumkur , Ranganathaswamy Betta , 13.033°N 76.971°E, 901 m, YPT, 20 September 2011 ; 1 female ( ICAR / NBAIR / P4439 ), Karnataka: Bengaluru , Jarakabande Kaval , 13.094°N 77.543°E, 921 m, MT, 14 November 2014 ; 1 female ( ICAR / NBAIR / P4440 ), Karnataka: Bengaluru , Jarakabande Kaval , 13.094°N 77.543°E, 921 m, MT, 24 August 2016 ; 1 female ( ICAR / NBAIR / P4441 ), Karnataka: Bengaluru , Attur , 13.096°N 77.566°E, 936 m, PFT, 07 October 2011 ; 1 female ( ICAR / NBAIR / P4442 ), Karnataka: Bengaluru , Bannerghatta National Park , 12.800°N 77.576°E, 931 m, YPT, 13 August 2015 ; 1 female ( ICAR / NBAIR / P4443 ), Karnataka: Bengaluru , Hebbal , NBAIR, 13.027°N 77.584°E, 927 m, YPT, 25 June 2016 ; 1 male ( ICAR / NBAIR / P4446 ), Karnataka: Bengaluru , Jarakabande Kaval , 13.094°N 77.543°E, 921 m, MT, 09 September 2014 ; 1 female ( ICAR / NBAIR / P4447 ), Karnataka: Bengaluru , Jarakabande Kaval , 13.094°N 77.543°E, 921 m, MT, 1 August 2015.

Etymology

The specific epithet ‘gotamiae’ is in honour of Gotami, Gautama Buddha’s foster mother and the first woman to be ordained a nun or bhikkhuni in the Buddhist monastic order. The name is treated as a noun in the genitive case.

Diagnosis

This species is diagnosed by the presence of a triangular metascutellum which extends over the horn on T1.

Figures

Figure 8. Chakra gotamiae sp. nov. (♀): (a) Habitus, dorsal view; (b) frons; (c) head and pleuron; (d) head and mesoscutum; (e) wings; (f) antenna.