Proaphelinoides assamensis Hayat

Hayat, Mohammad, 2012, Records and descriptions of some Aphelinidae (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea) from India, Zootaxa 3521, pp. 39-50 : 43-45

Proaphelinoides assamensis Hayat , sp. nov.

( Figs 6–11 )

Proaphelinoides australis Girault : Hayat & Zeya, 1993: 65, female, India, Assam. Hayat, 1998: 76, female, description, figures 143–147. Misidentification.

Female (holotype). Length of mesosoma plus metasoma, 1.15 mm. Head pale yellow, a large patch on occiput brown. Mandible reddish brown in apical half. Antennal radicle and scape pale yellow; pedicel and flagellum brownish yellow. Mesosoma pale yellow to white; posterior margin of scutellum and sides of propodeum brown. Fore wing hyaline with two infuscated patches, one lightly infuscate patch below proximal half of marginal vein and another distinct patch below distal end of marginal vein, extending onto disc as in Fig. 9 . Hind wing mostly hyaline, but with distal half lightly infuscated ( Fig. 10 ). Legs pale yellow with some brownish suffusions especially on hind coxa and hind femur. Metasoma ( Fig. 11 ) dark brown; petiole and TVIII white; TI and TII white dorsally and pale brown laterally.

Head ( Fig. 6 ). It is not possible to measure head dimensions accurately as it is distorted due to pressure from the coverslip, and the vertex on right side is partially damaged, but width of frontovertex at level of anterior ocellus appears about 0.46× head width; antennal toruli situated slightly below a line drawn between lower margin of eyes, and separated from mouth margin by a distance equal to 1.42× length of a torulus; intertorular space and malar space with fine, short, hyaline setae; a line of 5 long setae along each eye margin; vertex with long, dark brown [now appear pale brown] setae; occiput with several dark brown setae, of which 2 setae are very long and 4 setae are each about half the length of the longer seta (setae on occiput are shown in broken lines in Fig. 6 ); eyes setose, setae hyaline and each about as long as a facet. Antenna ( Fig. 7 ) with scape 4.48× as long as broad; pedicel 1.65× as long as broad, and as long as F2 and F3 combined; F1 slightly longer than F2; F3 quadrate (length measured along ventral margin); clava slightly longer than pedicel and F1–F3 combined (12.5:11.25).

Mesosoma ( Fig. 8 ; also Hayat, 1998: fig. 147). Pronotum slightly less than half length of mesoscutum, the latter subequal in length to scutellum; scutellum 1.67× as broad as long; metanotum very narrow, one-seventh propodeum length; propodeum 0.5× scutellum length; setae on tergites as follows: pronotal collar with 3+3 setae, and a long seta at each posterolateral corner; mid lobe of the mesoscutum with 6+6 setae, of which 1 seta at each anterolateral corner and 2 posterior setae are longer; each side lobe with 2 setae; each axilla with 1 long seta; scutellum with 2+2 long setae; propodeum with 3 setae on each side, 1 relatively thick seta near anterior margin of spiracle and 2 setae distal to spiracle. Fore wing ( Fig. 9 ; also Hayat, 1998: fig. 145) 2.57× as long as broad; venation extending 0.68× wing length; costal cell 0.61× length of marginal vein, and with 1 seta distally on dorsal surface; submarginal vein with 2 setae, distal seta nearly 2× as long as proximal seta; parastigma with 1 long seta; marginal vein with 11 setae; linea calva proximally bordered by 2 lines of setae which become 3 lines in posterior third; linea calva closed posteriorly by 1 line of setae; a bunch of 17–20 dark setae below proximal half of marginal vein, and 2 setae in basal cell near proximal end of parastigma. Hind wing ( Fig. 10 ) 4.36× as long as broad; longest setae of marginal fringe (at basal third of posterior margin) 0.42× wing width. Relative measurement —mesosoma length, 42; mesoscutum length, 13.5; scutellum length (width), 14 (23.5); metanotum length, 1; propodeum length, 7; fore wing length (width), 90 (35); costal cell length, 21; marginal vein length, 34; hind wing length (width), 83 (19); marginal fringe length, 8.

Metasoma ( Fig. 11 ) 1.76× as long as mesosoma; ovipositor originates from level of posterior half of TI of gaster; ovipositor 2.46× as long as mid tibia; second valvifer 2.83× as long as third valvula; TI–TVIII with setae as follows: TI–TIII, 1+1 each; TIV, 3+2; TV, 1+6+1; TVI, 8 in line near anterior margin; TVII, no setae; TVIII with numerous setae, illustrated by Hayat (1998: fig. 146). Relative measurements — metasoma length, 74; ovipositor length, 69; third valvula length, 18; mid tibia length, 28; mid basitarsus length, 12; mid tibial spur length, 9.5.

Male. Unknown.

Material examined. Holotype ( ZDAMU, Registration No. HYM. CH.652), female (on slide under 4 coverslips), labelled in black ink in Hayat’s handwriting: “ INDIA: Assam, Silchar, 9.xi.1989 Coll. M.C. Basha Proaphelinoides ”, “ Proaphelinoides australis Grlt. Det. M. Hayat 1992 ”, and a printed label, “ HOLOTYPE [in red], female Proaphelinoides assamensis Hayat , sp. nov. ”.

Host. Unknown.

Distribution. India: Assam.

Etymology. The species name is derived from the name of the Indian State (Assam) from where the holotype was collected.

Comments. The holotype of the new species described here as Proaphelinoides assamensis was misidentified as P. australis Girault (1922a) by Hayat & Zeya (1993), and later redescribed and illustrated by Hayat (1998: figs 143–147). It differs from P. australis in the following characters: antenna with F3 quadrate (if measured along ventral margin) to 1.25× as long as broad (if measured along dorsal margin); linea calva of fore wing proximally bordered by 2 lines of setae which become 3 lines in posterior third; TVIII of gaster about as long as broad (width measured between cercal plates); ovipositor 2.46× as long as mid tibia; and second valvifer 2.83× as long as third valvula. In P. australis : F3 1.2× (measured along ventral length) to 1.4× (measured along dorsal length) as long as broad; linea calva of fore wing proximally bordered by a single line of setae; TVIII of gaster 1.88× as long as broad; ovipositor 2.61× as long as mid tibia; and second valvifer 2.95× as long as third valvula. Measurements based on figures drawn from holotype ( Hayat, 1985).

The recent key to the world species of Proaphelinoides given by Menakadevi & Manickavasagam (2012) may be modified as follows to accommodate P. a s s a m e n s i s:

2. Fore wing with linea calva proximally bordered by at least 1 line of setae........................................ 2a - Fore wing with linea calva proximally without a setal line..................................................... 4 2a. Linea calva proximally bordered by 2 lines of setae which become 3 lines in posterior third (F3 quadrate to slightly longer than

broad if measured along dorsal length; fore wing with tuft of 17–20 black setae below proximal half of marginal vein) ( India)

............................................................................. P. assamensis Hayat , sp. nov. - Linea calva proximally bordered by a single line of setae...................................................... 3

Figures

FIGURES 6 – 11. Proaphelinoides assamensis Hayat, sp. nov., female: 6, head, frontal; 7, antenna; 8, mesosoma; 9, fore wing; 10, hind wing; 11, metasoma.