Spathius himalayicus Ranjith et Belokobylskij, 2020

Ranjith, A. P., Belokobylskij, Sergey A., Priyadarsanan, Dharma Rajan, Aswaj, Punnath & Nasser, M., 2020, A new micropterous species of the genus Spathius Nees (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Doryctinae) from the North Eastern Himalayas, India, Zootaxa 4763 (1), pp. 1-16 : 4-15

Spathius himalayicus Ranjith et Belokobylskij , sp. nov.

( Figs 2 , 3 )

Material examined. Holotype, female, “ INDIA: Mizoram, Champhai, Murlen National Park, 11.iv.2019, 23.63312˚N, 93.31815˚ E, Winkler extraction method, coll. Aswaj, P. ”( DZUC) . Paratype: 1 male, same data as ho- lotype ( DZUC) .

Description. Female. Body length 2.8 mm; antenna 3.1 mm; fore wing length 0.2 mm, ovipositor 1.14 mm.

Head. Head width 1.25 × its median height (anterior view), 1.5 × its median length (dorsal view), 2.3 × width of mesoscutum. Head behind eyes (dorsal view) distinctly roundly narrowed; transverse diameter of eye 1.3 × length of temple. Ocelli medium-sized, in triangle with base 1.5 × its sides; POL 1.5 × Od, 0.3 × OOL. Eye glabrous, almost as high as broad. Malar space height 0.94 × eye height and 1.60 × basal width of mandible. Face width 1.8 × eye height and 1.3 × height of face and clypeus combined. Clypeal suture distinct laterally and almost absent dorsally. Hypoclypeal depression round, its width 1.3 × distance from edge of depression to eye, 0.5 × width of face. Occipital carina not joined below with hypostomal carina being obliterated at short distance, complete dorsally. Hypostomal flange distinct and narrow.Vertex convex. Antennae rather thick, filiform, with 23 antennomeres, 1.1 × longer than body. Scape 1.5 × longer than wide, 2.0 × longer than pedicel. First flagellar segment 5.2 × longer than its apical width, 1.1 × longer than second segment. Penultimate segment 4.0 × longer than wide, 0.5 × as long as first flagellar segment, 0.9 × as long as apical segment; the latter acuminate apically but without spine.

Mesosoma. Length of mesosoma 2.2 × its height. Pronotal keel distinct. Pronotum (dorsal view) subanteriorly with coarse transverse carina, distinctly longitudinally rugose-striate. Pronotal lateral depression distinctly separat- ed by carinae, wide, shallow, sparsely and coarsely crenulate. Mesoscutum weakly and evenly elevated above pronotum (lateral view), 0.9 × as wide as median length (dorsal view). Notauli shallow, very wide, complete, rugose. Prescutellar depression (scutal sulcus) deep, long, with three distinct carinae, smooth, 0.6 × as long as scutellum. Scutellum almost flat, coriaceous, with distinct lateral carinae. Propleural dorso-posterior flange large. Precoxal sulcus wide, complete, coarsely and widely crenulate, running along entire length of lower part of mesopleuron. Postpectal carina absent. Metapleural flange wide and short. Propodeum with short, distinct and subacuminated lateral tubercles.

Wings. Micropterous. Fore wing rod-shape.

Legs. Fore tibia with several slender spines arranged in rather wide stripe. Fore femur 3.7 × longer than broad. Hind coxa 1.5 × longer than its maximum width, with distinct basoventral tooth and corner. Hind femur elongateoval, 3.4 × longer than wide. Hind tarsus 0.65 × as long as hind tibia. Hind basitarsus 0.88 × as long as second-fifth tarsomeres combined. Second segment of hind tarsus 0.5 × as long as basitarsus, 1.75 × longer than fifth segment (without pretarsus).

Metasoma. Petiole (lateral view) weakly curved ventrally, dorsally distinctly and more or less regularly curved in basal half, almost straight in apical half, slightly thickened in basal 0.5; distinctly widened in apical 0.2 (dorsal view), with distinct spiracular tubercles in basal 0.3. Length of petiole 3.0 × its apical width, 1.3 × length of pro- podeum; apical width of petiole 1.3 × its width at level of spiracles. Second tergite without separate laterotergites. Second suture absent. Median length of second and third tergites combined 2.2 × basal width of second tergite, 0.94 × their maximum width. Ovipositor straight. Ovipositor sheath 0.4 × as long as body, 1.2 × longer than mesosoma, 0.7 × as long as metasoma.

Sculpture and pubescence. Vertex rugulose coriaceous; frons transversely striate. Face entirely coarsely transverse-curvedly striate with rugulosity; temple entirely smooth. Pronotum transversely rugose in anterior half, longitudinally rugose in posterior half. Mesoscutum transversely striate with rugosity anteriorly, rugose basolaterally. Scutellum coriaceous. Mesopleuron densely coriaceous except transverse striation below precoxal sulcus. Propodeum with distinct midlongitudinal carina in anterior half, indistinct midlongitudinal striations antero-laterally, without areas delineated by carinae, anterior and posterior parts divided by a distinct transverse carina; ventral part of propodeum with longitudinal striae, basolateral parts densely striate; areola absent. Hind coxa dorsally coarsely, transversely and semi-circularly striate, laterally densely and finely granulate. Hind femur dorsally distinctly and densely transversely striate, with rugosity, granulate in ventral half. Petiole rather densely and coarsely rugose in basal third, irregularly longitudinally striate in apical two-thirds with rugulosity between striae. Second metasomal tergite longitudinally striate basally, smooth in rest part. Remaining tergites entirely smooth. Face sparsely setose. Vertex and temple with very sparse and long setae. Mesoscutum with long and erect pale setae. Mesopleuron with sparse long setae on wide area. Setae on dorsal surface of hind tibia outstanding, rather sparse, long, about 2.0 × longer than maximum width of tibia. Petiole with long erect setae laterally. Second and remaining metasomal tergites with very sparse setae basally. Ovipositor sheath setose.

Colour. Body brownish yellow except dark brown eyes, tip of mandibles, ocelli, occipital carina, antennomeres 10–15 and 20–21, and metasomal tergites basally and apically; apical antennomeres brownish yellow; ovipositor sheath apically dark brown; maxillary and labial palps, tegulae, legs, ovipositor, and second metasomal tergite medio-basally yellow.

Male. Body length 2.2 mm, darker. Otherwise similar to female.

Distribution. India (Mizoram).

Biology. Unknown.

Etymology. Named after the region where the new species was collected.

Remarks. In appearance, the new species is close to S. cursor from South Africa in having the following characters; vertex sculptured, setae on hind tibia erect and petiole of metasoma 3.0 × longer than apical width. However it differs from S. cursor in the following characters apart from those listed in the key; dorsal area of propodeum without rectangular area medio-posteriorly (vs with rectangular area medio-posteriorly in S. cursor ), metapleural flange distinct (indistinct in S. cursor ), first flagellomere 5.2 × longer than wide (6.3 × longer than wide in S. cursor ) and eye as high as broad (1.3 × higher than broad in S. cursor ). Differences between Spathius himalayicus sp. nov. and S. thorpei Belokobylskij et Austin are provided in the key.

Figures

FIGURE 2. Spathius himalayicussp. nov., holotype, female; A. Habitus, lateral view, B. Head, anterior view, C. Head, dorsal view, D. Head, lateral view, E. Head and mesosoma, lateral view, F. Pronotum and mesoscutum (in part), dorsal view.

FIGURE 3. Spathius himalayicus sp. nov., holotype, female; A. Mesoscutum, dorsal view, B. Propodeum, dorsal view, C. Metasomal tergite 1, dorsal view, D. Metasomal tergites 2–5, dorsal view, E. Hind leg, F. Male habitus, lateral view.