Baeus flaviscapus Veenakumari, 2020

Kamalanathan, Veenakumari, Mohanraj, Prashanth, Samuel, D. K. & Reddy, M. Krishna, 2020, Revision of Indian species of Baeus Haliday (Hymenoptera: Platygastroidea: Scelionidae), Journal of Natural History 54 (13 - 14), pp. 813-917 : 849-852

Baeus flaviscapus Veenakumari , sp. n. ( Figure 11 (a–d))

http://www. zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:A6D15024-821F-4520-A93B-C9C0EF358626

Holotype. Female; body length = 0.68 mm; n = 1

Colour ( Figure 11 (a)). Head, mesonotum and metasoma blackish brown; A1 yellow, A2– A6 dark brown, clava basal half yellow, remainder dark brown; legs yellow with dark brown patches.

Head ( Figure 11 (a–d)). Head 1.54× as wide as high; IOS 0.32× width of head and 0.65× eye length; eye very large (L: W = 20.0:17.0), sparsely setose, not touching hyperoccipital carina posteriorly; head height 1.42× eye length; POL>LOL in ratio of 11.0:7.0; lateral ocellus away from orbit, OOL 0.55× MOD; pilosity of moderate density, setae of medium length; distance from posterior margin of lateral ocellus to hyperoccipital carina 1.45× MOD; interantennal process triangular, rugose; length of central keel 0.63× distance to median ocellus; facial striae very long extending up to lower orbit; malar striae sparse; frons adjacent to central keel reticulate to coriaceous reticulate; upper frons above central keel and vertex weakly reticulate, sparsely setose; gena smooth with foveae on posteroventral margin, 4.32× as long as wide; anterior margin of gena in contact with 0.77× length of ventral margin of eye; length of A1 0.91× that of clava; length of A2 0.42× that of A1.

Mesosoma ( Figure 11 (a,c)). Mesoscutum and mesoscutellum 0.42× and 0.19× as long as wide, respectively; mesoscutum coriaceous reticulate; mesoscutellum coriaceous reticulate in anterior half, remainder smooth; metascutellum not visible; propodeum smooth dorsally, 0.38× length of mesoscutellum medially; pilosity of moderate density, setae of medium length; antero-lateral margin of mesoscutellum with a fovea; lateral pronotal area predominantly transversely carinate except for coriaceous reticulations on anterior margin; ventral margin of lateral pronotal area extending as a short blunt projection; transverse carinae on dorsal mesopleuron extend much below the level of dorsal metapleuron; mesopleuron ventrally with a coriaceous patch, remainder smooth, extend ventrally as a short projection; mesopleural pit elongate; metapleuron dorsally weakly rugose, ventrally coriaceous reticulate, remainder smooth; posterior suture of metapleuron straight with a gentle curve medially; dorsal level of posterior metapleural suture ventral to level of antero-lateral margin of T 2; sculpturing of propodeum anterior to spiracle with weak transverse carinae, region posterior to spiracle smooth; region ventral to spiracle with an oblique carina surrounded by confused sculpture, and with transverse carinae antero-ventrally; remainder of lateral propodeum smooth; propodeal spiracular opening small and round.

Metasoma ( Figure 11 (a,c)). Metasoma 1.4× as long as wide; pilosity of moderate density, setae of medium length; T 2 coriaceous reticulate, posteriorly smooth; remaining tergites smooth.

Material examined. Holotype: Female ( ICAR / NBAIR / P2968 ), INDIA: Tamil Nadu: Yercaud , HRS, 11 ° 47 ʹ 44 ʹ ’ N 78 ° 12 ʹ 42 ʹ ’E, 1399 m,YPT, 04.VIII.2016.

Etymology. The Latin epithet ‘flaviscapus’ refers to the unique yellow scape. The name is treated as a noun in apposition.

Diagnosis. B. flaviscapus sp. n. is closer to B. nicobarensis sp. n. and B. vichitra sp. n. In B. flaviscapus sp. n. pilosity not dense, mesoscutellum rectangular and metascutellum not visible; whereas in B. nicobarensis sp. n. pilosity dense, mesoscutellum semicircular and metascutellum visible; B. flaviscapus sp. n. differs from B. vichitra sp. n. in having the posterior ocellus away from hyperoccipital carina and orbit and a slender yellow A1 which

is 4.8× as long as wide; whereas in B. vichitra sp. n. posterior ocellus is contiguous with orbit and closer to hyperoccipital carina and a shorter A 1 in shades of brown.

Figures

Figure 11. Baeus flaviscapus sp. n. (a) Habitus; (b) Antenna; (c) Habitus (lateral view); (d) Frons.