Baeus gajakarna 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 : 852-853

Baeus gajakarna Veenakumari , sp. n. ( Figure 12 (a–e))

http: //www. zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:38F03FFF-C69C-4274-B6D1-EBB7BD0326FF

Holotype. Female; body length = 0.68 (0.65–0.74) mm; n = 5

Colour ( Figure 12 (a)). Head yellowish brown; mesonotum and metasoma honey brown with uneven patches of yellowish brown; hyperoccipital carina black; apical A1 and clava yellowish brown, remaining antennomeres dark brown; legs yellowish brown.

Head ( Figure 12 (a–e)). Head 1.16 (1.10–1.20)× as wide as high; IOS 0.53 (0.51–0.55)× width of head and 1.32 (1.29–1.34)× eye length; eye (L: W = 13.0:12.7) setose, touching hyperoccipital carina posteriorly; head height 2.18 (2.11–2.22)× eye length; POL>LOL in ratio of 18.9:10.3; lateral ocellus away from orbits, OOL 0.33 (0.31–0.36)× MOD; pilosity of moderate density, setae of medium length but shorter than those on mesonotum and metasoma; distance between posterior margin of lateral ocellus from hyperoccipital carina 1.15 (1.04–1.21)× MOD; interantennal process broadly truncate with a pointed end, rugose; central keel short, reaching 0.32 (0.31–0.34)× distance to median ocellus from interantennal process; facial striae extending 0.51 (0.45–0.60)× the distance from mandibular end to lower orbit; malar striae sparse; frons adjacent to central keel with semicircular striae followed by reticulations, scutes longer than wide; upper frons and vertex imbricate; gena predominantly smooth except for weak vertical striae anteroventrally, 3.28 (3.21–3.32)× as long as wide, with no foveae postero-ventrally; anterior margin of gena in contact with 0.67 (0.65–0.70)× length of ventral margin of eye; length of A1 subequal to that of clava; length of A2 0.39 (0.37–0.41)× that of A1.

Mesosoma ( Figure 12 (a,c,e)). Mesoscutum and mesoscutellum 0.43 (0.40–0.51)× and 0.37 (0.35–0.39)× as long as wide, respectively; both mesoscutum and mesoscutellum imbricate; metascutellum not visible; propodeum visible only dorso-laterally as it is medially covered by the mesoscutellum; pilosity of medium density, setae of medium length, shorter than those on mesonotum and metasoma; antero-lateral margin of mesoscutellum with a fovea; lateral pronotal area dorsally imbricate, remainder smooth except for sparse weak striae antero-medially; postero-dorsal margin of lateral pronotal area with two short projections; ventral margin of lateral pronotal area extending as a short blunt projection; transverse carinae on dorsal mesopleuron extend below the dorsal level of metapleuron; mesopleuron ventrally with an imbricate patch; mesopleuron extending as a narrow, smooth, sharp projection ventrally; mesopleural pit elongate; metapleuron smooth; posterior suture of metapleuron almost straight, bent basally, touching the transverse carina of dorsal lateral propodeum; dorsal level of posterior metapleural suture just beneath the level of antero-lateral margin of T 2; dorso-lateral propodeum with several carinae, as a result of which spiracle not distinctly visible laterally; region ventral to spiracle with several transverse carinae and an oblique carina; remainder of lateral propodeum smooth with a short transverse carina antero-ventrally.

Metasoma ( Figure 12 (a,c,e)). Metasoma 0.84 (0.81–0.92)× as long as wide; pilosity of medium density, setae of medium length; T 2 imbricate anteriorly and smooth posteriorly; remaining tergites smooth.

Material examined. Holotype: Female ( ICAR / NBAIR / P2702 ), INDIA: Karnataka: Chintamani: College of Sericulture , 13 ° 20 ʹ 07 ʹ ’ N 78 ° 04 ʹ 56 ʹ ’E, 862 m, SN, 08.XI.2013 ; Paratypes: 1 female ( ICAR / NBAIR / P2703 ), same as holotype; 1 female ( ICAR / NBAIR / P2704 ), Karnataka: Mandya , 12 ° 33 ʹ 51 ʹ ’ N 76 ° 44 ʹ 01 ʹ ’E, 749 m, MT, 25 .I .2012; 2 females ( ICAR / NBAIR / P2705 , P2706 ), Tamil Nadu: Dindugul, Thandikudi, Regional Coffee Research Station ( RCRS), 10 ° 18 ʹ 34 ʹ ’ N 77 ° 38 ʹ 34 ʹ ’E, 1305 m, YPT, 27–29 .XI .2016; 1 female ( ICAR / NBAIR / P2707 ), Karnataka: Bengaluru, Hebbal , 13 ° 02 ʹ 08 ʹ ’ N 77 ° 35 ʹ 49 ʹ ’E, 906 m, PFT, 22 .I .2010; 1 female ( ICAR / NBAIR / P2708 ), Karnataka: Bengaluru, Hebbal, Veterinary College , 13 ° 02 ʹ 08 ʹ ’ N 77 ° 35 ʹ 49 ʹ ’E, 906 m, YPT, 31 . X .2013; 1 female ( ICAR / NBAIR / P2709 ), Karnataka: Bengaluru, Hebbal , 13 ° 02 ʹ 08 ʹ ’ N 77 ° 35 ʹ 49 ʹ ’E, 906 m, YPT, 11 .X .2012; 1 female ( ICAR / NBAIR / P2710 ), Karnataka: Bengaluru, Jarakabande Kaval , 13 ° 05 ʹ 41 ʹ ’ N 77 ° 32 ʹ 35 ʹ ’E, 921 m, MT, 29 .X .2013; 1 female ( ICAR / NBAIR / P2711 ), same as P2710, 23 .VIII .2014; 1 female ( ICAR / NBAIR / P2712 ), Karnataka: Bengaluru , Gandhi Krishi Vignana Kendra ( GKVK), 13 ° 04 ʹ 25 ʹ ’ N 77 ° 34 ʹ 49 ʹ ’ E, 938 m, PFT, 30 .IX .2015; 1 female ( ICAR / NBAIR / P2713 ), Karnataka: Bengaluru, Kengeri , 12 ° 57 ʹ 25 ʹ ’ N 77 ° 31 ʹ 39 ʹ ’E, 857 m, YPT, 10 .X .2012; 1 female ( ICAR / NBAIR / P2714 ), Tamil Nadu: Coimbatore , Tamil Nadu Agriculture University ( TNAU), 11 ° 00 ʹ 55 ʹ ’ N 76 ° 56 ʹ 12 ʹ ’E, 434 m, SN, 18 .XII .2010; 1 female ( ICAR / NBAIR / P2715 ), Tamil Nadu: Yercaud, HRS, 11 ° 47 ʹ 44 ʹ ’ N 78 ° 12 ʹ 42 ʹ ’E, 1399 m, YPT, 06 . VIII .2016; 1 female ( ICAR / NBAIR / P2716 ), Tamil Nadu: Dharmapuri, Hosur, Uddanapalli , 12 ° 37 ʹ 28 ʹ ’ N 77 ° 55 ʹ 29 ʹ ’E, 758 m, MT, 11 . VI .2015; 1 female ( ICAR / NBAIR / P2717 ), same as P2716, YPT, 02 .XII .2014; 1 female ( ICAR / NBAIR / P2718 ), same as P2716, YPT, 31 .I .2015; 1 female ( ICAR / NBAIR / P2719 ), Himachal Pradesh: Shimla, National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources ( NBPGR), 31 ° 05 ʹ 55 ʹ ’ N 77 ° 09 ʹ 34 ʹ ’E, 1911 m, YPT, 02 .VIII .2014; 1 female ( ICAR / NBAIR / P2720 ), Karnataka: Bengaluru, Jarakabande Kaval , 13 ° 05 ʹ 41 ʹ ’ N 77 ° 32 ʹ 35 ʹ ’E, 921 m, YPT, 03 .IX .2016.

Etymology. This species is named ‘gajakarna’ after the Hindu God Ganesha. The name is treated as a noun in apposition.

Diagnosis. B. gajakarna sp. n. is closer to B. tejaswii sp. n., with which it shares the character state propodeum not being visible dorsally. B. gajakarna sp. n. differs from B. tejaswii sp. n. in the following combination of character states. In B. gajakarna sp. n. frons adjacent to central keel with semicircular striae and upper frons and vertex imbricate whereas in B. tejaswii sp. n. frons adjacent to central keel is smooth and upper frons and vertex are also smooth; in B. gajakarna sp. n. A1 is at least 3.8× as long as wide whereas in B. tejaswii sp. n. it is at most 2.9× as long as wide; in B. gajakarna sp. n. ventral margin of lateral propodeum is below the ventral margin of metapleuron while it is above in B. tejaswii sp. n.

Figures

Figure 12. Baeus gajakarna sp. n. (a) Habitus (colour); (b) Frons; (c) Habitus; (d) Antenna; (e) Habitus (lateral view).