Baeus nbairus 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 : 874-876

Baeus nbairus Veenakumari , sp. n. ( Figure 22 (a–e))

http://www.zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:6E036F03-92E7-485E-9930-931DD4D22893

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

Colour ( Figure 22 (a)). Head, mesonotum and metasoma honey brown, head a shade darker than rest; hyperoccipital carina black; A1 and A2 dark brown with an apical yellow patch on A1; A3–A6 yellowish brown, clava brownish yellow; legs dark brown.

Head ( Figure 22 (a–e)). Head 1.24× as wide as high; IOS 0.52× width of head, 1.2× eye length; eye (L: W = 12.0:8.5) setose, not touching hyperoccipital carina posteriorly; head height 1.9× eye length; POL>LOL in ratio of 17.4:11.0; lateral ocellus away from orbits, OOL 0.15× MOD; distance between posterior margin of lateral ocellus from hyperoccipital carina 0.44× MOD; pilosity of medium density, setae of medium length but shorter than those on mesonotum and metasoma; interantennal process triangular, smooth; central keel not distinct; facial striae long, extending 0.6× the length from mandibular end to lower orbit; malar striae sparse; frons and vertex smooth; gena smooth with foveae on postero-ventral margin, 4.1× as long as wide; anterior margin of gena in contact with 0.39× length of ventral margin of eye; length of A1 subequal to that of clava; length of A2 0.47× that of A1.

Mesosoma ( Figure 22 (a,c,e)). Mesoscutum and mesoscutellum 0.43× and 0.17× as long as wide, respectively; mesoscutum and mesoscutellum imbricate-reticulate; metascutellum not visible; propodeum smooth dorsally, 0.54× the length of mesoscutellum; pilosity of moderate density, setae of medium length; antero-lateral margin of mesoscutellum with a weak fovea; lateral pronotal area dorsally imbricate, remain- der smooth except for sparse weak vertical striae antero-medially; postero-dorsal margin of lateral pronotal area with two short projections; ventral margin of lateral pronotal area extending as a blunt projection; transverse carinae on dorsal mesopleuron extend up to level of dorsal metapleuron, ventrally with weak vertical striae followed by a small imbricate patch and semicircular carinae, remainder smooth; mesopleuron extending as a short projection ventrally; mesopleural pit small; metapleuron smooth; posterior suture of metapleuron almost straight, gently curving towards mesopleuron dorsally; dorsal level of posterior metapleural suture ventral to level of antero-lateral margin of T 2; sculpturing of propodeum anterior to spiracle with three short transverse carinae, region posterior to spiracle smooth with a short carina ventrally; region ventral to spiracle with an oblique carina enclosing four setae; remainder of lateral propodeum smooth with a transverse carina anteroventrally; propodeal spiracular opening round.

Metasoma ( Figure 22 (a,c,e)). Metasoma 1.14× long as wide; pilosity of medium density, setae of medium length; T 2 anteriorly imbricate, posteriorly smooth; remaining tergites smooth.

Material examined. Holotype: Female ( ICAR / NBAIR / P3451 ), INDIA: Karnataka: Mudigere, College of Horticulture , 13 ° 06 ʹ 54 ʹ ’ N 75 ° 37 ʹ 57 ʹ ’E, 976 m, SN, 30.IX.2015 ; Paratype: 1 female ( ICAR / NBAIR / P3452 ), Karnataka: Mandya, Srirangapatna , 12 ° 25 ʹ 17 ʹ ’ N 76 ° 41 ʹ 36 ʹ ’E, 684 m, YPT, 19 .III .2016.

Etymology. The species epithet is derived from the acronym (NBAIR) of the host institute (National Bureau of Agricultural Insect Resources) where taxonomic work on Platygastroidea was undertaken. The name is treated as an adjective

Diagnosis. This species is closer to B. tripurasundari sp. n. but differs from it in the following characters. In B. nbairus sp. n. the dorsal level of posterior metapleural suture is ventral to the level of antero-lateral margin of T2 and the transverse carinae of dorsal mesopleuron extend up to the level of dorsal metapleuron; whereas in B. tripurasundari sp. n. dorsal level of posterior metapleural suture is above the level of antero-lateral margin of T2 and transverse carinae of dorsal mesopleuron terminate above the dorsal level of metapleuron; gena is wider in B. tripurasundari sp. n. than in B. nbairus sp. n.

Figures

Figure 22. Baeus nbairus sp. n. (a) Habitus (colour); (b) Frons; (c) Habitus; (d) Antenna; (e) Habitus (lateral view).