Baeus mareecha 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 : 870-872

Baeus mareecha Veenakumari , sp. n. ( Figures 20 (a–e) and 39(a))

http://www.zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:E9EA9A75-5117-4C04-84D3-7BD45CEF37D0

Holotype. Female; body length = 1.06 mm (1.02–1.21) mm; n = 4

Colour ( Figure 20 (a)). Head, mesonotum and metasoma honey brown, mesoscutellum darker than remainder; hyperoccipital carina black; posterior margins of mesoscutum and mesoscutellum with a black band followed by a blue band; A1 honey brown, yellow apically; A2 honey brown, remaining antennomeres yellowish brown; legs yellowish brown.

Head ( Figure 20 (a–e)). Head 1.38 (1.32–1.41)× as wide as high; IOS wide, 0.51 (0.48–- 0.56)× width of head and 1.41 (1.38–1.47)× eye length; eye (L: W = 18.8:13.4) setose, not touching hyperoccipital carina posteriorly; head height 1.65 (1.56–1.70)× eye length; POL>LOL in ratio of 21.5:16.9; lateral ocellus contiguous with orbit; distance from posterior margin of lateral ocellus to hyperoccipital carina 1.20 (1.17–1.24)× MOD; pilosity sparse and setae short; interantennal process triangular, rugose; length of central keel 0.48 (0.45–0.49)× distance from interantennal process to median ocellus; facial striae long, extending 0.90 (0.87–0.92)× length from mandibular end to lower orbit; malar striae weak; frons adjacent to central keel smooth followed by coriaceous reticulations, with scutes longer than wide; upper frons and vertex coriaceous reticulate; gena reticulate, with short costae on postero-ventral margin, 3.41 (3.34–3.47)× as long as wide; anterior margin of gena in contact with 0.59 (0.51–0.63)× length of ventral margin of eye; length of A1 0.89 (0.85–0.91)× that of clava; length of A2 0.43 (0.40–0.45)× that of A1.

Mesosoma ( Figures 20 (a,c,e) and 39(a)). Mesoscutum and mesoscutellum 0.49 (0.45–- 0.51)× and 0.16 (0.15–0.18)× as long as wide, respectively; mesoscutum and mesoscutellum reticulate; metascutellum not visible; propodeum smooth dorsally, 0.84 (0.75–0.87)× the length of mesoscutellum; pilosity sparse, setae short; mesoscutellum with a fovea on antero-lateral margin; lateral pronotal area dorsally imbricate, remainder with impressions of weak reticulations except for smooth region postero-ventrally; 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 the level of dorsal metapleuron; mesopleuron ventrally with a coriaceous reticulate patch followed by semicircular carinae, remainder smooth; mesopleuron not extending as a long projection ventrally; mesopleural pit elongate; metapleuron smooth with uneven foveae antero-ventrally; posterior suture of metapleuron straight; dorsal level of posterior metapleural suture at level of antero-lateral margin of T 2; sculpturing of propodeum anterior to spiracle carinate, region posterior to spiracle with three short transverse carinae; region ventral to spiracle with a crescent shaped carina followed by a semicircular carina; remainder of lateral propodeum smooth with two weak transverse carinae antero-ventrally; propodeal spiracular opening tear-drop shaped.

Metasoma ( Figure 20 (a,c,e)). Metasoma 1.20 (1.14–1.28)× as long as wide; pilosity sparse, setae short; T 2 predominantly reticulate with smooth posterior margin; remaining tergites smooth.

Material examined. Holotype: Female ( ICAR / NBAIR / P3292 ), INDIA: Karnataka: Mudigere, College of Horticulture , 13 ° 06 ʹ 54 ʹ ’ N 75 ° 37 ʹ 57 ʹ ’E, 976 m, MT, 02.X.2015 ; Paratypes: 1 female ( ICAR / NBAIR / P3293 ), Karnataka: Bengaluru, Attur , 13 ° 05 ʹ 48 ʹ ’ N 77 ° 33 ʹ 59 ʹ ’E, 936 m, PFT, 30 . VIII .2013; 1 female ( ICAR / NBAIR / P3294 ), Tamil Nadu: Dharmapuri, Hosur, Uddanapalli , 12 ° 37 ʹ 28 ʹ ’ N 77 ° 55 ʹ 29 ʹ ’E, 758 m, YPT, 28 .X .2015; 1 female ( ICAR / NBAIR / P3295 ), Tamil Nadu: Dindugul , Thandikudi, RCRS, 10 ° 18 ʹ 34 ʹ ’ N 77 ° 38 ʹ 34 ʹ ’E, 1305 m, YPT, 30 .I .2017; 1 female ( ICAR / NBAIR / P3296 ), Karnataka: Dakshina Kannada : Vittal, CPCRI, 12 ° 38 ʹ 56 ʹ ’ N 75 ° 02 ʹ 27 ʹ ’E, 113 m, MT, 20.02.2015; 2 females ( ICAR / NBAIR / P3498 – P3499 ), Uttar Pradesh: Lucknow: Indian Institute of Sugarcane Research ( IISR), 26 ° 48 ʹ 18 ʹ ’ N 80 ° 56 ʹ 01 ʹ ’E, 124 m, SN, 21 .X .2011; 1 female ( ICAR / NBAIR / P3500 ), Madhya Pradesh: Bhopal: National Institute of High Security Animal Diseases (NIHSAD), 23 ° 15 ʹ 15 ʹ ’ N 77 ° 29 ʹ 36 ʹ ’E, 485 m, YPT, 16 .XII .2011; 1 female ( ICAR / NBAIR / P3501 ), Andaman Islands: South Andaman , Garacharma, CIARI, 11 ° 61 ʹ 29 ʹ ’N 92 ° 71 ʹ 54 ʹ ’E, 63 m, YPT, 22 .II .2012; 3 females ( ICAR / NBAIR / P3502 – P3504 ), Karnataka: Mudigere , College of Horticulture, 13 ° 06 ʹ 54 ʹ ’ N 75 ° 37 ʹ 57 ʹ ’E, 976 m, YPT, 30 .IX .2015.

Etymology. This species is named after Mareecha, a master sorcerer, in the Indian epic Ramayana. The name is treated as a noun in apposition.

Diagnosis. This species is closer to B. krumbiegeli sp. n. and the differences are mentioned under the latter.

Figures

Figure 20. Baeus mareecha sp. n. (a) Habitus (colour); (b) Frons; (c) Habitus; (d) Antenna; (e) Habitus (lateral view).