Rhadinobracon nitidus Ranjith, 2023

Ranjith, A. P., Achterberg, Cornelis Van, Kumar, P. Girish & Priyadarsanan, Dharma Rajan, 2023, A new genus and two new species of Braconinae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) from the Oriental region, Zootaxa 5374 (2), pp. 196-210 : 205-208

Rhadinobracon nitidus Ranjith , sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:4A688AFA-DC6D-4CBE-A072-BB4548ED2B26

( Figs 5–8 )

Material examined. Holotype, female, INDIA: Rajasthan; Jodhpur, Kaylana Lake side, 23.ii.2019, coll. P. Girish Kumar. Paratypes, 1 female and 5 males, same data as holotype ( ZSIK) .

Description. Holotype, female, length of body 13.4 mm, fore wing 10.6 mm.

Head. Antenna incomplete with 43 antennomeres. Scape longer ventrally than dorsally ( Fig. 5D ). Length of first flagellomere as long as second. First and second flagellomere as long as wide respectively. Head 1.4 × as wide as long in anterior and dorsal view respectively. Face 1.6 × as wide as long, rugose, sparsely setose ( Fig. 5B ). Height of clypeus: inter tentorial distance: tentorio-ocular distance= 1.0: 2.1: 2.1. Clypeus separated from face with a deep crenulate transverse groove with ventral carina ( Fig. 5B ). Tentorial pit deep ( Fig. 5B ). Malar suture absent ( Figs 5B, D ). Malar space 1.3 × basal width of mandible. Length of eye 1.5 × as long as temple in dorsal view, sparsely setose, not emarginated beyond antennal sockets ( Figs 5B–D ). Frons distinctly impressed medially, smooth, sparsely setose with a complete, distinct mid longitudinal groove ( Fig. 5C ). POL: diameter of ocellus: OOL= 1.4: 1.0: 2.7. Vertex smooth, sparsely setose ( Fig. 5C ). Occiput smooth, sparsely setose ( Fig. 5C ).

Mesosoma. Mesosoma 1.4 × as long as high. Pronotum smooth laterally, sparsely setose ( Fig. 5E ). Mesoscutum smooth, sparsely setose ( Fig. 5F ). Notauli slightly impressed anteriorly ( Fig. 5F ). Scutellar sulcus narrow without crenulae ( Fig. 5F ). Scutellum smooth, sparsely setose ( Fig. 5F ). Mesopleuron smooth, sparsely setose ( Fig. 5E ). Precoxal sulcus shallow, smooth without crenulae ( Fig. 5E ). Metapleuron smooth, sparsely setose ( Fig. 5E ). Medial area of metanotum without mid longitudinal carina anteriorly ( Fig. 5F ). Propodeum smooth, setose ( Fig. 6A ).

Wings. Fore wing ( Fig. 7B ): Angle between vein C+SC+R and 1RS 26°. Pterostigma 2.9 × as long as wide. Vein (RS+M)a straight. Ratio of length of veins r-rs: 3RSa: 3RSb= 1.0: 4.5: 5.7 and 2RS: 3RSa: rs-m= 1.1: 2.4: 1.0. Second submarginal cell wide apically ( Fig. 7B ). Vein 1cu-a interstitial ( Fig. 7B ). Hind wing ( Fig. 7B–C ): Apex of vein C+SC+R with three hamuli ( Fig. 7C ). Vein R longitudinal ( Fig. 7B ). Vein cu-a straight ( Figs 7B–C ). Vein 1r-m 3.8 × R.

Legs. Ratio of lengths of fore femur: tibia: tarsus = 1.0: 1.1: 1.7. Fore tibia with stout spines ( Fig. 7D ). Hind femur, tibia and basitarsus 4.0, 9.4, 10.4 × as long as wide respectively. Hind coxa smooth, setose ( Fig. 6C ). Tarsomeres with stout spines apically ( Fig. 7E ). Tarsal claw without pointed basal lobe ( Fig. 7E ).

Metasoma. First metasomal tergite 0.9 × as long as wide apically, with distinct dorso-lateral carina, longitudinally striate posteriorly with distinct pit medially ( Fig. 6B ). Second metasomal tergite 1.3 × as long as third tergite, 1.5 × as wide as long, longitudinally rugose with a large triangular midbasal, longitudinally striate area, with a pair of wide sublateral crenulated grooves, midbasal area 0.8 × as long as tergite connected with second metasomal suture by a short longitudinal carina ( Fig. 7A ). Second metasomal suture wide, sinuate medially, crenulate ( Fig. 7A ). Metasomal tergite 3 2.0 × as wide as long, longitudinally striate with smooth area baso-laterally ( Fig. 7A ). Metasomal tergite 4 longitudinally striate, smooth posteriorly ( Figs 7A ). Metasomal tergites 5–7 smooth ( Fig. 7A ). Hypopygium large, distinctly pass metasomal apex, acute apically ( Figs 5A , 6C ). Ovipositor sheath setose ( Fig. 5A ). Ovipositor with distinct dorsal nodus and ventral serrations ( Fig. 8A ).

Colour. Body reddish yellow ( Fig. 5A ) except antenna, eyes, mandibular apex, frons, vertex, occiput, ovipositor sheath, fore wing basally, posteriorly, area near fore wing vein (RS+M)a, fore wing distally except area near vein rs-m, hind wing except basally, area near apex of vein 1M, area near base of vein 1RS brown, pterostigma basally, basal and subbasal cells, transverse band below pterostigma, area near fore wing vein rs-m, hind wing basally, area near apex of vein 1M, area near base of vein 1RS yellow.

Male. Similar as female.

Distribution. India (Rajasthan).

Host. Unknown.

Etymology. The species is named after the smooth and shiny fifth metasomal tergite; “ nitidus ” is Latin for shining.

Comparative diagnosis. The new species is similar to Rhadinobracon zarudnyi and R. levigatus sp. nov. in having the basal half of fore wing largely subhyaline, but it differs from the latter species in having a smooth fifth metasomal tergite. Additionally, the new species comes closer to R. zarudnyi in having the medio-basal area of the second metasomal tergite striate. However, R. striata differs from R. zarudnyi in having the following differences: head only black dorsally (vs completely black in R. zarudnyi ), medio-basal area of second metasomal tergite more than 0.5 × as long as tergite (vs less than 0.5 × in R. zarudnyi ) and second metasomal tergite completely yellow (vs with black marks in R. zarudnyi ).

Figures

FIGURE 5. Rhadinobracon nitidus Ranjith sp. nov., holotype, female A) habitus, in lateral view; B) head, in anterior view; C) head, in dorsal view; D) head, in lateral view; E) mesosoma, in lateral view; F) mesosoma, in dorsal view.

FIGURE 6. Rhadinobracon nitidus Ranjith sp. nov., holotype, female A) propodeum, in dorsal view; B) first metasomal tergite, in dorsal view; C) metasoma, in lateral view.

FIGURE 7. Rhadinobracon nitidus Ranjith sp. nov., holotype, female A) metasoma, in dorsal view; B) wings; C) basal area of hind wing; D) fore tibia; E) tarsal claw.

FIGURE 8. Rhadinobracon nitidus Ranjith sp. nov., holotype, female A) apex of ovipositor; B) genitalia.