Rhadinobracon levigatus 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 : 202-204

Rhadinobracon levigatus Ranjith sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:3BBB8B57-1857-402D-B0EE-1AAE50CF09D8

( Figs 3–4 )

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

Description. Holotype, female, length of body 6.3 mm, fore wing 4.7 mm.

Head.Antenna with 41 antennomeres. Scape longer ventrally than dorsally ( Fig. 3D ). Length of first flagellomere as long as second. First and second flagellomere 1.6 × as long as wide respectively. Head 1.2, 1.5 × as wide as long in anterior and dorsal view respectively. Face 1.6 × as wide as long, rugose, sparsely setose ( Fig. 3B ). Height of clypeus: inter tentorial distance: tentorio-ocular distance= 1.0: 2.0: 2.0. Clypeus separated from face with a deep crenulate transverse groove with ventral carina ( Fig. 3B ). Tentorial pit deep ( Fig. 3B ). Malar suture absent ( Figs 3B, D ). Malar space 1.5 × basal width of mandible. Length of eye 1.7 × as long as temple in dorsal view, sparsely setose, not emarginated beyond antennal sockets ( Figs 3B–D ). Frons distinctly impressed medially, smooth, sparsely setose with a complete, distinct mid longitudinal groove ( Fig. 3C ). POL: diameter of ocellus: OOL= 1.3: 1.0: 2.3. Vertex smooth, sparsely setose ( Fig. 3C ). Occiput smooth, sparsely setose ( Fig. 3C ).

Mesosoma. Mesosoma 1.6 × as long as high. Pronotum smooth laterally, sparsely setose ( Fig. 3E ). Mesoscutum smooth, sparsely setose ( Fig. 3F ). Notauli slightly impressed anteriorly ( Fig. 3F ). Scutellar sulcus narrow without crenulae ( Fig. 3F ). Scutellum smooth, sparsely setose ( Fig. 3F ). Mesopleuron smooth, sparsely setose ( Fig. 3E ). Precoxal sulcus shallow, smooth without crenulae ( Fig. 3E ). Metapleuron smooth, sparsely setose ( Fig. 3E ). Medial area of metanotum without mid longitudinal carina anteriorly ( Fig. 3F ). Propodeum smooth, setose ( Fig. 4A ).

Wings. Fore wing ( Fig. 4D ): Angle between vein C+SC+R and 1RS 33°. Pterostigma 3.2 × as long as wide. Vein (RS+M)a straight. Ratio of length of veins r-rs: 3RSa: 3RSb= 1.0: 3.0: 6.6 and 2RS: 3RSa: rs-m= 1.5: 2.1: 1.0. Second submarginal cell wide apically ( Fig. 4D ). Vein 1cu-a slightly antefurcal ( Fig. 4D ). Hind wing ( Figs 4D–E ): Apex of vein C+SC+R with one hamule. Vein R longitudinal ( Fig. 4D ). Vein cu-a straight ( Figs 4D–E ). Vein 1r-m 3.0 × R.

Legs. Ratio of lengths of fore femur: tibia: tarsus = 1.0: 1.0: 1.7. Fore tibia with stout spines. Hind femur, tibia and basitarsus 4.0, 7.0, 7.0 × as long as wide respectively. Hind coxa smooth, setose. Tarsomeres with stout spines apically. Tarsal claw without pointed basal lobe.

Metasoma. First metasomal tergite as long as wide apically, with distinct dorso-lateral carina, longitudinally striate posteriorly without distinct pit medially ( Fig. 4B ). Second metasomal tergite 1.3 × as long as third tergite, 1.2 × as wide as long, longitudinally striate with a large triangular midbasal, smooth area, with a pair of wide sublateral crenulated grooves, midbasal area 0.5 × as long as tergite connected with second metasomal suture by a long longitudinal carina ( Fig. 4C ). Second metasomal suture wide laterally, straight medially, crenulate ( Fig. 4C ). Metasomal tergite 3 1.7 × as wide as long, longitudinally rugose-striate with smooth area baso-laterally ( Fig. 4C ). Metasomal tergite 4 longitudinally rugose-striate ( Fig. 4C ). Metasomal tergite 5 longitudinally rugose-striate ( Fig. 4C ). Metasomal tergites 6–7 smooth ( Fig. 4C ). Hypopygium large, distinctly past metasomal apex, acute apically ( Fig. 3A ). Ovipositor sheath setose ( Fig. 3A ). Ovipositor with distinct dorsal nodus and ventral serrations ( Fig. 3A ).

Colour. Body reddish yellow ( Fig. 3A ) except antenna, eyes, mandibular apex, face, temple, 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 to female.

Distribution. India (Rajasthan).

Host. Unknown.

Etymology. The species is named after the smooth medio-basal area of the second metasomal tergite; “ levigatus ” is Latin for smooth.

Comparative diagnosis. This new species can be distinguished from almost all species by its completely smooth medio-basal area of second metasomal tergite. Apart from the differences cited in the taxonomic key, R. levigatus differs from R. zarudnyi in having hind tibia 7.0 × as long as wide (vs 11.0 × as wide as long in R. zarudnyi ) and medio-basal area of second metasomal tergite 0.5 × as long as tergite (vs less than 0.5 × in R. zarudnyi ).

Figures

FIGURE 3. Rhadinobracon levigatus 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 4. Rhadinobracon levigatus Ranjith sp. nov., holotype, female A) propodeum, in dorsal view; B) first metasomal tergite, in dorsal view; C) metasoma, in dorsal view; D) wings, E) basal area of wings.