Megischus ranjithi Binoy, Santhosh & Girish Kumar, 2020

Binoy, C., Achterberg, C. Van, Kumar, P. Girish, Santhosh, S. & Sheela, S., 2020, A review of Stephanidae (Hymenoptera: Stephanoidea) from India, with the description of five new species, Zootaxa 4838 (1), pp. 1-51 : 31-35

Megischus ranjithi Binoy, Santhosh & Girish Kumar sp. nov.

( Figs 57–71 )

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:729938C3-25E2-4364-8C95-672EFF775570

Type material. Holotype ♀, India: Tamil Nadu, Coimbatore district, TNAU Campus (11°0’28”N & 76°56’14”E, 47 m), Coll. M. Ranjith, ( ZSIK) Regd. No. ZSI/ WGRC /IR/INV.14031.

Diagnosis. Head in dorsal view with smooth and shiny area past eyes, pronotum anteriorly with three strong carinae, posteriorly smooth with scattered setigerous pits; mesoscutum densely and obliquely punctate; scutellum and axillae smooth with scattered pits; ovipositor sheath with a subapical ivory band 0.4× as long as the apical dark part. The new species falls out from the first couplet of key to old world Megischus ( van Achterberg 2002) in having narrowed part of hind tibia 0.4× as long as hind tibia; ivory part of ovipositor sheath 0.52× as long as its dark apical part; area behind eyes in dorsal view smooth; mesopleuron smooth with setigerous pits. The new species runs close to M. ptosimae in key to Chinese Megischus ( Hong et al. 2010) in having temple slightly convex behind eye; head largely blackish or dark brown; widened part of hind tibia of female distinctly concave ventrally. But it differs from M. ptosimae in having vein 1-M of fore wing 6.8× as long as 1-SR and 0.8× as long as vein m-cu (in M. ptosimae 1-M 4.2–5.5× as long as vein 1-SR and 1.1–1.3× vein m-cu); ovipositor sheath with subapical ivory band 0.52× dark apical band (in M. ptosimae subapical ivory band 0.7–2× dark apical band). The new species varies from the previously reported Indian specimen M. alveolifer van Achterberg, 2004 in having head black (in M. alveolifer , head orange red); head in frontal view with striae subparallel, converging medioventrally from sides); vertex with two strong and two weak more or less straight carinae (in M. alveolifer vertex with three deeply emarginated carinae); hind coxa robust (in M. alveolifer hind coxa rather slender, spindleshaped); subapical ivory part of ovipositor sheath 0.52× as long as dark apical part (in M. alveolifer ivory part 1.3× as long as dark apical part); and petiole reddish brown (in M. alveolifer petiole brownish black).

Description. Holotype, ♀. Body length 17.06 mm; ovipositor length 3.93 mm; fore wing length 9.64 mm.

Colour. Black with the following parts as follows: tegulae apically with a reddish brown patch; fore and mid coxae black with a reddish tint apically; fore and mid trochanters, femur, tibia and tarsi deep reddish; hind trochanters, tibia and tarsi red; petiole basally and apically brownish red with medial portion bright reddish; apex of second metasomal tergite reddish brown; ovipositor sheath black with subapical ivory band.

Head. Antenna with 41 distinct antennomeres; first antennal segment 1.6× as long as wide and 2× as long as second segment; clypeus rugose with moderate pubescence; mandibles strong with thick setae arising from above and below teeth; ventrally more setose; three anterior coronal teeth large and acute, both posterior ones short and wider; frons finely and transversely rugate; rugae sub parallel sided almost forming a medial carina on lower face; coronal area with smooth areolate rugose channels enclosing the anterior ocellus ( Fig. 60 ); vertex rugose-carinate with three carinae beyond the posterior ocelli; area behind the eye in dorsal view, smooth and shiny; temples non angulate ( Fig. 61 ); face with scattered golden yellow setae along vertex and frons; clypeus rugate with moderate pubescence; thick yellowish brown setae arising from above and below mandibles; gena smooth with dense setigerous micropunctures halfway up the temple ( Fig. 59 ).

Mesosoma . Pronotum stout with neck less emarginate, weakly convex in level with middle part of pronotum ( Fig. 62 ); anteriorly with three strong carinae (prominent laterally), posteriorly smooth with few setigerous punctures, laterally produced as shoulders, ending near propleura as buttressing ridges ( Fig. 63 ); propleura with a row of setae along the margin; mesoscutum with oblique rows of irregular punctae forming with a median bare foveate line; scutellum and axillae smooth, shiny with few punctae; axillae separated by a large fovea; mesopleura smooth with scattered setigerous pits, more concentrated ventrally, dorso posteriorly smooth and shiny; metapleura dorsally and ventrally smooth and shiny, medially with irregular setigerous areola ( Fig. 63 ); propodeum two thirds foveolate with inside of fovea and interstices smooth, a median rugose stripe present, posteriorly fovea turning into irregular rugae ( Fig. 62 ); fore wing with vein 2-1 A and 3-CU 1 present; pterostigma elongate and acutely ending posteriorly; 1-M straight, 6.8× as long as vein 1-SR, 0.8× vein m-cu ( Fig. 64 ); hind coxa smooth, strong broken striae to tuberculate sculpture anteriorly, posteriorly trans striate with thick setae arising from strong pits along the length ( Fig. 65 ); hind femur smooth, with many setigerous pits on outer and inner disc, setae arising from the pits long and variable in colour (brown and white), a pair of strong tooth ventrally, basal one wider, a denticle near the ventral apex; hind tibia robust, narrowed part 0.45× as long as hind tibia; expanded part micropitted with long setae similar to that on hind femur, below widened part distinctly concave ( Fig. 66 ); apex of hind tibia and hind tarsi ventrally densely setose with thick yellow setae extending till the second tarsal segment; hind telotarsi almost bare ( Fig. 67 ).

Metasoma. First metasomal tergite anteriorly rugose carinate, regularly annulated along the length with a medio-lateral groove, sparsely setose ventrally ( Fig. 68 ); 9.8× as long as its maximum width, 2.98× as long as second tergite and 1.3× as long as remainder of metasoma; post-petiolar tergites largely smooth to weakly reticulate, scattered setae ventro-laterally; seventh and eighth tergites microreticulate ( Fig. 69 ); pygidial area distinctly differentiated, pygidial impression moderate, reverse V-shaped with a pair of nodes with three pairs of setae arising from it ( Fig. 70 ); length of ovipositor sheath 0.54× as long as body length, with a subapical ivory band, 0.52× apical dark part ( Fig. 71 ).

Male. Unknown.

Distribution. Oriental: India (Tamil Nadu).

Host. Unknown.

Etymology. The species is named after M. Ranjith (Research Scholar, Department of Entomology, University of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences, Shivamogga), who collected the type specimen.

Figures

FIGURE 57. Habitus of holotype. ♀ Megischus ranjithi Binoy, Santhosh & Girish Kumar sp. nov.

FIGURES 58–65. Megischus ranjithi Binoy, Santhosh & Girish Kumar sp. nov. Holotype ♀. 58. Habitus, lateral view (ex- cluding ovipositor); 59. Head and anterior part of pronotum, lateral view; 60. Head, frontal view; 61. Head, dorsal view; 62. Mesosoma, dorsal view; 63. Mesosoma, lateral view; 64. Fore wing; 65. Hind coxa.

FIGURES 66–71. Megischus ranjithi Binoy, Santhosh & Girish Kumar sp. nov. Holotype ♀. 66. Hind femora & tibia; 67. Hind leg; 68. First metasomal tergite; 69. Metasoma (except first tergite), lateral view; 70. Last metasomal tergite showing metasomal protuberances, lateral view; 71. Ovipositor and ovipositor sheath, lateral view.