Parapanteles regale Gupta

Gupta, Ankita, Churi, Paresh V., Sengupta, Ashok & Mhatre, Sarang, 2014, Lycaenidae parasitoids from peninsular India with description of four new species of microgastrine wasps (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) along with new insights on host relationships, Zootaxa 3827 (4), pp. 439-470 : 451-453

Parapanteles regale Gupta n. sp.

Plate. VIII, XI & XXI. Figs 28−31, 37−41, 80.

Female. Holotype (Fig 29). Body length = 3.16 mm.

Diagnosis. Propodeum areola 1.1× wider than long (0.29/0.26); vein 1r and 2Rs joining at an angle; anterior diagonal carinae of propodeum shallowly merging anterior margin of propodeum. Hind tibia (0.77) 1.26× longer than exserted part of ovipositor (0.61). First metasomal tergal plate 1.05× wider than long, with punctations and rugosity; second tergum rugose, wider than long; ovipositor sheaths distinctly curved and hairy in apical half; distinctly decurved, projecting well beyond apex of metasoma. First tergum length/apical width = 0.95 (0.54/0.57); first tergum median width = 0.59 mm; widest pre apically = 0.60 mm; distinctly rugose.

Body colour. Black. Head black. Ocelli light brown, antenna scape brown in basal 1/3rd, apical 1/3rd yellow, flagellum brown; eyes dark brownish black with pale yellow palps, mandible brown. Fore and mid leg with coxa brown; trochanter, trochantellus, femur, tibia, tarsi yellow brown, apex of apical tarsus brown; hind leg with coxa concolourous with mesosoma ; trochanter, trochantellus, femur yellow, tibia with brown infuscation, more pronounced and darker at apical 1/4th, tibial spurs pale yellow, tarsus brown. Mesosoma black. Wings hyaline, veins C+SC+R and metacarpus (R1) dark brown; pterostigma brown (except extreme pale apex), vein (RS+M)a, m-cu, 1M and 1Cua testaceous; veins r, 2RS light brown and 2M dark brown; hind wing veins translucent. Tegula brown black with edges yellow. Metasoma yellow brown except black first tergal plate and lateral margins yellow, median area of second tergite black and lateral margins yellow, third tergite yellow brown with black infuscation in basal half in expanded ‘U’ shape (below median area of second tergite), fourth tergite yellow brown with faint dark brown infuscation in patches in the center, fifth tergite with mix of yellow brown and black colour, sixth onwards dark brown to black.

Head. (Fig. 28). Eyes densely setose. Face rough with shallow closely placed punctations; vertex rough, shallowly punctured, dull, with dense pilosity; clypeus densely setose, margin straight. Head wider than long, width (0.97)/height (0.72) = 1.35; compound eye height = 0.49 mm; inter tentorial pit distance = 0.30 mm; width of face at dorsal clypeal edge = 0.54 mm; clypeus height = 0.11 mm; clypeus width = 0.21 mm. Antennal length = 3.51 mm; length of first flagellomere = 0.29 mm; width of first flagellomere = 0.09 mm; length of second PLATE VIII. Parapanteles regale n. sp. Figs 28−31. Female: 28—Head. 29—Habitus. 30— Mesosoma (partially). 31—Propodeum with metasoma, female.

flagellomere = 0.29 mm; width of second flagellomere = 0.09 mm; length of third flagellomere = 0.29 mm; width of third flagellomere = 0.09 mm; terminal flagellomere length = 0.15 mm; terminal flagellomere width = 0.06 mm; penultimate flagellomere length = 0.12 mm; penultimate flagellomere width = 0.08 mm; malar space height = (0.18 mm)/basal width of mandible (0.09 mm) = 2.0; ocello-ocular distance = 0.16 mm; inter-ocellar distance = 0.14; face width at upper edge of posterior ocelli = 0.66 mm; inter toruli distance = 0.12 mm.

Mesosoma (Fig. 30). Mesosoma median length = 1.7 mm; mesosoma length/width (1.3) = 1.31. Mesonotum with coarse punctate sculpture that fades near the scutellar groove; scuto-scutellar groove distinctly crenulate with 12 deep costulae; medium pilosity; pilosity dense above the scuto-scutellar groove; scutellum with shallow and distantly placed punctations, sparsely placed long white setae; scutellum laterally with costulate sculpture which become narrower and elongated towards posterior edge; posterior band of scutellum polished; metanotum subrectangular. Mesopleuron dull with pitted appearance in diagonal 2/3rd anterior half (extreme anterior tip rugose) while the diagonal 1/3rd posterior half smooth and shiny. Metapleuron smooth and shiny except dull and pitted at extreme anterior tip. Hind coxa with shallow punctures and setation.

Propodeum with clearly defined wide, strong and shiny areola (areola devoid of setae); propodeum shallowly rugose in basal half excluding areola, setae on lateral edges. Areola 1.1× wider than long; anterior diagonal carinae of propodeum shallowly merging anterior margin of propodeum; areola open near the anterior edge; costulae complete and prominent, anterior diagonal carinae sloping down behind spiracles; spiracles large and oval.

Wings. Pterostigma length (0.40)/height (0.29) = 1.38. 1RS length = 0.09 mm; 1r = 0.32 mm; 2Rs = 0.21 mm; 1CUa length (0.20)/1CUb length (0.27) = 0.74; RS+Ma length = 0.62 mm; RS+Mb = 0.09 mm; M+CU length = 1.34 mm; Hind wing: 1M length = 0.47 mm; 1M length (0.47)/M+CU length (0.54) = 0.87; length r-m (0.17)/ length cu-a (0.33) = 0. 51; 1A length = 0.43 mm.

Metasoma (Fig. 31). Metasoma median length = 1.7 mm (in dorsal view) (excluding exserted ovipositor = 0.61 mm); 2.0 mm in profile view; first tergum length/apical width (0.54/0.57) = 0.95; first tergal plate median width = 0.59 mm; widest pre apically = 0.60 mm; distinctly rugose. Second tergite distinctly rugose, second tergum wider than long, second tergum median length = 0.19 mm; 0.76× of third tergum. First tergum basal width = 0.49 mm; second tergum median length = 0.19 mm; second tergum apical width = 0.67 mm; third tergum median length = 0.25 mm; third and subsequent tergites smooth with long sparsely placed setae.

Ovipositor sheaths projecting beyond the apex of gaster (Fig. 80). Exserted part of ovipositor = 0.61 mm. Ovipositor sheaths long and slender in lateral view, hairy in exserted portion; distinctly decurved, projecting beyond apex of gaster.

Hind tibia (0.77); 1.26× longer than exserted part of ovipositor (0.61 mm).

Male. Not known.

Host. Tajuria cippus (Fabricius) ( Lepidoptera : Lycaenidae ) on the host plant Loranthus sp. (Figs 37−41).

Type material. Holotype, one female on card, INDIA, Karnataka, 10.vii.13, coll. Ankita Gupta, ex. Tajuria cippus (Fabricius) ( Lepidoptera : Lycaenidae ) (Fig. 38) on Loranthus sp. Paratype, one female on card, with same data as holotype.

Repository. All types & specimens deposited in NBAII, Bangalore, India. Code. NBAII /Bra/Mic/Para/ 100613 -A(Holotype), NBAII /Bra/Mic/Para/ 100613 -B (Paratype).

Etymology. This species is named after the host ‘ Tajuria cippus ’ which is commonly known as ‘Peacock royal’. The Latin word for ‘royal’ is ‘ regale ’.