Parapanteles arka 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 : 444-448

Parapanteles arka Gupta n. sp.

Plates. III–V & XXI. Figs 11−20, 78.

Female. Holotype (Fig. 11). Body length = 3.30 mm.

Diagnosis. Propodeum areola 1.05× longer than wide; anterior diagonal carinae of propodeum shallowly merging anterior margin of propodeum. Hind tibia (0.73) 2.4× longer than exserted part of ovipositor (0.30). First metasomal tergal plate longer than wide; second tergum wider than long; second tergum median length subequal to that of third tergum. Ovipositor sheaths curved and hairy at apex; gently decurved, projecting beyond apex of gaster.

Body colour. Black. Head black. Ocelli brown, antenna scape distinctly yellowish brown (pedicel dark brown) black, eyes dark brownish black with pale yellow palps, apex of mandible yellowish brown and base dark brown. Fore and mid leg with coxa and trochanter black, femur yellow brown except brown patch at extreme basal tip, tibia yellow, tarsi brown, apex of apical tarsus brown; hind leg with coxa and trochanter black, femur yellow brown except brown patch at extreme basal tip, tibia yellow except brown infuscation at apical 1/5th, tibial spurs yellowish brown, tarsus brown, apical 1/4th of basitarsus yellow. 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 testaceous; veins r, 2RS light brown and 2M dark brown; hind wing veins translucent. Tegula brown black.

Head. (Fig. 12). Eyes densely setose. Face rough with shallow closely placed punctations; vertex rough and dull with sparse pilosity; clypeus densely setose. Head wider than long, width (0.85)/height (0.77) = 1.1; compound eye height = 0.43 mm; inter tentorial pit distance = 0.21 mm; width of face at dorsal clypeal edge = 0.44 mm; clypeus width = 0.17 mm; vertex width = 0.63 mm; length of first flagellomere = 0.25 mm; width of first flagellomere = 0.09 mm; length of second flagellomere = 0.22 mm; width of second flagellomere = 0.09 mm; length of third flagellomere = 0.20 mm; width of third flagellomere = 0.09 mm; terminal flagellomere length = 0.11 mm; terminal flagellomere width = 0.06 mm; penultimate flagellomere length = 0.91 mm; penultimate flagellomere width = 0.07 mm; terminal flagellomere length/width = 1.83; malar space height(0.13)/basal width of mandible(0.09) = 1.4; ocello-ocular distance = 0.13 mm; inter-ocellar distance = 0.14; face width at upper edge of posterior ocelli = 0.57 mm.

Mesosoma (Figs 14 & 14A). Mesosoma median length = 1.28 mm; mesosoma length/width (1.05) = 1.21. Mesoscutum with coarse punctate sculpture that fades near the scutellar groove with shallow pilosity; scutoscutellar groove distinctly crenulate with 12 deep costulae; scutellum with shallow and distantly placed punctations, scutellum with shallow pilosity, laterally with costulate sculpture which become narrower and elongated towards posterior edge; posterior band of scutellum polished; metanotum subrectangular. Mesopleuron dull rugose with dense pilosity in diagonal anterior half (posterior half smooth shiny and devoid of setae). Metapleuron smooth and shiny, anterior pit deep. Hind coxae shiny, laterally with shallow punctures.

Propodeum with clearly defined wide, strong and shiny areola (areola devoid of setae); propodeum rugose with shallow pilosity (setae confined near the lateral edges) in basal half excluding areola. Areola 1.05× longer than wide; anterior diagonal carinae of propodeum shallowly merging anterior margin of propodeum (evident in KOH treated samples Fig. 14A); areola open near the anterior edge; costulae complete and prominent, anterior diagonal carinae sloping down behind spiracles; spiracles large and oval.

Wings (Fig. 13). Pterostigma length (0.34)/height (0.24) = 1.42. 1RS length = 0.07 mm; 1r = 0.28 mm; 2Rs = 0.14 mm; 1CUa length (0.18)/1CUb length (0.25) = 0.72; RS+Ma length = 0.49 mm; RS+Mb = 0.14 mm; M+CU length = 1.05 mm; Hind wing: 1M length = 0.38 mm; 1M length (0.38)/M+CU length (0.36) = 1.05; length r-m (0.22)/length cu-a (0.25) = 0.88; 1A length = 0.27 mm.

Metasoma (Fig. 15). Metasoma median length = 1.77 mm (including exserted ovipositor = 0.30 mm); first tergum length/apical width/basal width/median width = 0.53/0.28/0.40/ 0.37 mm; apical 3/4th rugose with punctations; apical 1/4th comparatively smooth; widening from base to apex. Second and subsequent tergites with fine granulations. Second tergum wider than long, second tergum median length subequal to that of third tergum. First tergum basal width = 0.28 mm; first tergum apical width = 0.4 mm; first tergum median width = 0.37 mm; second tergum basal width = 0.55 mm; second tergum median length = 0.19; second tergum apical width = 0.66 mm; third tergum median length = 0.19 mm;

Ovipositor (Figs 15A, 78) = 0.90 mm. Ovipositor sheaths projecting beyond the apex of gaster. Exserted part of ovipositor = 0.30 mm. Ovipositor sheaths long and slender in lateral view, hairy in apical half; gently decurved, projecting beyond apex of gaster.

PLATES III. Parapanteles arka n. sp. Figs 11−14. Female: 11—Habitus. 12—Head. 13—Fore wing. 14— Mesosoma & mediotergites 1−2. 14 A—Mesosoma (KOH treated).

PLATES IV. Parapanteles arka n. sp. Figs 15–15A. 15—Metasoma. 15A—Ovipositor.

PLATES V. Parapanteles arka n. sp. Figs 16−20. 16—Host caterpillar, Curetis thetis (Drury) . 17— Curetis thetis pupa. 18—Caterpillar of C. thetis with cocoons of P. arka n. sp. 19—Adult female of C. thetis . 20—Adult male of C. thetis .

Hind tibia (0.73) 2.4× longer than exserted part of ovipositor (0.30).

Male. Similar to female.

Host. Curetis thetis (Drury) ( Lepidoptera : Lycaenidae ) on the host plant Millettia (= Pongamia ) pinnata (L.) Panigrahi ( Fabaceae ) (Figs 16−20).

Type material. Holotype, one female on card, INDIA, Karnataka, Jalahalli, 14.viii.13, coll. Ashok Sengupta, ex. larvae of Curetis thetis (Drury) ( Lepidoptera : Lycaenidae ) (Fig. 18) on (= Pongamia ) pinnata (L.) Panigrahi ( Fabaceae ). Paratypes, two females and two males on card, with same data as holotype.

Repository. All types & specimens deposited in NBAII, Bangalore, India. Code. NBAII /Bra/Mic/Para/ arka / 14813-A(Holotype), NBAII /Bra/Mic/Para/ arka /14813-B (Paratype).

Etymology. The specific epithet ‘ arka ’ is of Sanskrit origin and is coined after the host ‘ Curetis thetis ’ commonly known as ‘ Indian Sunbeam’. ‘ Arka ’ in sanskrit means ‘sunbeam’.