Ficobracon kashmirensis Maqbool, Akbar & Wachkoo, 2018

Maqbool, Amir, Akbar, Shahid Ali & Wachkoo, Aijaz Ahmad, 2018, First record of the genus Ficobracon (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) from India, with description of new species, Zootaxa 4379 (3), pp. 421-428 : 422-424

Ficobracon kashmirensis Maqbool, Akbar & Wachkoo sp. nov.

( Figures 1–27 )

Diagnosis: Antenna with 23–26 antennomeres; first tergite without medial groove, sublateral grooves distinct; second tergite longitudinally rugulose with smooth medio-basal area surrounded by a rugose pair of grooves, sublateral grooves absent; third tergite longitudinally rugose. This species resembles most to F. codonatus , and the two taxa can be readily separated by the absence of the medial groove on the first tergite and densely rugulose second tergite in F. kashmirensis .

Material examined: Holotype ♀: India: Jammu and Kashmir, Srinagar, Kashmir University Botanical Garden , 34.1304°N 74.8369°E, 1,600 m. a.s.l., 10.ix.2016, leg. Amir Maqbool ( KUIC) ; Paratypes: 11 ♀, 20.ix.2016; 1 ♂, 2.x.2016; 3 ♂, 3.x.2016; 5 ♀, 5.x.2016; 3 ♂, 17.x.2016; 3 ♀, 4.xi.2016; 1 ♂, 8.xi.2016; 1 ♀, 6.viii.2017; 16 ♀, 6 ♂, 20.viii.2017; 6 ♀, 30.viii.2017 (same data as holotype) ( KUIC; 1♀, 1 ♂ BMNH) . 22♀, 17♂, India: Jammu and Kashmir, Srinagar , Central Institute of Temperate Horticulture , 34.0094°N 74.7984°E, 1,640 m. a.s.l., 11.ix.2016, leg. Shahid Ali Akbar ( KUIC; 1♀, 1 ♂ CNC).

Description. Female ( Figs 1–13 ): Body length 3.70 mm (3.31–4.12 mm in paratypes), fore wing length 4.07 mm (3.69–4.47 mm in paratypes).

Head ( Figs 4–6 ): Antenna with 26 antennomeres (23–26 in paratypes) ( Fig. 4 ); first flagellomere slightly longer than second; length of first, second and penultimate flagellomeres respectively 2.8, 1.8, 1.5 × their width. Height of head slightly less than width across eyes (5: 6) ( Fig. 5 ); clypeal ventral margin thin and slightly upcurved, width 0.32 × width of face ( Fig. 5 ); maxillary palp 4-segmented, segments subequal in length; labial palp 3-segmented, segments subequal in length; POL:OD:OOL=1:1:3 (1.0–1.2: 1.0–1.6: 3.0– 3.8 in paratypes).

Mesosoma ( Figs 7–8 ): Mesosoma 1.4 (1.2–1.4 in paratypes) times longer than maximum height ( Fig. 8 ); mesopleuron large and smooth, without much pilosity ( Fig. 8 ); metapleuron smooth and shiny but with long setae, pilosity distinct ( Fig. 8 ); notauli shallow and posteriorly obsolescent ( Fig. 7 ); mesoscutum glabrous and smooth with long setae laterally along notauli ( Fig. 7 ); scutellar sulcus distinctly crenulate, deep, wide and straight ( Fig. 7 ); scutellum smooth; metanotum well developed, broader than long ( Fig. 7 ); propodeum smooth, longer than scutellum, with medio-longitudinal carina on its posterior half ( Fig. 7 ).

Wings ( Fig. 14 ): Fore wing: r:3-SR:SR1 = 1:2:6 (1.0–1.1: 2.0–2.5: 5.0– 6.5 in paratypes); 2-SR:3-SR:r-m = 1.8:2.0:1.1 (1.4–2.0: 1.7–2.1: 0.8–1.1 in paratypes); angle between veins 2-SR and 2-M about 70; CU1a straight and long. Hind wing: M+CU:1-M = 1:2 (1.0–1.2: 2.0– 2.2 in paratypes); 2-M longer than 1-M.

Legs ( Fig. 10 ): Length of hind femur, tibia and basitarsus 4.5, 7.4 and 5.75 × their width (3.8–4.5, 5.88–7.71 and 3.6–5.78 × in paratypes), respectively; length of coxa, trochanter, femur and tibia in ratio 1.63:1.03:2.86:3.13 (1.60–1.71: 1.0–1.2: 2.68–2.86: 3.10–3.22 in paratypes); hind tarsomere lengths in ratio of 5.67:2.66:1.66:1.0:2.0 (5.45–6.10: 2.42–2.71: 1.64–1.66: 1.0–1.1: 1.98–2.1 in paratypes); tibia longer than femur; fore and middle tarsi slender.

Metasoma ( Figs 9, 11–13 ): First tergite largely smooth, rugose apically, without medial groove, sublateral grooves converge anteriorly, length 0.8 × its apical width ( Fig. 9 ); second tergite approximately as long as third tergite, longitudinally rugulose with smooth medio-basal area surrounded by a rugose pair of grooves, sublateral grooves absent ( Fig. 11 ); third tergite longitudinally rugose with smooth apical margin; second and third tergite with transverse grooves ( Fig. 11 ); following tergites medially reticulate, laterally rugulose with smooth apical margin, transverse sub-apical grooves present ( Figs. 11–12 ). Ovipositor sheath 1.16 × as long as metasoma, 0.56 × as long as fore wing and 2.62 × length hind tibia (1.14–1.22, 0.54–0.66, 2.60–3.01 × in paratypes respectively), setose ( Fig. 13 ); hypopygium narrow, apically acute, its tip extending 0.2–0.3 mm beyond the metasomal apex.

Male ( Figs. 15–27 ). Antenna 23 segments ( Fig. 21 ); first tergite medially smooth, without a medial groove, sublateral grooves distinct ( Fig. 25 ); second tergite longitudinally rugulose with smooth medio-basal area surrounded by a pair of rugose grooves; third to sixth tergites brownish with less coarse sculpture, apical margins smooth ( Fig. 26 ).

Colour ( Figs. 1–3 , 15–17 ). Body light to dark yellowish brown; antenna, ventral part of mesopleuron, scutellar sulcus, propodeum, hind tibia, tarsal claws, first tergite, most of third tergite, ovipositor sheath, and pterostigma black to dark brown; groove of pronotum, propleuron, side of scutellum, largely dark brown to yellowish; second tergite medially dark brown, sometimes largely yellow; wings subhyaline.

Distribution. Jammu and Kashmir, Srinagar, India.

Biology. Both the fig species ( Ficus carica and Ficus palmata ) in Jammu and Kashmir are frequently visited by Ficobracon kashmirensis ( Figs 28–31 ). The female wasp bores through the fig wall with its ovipositor and lays a single egg inside the unripe fig which hatches in around 22 hrs. Larvae show phytophagous behavior feeding on immature ovaries and form a cocoon to pupate after 11–13 days ( Figs 32–33 ). Adults emerge from cocoons in about 5–6 days and chew out a tunnel through the fig wall ( Fig. 34 ). Emergence starts in the month of July and continues till November. Different females may oviposit on the same fig and multiple cocoons are formed inside a single fig. Others usually follow the same initial tunnel but occasionally other tunnels are also bored. Sexual dimorphism is obvious with females larger (3.31–4.12 mm) than males (2.70–3.19).

Etymology. Species epithet is in reference to the type locality.

Figures

FIGURE 14. Ficobracon kashmirensis sp. nov. Female.Wing venation.

FIGURES 1–13. Ficobracon kashmirensis sp. nov. Female. Habitus, lateral view (1); dorsal view (2); ventral view (3); antennae (4); head, frontal view (5); head lateral view (6); mesosoma, dorsal view (7); mesosoma, lateral view (8); 1 st and 2 nd tergite, dorsal view (9); mid and hind legs (10); metasoma, dorsal view (11); metasoma, lateral view (12); ovipositor sheath (13).

FIGURES 15–27. Ficobracon kashmirensis sp. nov. Male. Habitus, lateral view (15); dorsal view (16); ventral view (17); head, frontal view (18);head, lateral view (19); head, dorsal view (20); antennae (21); wings (22); mesosoma lateral view (23); mesosoma, dorsal view (24); 1 st and 2 nd tergite, dorsal view (25); metasoma, dorsal view (26); metasoma, lateral view (27).

FIGURES 28–34. Cultivated trees of Ficus carica and F. palmata (28–31); phytophagous larva (32); pupal cocoon (33); fig with empty cocoon inside (red arrow) and emergence hole outside (black arrow) (34).