Megachalcis kannapuramensis Sureshan and Girish Kumar, 2018

Binoy, C., Nasser, M. & Santhosh, S., 2022, The Western Ghats, a biodiversity hotspot: the example of Chalcididae (Hymenoptera) with the description of a new species of Phasgonophora Westwood and a review of the regional species, Journal of Natural History 56 (41 - 44), pp. 1627-1655 : 1639-1644

publication ID

https://doi.org/ 10.1080/00222933.2022.2134059

DOI

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7377195

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/19168793-FF89-FF94-FF5D-FC3270780A85

treatment provided by

Plazi

scientific name

Megachalcis kannapuramensis Sureshan and Girish Kumar, 2018
status

 

Megachalcis kannapuramensis Sureshan and Girish Kumar, 2018

Megachalcis kannapuramensis Sureshan and Girish Kumar in Sureshan et al. 2018: 181.

( Figures 8a–e View Figure 8 , 9 View Figure 9 , 10a–h View Figure 10 , 11a–h View Figure 11 )

Type material

Holotype ♀ ( Figure 8a–e View Figure 8 ), India: Kerala, Kannur district, Kannapuram mangroves (11.5835° N and 75.1817°E), 13 May 2018, coll. C. Charesh, ZSIK Regd. No. ZSI / WGRC / IR/ INV/ 11417 (examined). GoogleMaps

Additional material examined

♀ (Figures 9,10a–h,11a–h) India: Kerala, Kannur district, Aaralam Wildlife Sanctuary, Kurukkanpuzha (11.931°N, 75.836°E; alt. 110 m), 25 March 2021, coll GoogleMaps . D GoogleMaps . Ghosh , ZSI LTEO team. ( ZSIK) Regd . No . ZSI / WGRC /IR/INV.22004.

Recognition

Antenna attached at lower margin of clypeus ( Figures 8c View Figure 8 , 10d View Figure 10 ); scrobal margin distinctly carinate, forming sharp conspicuously produced angle in front of eye; postorbital carina distinct, obsolete at genotemporal margin ( Figures 8a View Figure 8 , 10a View Figure 10 ); pronotum subquadrate, with two raised projections medially ( Figures 8d View Figure 8 , 10f View Figure 10 ); hind coxa without any dorsobasal protuberances or tooth; hind femur ventrally with 9–10 teeth, basal one subequal in size to succeeding one ( Figures 8a View Figure 8 , 11c View Figure 11 ); Rs vein of fore wing indicated as a pigmented fold ( Figures 8a View Figure 8 , 11a View Figure 11 ); mesosoma with raised rasp-like sculpture in profile; propodeum with large irregular and smooth variably sized areola; metasoma with a short petiole visible dorsally ( Figures 8b View Figure 8 , 10h View Figure 10 ); Gt1 smooth, largest, occupying 0.5× of metasoma (excluding ovipositor); Gt2 telescopic behind Gt1; Gt3 distinctly pitted on anterior half; Gt4–Gt6 regularly pitted, laterally setigerous; surface shiny on Gt1–Gt4, Gt5–Gt6 with matt surface; Gt6 coarsely punctate with six rows of punctures, spiracle rounded, prominent, peritreme well expanded from surface; syntergum distinctly pitted ( Figures 8b View Figure 8 , 11g View Figure 11 ); ovipositor sheath long, 1.26× as long as metasoma (excluding ovipositor sheath) ( Figures 8a View Figure 8 , 9 View Figure 9 ).

Redescription

♀ ( Figures 9 View Figure 9 , 10a–h View Figure 10 , 11a–h View Figure 11 ) Body length 10.29 mm (including ovipositor sheath); length of fore wing 5.12 mm.

Colour. Body black with the following parts variably coloured: eyes and ocelli reflective red-gold, radicle liver-brown, flagellar segments brown-black, tegula liver-brown, wing lamina brown, veins deep brown; all coxae brown-black, trochanters liver-brown, fore and mid femora and tibiae red-brown with base and apex paler, all tarsi red-brown, metasoma black with posterior margin of terga brown.

Setation. Face with moderately dense white setae arising from both punctae and interspaces; golden setae on vertex, clypeus and mandible ( Figure 10d View Figure 10 ); adpressed white setae on scape; gena densely pubescent; pronotum anteriorly with moderately dense yellowbrown setae, remainder with sparse suberect setae throughout mesosoma; tuft of long white setae on axilla; propodeum with moderately dense setae on dorsum; legs with short, moderately dense white setae; metasoma with long white pubescence laterally arising from pits.

Head. Head distinctly wider than mesosoma in dorsal view (1.13×), coarsely rugosepunctate; OOL 1.17× POL, 1.45× OD; POL with short raised humps; occiput with similar sculpture to that on vertex ( Figure 10e View Figure 10 ); in frontal view, head 1.42× as wide as long, rugose punctate with large shiny setigerous areola; preorbital indicated; scrobal margin distinctly carinate, scrobal margin prominently angulate in profile in front of dorsal and ventral margin of eye, scrobal surface reticulate, maximum width of scrobe 0.5× median interocular width; scrobe at most meeting anterior ocellus; interantennal projection finely punctate, 0.36× as long as scrobe ( Figure 10c, d View Figure 10 ); mandible bidentate ( Figure 10d View Figure 10 ); antenna inserted slightly below ventral margin of eye; scape not attaining median ocellus; two anelli indicated; clava 2-segmented; genotemporal margin carinate, straight; postorbital carina distinct, moving along outer eye margin onto occiput ( Figure 10a View Figure 10 ); relative length of scape, pedicel, anellus, funiculars and clava = 6.7: 1.1: 0.8: 2.0: 2.2: 2.1: 2.0: 1.9: 1.6: 1.3: 1.7: 2.9.

Mesosoma. Pronotum quadrate, 3.75× as long as wide, with varyingly sized areola, anteriorly small becoming large posteriorly, margins conspicuously rugate, forming submedian tubercles, posterior margin of pronotum deeply emarginate inwards; mesoscutum 2.9× as long as wide, with irregular variable sized punctures, anteriorly small, becoming large posteriorly, middle lobe of mesoscutum punctate, margins carinate; lateral lobe of mesoscutum punctate with margin conspicuously rugate; scutellum small, 1.41× as long as wide with large areola, basad of axilla with prominent tuft of pale yellow setae, apical margin of scutellum conspicuously emarginated ( Figure 10f View Figure 10 ); lateral lobe of pronotum coarsely rugose; propleura engraved reticulate; meso and metapleura with similar sculpturing to that of thoracic notum ( Figure 10g View Figure 10 ); propodeum gradually declining onto metasoma, with dense white setae along the costula; spiracles subhorizontal, bean-shaped and well exposed; transverse and sublateral carina prominent; lateral teeth distinct ( Figure 10h View Figure 10 ).

Legs. Fore coxa wide, as long as wide ( Figure 11b View Figure 11 ); hind coxa smooth with numerous setigerous punctures, no dorsobasal tooth or protuberance; outer disc of hind femur smooth and shiny with numerous setigerous pits, inner basal protuberance present ( Figure 10d View Figure 10 ); ventrally with 9–10 teeth, basal one larger than rest of subequal teeth; hind tibia coarsely pitted ( Figure 10c View Figure 10 ).

Wings. Lamina infumate brown; fore wing with PMV 1.8× MV, SMV 2.7× MV, STV 0.2× PMV; lamina densely setose; Rs vein clearly indicated, present as a pigmented fold ( Figure 10a View Figure 10 ).

Metasoma. Metasoma (excluding ovipositor sheath) longer than combined lengths of head and mesosoma (1.2×), metasoma including ovipositor 2.64× as long as lengths of head and mesosoma combined; short petiole visible dorsally; Gt1 with basal fovea, 0.5× as long as combined length of remaining tergites, dorsum shiny with scattered shallow pits medially, posterior 1/3rd smooth; Gt2 telescopic beneath Gt1; Gt3 with 6–7 rows of pits on anterior half, posterior half smooth, shiny; Gt4 distinctly pitted, a median impunctate strip on dorsum; Gt5 and Gt6 densely pitted, with a distinct median carina; spiracle on Gt4 prominent, peritreme distinctly produced laterally; syntergum 1.56× as long as Gt6, pitted anteriorly, posteriorly smooth; ovipositor sheath 0.56× as long as entire length of metasoma, 1.26× as long as metasomal terga combined ( Figure 11e–h View Figure 11 ).

Male

Unknown.

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Insecta

Order

Hymenoptera

Family

Chalcididae

Genus

Megachalcis

Loc

Megachalcis kannapuramensis Sureshan and Girish Kumar, 2018

Binoy, C., Nasser, M. & Santhosh, S. 2022
2022
Loc

Megachalcis kannapuramensis

Sureshan PM & Girish Kumar P & Charesh C 2018: 181
2018
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