Embidobia mahabali Veenakumari, 2024

Veenakumari, Kamalanathan, Kolla, Sreedevi, Sushil, Satya Nand, Samuel, Duleep Kumar, Khan, Farmanur Rahman & Mohanraj, Prashanth, 2024, Embidobia Ashmead (Hymenoptera, Platygastroidea, Scelionidae) of the Indian region with descriptions of new species, European Journal of Taxonomy 970, pp. 61-101 : 81-83

Embidobia mahabali Veenakumari sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:53D34C40-2296-48E2-8FBB-809225F6B902

Figs 2H , 10

Diagnosis

Embidobia mahabali sp. nov. is close to E. procera sp. nov. and E. barbarika sp. nov. but differs from them in mesoscutum having well defined rugae and upper frons with several short raised carinae arranged in semicircular fashion; whereas in the latter two species mesoscutum is with imbricate sculpture and upper frons is either with short or long oblique carinae.

Etymology

This species is named after Mahabali, an exemplary king in Hindu mythology, whose increasing popularity and power disconcerted the gods prompting the god Vishnu to deceitfully banish him from this world, nevertheless permitting him to visit his people once every year. The name is treated as a noun in apposition.

Material examined

Holotype INDIA – Karnataka • ♀; Bengaluru, Hesaraghatta ; 13°08′01″ N, 77°29′27″ E; 859 m; 7 Jul. 2014; YPT; NIM, ICAR-NBAIR P5038 .

Paratypes INDIA – Karnataka • 1 ♀; same data as for holotype; NIM, ICAR-NBAIR P5039 • 1 ♀; same locality as for holotype; 28 Mar. 2014; YPT; NIM, ICAR-NBAIR P5040 • 1 ♀; Bengaluru, Hebbal, Veterinary College ; 13°02′08″ N, 77°35′49″ E; 906 m; 21 Apr. 2015; YPT; NIM, ICAR-NBAIR P5041 .

Description

Female

MEASUREMENTS. Body length = 0.96–1.08 mm (n = 4).

COLOUR. Head and mesosoma red-brown; metasoma red-brown with black patches sublaterally; radicle, A1–A7 yellow-brown, remaining antennomeres black-brown; legs yellow-brown.

HEAD. Head: 1.4 × as wide as high, 1.3 × as high as long. IOS: 0.5 × head width, 1.1× eye length. OOL: 0.6× width of median ocellus. Compound eye: ovate (L:W = 13.7: 9.1). Sculpture of frons: lower frons medially smooth, with uneven longitudinal carinae on either side; several short transverse carinae present on either side of central keel dorsally; upper frons with several short arched carinae arranged in a semicircular fashion. Central keel: 0.4× head height. Sculpture of gena: predominantly smooth with long setae. Facial and malar striae: prominent. Sculpture of vertex: unevenly rugose. Interantennal process: elongate, truncate posteriorly.

MESOSOMA. L:W of mesoscutum: 13.6: 21.9. Sculpture of mesoscutum: rugose. Mesoscutal humeral sulcus: indicated as a furrow. Mesoscutal suprahumeral sulcus: weakly foveate. Scutoscutellar sulcus: foveate laterally. L: W of mesoscutellum: 8.5: 17.9. Sculpture of mesoscutellum: rugose. Posterior mesoscutellar sulcus: foveate. Sculpture of metascutellum: smooth with foveae on anterior margin and a furrow on posterior margin. Posterior margin of metascutellum: almost straight. Sculpture of lateral propodeal area: anteriorly smooth, posteriorly costate with foveae in between.Sculpture of lateral pronotal area: dorsally imbricate, ventrally smooth and sparse oblique carinae anteromedially. Netrion: present, smooth, linear. Netrion sulcus: costate. Pronotal suprahumeral sulcus: weakly foveate. Pronotal cervical sulcus: indicated as a furrow. Prespecular sulcus: with transverse foveae. Speculum of mesopleuron: with several transverse carinae. Episternal sulcus: with transverse foveae. Postacetabular sulcus: foveate. Mesepimeral sulcus: with transverse foveae. Mesepimeral area: smooth. Mesopleural carina: present. Sculpture of femoral depression: smooth. Mesopleural pit: present. Sculpture of metapleuron: smooth. Metapleural sulcus: with transverse foveae. Paracoxal sulcus: indicated as a furrow. Metapleural epicoxal sulcus: indicated as carinae and furrows. Anteroventral extension of metapleuron: 3 × as long as wide; an additional short extension present dorsally. L: W of fore wing: 71.6: 27.2. Infuscate patch on fore wing: present as a longitudinal patch medially. Ratio of length of m: pm: stg: 4.0: 22.8: 8.0. Metasomal depression: longitudinally costate except for smooth areas laterally.

METASOMA. L:W of metasoma: 35.3: 26.6. Sculpture of T1: basal foveae present; longitudinally costate with narrow smooth area posteriorly and setose reticulate patch laterally. Sculpture of T2: basal foveae present; longitudinally striate, with smooth area posteriorly and setose reticulate patch laterally. Sculpture of T3: areolate and smooth towards posterior margin. Length of T1:T2: T3: 6.8: 12.3: 8.8.

Male

Unknown.

Figures

Fig. 2. Wings. A. Embidobia agastya Veenakumari sp. nov., holotype, ♀ (NIM, ICAR-NBAIR P5001). B. E. barbarika Veenakumari sp. nov., holotype, ♀ (NIM, ICAR-NBAIR P5063). C. E. brittanica Girault, 1917, lectotype, ♀ (USNM, Type No. 2060). D. E. dooranetra Veenakumari sp. nov., holotype, ♀ (NIM, ICAR-NBAIR P5103). E. E. gauriputra Veenakumari sp. nov. holotype, ♀ (NIM, ICAR-NBAIR P5076). F. E. hrdaya Veenakumari sp. nov., holotype, ♀ (NIM, ICAR-NBAIR P5114). G. E. jatayu sp. nov., holotype, ♀ (NIM, ICAR-NBAIR P5028). H. E. mahabali Veenakumari sp. nov. holotype, ♀ (NIM, ICAR-NBAIR P5038).

Fig. 10. Embidobia mahabali Veenakumari sp. nov., holotype, ♀ (NIM, ICAR-NBAIR P5038). A–B. Habitus dorsal view. C. Head and pleuron. D. Frons. E. Antenna.