Goniozus kuriani Santhosh

Santhosh, Shreevihar & Ranjith, Avinjikkattu Parambil, 2015, Descriptions of two new Species of Goniozus Förster, 1856 (Hymenoptera: Bethylidae) associated with insect induced plant galls from India, Zootaxa 4039 (1), pp. 192-200 : 196-198

Goniozus kuriani Santhosh sp. nov.

( Figs 4 , 5 )

Material examined. Holotype ♀, ‘ INDIA: Kerala, Trivandrum, Art gallery campus, 08°30.31'N 76°57.16'E, 50 msl, 20.i.2008, rearing, ex. Trioza jambolanae Crawford induced leaf galls on Syzygium cumini (L) Skeels; M. Sheeba leg., VRN 186 ( ZSIK)’. Paratypes. 2♀ data same as holotype, VRN 161, VRN 187; 1♀, ‘ INDIA: Karnataka, Makutta, 30 kms from Virajpet, 12°04.39'N 75°43.37'E, 119 msl, 28.vi.2006, rearing, Sarasija leg., on plant host Dipterocarpus indicus Bedd. , VRN 28 ( ZSIK)’.

Diagnosis. Head distinctly longer than wide ( Fig. 4 C), WH 0.77–0.81 × LH; compressed in lateral aspect, 2 × as long as wide; sides behind eye are parallel before curving inwards to vertex ( Fig. 4 B); clypeal apical margin weakly produced, obtuse; antenna slightly shorter than head in full dorsal view; pedicel longer than F1; malar space distinct; malar groove present; ocelli triangle acute; posterior ocelli equal to or more than 0.5 × its diameter away from vertex margin; EV 0.72–0.83 × HE; OOL 0.61–0.67 × WOT; vertex emarginated; anteromedian propodeal area rectangular, smooth, not elevated ( Fig. 4 D); forewing with areolet ( Fig. 4 F), vein M, SM sparsely setose; profemur 1.92 × as long as wide.

Description: Female (holotype) Length 2.75 mm; FWL 1.75 mm.

Colour. Body black, abdomen dark brown; mandible black, teeth brown; antenna yellow, terminal five segments brown, last being darkest; legs yellow; coxae, femora with dorsal margin brown, wing hyaline, subcosta, prostigma, pterostigma brown, others veins colourless.

Head. Head longer than wide ( Fig. 4 C), WH 0.81 × LH; 2 × as long as wide in lateral aspect; sides behind eye are parallel before curving inwards to slightly emarginated vertex; frons and vertex coriaceous with scattered shallow punctures ( Fig. 4 C); gena smooth and polished ( Fig. 4 B); vestiture short, sparse, suberect; setae on vertex not distinctly longer than setae on rest of head, longest being 0.068 mm; anterior clypeal margin weakly produced, obtuse; clypeal carina strong and weakly arcuate in profile, extending onto front as a low carina up to level of posterior scrobal margin; scrobe ecarinate; mandible robust, four teeth, ventral most straight longest teeth; WF 0.48 × LH; WF = HE; EV 0.83 × HE; LH 2.3 × HE; malar space distinct; malar groove present; eye sparsely setose, setae minute, shorter than diameter of single facet; ocelli in acute triangle; posterior ocelli separated from vertex margin by half its diameter; OOL 0.67 × WOT; POL: AOL: DAO = 3.5:2:1.8; vertex smoothly curved to occiput, ecarinate; relative lengths of first five antennal segments are in the ratio of about 6:3:2.3:2.3:2.7; scape 1.33 × as long as wide, 2 × as long as pedicel; pedicel longer than F1; all segments wider than long except terminal single segment; antenna slightly shorter than head in full dorsal view (27:29) ( Fig. 4 C).

Mesosoma. Pronotum, mesonotum, and scutellum uniformly coriaceous, with scattered shallow punctures ( Fig. 4 D); vestiture short, sparse, decumbent; pronotal disc 0.52 × as long as wide; mesonotum with complete parapsidal furrow, notauli absent; scutellum with a pair of basal pits at base connected by a narrow transverse groove, propodeal disc 0.53 × as long as wide, smoothly inclined to lateral margin ( Fig. 4 D); basal median propodeal triangle absent, median smooth band, not elevated, extending beyond posterior margin of propodeal disc ( Fig. 4 D); rest of propodeal disc, declivity coriaceous; posterior transverse propodeal carina broadly interrupted medially; forewing 2.88 × as long as wide; areolet present ( Fig. 4 F); vein M, SM with single row of setae; areolet and speculum sparsely setose; profemur 1.92 × as long as wide; SI 7.67.

Metasoma. Tergites smooth and polished, T1–T3 with few setae restricted to lateral margin; other tergites sparsely setose all across dorsal side; metasoma distinctly longer than mesosoma (54:40), shorter than head plus mesosoma (54:67) ( Fig. 4 A).

Male. Unknown.

Ecology and Biology. Ex. unidentified leaf galls of Syzygium cumini (L.) Skeels ( Myrtaceae ). The species is also collected from the plant host, Dipterocarpus indicus Bedd. (Dipterocarpaceae) .

Etymology. The species epithet is after Chandy Kurian, who worked on Indian Bethylidae during 1952–1955.

Distribution. India (Karnataka; Kerala).

Variation. In paratypes, OOL 0.62 × WOT and EV 0.72 × HE. See table 2 for the morphometric ratios of the type material examined.

Discussion. Goniozus kuriani sp. nov. is closely related to G. valvolicola Krombein reported from Sri Lanka in having vertex emarginate, scrobe ecarinate, M, SM sparsely setose, posterior ocelli equal to or more than 0.5 × its diameter away from vertex margin and EV 0.75–0.85 × HE. Goniozus kuriani sp. nov. differs from G. valvolicola Krombein in having ocellar triangle acute, forefemur 1.92 × as long as wide, OOL 0.66 × WOT, clypeal apical margin weakly produced and obtuse, anteromedian rectangular smooth propodeal area, but not elevated and pedicel longer than F1, whereas in G. valvolicola ocellar triangle in right angle, forefemur 2.07 × as long as wide, OOL 1.54–1.58 × WOT, clypeal apical margin strongly produced, acute, antero-median triangular smooth propodeal area is elevated and pedicel is shorter than F1.

Figures

FIGURE 4. Goniozus kuriani Santhosh sp. nov., ♀, holotype A. Habitus, lateral view; B. Head, lateral view; C. Head, anterior view; D. Mesosoma, dorsal view; E. Mesosoma & legs, lateral view; F. Fore wing.

FIGURE 5. A & B) Goniozus kuriani Santhosh sp. nov. on leaf gall of Syzygium cumini.