Eutrichosomella veenakumariae Hayat

Hayat, Mohammad, 2014, Eutrichosomellini (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea: Aphelinidae) from India, with description of two new genera, Zootaxa 3821 (4), pp. 425-442 : 428-432

Eutrichosomella veenakumariae Hayat , sp. nov.

( Figs 1–10 , 43 )

Female. Holotype. Length, 1.10 mm. Head white up to malar sulcus and on occiput above foramen; rest of occiput dark brown; malar space behind sulcus brownish. Mandible with teeth black. Palps white. Antenna white, scape with pale brown suffusions. Mesosoma with pronotum dark brown; mid lobe of mesoscutum pale brownish white, with anterior margin dark brown and sides and posterior margin narrowly white; side lobes of mesoscutum white; axilla white with side brownish; scutellum white; sides of metanotum dark brown; propodeum medially in about anterior half light brown, otherwise white; tegula white with apical third pale brown; prepectus white; mesopleuron and metapleuron brown. Fore wing ( Fig. 6 ) infuscated except about basal third and apex narrowly hyaline, with width of hyaline apex about 0.12× width of infuscated area. Hind wing hyaline. Legs, including coxae, largely white, except as follows: fore coxa white with pale brown suffusions; fore femur with upper margin and about basal third of lower margin, pale brown; mid femur in upper third except apex, pale brown; mid tibia basally pale brown; hind coxa with pale brown suffusions; hind femur with upper margin and hind tibia with lower margin, brownish yellow; last segment of hind tarsus pale brown. Petiole white except lateral margins, brown; gaster dark brown, with TI medially in about anterior half white.

Head, in frontal view, very slightly higher than broad ( Fig. 2 ); frontovertex width, at narrowest, 0.1× head width, and at anterior ocellus 0.23× head width; scrobes inverted V-shaped; antennal torulus separated from mouth margin by slightly less than torulus height; eye height 1.7× malar space; vertex with fine polygonal reticulate sculpture; frons smooth; facial region anterior to malar sulcus with fine, but distinct polygonal reticulate sculpture, behind sulcus with slightly deeper polygonally reticulate sculpture which becomes elongate reticulate laterally; setae all brown to dark brown ( Figs 2, 3 ), those on vertex bristle-like, especially a pair behind posterior ocelli; occiput above with 4 pairs of bristle-like setae of which one pair is longer than width of vertex at level of posterior ocelli; eye moderately densely setose, setae brown, and each seta longer than a facet. Mandible with two teeth and a truncation ( Fig. 2 ). Antenna ( Fig. 1 ) with scape about 4× as long as broad; pedicel 2.4× as long as broad, and as long as F2 and F3 combined; F1 slightly broader than long; F2 and F3 each slightly longer than broad; clava 3.14× as long as broad, apex slightly obliquely rounded; longitudinal sensilla absent on F1. Relative measurements (holotype, slide) at 100×—head frontal width, 42; head frontal height, 44; frontovertex width at anterior ocellus, 10; eye height, 29; malar space, 17; scape length, 19. Antennal segments, length (width) at 400×—scape, 78 (19); pedicel, 35 (14.5); F1, 12 (13); F2, 16 (14); F3, 19 (17); clava, 74 (23.5).

Mesosoma ( Fig. 4 ) on slide, 1.16× as long as metasoma; pronotum with raised, polygonal reticulate sculpture, cells slightly transversely elongate; mid lobe of mesoscutum with regular, fine, polygonal reticulate sculpture, sculpture gradually fading posteriorly; sculpture on side lobe same as on mid lobe, but finer; axilla with raised reticulate sculpture, which becomes slightly elongate reticulate on side; scutellum with elongate reticulate to lineolate reticulate sculpture; metanotum medially with fine, irregular, polygonal reticulate sculpture; propodeum appears smooth; setae on mesosomal tergites as follows: each half of pronotal collar with a line of short setae, and 1 long bristle-like seta at posterolateral corner; mid lobe of mesoscutum with several setae of which 1 seta at each anterolateral corner long and bristle-like; each side lobe of mesoscutum with 1 short and 2 long setae; each axilla with 1 bristle-like seta; scutellum with 4 bristle-like setae located in posterior half, anterior pair of setae shorter than posterior pair; propodeum beginning proximal end of spiracle with several setae ( Fig. 5 ). [Mesofurca about as in other species of the genus ( Fig. 43 ; Heraty et al. 1997: fig. 10] Fore wing ( Fig. 6 ) 3.14× as long as broad; costal cell short, about 0.58× marginal vein; submarginal vein with 4 or 5 setae, parastigma with 1 seta, marginal vein with 16–17 setae; postmarginal vein absent ( Fig. 7 ); stigmal vein with a short neck, and with 4 circular sensilla; costal cell without setae on either dorsal or ventral surfaces; linea calva narrow, short, anteriorly closed by several lines of setae, and posteriorly closed by 2 lines of setae. Hind wing 4.57× as long as broad; longest marginal fringe 0.35× wing width. Relative measurements (holotype, slide)—mesosoma length, 64; mesoscutum length (width), 25 (33); mid lobe length (width), 25 (23); axilla width, 10; width of anterior margin of scutellum, 7; scutellum length (width), 22 (21); metanotum median length, 3.5; propodeum median length, 10.5; mid tibia length, 45; mid basitarsus length, 17; mid tibial spur length, 13.

Metasoma ( Fig. 8 ) with apex rounded; cercal plates situated near apex of gaster; each cercal plate with 1 short and 3 long setae; ovipositor not exserted; TI–TVII with setae as follows: TI–TIV each, 4–6 + 4–6; TV and TVI each with a complete line; TVII, 6. Relative measurements (holotype, slide)—metasoma length, 55; ovipositor length, 33; third valvula length, 7.75.

Male. Similar to female, except as follows. Antenna as in Fig. 9 ; genitalia ( Fig. 10 ) with phallobase short, about 2× as long as broad, broadest anteriorly; parameres absent; digiti long, each digitus about 0.5× phallobase length; apex of each digitus with two short denticles and a fine seta; aedeagus 1.21× as long as phallobase, and equal in length to mid basitarsus.

Material examined. Holotype ( NBAII, registration No. ICAR / NBAII / APHL 5),♀ (on slide under 4 coverslips), labelled “ INDIA: ANI [Andaman & Nicobar Islands]: Middle Andaman, Panchavati, 24.i.2013 (No.1259), Coll. K. Veenakumari” and “Ex Oothecae of cockroach” [The number 1259 refers to the collection number of host bred material maintained by Dr. K. Veenakumari]

Paratypes. 15♀, 1 ♂ (3 females on cards, remaining specimens on 6 slides), with data same as for the holotype. (3♀, in NPC, registration No. 13/6/158/1; 8♀, in NBAII, registration No. ICAR / NBAII / APHL 6–10; 4♀, 1♂, in ZDAMU, registration No. HYM. CH.694)

Host. Oothecae of cockroach (Blattodea)

Distribution. India: Andaman & Nicobar Islands.

Etymology. The species is named after Dr. K. Veenakumari, who collected the specimens of this new species.

Comments. In 1981 (see Hayat 1983), I examined the types of the five Girault species of Eutrichosomella ( E. aereiscapus , E. albiclava , E. albifemora , E. blattophaga , E. multifasciata ) to verify if four of the species were congeneric with the type species, E. albiclava , made brief notes on these species and drew some figures. Later, Hayat & Fatima (1999) examined the types of the species of Aphelinus Dalman described by Girault from Australia, and transferred A. voltairei Girault to Eutrichosomella . I am depending on the original descriptions and my brief notes and figures for comparison with the new species described here.

The new species differs from the six Girault species and E. insularis Timberlake by the following combination of characters: antennal scape very slightly longer than clava (78:74); F1 trapezoidal, slightly broader than long; F2 shorter than F3, but both slightly longer than broad; setae on frontovertex and mesothoracic tergites long and bristle-like; the apical pair of scutellar setae nearly twice as long as the anterior pair of setae; scutellum with raised, lineolate reticulate sculpture; propodeum median length 3× median length of metanotum; fore wing more than 3× as long as broad, with apical hyaline area very narrow, width about 0.12× width of the infuscate area; head with frontovertex and face white; antenna white, scape with pale brown suffusions; propodeum white except pale brown in about middle of anterior half; gaster dark brown, with white medially in about anterior half of TI.

The new species appears similar to the Indian species, E. indica Singh (in Singh & Srinivasa 2010) and quite different from E. keralaensis Manickavasagam & Menakadevi (2012) as evident from the following key to the three Indian species.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 7. Eutrichosomella veenakumariae Hayat, sp. nov. Female: 1, antenna; 2, head frontal view; 3, head, occipital region; 4, mesosoma; 5, metanotum, propodeum and petiole; 6, fore wing; 7, fore wing, distal venation.

FIGURES 8 – 15. (8 – 10) Eutrichosomella veenakumariae Hayat, sp. nov. Female: 8, gaster. Male: 9, antenna; 10, genitalia. (11, 12) Eutrichosomella indica Singh. Female: 11, metanotum, propodeum and petiole; 12, fore wing, distal venation. (13 – 15) Eutrichosomella keralaensis Manickavasagam & Menakadevi. Female: 13, mesothorax, dorsal; 14, part of propodeum; 15, fore wing, distal venation.

FIGURES 43 – 45. Mesofurca, females: 43, Eutrichosomella veenakumariae Hayat, sp. nov.; 44, Umairia laiba Hayat, gen. et sp. nov.; 45, Zubairia mirifica Hayat, gen. et sp. nov.