Strangulotilla sureshani Terine, Lelej & Girish Kumar, 2021

Terine, Joshua B., Lelej, Arkady S. & Kumar, Girish P., 2021, Discovery of the genus Strangulotilla Nonveiller, 1979 (Hymenoptera, Mutillidae) in India and description of a new species from the Western Ghats, Zootaxa 5057 (3), pp. 429-436 : 430-434

Strangulotilla sureshani Terine, Lelej & Girish Kumar , sp. nov.

( Figs 3–15 )

Diagnosis. MALE. Ocelli small, postocellar line 0.50 × ocellocular line. Occipital carina developed dorsally and slightly raised vertically above pronotal neck. Mandible bidentate at apex, with strong subbasal tooth on inner margin equal to subapical tooth; with curved dorsal carina extending from base of mandible to subbasal tooth; outer margin simple beneath, emarginate and broadened basally. Ratio of length of pedicel and F1–3 = 15:23:35:30. Notauli visible in posterior two-thirds of mesoscutum, parapsids visible in posterior half. FEMALE. Unknown.

Description. MALE. Body length 7.73 mm. Coloration and setation. Head and mesosoma black, metasoma brownish. Antennae, legs, mandibles and sternum reddish brown. Head with whitish setae denser at region of clypeus and mandible, eye rim with dense whitish setae. Scape with whitish setae and flagellomeres with small whitish brown setae. Mesosoma with white erect setae along with sparse scattered yellowish-brown setae. Tegulae yellowish-brown with sparse yellowish-brown setae. Mesopleuron and legs with dense white setae. T1 with sparse whitish setae. T2–7 with long dense recumbent yellowish setae and sparse suberect whitish setae, punctures scarcely visible. Metasoma towards apex with long whitish and yellowish setae mixed. Sterna with whitish setae, denser apically on each segment.

Head. Head oval with dense minute punctures throughout. Ocelli small, postocellar line 0.50 × ocellocular line. Occipital carina developed dorsally and slightly raised vertically above pronotal neck (see head in face view). Mandible bidentate at apex, with strong subbasal tooth on inner margin, equal to subapical tooth; with curved dorsal carina extending from base of mandible to subbasal tooth; outer margin simple beneath, slightly emarginate and broadened basally. Scape widened apically, bicarinate beneath, lower carina much developed. Ratio of length of pedicel and F1–3 = 15:23:35:30. Eye emarginated on inner margin, head slightly elongated behind eyes (distance between lateral ocellus and posterior head border 1.7 × postocellar line). Clypeus medially with longitudinal conspicuous depression. Hypostomal carina not tuberculate. Transverse carina between torulus and eye lacking.

Mesosoma . Pronotum, mesoscutum and mesoscutellum with dense coarse large punctures. Propodeum reticulate, reticulae larger dorsally. Notauli visible in posterior two-third of mesoscutum, parapsids visible in posterior half. Tegula large, projecting over scuto-scutellar suture, shiny, with sparsely punctured inner margin. Parategular carina not developed.

Metasoma. Maximum width of T1 0.6 × maximum width of T2, T1 not constricted with T2, with sparse large punctures. T2–6 with small minute punctures. T2 with long lateral felt line, S2 lacking lateral felt line. S2–8 with small, moderately dense punctures throughout, sparser on S2. S7 visible, S8 simple, lacking any carina or tubercle.

Wing. Slightly flavo-hyaline. Fore wing with first radio-medial cell somewhat longer than radial cell. Tubular veins not extending to apical margin on both wings.

Genitalia. Gonostyle long, apically rounded and laterally flattened, slightly curved dorsally. Cuspis wide, lamellate slightly curved inside, rounded apically, with long dense setae ventrally and apically; digitus stick-like with few long setae apically. Penis valve strong, apically triangulate and ending ventrally to acuminate tooth.

FEMALE. Unknown.

Material examined. Holotype ♂, INDIA: Karnataka, Kodagu district, Talakaveri Wildlife Sanctuary , 12°25’57.36’’N, 75°27’19.8’’E, 374 m, 5.II.2013, P.M. Sureshan & party, ZSI/ WGRC /IR/INV. 17107 [ ZSIK].

Distribution. India (Karnataka).

Etymology. The specific name is a noun in the genitive case in honor of Dr. P.M. Sureshan, Scientist-E & Officer-in-Charge (Western Ghat Regional Centre, Zoological Survey of India, Kozhikode, India) for his keen interest and constant encouragements to our studies and contribution to Indian hymenopteran taxonomy, especially on the family Pteromalidae .

Remarks. In lacking the lateral tubercle on metasomal S8 and having short notauli this species is similar to, S. krombeini Lelej, 2005 but differs by lacking transverse carina between torulus and eye (well developed in S. krombeini ), by brown antennae and metasoma (black in S. krombeini ), and by T2–6 with long dense recumbent yellowish setae and sparse suberect whitish setae (T2–6 with fringe of whitish setae posteriorly in S. krombeini ).

Figures

FIGURES 3–10. Strangulotilla sureshani sp. nov., holotype, ♂. 3. Habitus, dorsal view. 4. Head, dorso-lateral view. 5. Anterior half of head, lateral view. 6. Head, frontal view. 7. Head, and antenna, dorsal view. 8. Head and mesosoma, dorsal view. 9. Metasoma, dorsal view. 10. Metasoma, ventral view.

FIGURES 11–15. Strangulotilla sureshani sp. nov., holotype, ♂. 11. Fore wing. 12. Hind wing. 13–15. Genitalia (13—dorsal view, 14—ventral view, 15—lateral view).