Stephanobracon narendrani Ranjith & Quicke

Ranjith, A. P., Nasser, M., Rajmohana, K. & Quicke, D. L. J., 2016, A new genus of Braconinae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) from India with remarkable head ornamentation, Zootaxa 4061 (2), pp. 173-180 : 175-178

Stephanobracon narendrani Ranjith & Quicke sp. nov.

Material examined. Holotype, female, “ INDIA: Kerala, Calicut, Janakikkadu, sweep net, 23.xii.2014. coll. Ranjith, A.P.”

Holotype, female (♀), length 3.23 mm, fore wing 2.9 mm, ovipositor 4.3 mm.

Head. Antennae broken (in pieces) with 20 remaining segments. Length of first flagellar segment 1.02× as long as second segment. First and second flagellar segments 2.7 and 2.9× as long as wide respectively. Maxillary palp 0.60× as long as height of head. Height of clypeus: inter tentorial distance: tentorio ocular distance= 4.4:6.8:5.Width of head: width of face: height of eye = 16:6:9.1. Face 1.1× as long as wide. Malar space rugose, 0.72× as long as basal width of mandible. POL: diameter of posterior ocellus: OOL= 2.5: 1.9: 6.3. Frons smooth and shiny having shallow medial longitudinal groove, which extend past antennal sockets ( Fig. 1 A). Vertex and temple smooth and shiny, temple not roundly narrowed posteriorly ( Fig. 1 A). Length of eye 1.14× as long as temple in dorsal view.

Legs. Lengths of hind femur, tibia and basitarsus 4.3, 7.3 and 4.3× as long as wide respectively. Lengths of hind spurs 0.3× hind basitarsus.

Wings. Fore wing pterostigma 3.7× as long as wide. Fore wing vein r-rs: 3RSa: 3RSb=4.4: 11.6: 57.5. 1cu-a marginally postfurcal. Vein 2RS: m-cu= 13.9:6.4. Lengths of veins 2RS: 3RSa: rs-m= 6.9: 5.8: 3.3. Hind wing SC+R 2.3× as long as R; SC+R as wide as 1r-m. Subbasal cell evenly setose. R1 with three hamuli. Apex of C+SC+R with one basal hamulus.

Metasoma. Tergite 1, 1.4× as long as apically wide, coarsely rugose-striate with medial longitudinal groove ( Fig. 2 E). Tergite 2 coarsely rugose with distinct medial longitudinal ridge formed into a triangular smooth area antero-medially, lateral sides of the ridge crenulated anteriorly, having distinct lateral areas ( Fig. 2 F). First metasomal suture crenulated except medially ( Fig. 2 F). Tergite 3 with longitudinal ridge, smooth except coarsely striate medially ( Fig. 2 F). Second metasomal suture crenulated throughout. Ovipositor (exserted part) 1.5× as long as fore wing.

Colour. Body mostly yellow, except antennae, stemmaticum, tips of mandibles, protuberances near antennal sockets, ovipositor sheath, T1 completely, T2 and T3 lateral to longitudinal ridge, anterior half of T4, pterostigma and veins dark brown.

Male: Unknown.

Distribution. India (Kerala).

Host. Unknown.

Etymology. Named in honor of late Dr T.C. Narendran, well known chalcidologist, in recognition of his four decades of extraordinary work on parasitic Hymenoptera .

Figures

FIGURE 1. Features of the head of Stephanobracon narendrani Ranjith & Quicke gen. et sp. nov. (A) Dorsal view; (B) Frontal view; (C, D) Oblique antero-dorsal views.

FIGURE 2. Stephanobracon narendrani Ranjith & Quicke gen. et sp. nov., holotype. (A) Head, near lateral view; (B) Head oblique view; (C) Habitus, dorsal view; (D) Mesosoma, dorsal view; (E) Propodeum and anterior metasoma, dorsal view; (F) Metasoma, dorsal view.