Ceylonspathius nixoni, Belokobylskij, 2002

Belokobylskij, Sergey A., 2002, Two new Oriental genera of Doryctinae (Hymenoptera, Braconidae) from termite nests, Journal of Natural History 36 (8), pp. 953-962 : 959-960

Ceylonspathius nixoni sp. n.

(®gures 17±29)

Material. Holotype female, Sri Lanka,` Peradeniya , Ceylon. In galleries of Termas monoceros, ``supposed to be parasitic on egg of the termite’’, E. E. Green, II.1910 ’,`Claude Morley Collection. B.M. 1952-159’,`Spathiinae?genus?, G. E. J. Nixon det, 1955’ ( BMNH).

Description

Female. Body length 3.6 mm. Head behind eyes weakly widened anteriorly, roundly narrowed posteriorly, temple 1.83 as long as transverse diameter of eye (dorsal view). POL 1.63 Od, 0.43 OOL; Od 0.253 OOL. Malar space height 0.93 height of eye, 1.53 basal width of mandible. Face width 1.63 eye height and almost equal to height of face and clypeus combined. Clypeus with very short ¯ange along lower margin. Width of hypoclypeal depression 0.63 distance from depression to eye, 0.353 width of face. Head distinctly and roundly narrowed below eyes.

Antennae almost ®liform, rather thick, more than 18-segmented (apical segments broken). Four basal segments of ¯agellum widened apically, rather shortly setose. Subapical segments moniliform and with rather long hairs. First ¯agellar segment 2.53 as long as its apical width, slightly shorter than second segment. Subapical segments 1.2±1.33 as long as their maximum width.

Mesosoma . Length 1.83 its height. Subalar depression entirely smooth. Propodeum distinctly and almost linearly sloping toward apex (lateral view), with shallow longitudinal median depression, oblique basomedian short furrows, two mediolateral and two posterior subround depressions. Sternauli crenulate.

Legs. Fore and middle femora very thick and wide; length of fore femur twice its width (without tooth), length of middle femur almost twice. Hind femur 33 as long as wide. Hind tibia 1.43 as long as hind tarsus.

Metasoma. Length of petiole 1.63 its apical width, 1.23 as long as propodeum. Combined length of second and third tergites 1.63 basal width of second tergite. Ovipositor sheath 0.83 as long as metasoma, 2.43 as long as petiole, as long as mesosoma.

Sculpture and pubescence. Head smooth, malar space with ®ne striation near base of mandible. Mesosoma , legs and metasoma smooth. Face sparsely and shortly setose, clypeus with long hairs. Rest of body almost glabrous (including metasomal tergites). Ovipositor sheath with long dense erect hairs.

Colour. Body reddish brown, promesosoma and mesoscutum paler. Antenna almost black, six basal segments brownish red. Palpi yellow. Legs reddish brown, tarsi light reddish brown. Ovipositor sheath yellow in basal half, reddish brown in apical half.

Male. Unknown.