Centistidea furca Ranjith & Priyadarsanan, 2023

Ranjith, A. P., Achterberg, Cornelis Van & Priyadarsanan, Dharma Rajan, 2023, A new genus in the braconid subfamily Miracinae from the Oriental region, with descriptions of seven new species from India and Sri Lanka, Zootaxa 5318 (4), pp. 451-473 : 462-465

Centistidea furca Ranjith & Priyadarsanan , sp. nov.

( Figures 7–8 )

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:A6BBDC10-1474-43B1-8A4A-41FF5763A2FF

Material examined. Holotype. ♀ INDIA: Karnataka, Chamarajanagar, Biligiri Ranganathaswamy Temple Tiger Reserve , 12°00.345′ N, 77°07.526′ E, 975 m. a.s.l., dry deciduous forest, Malaise trap, 14.x–17.xi.2005, coll. Priyadarsanan, D. R. ( AIMB).

Description. Female

Body measurements. Length of body 2.1 mm, length of fore wing 2.0 mm.

Head. Antenna with 14 antennomeres, all antennomeres longer than wide ( Fig. 7A ). First flagellomere 1.0 × as long as second flagellomere. First, second and penultimate flagellomeres 4.4, 4.2 and 2.0 × as long as wide. Maxillary palp with four segments ( Figs 7B, D ), fourth segment 1.3 × as long as third segment. Face distinctly convex medially ( Fig. 7B ), 1.7× as wide as long, granulate, setose. Clypeus 1.8 × wider ventrally than medially high with straight posterior margin ( Fig. 7B ). Malar suture distinct ( Figs 7B, D ). Length of malar space 1.4 × basal width of mandible. Mandible distinctly twisted ( Fig. 7B ), inner tooth distinctly shorter than outer tooth. Frons granulate, moderately convex medially, sparsely setose laterally ( Fig. 7C ). Vertex granulate, sparsely setose, setose laterally ( Fig. 7C ). OOL: transverse diameter of posterior ocellus: POL= 2.4: 1.0: 1.0. Length of eye 1.5 × as long as temple in dorsal view.

Mesosoma. Mesosoma 1.3 × as long as high. Pronotum and propleuron smooth laterally, lateral pronotum shallowly impressed medially ( Fig. 7D ). Mesoscutum punctate, setose, without carinae laterally ( Fig. 7E ). Notauli only impressed anteriorly ( Fig. 7E ). Scutellar sulcus represented only by a transverse groove, faintly crenulated medially ( Fig. 7E ). Scutellum evenly setose, smooth ( Fig. 7E ), with a pair of large pits medio-posteriorly separated by a 0.5 × diameter of the pit, sides of scutellum irregularly sculptured ( Fig. 7F ). Mesopleuron smooth, glabrous, setose ventrally ( Fig. 7D ). Metapleuron with a deep small pit antero-dorsally, with deep shallow longitudinal depressed line, glabrous ( Fig. 7D ). Propodeum with a distinct and complete anteriorly forked medio-longitudinal carina extended behind costulae, costulae arched, incomplete, dorsal part of midlongitudinal carina associated with transverse carinae posteriorly, sparsely setose, antero-lateral part with shallow declivity, postero-lateral part faintly crenulated, posterior part indistinctly differentiated from dorsal part, transverse carina present between costulae and posterior transverse carina, posterior transverse carina distinct ( Fig. 7F ).

Wings. Fore wing: Vein r distinct, 0.1 × as long as 2RS ( Fig. 8C ). R1 indistinct ( Fig. 8C ). Vein (RS+M)b 0.8 × as long as 1m-cu. Vein 1-M 1.7 × as long as m-cu. Vein (RS+M)a 2.1 × (RS+M)b. Vein 1CUa thickened, 0.7 × as long as 1CUb ( Fig. 8C ). Hind wing: Vein cu-a straight. Veins M+CU: 1M: 1r-m= 2.2: 2.3: 1.0.

Legs. Hind coxa smooth, setose ( Figs 7A , 8A ). Tarsal claws without basal lobe. Hind femur, tibia and basitarsus 3.0, 5.9 and 3.3 × as long as wide respectively.

Metasoma. First tergite smooth, narrow medially, widening subapically, parallel sided apically, distinctly narrowing basally, 4.5 × as long as its maximum width ( Fig. 8B ). Second tergite smooth, sparsely punctate, setose, medial length 0.6 × as long as third tergite ( Fig. 8B ). Third tergite longitudinally striate, setose ( Fig. 8B ). Ovipositor straight. Ovipositor sheath 0.1 × as long as fore wing, slightly narrowing apically with long sparse setae apically ( Fig. 8A ).

Colour. Body yellow except antennae, apex of mandibles, propodeal carinae, first and second metasomal tergites, apical metasomal tergites, apex of ovipositor brown.

Male. Unknown.

Etymology. The new species is named after the presence of anteriorly bifurcate midlongitudinal carina of propodeum.

Biology. Unknown.

Distribution. India (Karnataka).

Comparative diagnosis. Centistidea furca sp. nov. can be differentiated from the rest of Centistidea species by the combination of the following characters, anteriorly forked propodeal carina, incomplete and curved costula and presence of transverse carina between costula and posterior transverse carina. This new species comes close to C. kumatai (Maetô) in having arched costula and dorsal length of eye 1.5 × as long as temple. Apart from the forked midlongitudinal propodeal carina C. furca sp. nov. differs from C. kumatai by the following characters, scape and pedicel yellow (brown in C. kumatai ), medio-posterior pits of scutellum separated by ½ diameter of the pit (separated by a thin longitudinal carina in C. kumatai ), length of malar space 1.4 × as long as basal width of mandible (1.0 × in C. kumatai ), hind femur 3.0 × as long as wide (3.5–3.8 × as long as wide in C. kumatai ) and first metasomal tergite 4.5 × aslong as its maximum width (3.0–3.5 × in C. kumatai ).

Figures

FIGURE 7. Centistidea furca Ranjith & van Achterberg gen. et sp. nov., holotype, female A) habitus, lateral view; B) head, anterior view; C) head, dorsal view; D) head and mesosoma, lateral view; E) mesosoma, dorsal view; F) propodeum, dorsal view.

FIGURE 8. Centistidea furca Ranjith & van Achterberg gen. et sp. nov., holotype, female A) metasoma, lateral view; B) metasoma, dorsal view; C) wings.