Centistidea cosmopteryxi Ahmad & Pandey

Ghramh, Hamed A., Ahmad, Zubair & Pandey, Kavita, 2019, Three new species of the genus Centistidea Rohwer, 1914 (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Miracinae) from India and Saudi Arabia, ZooKeys 889, pp. 37-47 : 37

Centistidea cosmopteryxi Ahmad & Pandey sp. nov. Figs 5-10

Material examined.

Holotype: INDIA • ♀; Uttar Pradesh, Etah, 5.x.2004; ex. Cosmopteryx phaeogastra (Meyr) on Phaseolus cylindrica (coll. Z Ahmad) (ZDAMU). Paratype: 1♀, with same data as holotype (HB-139, ZDAMU).

Diagnosis.

Following the key to East Palaearctic and Oriental species of the genus Centistidea Rohwer ( van Achterberg and Mehernejad 2002; Ranjith et al. 2018), C. cosmopteryxi sp. nov. keys with C. sii ( Maetô, 1995) on the presence of yellowish head, notauli only anteriorly impressed and finely crenulate, and vein 1-R1 of fore wing distinctly vein-like. This combination of characters is quite unique among the genus Centistedea . However, the new species differs in the following characters: (i) wings slightly infuscate (wings hyaline in C. sii ), (ii) length of eye 1.8 × temple (dorsal length of eye 1.10 × temple in C. sii ), (iii) length of first tergites 2.3 × its maximum width and 3.2 × its apical width (length of first tergites 3-3.5 × its maximum width and 3.2 × its apical width in C. sii ). When considering the similarities of characters like vein 1-CU1 of fore wing 0.9 × as long as vein 2-CU1 and scutellum with oval pits medio-posteriorly, then the new species runs near to C. mogra ( Papp 1987). However, it differs in the following characters: (i) sub-alar depression of fore wings finely aciculate (sub-alar depression of fore wings smooth in C. mogra ), (ii) propodeum with some rugosity on anterior part of median longitudinal carina (propodeum without any rugosity on anterior part of median longitudinal carina in C. mogra ), (iii) vein 1-CU1 slightly shorter than 2-CU1 (vein 1-CU1 of fore wing as long as 2-CU1 in C. mogra ), and (iv) mesonotum complete dark brown (mesonotum tinged with brown in C. mogra ).

Description.

Holotype: Female body length: 2.0 mm; length of forewing: 2.1 mm; length of antenna: 2.0 mm.

Head: 1.9 × as wide as long in dorsal view (12: 23); length of eye 1.8 × temple (9: 5) in dorsal view: head and vertex indistinctly punctate; OOL; POL: AOL: OD = 4: 2: 1: 2; inner margin of eyes subparallel; face distinctly convex medially, flattened laterally smooth; clypeus smooth and evenly convex; malar space 0.9 × as long as basal width of the mandible; antennae with 14 segments, F1 ca. 5 × as long as wide, 1.1 times longer than F2, penultimate flagellomere 2.5-3.0 × as long as wide and apical flagellomere pointed.

Mesosoma: 1.5 × as long as wide; mesoscutum shiny with few distinct punctures, notauli only anteriorly impressed and finely crenulate; prescutellar furrow distinct as a narrow groove with few crenulations; scutellum almost smooth and shiny, medio-posterior depression of scutellum oval and moderately close to each other; propodeum almost smooth (except few rugosity on anterior part of median longitudinal carina) with a complete median longitudinal carina bifurcate posteriorly near the end of propodeum, median carina of propodeum absent behind level of costulae; pair of membranous white spots at side of pronotum distinct, mesopleuron and metapleuron smooth.

Wings: Pterostigma with a long slender, apical expansion, 2.4 × longer than wide; vein 1-R1 of fore wing distinctly vein-like; vein r issuing from its middle; vein 1-M 1.6 × longer than vein m-cu; vein 1-CU1 of fore wing 0.9 × as long as vein 2-CU1.

Legs: Hind coxa smooth, lengths of hind femur, tibia, and basitarsus of hind leg 3.0, 7.0, and 4.5 × their maximum widths, respectively; length of hind tibial spurs 0.26 × and 0.33 × as long as hind basitarsus.

Metasoma: Ca. 2.0 × as long as wide; first tergite smooth, widening medially, distinctly narrowing basally and apically, 3.2 × as long as its maximum width; T2 subtriangular, smooth, laterally membranous and longitudinally striated; T3 longitudinally striated; ovipositor sheaths setose at apical half 0.1 × as long as forewing; hypopygium smooth medially folded, truncate apically, weakly sclerotized and setose.

Color: Yellowish brown except for the following: antennae, mesonotum, and metasoma dark brown to blackish brown; propleuron, mesopleuron, metapleuron, and ovipositor brown; T3, laterotergites yellow; wings infuscate.

Male.

Unknown.

Host.

Cosmopteryx phaeogastra (Meyrick).

Distribution.

India: Uttar Pradesh.

Etymology.

The new species is named after its host insect.

Figures

Figures 5 - 10. Centistidea cosmopteryxi sp. nov. 5 body profile, dorsal view 6 head, frontal view 7 mesosoma, dorsal view 8 metasoma, dorsal view 9 metasomal T 1 and T 2 10 forewing.