Hadronotus westeberhardae Veenakumari, 2024

Kamalanathan, Veenakumari, Kolla, Sreedevi, Khan, Farmanur Rahman & Mohanraj, Prashanth, 2024, Hadronotus insulare species group (Hymenoptera: Platygastroidea: Scelionidae) with descriptions of new species from India, Journal of Natural History 58 (45 - 48), pp. 2121-2187 : 2176-2178

Hadronotus westeberhardae Veenakumari sp. n.

http://www.zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:3ECA1782-8836-47CA-A213-F2EEE53F5771

( Figures 22 (a–g), 27(d))

Female body length = 1.71–1.92 mm (n = 2); male body length = 1.63–1.84 mm (n = 4).

Colour. Head, mesosoma and metasoma black; coxae black-brown; remainder of legs brown-yellow; clypeus brown; mandible brown, with black teeth; radicle, A1–A2, A7 brown; A3–A6 yellow brown; remaining antennomeres brown-black.

Head. 1.1× as wide as high, 1.6× as high as long. IOS: 0.5× head width, 1.2× eye length. POL: LOL: OOL: 26.1: 13.3: 1.1. OOL: 0.3× MOD. Compound eye: ovate (L: W = 25.6: 22.5). Sculpture of orbital furrow: with shallow depressions. Inner orbits in frontal view: converging dorsally. Central keel on frons: present, extending 3/5 length of frontal depression. Malar sulcus: with rectangular rugose areas. Shape of frontal depression: ovoid. L: W of frontal depression: 36.0: 25.1. Width of frontal depression: 0.8× IOS. Sculpture of frontal depression: transversely carinate, area between carinae smooth; in ventral 3/5 polygonal cells with rugose sculpture present on either side of transverse carinae. Submedial carina of frontal depression: restricted to dorsal half. AOD in dorsal view: 4.5× OOL. Sculpture of frons sans frontal depression: polygonal cells with rugose sculpture, setose. Sculpture of vertex: polygonal cells with rugose sculpture, setose. Hyperoccipital carina: present. Sculpture of gena: with polygonal cells.

Mesosoma. L: W of mesoscutum: 36.4: 55.7. Sculpture of mesoscutum: polygonal cells with rugose sculpture, setose. L: W of mesoscutellum: 20.7: 40.1. Sculpture of mesoscutellum: polygonal cells with rugose sculpture, densely setose laterad. Posterior mesoscutellar sulcus: foveate. Sculpture of metascutellum: anteriorly foveate, posteriorly smooth. Posterior margin of metascutellum: semicircular. Sculpture of metanotal trough: foveate. Lateral propodeal area: laterally wide and narrowing centrad. Sculpture of lateral propodeal area: with depressions. Posterior propodeal projection: projecting laterad. Pronotal cervical sulcus: with depressions. Sculpture of lateral pronotal area: dorsally coriaceous reticulate, medially transversely carinate and ventrally weakly reticulate. Prespecular sulcus: transversely foveate. Sculpture of speculum: foveate. Femoral depression: with irregular foveae. Episternal sulcus: foveate. Postacetabular sulcus: indicated as a furrow. Mesepimeral sulcus: foveate. Sculpture of posterior mesepimeral area: narrow and smooth. Mesopleural carina: absent. Mesopleural pit: present. Metapleural sulcus: foveate. Sculpture of dorsal metapleural area: concealed beneath dense setae. Sculpture of ventral metapleural area: concealed beneath dense setae. Paracoxal sulcus: foveate. L: W of fore wing: 104.1: 47.0. Ratio of length of m: st: pm: 5.7: 9.4: 7.8. L: W of hind wing: 78.7: 13.8. Length of hind wing marginal cilia: 0.24× width of wing. Shape of submarginalis: straight, adjacent to anterior margin of wing in basal 7/10, with a slight dip before reaching marginalis.

Metasoma. L: W of metasoma: 68.9: 58.9, 1.2 × as long as wide. Anterior margin of T1: with a weak projection medially and laterally. Basal foveae on T1: present. Sculpture of T1: with complete and incomplete longitudinal costae, costae with crenulate margins, space between costae smooth. Sculpture of T2: anteromedially with a narrow smooth transverse patch followed by longitudinal costae,space between costae with uneven depressions;basal foveae absent. Length of T2: 4.8× length of T3. Sculpture of T3–T4: anteriorly and posteriorly smooth and medially weakly foveate. Setation of metasoma: laterally and posteriorly densely setose.

Male. Similar to female. Length of A1–A 12 in ratio of 31.6: 8.4: 9.5: 6.3: 7.9: 6.8: 8.9: 7.9: 7.4: 8.9: 8.9: 10.0, respectively.

Material examined

Holotype, female ( ICAR / NBAIR / P4977 ), INDIA: Karnataka: Mandya , 12.521°N, 76.895°E, ca 740 m, YPT, 19 March 2016 . Paratypes: one female ( ICAR / NBAIR /P4952), Mudigere, Horticulture College, 13.115°N, 75.632°E, ca 970 m, YPT, 29 September 2015; four males ( ICAR / NBAIR /P4953–P4956), Mudigere, HC, 13.115°N, 75.632°E, ca 970 m, YPT, 29 September 2015.

Etymology

This species is named after Mary Jane West-Eberhard, vespologist and theoretical biologist extraordinaire, who studied the evolution of sociality in wasps and was among the first to theorise on the pivotal role of developmental and phenotypic plasticity in evolution. The name is treated as a noun in the genitive case.

Diagnosis

Hadronotus westeberhardae is similar to H. peludo sp. n. The distinguishing characters are given above under the latter species.