Yelicones achterbergi, Rishabanu & Binoy & Santhosh, 2021

Rishabanu, K., Binoy, C. & Santhosh, S., 2021, Description of a new species of Yelicones Cameron, 1887 (Braconidae: Rogadinae) from Southern India, Zootaxa 5016 (2), pp. 294-298 : 295-298

Yelicones achterbergi sp. nov.

( Figs 1–15 )

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:CBFC5D70-CA3A-4FC7-B833-F097925B2E3F

Material Examined. Holotype ♂, India: Kerala, Kozhikode dt., Balussery (11°28’12.3”N & 75°52’23.3”E, alt. 34m), 06.i.2021, Coll. C. Binoy.

Diagnosis. Y. achterbergi sp. nov. comes close to Indian species Y. contractus Papp, 1991 in having Gt 2 with trace of mid-basal, obtuse, triangular area; fore wing vein 1-CU1 <0.69 × length of 2-CU1; scutellum without a dorsally protruding lamelliform carina medio-posteriorly; apical width of Gt 1 1.3× its minimum width; frons with concentric rugae surrounding the antennal sockets.

Description. Holotype ♂ ( Figs 1–15 ) Body length 4.63 mm; fore wing 3.43 mm; antenna 3.88 mm.

Colour. Head dorsally, mesosoma (except propodeum) and metasoma (except Gt 1) honey brown with head anteriorly pale; scape, pedicel and fl 1 (fl 2 in part) honey brown, rest of antennomeres darker; mandibles pale yellow with apices darker; eyes grey with metallic refringence; pronotum and propleura pale ivory; mesopleuron and metapleuron black; propodeum and Gt 1 shiny black; Gt 3 –Gt 5 darker; Gt 6 & Gt 7 black; tegulae pale yellowish; fore wing with brown infumation medially, base and apex pale yellowish; all coxae pale ivory; trochanters brown; fore and mid femora pale ivory; fore and mid tibia pale ivory with dorsal margin brown; hind femur brown with apical paler patch; hind tibia brown with apical ivory patch; all tarsi ivory; claws black, pectinate.

Head. In anterior view 1.37× as wide as long, transversely rugose-punctate with a medio-longitudinal carina from middle of face reaching anterior ocellus; frons with laterally radiating rugae along the antennal sockets ( Fig. 4 ); clypeus smooth with scattered pits, clypeal margin truncate ( Fig. 5 ); vertex rugose-punctate with moderate setosity; eyes large, bulging, with shiny violaceous refringence, distinctly emarginated; ocelli large, raised, LOD 2× POL, 0.73× OOL; OOL 2.82× POL; occipital carina obsolete dorso-medially ( Fig. 6 ), distinct laterally, joining the hypostomal carina ventrally; antenna with 35 antennomeres, flagellomeres with long white sensillae and short setae on surface; fl 1 1.41× and 1.63× as long as fl 2 and fl 3 respectively; fl 1 2.0× as wide as long; terminal flagellomere 2.37× as long as wide ( Fig. 2 ); height of clypeus: inter-tentorial distance: tentorio-ocular distance =1.9: 7.5: 2.5; height of eye: width of face: width of head = 1.4: 1.4: 2.5. horizontal length of eye to horizontal length of head behind eye = 1.5: 1.

Mesosoma . Mesosoma shiny, rugose punctate with setigerous pits well impressed on lateral sides; notauli indicated, foveolate, obsolete beyond mid-length of mesoscutum; posterior margin of mesoscutum with five carina converging onto the scutellar sulcus; anterior scutellar margin foveolate, surface with scattered pits, postero-laterally depressed, posterior margin entire, carinate; dorsellum indicated, foveolate ( Fig. 7 ); propodeum densely and coarsely rugate on anterior half, posteriorly with large coarse areola ( Fig. 8 ); propleura transversely striate; mesopleuron rugose punctate; sternauli deep, foveolate; metapleuron foveolate anteriorly and posteriorly, median area raised, shiny, punctate ( Fig. 9 ); hind tarsus almost as long as hind tibia; hind basitarsus as long as combined lengths of rest of tarsomeres; tarsal claw strongly pectinate ( Fig. 15 ).

Fore wing. Length of vein SR1: 3-SR: r = 19: 4: 5; vein 1-SR+M straight; vein r arising 0.5 distance along pterostigma; lengths of veins 2-SR: 3-SR = 1: 1.1; veins r-m and 2-SR+M indistinct; lengths of veins 2-CU1: 1-CU1 = 3.4: 1.7; vein C+SC+R and 1-SR forming an angle of 30° ( Fig. 10 ).

Hind wing. lengths of veins 1-rm: SC+R1 = 1: 1.2; veins 2+SC+R transverse; vein SR distinct, reaching anterior margin of hind wing;vein 2m-cu postfurcal, sinuate; marginal cell, basal cell and base of wing evenly setose, apical third less setose ( Fig. 11 ).

Metasoma. Metasoma longer than head and mesosoma combined ( Fig. 1 ), metasomal terga sparsely setose dorsally

( Fig. 12 ); Gt 1 distinctly striate, median length 1.2× as maximum width and 4.47× minimum anterior width; Gt 1 anteriorly with smooth triangle formed by uniting dorsal carinae, with median carinae extending to posterior margin of tergite reaching apical third and not beyond, surface with coarse longitudinal rugae; Gt 1 at posterior margin forming an outward median obtuse emargination onto Gt 2 ( Fig. 13 ); Gt 2 at anterior margin with remnants of rugae from Gt 1, antero-medially with shallow triangular area, 1.12× as long as wide, smooth, shiny with sparse obsolete pits; all terga except Gt 1 laterally setose; Gt 2 –Gt 5 shiny and smooth; Gt 6 & Gt 7 shallowly pitted ( Fig. 14 ).

Female. Unknown.

Host. Unknown.

Etymology. The specific epithet is a commemorative, genitive masculine noun in apposition taken from the patronym

Achterberg after Dr Cornelis van Achterberg who has made prodigious contributions in hymenopteran taxonomy.

Distribution. India: Kerala.

Remarks. Yelicones achterbergi sp. nov. differs from Y. contractus in having: head width 1.37× its median length

(in Y. contractus , head width 1.8× its median length); antenna with 35 antennomeres (in Y. contractus , antenna with 30

antennomeres); vertex rugose punctate (in Y. contractus ,vertex transversely striate); scutellum smooth with scattered punctures (in Y. contractus , scutellum rugulose posteriorly); hind basitarsus entirely ivory-yellow (in Y. contractus , hind basitarsus with a greyish blotch medio-basally); sternaulus deep, foveolate (in Y. contractus , sternaulus shallow, narrow curved, rugulose); fore wing with veins 2-SR+M and r-m indistinct (in Y. contractus , fore wing with 2-SR+M and r-m

pigmented, distinct); vein 2-M long, reaching the anterior wing margin (in Y. contractus vein 2-M not developed till anterior wing margin).

Figures

FIGURES 1. Habitus of holotype. ♂. Yelicones achterbergi sp. nov.

FIGURES 2–9. Yelicones achterbergi sp. nov. Holotype ♂. 2. Antenna; 3. Head, lateral view; 4. Head, frontal view; 5. Clypeus; 6. Head, dorsal view; 7. Mesosoma, dorsal view; 8. Propodeum, dorsal view; 9. Mesosoma, lateral view.

FIGURES 10–15. Yelicones achterbergi sp. nov. Holotype ♂. 10. Fore wing; 11. Hind wing; 12. Metasoma, dorsal view; 13. Gt1, enlarged view; 14. Metasoma, lateral view; 15. Mesosternum, ventral view.