Baeus tejaswii Veenakumari, 2020

Kamalanathan, Veenakumari, Mohanraj, Prashanth, Samuel, D. K. & Reddy, M. Krishna, 2020, Revision of Indian species of Baeus Haliday (Hymenoptera: Platygastroidea: Scelionidae), Journal of Natural History 54 (13 - 14), pp. 813-917 : 899-901

Baeus tejaswii Veenakumari , sp. n. ( Figure 32 (a–e))

http://www.zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:85302DA1-8BC4-4B3C-9AEB-A500E49AAB2C

Holotype. Female; body length = 0.62 (0.59–0.65) mm; n = 5

Colour ( Figure 32 (a)). Head, mesoscutellum and metasoma yellowish brown, mesoscutum darker than rest; hyperoccipital carina black; posterior margin of mesoscutum and mesoscutellum with a black band; antenna yellowish brown except for dark brown A2–A3; legs brown with black patches.

Head ( Figure 32 (a–e)). Head 1.08 (1.01–1.12)× as wide as high; IOS 0.54 (0.51–0.56)× width of head, 1.40 (1.38–1.42)× eye length; eye (L: W = 10.2:13.7), setose, not touching hyperoccipital carina posteriorly; head height 2.32 (2.29–2.35)× eye length; POL>LOL in ratio of 15.1:9.6; lateral ocellus away from orbit, OOL 0.36 (0.34–0.38)× MOD; pilosity of moderate density, setae of medium length; distance from posterior margin of lateral ocellus to hyperoccipital carina 1.10 (1.0–1.15)× MOD; interantennal process broadly triangular, smooth; length of central keel 0.28 (0.26–0.30)× distance from interantennal process to median ocellus; facial striae long, extending 0.6× the length from mandibular end to lower orbit; malar striae sparse; frons and vertex smooth except for faint reticulations towards hyperoccipital carina; gena smooth, with costae on postero-ventral margin, 4.12 (3.98–4.21)× as long as wide; anterior margin of gena in contact with 0.8 (0.78–0.84)× length of ventral margin of eye; length of A1 0.85 (0.80–0.91)× that of clava; length of A2 0.53 (0.50–0.56)× that of A1.

Mesosoma ( Figure 32 (a,b,d)). Mesoscutum and mesoscutellum 0.46 (0.41–0.52)× and 0.15 (0.13–0.17)× as long as wide, respectively; mesoscutum and mesoscutellum weakly imbricate with smooth posterior margins; metascutellum not visible; propodeum visible only laterally; pilosity of moderate density, setae of medium length; lateral pronotal area dorsally imbricate, anteriorly weakly vertically striate, remainder predominantly smooth; postero-dorsal margin of lateral pronotal area with two projections; ventral margin of lateral pronotal area extending as a short blunt projection; transverse carinae on dorsal mesopleuron extend up to the level of dorsal metapleuron; mesopleuron ventrally with a reticulate patch, followed by sparse oblique carinae, remainder smooth; mesopleuron extending as a short projection ventrally; mesopleural pit elongate; metapleuron smooth, with weak striae ventrally; dorsal level of posterior metapleural suture ventral to level of antero-lateral margin of T 2; sculpturing of propodeum anterior to spiracle carinate, region posterior to spiracle smooth with a transverse carina each on dorsal and ventral end of spiracle; region ventral to spiracle with three oblique carinae; remainder of lateral propodeum smooth; ventral margin of lateral propodeum above the ventral margin of metapleuron; propodeal spiracular opening round.

Metasoma ( Figure 32 (a,b,d)). Metasoma as long as wide; T 2 anteriorly imbricate, posteriorly smooth; remaining tergites smooth.

Material examined. Holotype: Female ( ICAR / NBAIR / P3453 ), INDIA: Karnataka: Mudigere, College of Horticulture , 13 ° 06 ʹ 54 ʹ ’ N 75 ° 37 ʹ 57 ʹ ’E, 976 m, YPT, 02.X.2015 ; Paratypes: 12 females ( ICAR / NBAIR / P3454 – P3465 ), same as holotype, 28 .IX .2015– 02.X.2015.

Etymology. This species is named after K.P. Poornachandra Tejaswi, the eminent Kannada litterateur, photographer, painter and naturalist. The name is treated as a noun in the genitive case.

Diagnosis. In B. tejaswii sp. n. the propodeum is not visible dorsally as in B. gajakarna sp. n. The differences between these two species are mentioned under B. gajakarna sp. n.

Figures

Figure 32. Baeus tejaswii sp. n. (a) Habitus (colour); (b) Habitus; (c) Frons; (d) Habitus (lateral view); (e) Antenna.