Cremastobaeus valmikii Veenakumari, 2017

Kamalanathan, Veenakumari & Mohanraj, Prashanth, 2017, The genus Cremastobaeus Ashmead (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae: Cremastobaeini) from India, Journal of Natural History 51 (33 - 34), pp. 1989-2056 : 2039-2042

Cremastobaeus valmikii Veenakumari sp. nov.

( Figure 24 (a–h))

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Holotype: Female. Body length = 1.21 mm; (m = 1.28 (1.19–1.35) mm, SD = 0.07, n = 5) Colour ( Figure 24 (a))

Head, mesosoma and T5–T7 black; T4 brown-black; T1–T3 red-brown with uneven black patches laterally; T1–T3 with light brown posterior margins. All antennomeres brown except light brown A2–A4; clava a shade darker than other antennomeres; eyes silvery with white setae; mandibles brown; legs yellow; posterior margin of mesoscutellum and lateral propodeal area with light brown margin.

Head ( Figure 24 (b–d))

FCI = 1.60; LCI = 0.83; IOS 0.41× width of head; POL>LOL in ratio of 10.8:6.7; lateral ocellus contiguous with inner orbit; eye large (L:W = 16.9:15.4), with dense white setae; frontal depression with wide uniformly spaced transverse striae; vertex and gena coriaceous reticulate; length and width of antennomeres A1–A 8 in ratio of 16.0:4.0, 6.1:4.0, 5.4:3.8, 3.6:2.7, 2.7:2.8, 2.3:2.9, 2.1:3.3, respectively; length and width of clava 13.2:5.3; clava with rows of sparse long white setae.

Mesosoma ( Figure 24 (c,e,f,h))

Mesoscutum (L:W = 20.9:25.4) coriaceous reticulate, with long setae, setae denser posteromedially; dorsal lateral pronotal area weakly coriaceous reticulate, ventrally smooth; netrion smooth except for weak striae posteriorly; speculum with transverse striae; mesepimeral sulcus foveate; mesopleural depression smooth; ventral mesopleuron reticulate; metapleuron above transverse metapleural sulcus smooth and beneath predominantly striate; paracoxal sulcus foveate; mesoscutellum (L:W = 8.6:14.8) semicircular, coriaceous reticulate, with long setae; posterior mesoscutellar sulcus foveate with a smooth posterior margin; metascutellum rectangular, weakly vertically striate; anterior margin of metascutellum foveate, medial foveae smaller than those present on sides; metanotal trough foveate; lateral propodeal area rugose; fore wing (L:W = 77.6:29.6) and hind wing (L: W = 63.7:8.7) hyaline with dense microtrichia; length of marginal cilia of fore wing and hind wing 0.07× and 0.4× width of their wings, respectively; length of submarginalis: marginalis: stigmalis: postmarginalis in ratio of 32.3:3.4:7.3:23.5, respectively.

Metasoma ( Figure 24 (g))

(L:W = 58.0:26.0); T1 costate almost the entire length of tergite with a smooth posterior margin; T2 with basal foveae followed by costae extending the entire length of tergite except for a smooth posterior margin; T3 and T4 reticulate on anterior margin, followed by costae; space between costae on T1–T4 narrow; T5–T7 reticulate; length and width of tergites T1–T 7 in ratio of 12.4:14.2, 11.1:21.7, 11.0:26.0, 8.9:24.3, 7.2:18.6, 3.5:10.5, 3.1:4.4, respectively; T1 longest of all tergites.

Variation

Colour of T1–T3 varies from brown to red-brown.

Male

Unknown.

Material examined

Holotype: Female ( ICAR / NBAIR / P1029 ), INDIA: Tamil Nadu, Theni, Kombai , 9.8517°N, 77.2938°E, 428 m, SN, 15.VIII.2013, ARK . Paratypes: 1 female ( ICAR / NBAIR / P992 ), Uttarakand: Almora, Matela , 29.7959°N, 79.1932°E, 1056 m, SN, 28 .X .2009, FRK; 1 female ( ICAR / NBAIR / P1274 ), Karnataka: Makalidurga, Doddaballapur , 13.4326°N, 77.5014°E, 8 m, YPT, 01 .VII .2015, KV; 1 female ( ICAR / NBAIR / P1174 ), Karnataka: Bengaluru, Hebbal , 13.0360°N, 77.5969°E, 906 m, PFT, 22 .I .2010, KV; 1 female ( ICAR / NBAIR / P1182 ), Karnataka: Mandya, Srirangapatna , 12.4232°N, 76.6936°E, 676 m, SN, 04 . I .2012, KV.

Etymology

This species is named ‘ valmikii ‘ after the sage Valmiki, the author of the Indian epic Ramayana. The name is treated as a noun in the genitive sense.

Diagnosis

This species is closer to C. breviabdominus . The differences are mentioned under C. breviabdominus .

Figures

Figure 24. Bright field images of Cremastobaeus valmikii sp. nov. (female) (a), Habitus (dorsal view); (b) frons; (c) head and mesosoma; (d) antennae; (e) pleuron; (f) meso- and metascutellum; (g) metasoma; (h) wings.