Promicrogaster incompleta Ranjith & Fernandez-Triana, 2024

Ranjith, A. P., Fernández-Triana, Jose, Sushama, V., Rajmohana, K. & Priyadarsanan, Dharma Rajan, 2024, Three new species of Promicrogaster Brues & Richardson (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) from India, Zootaxa 5403 (3), pp. 357-368 : 362-364

Promicrogaster incompleta Ranjith & Fernandez-Triana sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:86150FE3-7F99-4579-B583-753506A07FE4

( Figs 3–4 )

Material examined. Holotype, female INDIA: Arunachal Pradesh, Yemsing , 28°7’39.72” N, 94°57’50.796” E, 1258 m.a.s.l., 28.iv.2022, sweep net, coll. A.P. Ranjith ( AIMB) . Paratype, 1 female with same data as holotype ( AIMB) .

Diagnosis. This species can be differentiated from other Oriental species by the following combination of characters: all coxae black ( Fig. 3A ), mediotergite 1 parallel sided, yellow basal half ( Figs 4B, C ), and mediotergite 2 faintly longitudinally striate medially ( Fig. 4B ). The new species looks morphologically closer to P. flava sp. nov., but it differs in the following characters; metasoma dorsally mostly dark brown, with only anterior half of mediotergite 1 and lateral areas on mediotergite 3 and 3 yellow (metasoma entirely yellow in P. flavus ), and mediotergite 1 smooth on anterior half and mediotergite 2 mostly smooth (Mediotergite 1 and 2 entirely and strongly sculptured with longitudinal striae in P. flavus ).

Description. Female, holotype

Body length 3.0 mm, fore wing 3.1 mm.

Head. Head 1.1, 2.0 × wider than long anteriorly and dorsally. Face punctate, setose with a short shallow sulcus antero-medially, 1.7 × wider than long ( Fig. 3B ). Clypeus punctate, setose with straight ventral margin ( Fig. 3B ). Eye setose ( Fig. 3B ). Malar space 1.0 × basal width of mandible. Glossa absent ( Fig. 3B ). Frons concave medially, sparsely setose ( Fig. 3C ). Vertex and occiput smooth, setose ( Fig. 3C ). OOL: POD: POL = 1.3: 1.0: 1.3. Dorsal length of eye 1.4 × as long as gena. First flagellomere as long as second. First and second flagellomeres 2.4, 2.6 × as long as wide respectively. Flagellomere 15 2.0 × as long as wide.

Mesosoma. Mesosoma 1.3 × as long as high. Mesoscutum punctate, setose ( Fig. 3E ). Middle lobe of mesoscutum distinctly elevated ( Fig. 3E ). Notauli absent ( Fig. 3E ). Scutellar lunules widely crenulated medially, narrowly crenulated laterally ( Fig. 3E ). Scutellum sparsely punctate, sparsely setose ( Fig. 3E ). Sides of scutellum smooth and polished ( Fig. 3E ). Lateral pronotum crenulate medio-posteriorly ( Fig. 3D ). Mesopleuron mostly smooth, punctate anteriorly, sparsely setose, heavily setose posteriorly ( Fig. 3D ). Metapleuron mostly smooth, rugose posteriorly, sparsely setose along posterior margin ( Fig. 3D ). Propodeum smooth medially, rugose-punctate medially, transversely striate postero-laterally without areola, with longitudinal rugae medio-posteriorly ( Fig. 3F ).

Wings. Fore wing 2.6 × as long as wide. Pterostigma 2.4 × as long as wide. Areolet absent ( Fig. 4D ). Vein r originating slightly after middle of pterostigma, 1.0 × as long as width of pterostigma ( Fig. 4D ). Vein 1CUa as long as 1CUb. Vein m-cu as long as (RS+M)b. Margin of hind wing vannal lobe setose.

Legs. Metafemur 2.8 × as long as wide. Metatibia 4.0 × as long as wide. Metabasitarsus 3.8 × as long as wide.

Metasoma. Metasoma 0.9 × as long as head and mesosoma combined. Mediotergite 1 parallel sided, smooth on anterior 2/3, coarsely longitudinally rugose-striate posterior 1/3, 1.5 × as long as its maximum width, sparsely setose posteriorly ( Figs 4B, C ). Mediotergite 2 transverse, rectangular, faintly longitudinally rugose-striate medio-posteriorly, 0.3 × as long as its maximum width ( Fig. 4B ). Second metasomal suture indistinct ( Fig. 4B ). Mediotergite 3 smooth, 0.3 × as long as its maximum width, sparsely setose ( Fig. 4B ). Ovipositor long distinctly decurved apically, 0.3 × as long as fore wing, ovipositor sheath 1.1 × as long as metatibia ( Fig. 4A ).

Colour. Body black except scape, pedicel, maxillary and labial palps, fore and mid legs except coxa and claw, metatrochanter, metafemur, anterior half of metatibia, metatibial spurs, metatarsomere, metasoma laterally, mediotergite 1 anterior 1/3, mediotergites 2–4 laterally yellow, flagellomeres, tegula, pterostigma, posterior half of hind tibia, ovipositor sheath brown.

Male. Unknown.

Host. Unknown.

Distribution. India (Arunachal Pradesh) ( Fig. 7 ).

Etymology. The species is named after the incomplete sculpture of mediotergite 1.

Figures

FIGURE 3. Promicrogaster incompleta Ranjith & Fernandez-Triana sp. nov., holotype, female A habitus, lateral view, B head, anterior view, C head, dorsal view, D mesosoma, lateral view, E mesosoma, dorsal view, F propodeum, dorsal view.

FIGURE 4. Promicrogaster incompleta Ranjith & Fernandez-Triana sp. nov., holotype, female A metasoma, lateral view, B metasoma, dorsal view, C Mediotergite 1, dorsal view, D wings.

FIGURE 7. Collection localities of Promicrogaster species.