Tiphia (Tiphia) novus Hanima & Girish Kumar, 2022

Hanima, Raveendran K. P., Kumar, Girish & Hegde, Vishwanath D., 2022, Additions to the knowledge on the genus Tiphia Fabricius (Hymenoptera: Tiphiidae: Tiphiinae) from India with the description of ten new species, Zootaxa 5204 (1), pp. 1-106 : 81-83

31. Tiphia (Tiphia) novus Hanima & Girish Kumar sp. nov.

( Figs 421–431 )

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:38F0DBD7-9030-4708-9CB5-35A397EA3F16

Material examined: 1♀, INDIA: Kerala, Idukki district, Pampadum shola National Park , Vattavada (1008′01″N & 7715′35″E, 1893 m), 26.v. 2014, Coll. P. Girish Kumar, ( ZSIK) Regd. No. ZSI / WGRC /IR/INV.17854 ; 1♀, Kasargode district, Ranipuram (12°25′19″N & 75°21′06″N, 925 m), 22.i.2020, Coll. Swafvan & Party, ( ZSIK) Regd. No. ZSI / WGRC /IR/INV.19331 .

Diagnosis. Female. Clypeus basally with punctures and apically smooth, median extension rounded ( Fig. 423 ); lateral side of pronotum with transdiscal groove ( Fig. 425 ); metanotum laterally coarsely punctured and medially almost smooth without punctures ( Fig. 424 ); dorsal side of propodeum with areola 2.3 × apical width; pygidium strongly rugose towards apex ( Fig. 426 ); hind basitarsus with groove ( Fig. 427 ).

Description. Holotype, ♀. Body length 8.8 mm. Paratype, ♀. Body length 8.8 mm.

Colour. Body black, following orange red markings: tegula ( Fig. 424 ), tarsal segments ( Fig. 421 ), middle part of mandible ( Fig. 423 ), and apical part of pygidium ( Fig. 426 ).

Head. Head with medium sized punctures concentrated adjacently in lower frontal area compared to the sparsely arranged punctures in the upper frontal area; HW 1.6 × least distance between eyes; mandible without strong preapical denticle ( Fig. 423 ); clypeus with its median extension rounded and basally with punctures and apically smooth ( Fig. 423 ); antenna with shiny scape with punctures, almost half of pedicel and first flagellomere smooth without punctures, second flagellomere at extreme apex bare and smooth, other segments with thick setae ( Fig. 428 ); length of scape: pedicel: Fu 1: Fu 2: Fu 3: Fu 4: Fu 5: Fu 6: Fu 7: Fu 8: Fu 9: Fu 10 = 0.538: 0.180: 0.188: 0.212: 0.224: 0.241: 0.248: 0.255: 0.263: 0.259: 0.249: 0.482 ( Fig. 428 ).

Mesosoma. Dorsal side of pronotum anteriorly without carina, most of the area with punctures and impunctate area posteriorly ( Fig. 424 ); lateral side of pronotum with distinct transdiscal groove, smooth with faint aciculations above the groove and striations below ( Fig. 425 ); length of tegulae 1.4 × as long as its middle width ( Fig. 424 ); mesoscutum with its notauli not connected to anteriomedian escarpment, punctures closely placed in the middle area and sparsely in other areas ( Fig. 424 ); scutellum with large punctures on posterior margin and small ones at anterior part; metanotum laterally coarsely punctured and medially almost smooth without punctures ( Fig. 424 ); dorsal side of propodeum entirely finely imbricate with small scattered punctures, submarginal carina absent on lateral side ( Fig. 424 ); lateral carina of areola convex towards basal portion and straight in apical portion, areolar carina without crenulations, length of areola 2.1 × basal width and 2.3 × apical width ( Fig. 424 ); upper part of lateral side of propodeum with uniformely spaced rugulae and lower part imbricate ( Fig. 425 ); fore wing slightly yellowish infumate ( Fig. 429 ); hind basitarsus with groove ( Fig. 427 ). Length of mesososma: 3.1 mm.

Metasoma. All tergites with punctures ( Fig. 430 ); pygidium strongly rugoso-striate apically, without punctures, basally punctate ( Fig. 426 ). Length of mesososma: 4.1 mm.

Male. Unknown.

Discussion. As per the key of Allen (1975), this new species comes close to T. (T.) ordinaria Smith in the following features: dorsal side of propodeum without submarginal carina, hind basitarsus with groove, Gt 1 without anterior transverse carina, but this new species differs from T. (T.) ordinaria in the following features: dorsal side of pronotum without strong, complete transverse carina anteriorly (in T. (T.) ordinaria , dorsal side of pronotum with strong, complete transverse carina anteriorly); scutum with anteromedian groove and notauli not connected (in T. (T.) ordinaria , scutum with anteromedian groove and notauli strongly connected); metanotum laterally coarsely punctured and medially almost smooth without punctures (in T. (T.) ordinaria , metanotum entirely coarse punctate); trochanter, femor and tibia of mid and hind legs black (in T. (T.) ordinaria , trochanter, femur and tibia of mid and hind legs black dark brownish red); pygidium strongly rugoso-striate apically (in T. (T.) ordinaria, Pygidium entirely rugose to apex).

Distribution. India: Kerala.

Etymology. The specific name novus is derived from the word ‘novel,’ which means new.

Figures

FIGURES 421–431. Tiphia (Tiphia) novus Hanima & Girish Kumar sp. nov., ♀. 421. Habitus, lateral view; 422. Head, frontal view; 423. Clypeus; 424. Mesosoma, dorsal view; 425. Mesosoma, lateral view; 426. Pygidium; 427. Inner surface of hind basitarsus showing groove; 428. Antenna; 429. Forewing, dorsal view; 430. Metasoma, dorsal view; 431. Metasoma, lateral view.