Testudobracon travancorensis Sheeba

Sheeba, M., Ranjith, A. P. & Narendran, T. C., 2017, Review of Testudobracon Quicke (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) with descriptions of four new species from south India, Zootaxa 4232 (3), pp. 331-346 : 341-345

Testudobracon travancorensis Sheeba sp. nov.

( Figs 7–8 )

Material examined. Holotype, female, (♀) “ India: Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram, Palode , 10.xii.2004, coll. T.C. Narendran & Party ” . Paratypes: 1(♀), “ India: Kerala, Palakkad, Pattambi, Central Orchard , 12.viii.2003, coll. T.C. Narendran & Party ” ( DZUC) .

Description. Holotype, female, length 3.60 mm, antenna 2.54 mm, fore wing 2.92 mm, ovipositor 1.42 mm.

Head. Antenna with 24 segments. Length of first flagellomere as long as second. First, second and penultimate flagellomeres 2.50, 2.50 and 2.67× as long as wide respectively. Head 1.43, 2.03× as wide as long medially in anterior and dorsal view respectively. Vertex granulate anteriorly, rugose posteriorly, sparsely setose ( Fig. 7 C). Frons granulate with median groove and setose laterally ( Fig. 7 C). OOL: diameter of posterior ocellus: POL = 10:4:7; Length of eye 2.63× as long as temple in dorsal view. Lateral temples smooth, shiny and sparsely setose. Height of eye: width of face: width of head= 26:31:59. Face granulate with median longitudinal ridge dorsally, laterally and medially sparsely setose ( Fig. 7 B). Height of clypeus: inter-tentorial distance: tentorio-ocular distance = 3.5: 12.5:10. Clypeus with weak dorsal carina. Length of malar space 2.00× basal width of mandible.

Mesosoma . Mesosoma 1.17× as long as high. Pronotum smooth, shiny, laterally with crenulate groove, glabrous. Mesoscutum faintly punctate, densely setose, middle lobe with a weak mid longitudinal ridge ( Fig. 8 A). Notaulus distinct, not crenulated ( Fig. 8 A). Scutellar sulcus wide, deep, divided by six carinae ( Fig. 8 A). Scutellum smooth, shiny and setose ( Fig. 8 A). Mesopleuron rugose-striate anteriorly, moderately setose except a small area dorsally, and near precoxal sulcus glabrous ( Fig. 8 B). Precoxal sulcus faintly crenulated ( Fig. 8 B). Median area of metanotum with short anterior median carina. Propodeum rugose, with a complete mid longitudinal carina.

Wings. Fore wing vein 1-SR 0.53× 1-M. Ratio of length of fore wing veins: r: 3-SR: SR1 = 6:11:31.5 and 2- SR: 3-SR: r-m = 10:11:6. Hind wing vein C+SC+R with single hamulus apically. Ratio of length of hind wing veins1r-m: SC+R1 = 6:9.

Legs. Length of fore femur: tibia: tarsus = 21:20.5:25. Hind coxa punctate and sparsely setose. Length of hind femur: tibia: basitarsus = 28:31:13.5.

Metasoma. First metasomal tergite 0.70× as long as wide apically with a raised median area posteriorly, sides of median area crenulated, Second metasomal tergite 2.50× wider than long, anterior half of second tergite slightly raised medially in relation to lateral parts and with a pair of parallel sublateral carinae, area between carinae foveate-rugose, reticulate laterally ( Fig. 8 C). Third metasomal tergite reticulate ( Fig. 8 C). Fourth to sixth metasomal tergites rugose, setose. Third to fifth metasomal tergites rounded postero-laterally. Sixth tergite with small angular protuberance postero-laterally, medial emargination 0.80×as long as tergite medially. Ovipositor 0.67, 0.48× as long as metasoma and fore wing respectively.

Colour. Body yellowish brown ( Fig. 7 A) except following, antenna, eyes ( Figs 7 B & C), occiput ( Fig. 7 C), propleuron ( Fig. 8 B), mesopleuron dorsally ( Fig. 8 B), wing veins ( Fig. 8 D), pterostigma ( Fig. 8 D), mid coxa, basal three fourth of hind femur and lateral corners of third to fifth tergites brown; frons on either side of median groove ( Fig. 7 C), three-quarters of middle lobe of mesoscutum ( Fig. 8 A) and posterior half of lateral lobes ( Fig. 8 A), propodeum, mesopleuron ventrally ( Fig. 8 B), hind coxa, femur, and tibia black; ocelli shiny yellow ( Fig. 7 C); fore, mid legs except coxa and hind trochanter yellow.

Male. Unknown.

Distribution. India (Kerala) ( Fig. 9 ).

Host. Unknown.

Etymology. The species is named after the region (Travancore region of Kerala) from where the holotype was collected.

Comments. Testudobracon travancorensis sp. nov. is similar to T. niger in having third to fifth antennal segments approximately equal length to one another; middle lobe of mesoscutum with a weak median longitudinal ridge, but differs from it in having the following characters: face granulate with median longitudinal ridge dorsally (face rugulose and punctate laterally in T. niger ), ratio of length of fore wing veins= r: 3-SR: SR1 = 6:11:31.5 (r: 3- SR: SR1 = 9:17: 51 in T. niger ), fore wing vein 1-SR+M straight in T. travancorensis sp. nov. (fore wing vein 1- SR+M slightly curved basally towards posterior margin in T. niger ), sixth metasomal tergite with small angular protuberences postero-laterally (postero-lateral protuberences of sixth metasomal tergite rounded in T. niger ).

This new species is also similar to T. malabaricus sp. nov. in having frons granulate; pronotum smooth, shiny with crenulate grooves laterally; fore wing vein 1-SR+M straight and scutellar sulcus with six carinae. However it differs from T. malabaricus sp. nov. in having the following characters, vertex granulate anteriorly, rugose posteriorly, middle lobe of mesoscutum with a weak median longitudinal ridge (vertex granulate; middle lobe of mesoscutum with moderately developed medial longitudinal ridge in T. malabaricus sp. nov.), mesopleuron rugose-striate, moderately setose except postero-ventrally glabrous (mesopleuron rugose, moderately setose antero-dorsally, punctate and setose antero-ventrally, smooth, shiny and setose posteriorly except around pleural sulcus glabrous in T. malabaricus sp. nov.), sixth metasomal tergite with small angular protuberences posterolaterally (sixth metasomal tergite slightly rounded postero-laterally in T. malabaricus sp. nov.), medial emargination of sixth metasomal tergite 0.80× as long as tergite medially (medial emargination of sixth metasomal tergite 0.64× as long as tergite medially in T. malabaricus sp. nov.).

Figures

FIGURE 7. Testudobracon travencorensis Sheeba sp. nov., female, holotype; (A) Habitus, in lateral view; (B) Head, in anterior view; (C) Head, in dorsal view.

FIGURE 8. Testudobracon travencorensis Sheeba sp. nov., female, holotype; (A) Mesosoma, in dorsal view; (B) Head (in part) & mesosoma, in lateral view; (C) Metasoma, in dorsal view; (D) Wings.

FIGURE 9. Distribution map of Testudobracon athashi Ranjith sp. nov. (Black circles), T. malabaricus Sheeba sp. nov. (Red circles), T. shameeri Ranjith sp. nov. (Yellow circle) and T. travencorensis Sheeba sp. nov. (Brown circles).