Nyereria mayurus Rousse et Gupta

Rousse, Pascal & Gupta, Ankita, 2013, Microgastrinae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) of Reunion Island: a catalogue of the local species, including 18 new taxa and a key to species, Zootaxa 3616 (6), pp. 501-547 : 538-539

Nyereria mayurus Rousse et Gupta , sp. nov.

( Fig. 17 a–b)

Diagnosis. Ventral margin of clypeus concave. Scutellum almost smooth. Smooth median impression of tergum 2 quadrate to subcircular.

Color. Head and mesosoma black but palpi pale yellow, and mandible, clypeus and antenna yellow testaceous to brownish black. Legs pale yellow to yellowish orange, all coxae black except with yellow testaceous colouration at apical tip. Hind femur with a disctinct infuscate patch dorsally on apical quarter, and hind tibia infuscate on apical three quarters. Terga 1–2 black, the following dark reddish to black. Wings hyaline, venation light brown.

Description.

FEMALE (5 specimens). B: 2.1; A: 2.1; L: 2.2 (1.9–2.2).

Head. Moderately setose. Clypeus hardly separated from face, its ventral margin concave. Clypeus and face shagreened with very shallow and moderately dense punctuation. H i: 0.9; EH i: 0.7; C i: 3.0; Fl 1i: 2.4; Fl 2i: 2.4; FL1– 2 i: 1.0; Fl 15i: 2.0; Fl 16i: 2.0; OO i: 2.0; IO i: 1.9.

Mesosoma . Moderately setose. Pronotum smooth, lower furrow deep and wide, upper furrow thin, both furrows crenulate. Anterior third of mesopleuron densely punctate, posteriorly polished, sternaulus impressed as a short and deep rugose groove at about mid-length of mesopleuron, the impression with some vertical wrinkles in front. Metapleuron polished with some punctures posteriorly, and anterior pit deep. Mesoscutum closely punctate anteriorly, gradually sparser posteriorly to about smooth in front of scutellum. Scuto-scutellar suture thin. Scutellum smooth with sparse and very shallow punctures. MSC i: 0.9. Propodeum coarsely rugose with a complete median longitudinal carina, and with lateral carinas more prominent apically and inclined towards middle of propodeum. Fore wing. R1/Pl i: 1.3; r/Pw i: 1.1; r/2Rs i: 1.7. Hind wing. Vannal lobe regularly rounded, its hind margin regularly setose. Legs. Hind coxa moderately punctate above, punctuation shallower and sparser laterally. Hind femur swollen. Cx/T 1i: 1.8; F i: 3.4.

Metasoma. Tergum 1 short, aciculo-rugose, its lateral margins sub-parallel, with a median curve on the apical edge. Tergum 2 subquadrate, with two sub-lateral triangular rugose areas delimiting a median quadrate to subcircular smooth area, antero-lateral corners smooth. Hypopygium hardly protruding beyond metasomal apex, evenly sclerotised mid-ventrally. Ovipositor sheath very short, mostly concealed within hypopygium. T1a i: 1.2; T1b i: 1.3; T1/T 2i: 1.9; T2a i: 0.3; T2b i: 0.4; T2/T 3i: 0.9; OT i: <0.1.

MALE (8 specimens). B: 1.7; A: 2.5; L: 2.2 (1.9–2.2). Body proportionally smaller, antenna longer and more slender than female. Fl 1i: 3.4; Fl 2i: 3.4; FL1– 2 i: 1.0; Fl 15i: 2.4; Fl 16i: 2.8.

Distribution records. Reunion.

Material examined. HOLOTYPE Ƥ (MNHN EY8826) Verbatim label data: La Réunion K Sainte Suzanne forêt Dugain 780 m, piège Malaise au sol taillis de Psidium cattleianum , 02/ 08.XII.2001 Attié Marc leg.; complete. PARATYPES (MNHN EY8827–8830) 2Ƥ 233 same location, same date, leg. Cirad; 1Ƥ 13 same location, same date, leg. Cirad. Other material 2Ƥ same location VIII.2001, leg. Cirad; 3Ƥ same location, V.2001, leg. Cirad; 13 same location, II.2001, leg. Cirad; 13 Bras Panon / La Caroline, alt. 230m, IX.2010, leg. Cirad; 13 Petite Ile / Piton Bloc, alt. 850m, IV.2007, leg. Cirad.

Etymology. The species name is derived from the word “mayura” in Sanskrit which is referred to Peacock, the national bird of India, which is symbolic of beauty, grace, pride and mysticism.

Genus Parapanteles Ashmead (Valerio et al. 2009)

Antenna with placodes on two ranks and with same pattern of arrangement ventrally and dorsally on midapical segments. Glossa truncate. Propleuron with lower outer corner unflanged. Pronotum with two lateral furrows. Epicnemial carina absent. Metanotum with sub-lateral setae present as distinct tuft. Propodeum with midlongitudinal carina usually absent but sometimes represented by two anterior parallel carinae or a short anterior carina. Areola present and complete, costulae present and well defined. Fore wing with areolet open (r–m absent), 3RS straight or weakly curved. Hind wing with vein 2r–m present, vannal lobe separated from remainder of wing by a sharp notch, convex in shape and with setae dense and conspicuous throughout margin. Hind leg with coxa extending far beyond first metasomal tergum, and tarsal claw with a basal tooth. Fore telotarsus varying from unmodified to exhibiting set of organized setae ventrally or conspicuous hooklike seta ventrolaterally. Tergum 1 with basal excavation and midapical groove both present, variably shaped from almost parallel-sided to abruptly widening posteriorly. Tergum 2 usually nitid, shape from rectangular to triangular. Terga 2–3 terga delineated by a fine distinct suture. Tergum 3 usually nitid. Hypopygium sharply folded and evenly sclerotised medially. Female genitalia with tergite 8 2– 4 x taller than long, second valvifer tall, lorate and not expanded apically, ovipositor sheaths attached below midpoint of second valvifer, sheaths normally short, mainly hidden by hypopygium, setation mostly only on distal tip of sheaths or on apical two thirds of ovipositor length. Ovipositor compressed laterally, short and usually very thick at base. Male genitalia with apex of digitus acute and directed dorsally, its ventral edge strongly convex.

Parapanteles is a puzzling genus of uncertain phylogenetic placement: the short ovipositor and evenly sclerotised hypopygium make it superficially close to Cotesia , though molecular data pinpointed a closer relationship with Hypomicrogaster . It is a small genus of about 20 known species, mostly from Americas but now recorded from Oriental, Australasian and Ethiopian regions. Their biology is poorly known, but their host range appears to be wide, reflecting the large variability in the morphology of the female genitalia. Two new species are described here.

Figures

FIGURE 17. Nyereria spp. a: N. mayurus sp. nov., female, habitus; b: N. mayurus, terga 1 – 3; c: N. ganges sp. nov., female, habitus; d: N. ganges, propodeum and terga 1 – 2.