Baeus longiabdominalis Veenakumari, 2020

Kamalanathan, Veenakumari, Mohanraj, Prashanth, Samuel, D. K. & Reddy, M. Krishna, 2020, Revision of Indian species of Baeus Haliday (Hymenoptera: Platygastroidea: Scelionidae), Journal of Natural History 54 (13 - 14), pp. 813-917 : 865-867

Baeus longiabdominalis Veenakumari , sp. n. ( Figure 18 (a–e))

http://www.zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:A825A2D7-71FC-46D4-980B-080D8E459D0A

Holotype. Female; body length = 0.88 (0.85–0.94) mm; n = 3

Colour ( Figure 18 (a)). Head, mesonotum and metasoma honey brown, mesoscutum a shade darker than remainder; hyperoccipital carina black; posterior margin of mesoscutum and mesoscutellum with a black band followed by a bluish-white line; A1 predominantly honey brown and apically yellow; A2 brown, remaining antennomeres yellow; legs yellowish brown.

Head ( Figure 18 (a–e)). Head 1.13 (1.05–1.16)× as wide as high; IOS 0.51 (0.48–0.53)× width of head and 1.31 (1.24–1.36)× eye length; eye large (L: W = 13.4:9.9), setose, not touching hyperoccipital carina posteriorly; head height 2.23 (2.14–2.31)× eye length; POL>LOL in ratio of 20.7:11.9; lateral ocellus away from orbit, OOL 0.43 (0.41–0.45)× MOD; distance between posterior margin of lateral ocellus from hyperoccipital carina 1.52 (1.48–1.54)× MOD; pilosity of moderate density, setae of medium length, shorter than those on mesonotum and metasoma; interantennal process triangular, rugose; length of central keel consisting of short longitudinal rugae, 0.41 (0.39–0.44)× distance from interantennal process to median ocellus; facial striae long, extending 0.73 (0.66–0.75)× the length from mandibular end to lower orbit; malar striae sparse; frons with semicircular striae on either side of central keel; upper frons smooth, setose; vertex setose, smooth except for weak reticulations towards hyperoccipital carina; gena smooth except for weak longitudinal reticulations dorsally and with sparse short costae on postero-ventral margin, 3.41 (3.35–3.48)× as long as wide; anterior margin of gena in contact with 0.37 (0.35–- 0.39)× length of ventral margin of eye; length of A1 subequal to that of clava; length of A2 0.33 (0.31–0.35)× that of A1.

Mesosoma ( Figure 18 (a,c,e)). Mesoscutum and mesoscutellum 0.44 (0.35–0.47)× and 0.17 (0.15–0.18)× as long as wide, respectively; mesoscutum imbricate, scutes wider than long; mesoscutellum predominantly smooth with weak reticulations anterolaterally; metascutellum faintly visible; propodeum smooth dorsally, 0.46 (0.45–0.48)× length of mesoscutellum medially; pilosity of moderate density, setae of medium length; antero-lateral margin of mesoscutellum with a weak fovea; lateral pronotal area dorsally imbricate, antero-medially longitudinally reticulate, ventrally transversely striate, remainder smooth; postero-dorsal margin of lateral pronotal area with two short, weak projections; ventral margin of lateral pronotal area extending as a blunt projection; transverse carinae on dorsal mesopleuron terminate above the level of dorsal metapleuron; mesopleuron ventrally with an imbricate patch, followed by four oblique carinae, remainder smooth; mesopleuron extending as a narrow projection ventrally; mesopleural pit elongate; metapleuron smooth with sparse weak carinae anteroventrally; posterior suture of metapleuron almost straight but curved basally; dorsal level of posterior metapleural suture dorsal to level of antero-lateral margin of T 2; sculpturing of propodeum anterior to spiracle transversely carinate, region posterior to spiracle smooth; region ventral to spiracle with a crescent shaped carina enclosing two short transverse carinae with setae; remainder of lateral propodeum smooth but for a short transverse carina antero-ventrally; propodeal spiracular opening tear-drop shaped.

Metasoma ( Figure 18 (a,c,e)). Metasoma elongate, 1.36 (1.31–1.42)× as long as wide; pilosity of moderate density, setae of medium length; T 2 imbricate, except for smooth posterior margin; remaining tergites smooth.

Material examined: Holotype: Female ( ICAR / NBAIR / P3050 ), INDIA: Tripura: Agartala , TU, 23 ° 76 ʹ 28 ʹ ’ N 91 ° 26 ʹ 33 ʹ ’E, 17 m, PFT, 09.III.2016 ; Paratypes: 6 females ( ICAR / NBAIR / P3051–3056 ), same as holotype, 3–10 .III .2016; 2 females ( ICAR / NBAIR / P3057 – P3058 ), Tripura: Dhuptali Kukibari , 23 ° 40 ʹ 37 ʹ ’ N 91 ° 44 ʹ 37 ʹ ’E, 42 m, YPT, 08 .III .2016.

Etymology. This species is named ‘longiabdominalis’ denoting its long metasoma. The name is treated as an adjective.

Diagnosis. This species is closer to B. airavata sp. n. In B. longiabdominalis sp. n., OOL is short (<0.5× MOD), frons with semicircular striae, metasoma more than twice as long as mesonotum; whereas in B. airavata sp. n. OOL is subequal to MOD, medial frons smooth and metasoma less than 1.5× the length of mesonotum. B. longiabdominalis sp. n. is also similar to B. himalayanus sp. n. In B. longiabdominalis sp. n. metascutellum is visible and dorsal level of posterior metapleural suture is dorsal to level of antero-lateral margin of T2; while in species B. himalayanus sp. n. metascutellum not visible and posterior metapleural suture is ventral to the level of antero-lateral margin of T2.

Figures

Figure 18. Baeus longiabdominalis sp. n. (a) Habitus (colour); (b) Frons; (c) Habitus; (d) Antenna; (e) Habitus (lateral view).