Chakra alexandra Veenakumari, 2022

Veenakumari, Kamalanathan, Sreedevi, Kolla & Mohanraj, Prashanth, 2022, Additions to the genus Chakra Rajmohana and Veenakumari, 2014 (Hymenoptera: Platygastroidea: Scelionidae) from India, Journal of Natural History 56 (41 - 44), pp. 1657-1707 : 1664-1666

Chakra alexandra Veenakumari sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:902F00DF-4D0A-4655-93A2-79A64C92B3F2

( Figures 3 (a–f), 23(b))

Female body length = 1.24–1.38 mm (n = 8).

Colour

Head, mesosoma and metasoma dark brown with T1–T3 brown-yellow; anterior T1 and T2 with narrow transverse black band; inner margins of ocelli with black markings; metascutellar spine and lateral propodeal area with black margins; radicle and A1 brown-yellow, remaining antennomeres yellow with uneven black patches; all legs yellow-brown with black apical tarsomeres.

Head

1.1× as wide as high, 1.5× as high as long. Setation on head: dense. IOS: 0.6× head width, 1.1× eye length. POL> LOL> OOL: 8.0:6.0:5.0. OOL: 1.8× MOD. Compound eye: large (L: W = 19.8:14.4). Sculpture on vertex: with setose protuberances, furrows between protuberances with rugose sculpture. Sculpture of frons: with sparse setose protuberances, furrows between protuberances with smooth to rugose sculpture, additional weak transverse reticulations present on either side of central keel. Central keel: present, 0.2× head height. Sculpture of gena: with setose protuberances, interspersed with longitudinal carinae. Facial and malar striae: weak. Interantennal process: weakly sculptured, basally wide and gradually narrowing apically.

Mesosoma

L:W of mesoscutum: 21.5:29.8. Setation of mesoscutum: dense. Sculpture of mesoscutum: with setose protuberances, furrows between protuberances with rugose sculpture. Mesoscutal humeral sulcus: not foveate. Mesoscutal suprahumeral sulcus: not foveate. Scutoscutellar sulcus: entirely foveate. L:W of mesoscutellum: 10.2:22.3. Sculpture of mesoscutellum: with setose protuberances, furrows between protuberances with rugose sculpture. Setation of mesoscutellum: dense. Sculpture of metascutellum: smooth with longitudinal carinae. Armature of metascutellum: triangular spine, rounded apically. Sculpture of metanotal trough: foveate. Sculpture of lateral propodeal area: smooth with shallow depressions. Posterior propodeal projection: pointed, directed laterally. Sculpture of lateral pronotal area: dorsally setigerous protuberances followed by weak reticulations, medially smooth, posteriorly and ventrally transversely carinate. Pronotal cervical sulcus: foveate. Netrion sulcus: with weak depressions ventrally. Speculum of mesopleuron: transversely carinate. Episternal sulcus: foveate. Postacetabular sulcus: not foveate. Prespecular sulcus: foveate. Mesepimeral sulcus: not foveate. Mesepimeral area: smooth, wider than mesepimeral sulcus. Mesopleural carina: present. Sculpture of femoral depression: dorsally smooth, ventrally obliquely carinate. Mesopleural pit: present. Sculpture of ventral mesopleuron: with setose protuberances. Sculpture of metapleuron: dorsally smooth with intricate sculpture posteriorly and ventrally with depressions, except for a smooth area posterodorsally. Metapleural sulcus: foveate. Paracoxal sulcus: foveate. Metapleural epicoxal sulcus: not foveate. L:W of fore wing: 84.4:31.3. L:W of hind wing: 75.3:14.1. Marginal cilia on posterior margin of proximal fore wing: absent.

Metasoma

L:W of metasoma: 53.5:33.4. Sculpture of T1: basally foveate, followed by longitudinal costae, posteromedially smooth. Length of T1: 0.7× the length of T2. Horn on T1: absent. Length of T2: 0.6× the length of T3. Sculpture of T2: basal foveae present, followed by longitudinal costae and posteromedially smooth. Sculpture of T3: longitudinally striate anteromedially, remainder coriaceous reticulate. Sculpture of T4–T6: coriaceous reticulate.

Male

Unknown.

Material examined

Holotype. Female ( ICAR / NBAIR / P4401 ), INDIA: Andaman and Nicobar Is: Great Nicobar I: Campbell Bay , 7.013°N 93.934°E, 13 m, YPT, 20 March 2016.

Paratypes. 12 females ( ICAR / NBAIR / P4402–4413 ), Andaman and Nicobar Is: Great Nicobar I.: Campbell Bay , 7.013°N 93.934°E, 13 m, YPT, 20 March 2016; 1 male ( ICAR / NBAIR / P4414 ), Andaman and Nicobar Is: Great Nicobar I.: Campbell Bay , 7.013°N 93.934°E, 13 m, YPT, 20 March 2016; 1 female ( ICAR / NBAIR / P4439 ), Andaman and Nicobar Is: Great Nicobar I: Campbell Bay, 7.013°N 93.934°E, 13 m, SN, 18 March 2016 .

Etymology

The species epithet ‘alexandra’ refers to one of the five major rivers in Great Nicobar, the island where this species was collected. The name is treated as a noun in apposition.

Diagnosis

This species resembles C. galathea sp. nov. but differs from it in having a central keel on frons and reticulations on lower frons adjacent to central keel; whereas in C. galathea sp. nov. central keel on frons is absent and short carinae are present adjacent to central keel.

Figures

Figure 3. Chakra alexandra sp. nov. (♀): (a) Habitus, dorsal view; (b) frons; (c) head and pleuron; (d) head and mesoscutum; (e) wings; (f) antenna.