Foenatopus chinnarensis (Sureshan, 1997)

Binoy, C., Achterberg, C. Van, Kumar, P. Girish, Santhosh, S. & Sheela, S., 2020, A review of Stephanidae (Hymenoptera: Stephanoidea) from India, with the description of five new species, Zootaxa 4838 (1), pp. 1-51 : 12-13

Foenatopus chinnarensis (Sureshan, 1997)

Diastephanus chinnarensis Sureshan, 1997 , Bioved, 3, 89–92.

Type material. Holotype ♂, India: Kerala, Idukki district, Chinnar (10°30’ N & 77°20’ E, 450 m), 19.xi.1996, Coll. P.M. Sureshan, ( ZSIK) Regd. No. ZSI/ WGRC /IR/INV.3598. (Type specimen missing).

Additional material examined: ♀, India: Arunachal Pradesh, West Kameng district, Bhalukpung (27°01’12.5”N & 92°38’25.9”E, 213 m), 28.iv.2001, Coll. S.N. Ghosh. ( NZC) 10072/H3 (Head missing) .

Diagnosis. Male. Body length 7 mm. Frons completely yellow with coronal teeth reddish trans-striate, tip of mandibles black; gena yellow; vertex with two trans-carinae turning rugose posteriorly and irregularly punctate; occipital carina indistinct; pronotum with pale brownish yellow near posterior margin, deeply reticulate; axillae and scutellum strongly reticulate; metapleuron deeply reticulate; hind femora ventrally with two tooth; propodeum anteriorly half reticulate, posteriorly with few scattered pits and carinae; first metasomal tergite weakly and longitudinally reticulate, longer than remaining segments, the latter with yellow patches.

Female. Body length 13.65 mm, ovipositor sheath length 11.5 mm. Frons transversely striate with oblique striae in between coronal tooth; vertex with three carinae followed by fine transverse striae; neck transversely striae; pronotum rugose-reticulate; mesoscutum finely shagreened posteriorly with scattered pits and shagreened interstices; scutellum with smooth reticulations; propodeum with large close pits and shagreened interstices; hind coxa strongly striate; femora with two tooth and few denticles ventrally; first metasomal tergite shorter than remaining segments; ovipositor sheath with a subapical band.

Distribution. Oriental: India (Kerala, Arunachal Pradesh).

Host. Unknown.

Note. The female specimen of F. chinnarensis designated from Arunachal Pradesh, India pose some confusion in the identity of the specimen. The female species designated shows quite distinct variations in the number of carinae present on the vertex, colouration on the pronotum, metasoma and the sculpturing on the metasoma with the designated holotype (male specimen) from Kerala, India. This is attributed to the possible sexual dimorphism within the specimens ( Sheela & Ghosh, 2009). However, authors here feel the species extend beyond the limits of variation and the species to be a novel one. But, with the designated female specimen broken at the crucial part (head missing), it is quite impossible now to designate the same within the limits of variation or as a novel species. Hopefully future sampling of the species in India will allow a broader assessment of the consistency of these variations and novelty of the reported species. The holotype was untraceable, therefore, the above mentioned diagnosis of male is obtained from the original description .