Tiphia (Tiphia) rajeevani Hanima & Girish Kumar, 2022

Hanima, Raveendran K. P., Kumar, Girish & Hegde, Vishwanath D., 2022, Additions to the knowledge on the genus Tiphia Fabricius (Hymenoptera: Tiphiidae: Tiphiinae) from India with the description of ten new species, Zootaxa 5204 (1), pp. 1-106 : 89

35. Tiphia (Tiphia) rajeevani Hanima & Girish Kumar sp. nov.

( Figs 465–474 )

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:A2B56491-2F7C-4819-8843-561477900287

Type material. Holotype, ♀, INDIA: Kerala, Idukki district, Thekkadi, Kumarikulam (9°43′00″N & 76°57′51″E, 1003 m), 6.ix.2018, Coll. P.C. Rajeevan, ( ZSIK) Regd. No. ZSI / WGRC /IR/INV.19123.

Diagnosis. Mandible without preapical denticle; dorsal side of pronotum with complete transverse carina; tegula translucent orange; hind basitarsus without groove.

Description. Holotype, ♀. Body Length 6.48 mm.

Colour. Body black except the following parts: tegula translucent orange ( Fig. 469 ); tibiae and tarsi of all legs ( Fig. 465 ), mandible except at apex ( Fig. 467 ), apical half of clypeus ( Fig. 467 ) and antennae beneath orange red ( Fig. 468 ); wings hyaline, veins yellowish orange ( Fig. 472 ).

Head. Head irregularly punctate with coarse punctures ( Fig. 466 ); vertex and side of occipital carina with strong shagreen sculptures weaken or faint towards upper front; HW 1.47 × least distance between eyes; clypeus with its median extension slightly bidentate, clypeal disk with basal half with coarse contiguous punctures, apical half smooth ( Fig. 467 ); mandible without preapical denticle ( Fig. 467 ); POD 1.77 × LOD and 0.62 × OOD; length of scape: pedicel: Fu 1: Fu 2: Fu 3: Fu 4: Fu 5: Fu 6: Fu 7: Fu 8: Fu 9: Fu 10 = 1.629: 0.618: 0.542: 0.677: 0.691: 0.610: 0.680: 0.676: 0.663: 0.660: 0.663: 1.199 ( Fig. 471 ).

Mesosoma. Dorsal side of pronotum with anterior transverse carina complete, uniformely spaced punctures except apex smooth ( Fig. 469 ); lateral side of pronotum with vestigial transdiscal groove, aciculations on upper part above the groove and strong striations below the groove ( Fig. 470 ); mesoscutum with coarse deep rugose punctures and impunctate area with reticulations ( Fig. 469 ); scutellum with deep punctures laterally and medially with only 3 punctures ( Fig. 469 ); tegula glossy without marginal groove and 1.32 × middle width ( Fig. 469 ); metanotum with minute punctures laterally, impunctate medially ( Fig. 469 ); lateral side of propodeum strongly regulate on upper area and lineolate on lower area ( Fig. 470 ); dorsal side of propodeum without submarginal carina, entirely shagreened except areola, areola elongate with small crenulations from carinae of areola ( Fig. 469 ); second cubital vein of fore wing straight ( Fig. 472 ); hind basitarsus without longitudinal groove on inner surface. Length of mesosoma: 2.2 mm.

Metasoma. Metasoma with uniformely spaced deep punctures ( Fig. 473 ); preapical band of Gt 1 with rows of impressed and coalesced punctures ( Fig. 473 ); pygidium with sparse coarse punctures basally and shagreened apically, faints and smooth towards posteriorly. Length of metasoma: 3.35 mm.

Male. Unknown.

Discussion. As per the key of Allen 1975, this new species comes close to Tiphia capillata Allen & Jaynes in having mandible without preapical denticle, translucent orange tegula, dorsal side of propodeum without submarginal carina, hind basitarsus without groove, but this new species distinctly differs from T. (T.) capillata in the following characters: upper frons almost uniformly punctate (in T. (T.) capillata , upper frons broadly impunctate); dorsal side of pronotum with complete transverse carina (in T. (T.) capillata , dorsal side of pronotum without complete transverse carina); lateral side of propodeum strongly rugulate (in T. (T.) capillata , lateral side of propodeum weakly rugulate); marginal cell of fore wing without spur (in T. (T.) capillata , marginal cell of fore wing with outwardly directed straight spur).

Distribution. India: Kerala.

Etymology. The species is named in honor of Mr. P.C. Rajeevan in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the study of natural history and taxonomy of ornithology of Kerala.

Figures

FIGURES 465–474. Tiphia (Tiphia) rajeevani Hanima & Girish Kumar sp. nov. Holotype ♀. 465. Habitus, lateral view; 466. Head, frontal view; 467. Clypeus; 468. Habitus, dorsal view; 469. Mesosoma, dorsal view; 470. Mesosoma, lateral view; 471. Antenna; 472. Forewing, dorsal view; 473. Metasoma, dorsal view; 474. Metasoma, lateral view.