Baeus airavata 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 : 833-834

Baeus airavata Veenakumari , sp. n. ( Figure 3 (a–e))

http://www.zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:470C30F5-755A-417B-817F-9DB08E689F81

Holotype. Female; body length = 0.61 (0.51–0.68) mm; n = 5

Colour ( Figure 3 (a)). Head, mesonotum and metasoma dark brown, mesoscutellum and propodeum a shade paler than the rest; hyperoccipital carina black; posterior margin of mesoscutellum with a black band; antennomeres brown except yellowish brown patches on apical A1 and A2; legs yellowish brown.

Head ( Figure 3 (a–e)). Head as wide as high; IOS 0.60 (0.55–0.63)× width of head and 1.85 (1.80–1.91)× eye length; eye small (L:W = 7.6:4.8), setose, not touching hyperoccipital carina posteriorly; head height 3.1 (3.0–3.4)× eye length; POL>LOL in ratio of 13.7:7.9; lateral ocellus away from orbits, OOL subequal to MOD; distance between posterior margin of lateral ocellus and hyperoccipital carina 1.50 (1.48–1.51)× MOD; pilosity of moderate density, setae of medium length; interantennal process triangular, smooth; length of central keel 0.53 (0.48–0.56)× distance to median ocellus; facial striae extending 0.50 (0.48–0.56)× length between mandibular end to lower orbit; malar striae sparse; frons and vertex smooth; gena smooth, 3.40 (3.38–3.44)× as long as wide, anterior margin of gena in contact with 0.64 (0.63–0.68)× length of ventral margin of eye; length of A1 subequal to that of clava; length of A2 0.44 (0.41–0.46)× that of A1.

Mesosoma ( Figure 3 (a,c,e)). Mesoscutum and mesoscutellum 0.45 (0.41–0.50)× and 0.15 (0.14–0.17)× as long as wide, respectively; mesoscutum anteriorly weakly coriaceous reticulate and posteriorly smooth; mesoscutellum predominantly smooth; metascutellum not visible; propodeum smooth dorsally, as long as mesoscutellum medially; pilosity of moderate density, setae of medium length; lateral pronotal area antero-dorsally imbricate, remainder smooth except for transverse carinae ventrally; 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 weakly reticulate, followed by oblique carinae, remainder smooth; mesopleuron extending as a short projection ventrally; mesopleural pit not distinct; metapleuron entirely smooth except for two uneven foveae ventrally; posterior suture of metapleuron straight, dorsally indicated by a furrow; dorsal level of posterior metapleural suture ventral to level of antero-lateral margin of T 2; sculpturing of propodeum anterior to spiracle with a short carina, region posterior to spiracle smooth with a carina on dorsal and ventral ends of spiracle; region ventral to spiracle with transverse carinae followed by two oblique carinae; remainder of lateral propodeum smooth; opening of propodeal spiracle small, round.

Metasoma ( Figure 3 (a,c,e)). Metasoma as long as wide; pilosity of moderate density, setae of medium length, longer than those on head and mesonotum; T 2 predominantly smooth; remaining tergites smooth.

Material examined. Holotype: Female ( ICAR / NBAIR / P3090 ), INDIA: Rajasthan: Udaipur, Badagaon , 24 ° 38 ʹ 11 ʹ ’ N 73 ° 40 ʹ 48 ʹ ’ E, 178 m, YPT, 24.IX.2016 ; Paratypes: 29 females ( ICAR / NBAIR / P3091 – P3118 , P3135 ), same as holotype; 9 females ( ICAR / NBAIR / P3119 – P3123 , P3130 – P3131 , P3133 , P3134 ), Rajasthan: Ajmer , National Research Centre on Seed Spices ( NRCSS), 26 ° 21 ʹ 56 ʹ ’ N 74 ° 35 ʹ 36 ʹ ’E, 445 m, YPT, 21–27 .IX .2016; 8 females ( ICAR / NBAIR / P3124 – P3129 , P3132 , 3136), Rajasthan: Udaipur , MPUAT, 24 ° 36 ʹ 02 ʹ ’ N 73 ° 44 ʹ 21 ʹ ’E, 583 m, YPT, 22–25 .IX .2016; 1 female ( ICAR / NBAIR / P3137 ), same as holotype, MT, 29 . IX .2016; 2 females ( ICAR / NBAIR / P3138 – P3139 ), Tamil Nadu: Dharmapuri, Kelamangalam, Jakkeri, 12 ° 42 ʹ 17 ʹ ’ N 77 ° 48 ʹ 37 ʹ ’E, 899 m, YPT, 03 .III .2015; 1 female ( ICAR / NBAIR / P3140 ), same as P3138, 18 . V.2015.

Etymology. This species is named after ‘Airavata’, a mythical white elephant, the mount of the Hindu God Indra. The name is treated as a noun in apposition.

Diagnosis. Species is closer to B. urvashi sp. n. and differs from it in the following combination of characters. Dorsal propodeum in B. airavata sp. n. is as long as mesoscutellum medially whereas in B. urvashi sp. n. it is at most 1/4 th length of mesoscutellum; pilosity on body less dense and gena narrower in B. airavata sp. n than in B. urvashi sp. n. Posterior margin of eye further away from hyperoccipital carina in B. airavata sp. n. than in B. urvashi sp. n.; region ventral to propodeal spiracle with a inverted horse-shoe shaped carina in B. urvashi sp. n., while the sculpture is different in B. airavata sp. n. B. airavata sp. n. is also closer to B. longiabdominalis sp. n.; the diagnosis is given under the latter.

Figures

Figure 3. Baeus airavata sp. n. (a) Habitus (colour); (b) Frons; (c) Habitus; (d) Antenna; (e) Habitus (lateral view).