Baeus agniparvathus 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 : 831-832

Baeus agniparvathus Veenakumari , sp. n. ( Figure 2 (a–e))

http://www. zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:42D09376-DA0F-4A02-B5A6-15202C90A20F

Holotype. Female; body length = 0.93 (0.74–0.93) mm; n = 4

Colour ( Figure 2 (a)). Lower frons yellowish brown; vertex mesonotum and metasoma brownish black, mesonotum darker than metasoma; hyperoccipital carina black, mesoscutum with black band on posterior margin; mesoscutellum with black band followed by a yellow line on posterior margin; propodeum with a weak yellow band on posterior margin; antenna dark brown except for yellowish apical patch on A1 and A2; legs yellowish brown.

Head ( Figure 2 (a–e)). Head 1.36 (1.26–1.38)× as wide as high; IOS short, 0.35 (0.32–- 0.37)× width of head and 0.86 (0.81–0.88)× eye length; eye large (L: W = 17.4:17.9) setose, not touching hyperoccipital carina posteriorly; head height 1.58 (1.45–1.68)× eye length; POL>LOL in ratio of 20.4:13.6; lateral ocellus slightly away from orbit, OOL 0.17 (0.15–- 0.18)× MOD; distance between posterior margin of lateral ocellus from hyperoccipital carina 0.58 (0.54–0.60)× MOD; pilosity dense, setae of medium length, shorter than those on mesonotum and metasoma; interantennal process triangular, rugose; central keel very long, raised, 0.76 (0.74–0.80)× distance to median ocellus; facial striae very long extending up to lower orbit; orbital carina extending ventrally below the dorsal level of facial striae; malar striae distinct; frons adjacent to central keel smooth, followed by coriaceous reticulations, scutes longer than wide; upper frons and vertex reticulate; gena weakly reticulate, foveate on postero-ventral margin, 4.21 (4.03–4.31)× as long as wide; anterior margin of gena in contact with 0.54 (0.48–0.56)× length of ventral margin of eye; length of A1 subequal to that of clava; length of A2 0.47 (0.41–0.49)× that of A1.

Mesosoma ( Figure 2 (a,c,e)). Mesoscutum and mesoscutellum 0.38 (0.35–0.41)× and 0.17 (0.15–0.19)× as long as wide, respectively; mesoscutum and mesoscutellum imbricate with smooth posterior margins; scutes on mesoscutellum smaller than those on mesoscutum; metascutellum not visible; propodeum smooth dorsally, 0.46 (0.45–0.48)× length of mesoscutellum medially; pilosity dense, setae of medium length; lateral pronotal area dorsally imbricate, antero-medially with weak vertical striae, remainder predominantly smooth; ventral margin of lateral pronotal area extending as a short blunt projection; postero-dorsal margin of lateral pronotal area with a short protuberance; transverse carinae on dorsal mesopleuron extend below the level of dorsal metapleuron; mesopleuron ventrally with a weak imbricate patch, followed by semicircular and oblique carinae, remainder smooth; mesopleuron without a ventral blunt projection; mesopleural pit elongate; metapleuron predominantly smooth, except for shallow foveae ventrad; posterior suture of metapleuron almost straight but gently bending towards mesopleuron dorsally, closer to posterior margin of mesopleuron; dorsal level of posterior metapleural suture above the level of antero-lateral margin of T 2; sculpturing of propodeum anterior to spiracle with two transverse carinae, followed by two additional transverse carinae with protuberance and a seta anteriorly; region posterior to spiracle smooth with short carinae around the base of spiracle; region ventral to spiracle with a weakly curved carina; remainder of lateral propodeum smooth with two short transverse carinae ventrally; opening of propodeal spiracle extremely large 22 (20–23) μm, round, cone-like, with margins raised and rounded.

Metasoma ( Figure 2 (a,c,e)). Metasoma 0.95 (0.9–1.0)× as long as wide; pilosity dense, setae of medium length; T 2 anteriorly finely imbricate, smooth on posterior margin; remaining tergites smooth.

Material examined. Holotype: Female ( ICAR / NBAIR / P3411 ), INDIA: Karnataka: Bengaluru, Malleshwaram , Aranya Bhavan , Institute of Wood Science and Technology ( IWST), 13 ° 01 ʹ 03 ʹ ’ N 77 ° 57 ʹ 07 ʹ ’E, 942 m, YPT, 12.VI.2015 ; Paratypes: 1 female ( ICAR / NBAIR / P3412 ), Sikkim: Tadong, ICAR complex for NEH region, 25°41 ʹ 02 ʹ ’ N 91°54 ʹ 48 ʹ ’ E, 1330 m, YPT, 29 . X .2014; 2 females ( ICAR / NBAIR / P3413 – P3414 ), Himachal Pradesh: Palampur , 32 ° 06 ʹ 39 ʹ ’N, 76 ° 32 ʹ 10 ʹ ’E, 1269 m, YPT, 13–17 .VIII .2017; 2 females ( ICAR / NBAIR / P3415 – P3416 ), Tamil Nadu: Yercaud, HRS, 11°47 ʹ 44 ʹ ’ N 78°12 ʹ 42 ʹ ’E, 1399 m,YPT, 04 .VIII .2016.

Etymology. The Sanskrit epithet ‘agniparvathus’ means volcano, referring to the large crater-like propodeal spiracle. The name is treated as an adjective.

Diagnosis. This species can be easily distinguished from all other species by its large propodeal spiracle.

Figures

Figure 2. Baeus agniparvathus sp.n. (a) Habitus (colour); (b) Frons; (c) Habitus; (d) Antenna; (e) Habitus (lateral view).