Baeus ravana 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 : 886-888

Baeus ravana Veenakumari , sp. n. ( Figure 27 (a–e))

http://www. zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:9E2A3FD8-0CC1-43EE-8E14-24EF18C4167A

Holotype. Female; body length = 0.73 (0.69–0.75) mm; n = 3

Colour ( Figure 27 (a)). Frons brown, vertex dark brown; mesoscutum and mesoscutellum dark brown; propodeum and metasoma brown; hyperoccipital carina black; a black band on posterior margins of mesoscutum and mesoscutellum; antenna brown except dark brown A2–A3; legs yellowish brown.

Head ( Figure 27 (a–e)). Head 1.32 (1.28–1.35)× as wide as high; IOS wide, 0.50 (0.48–- 0.53)× width of head and 1.21 (1.17–1.23)× eye length; eye (L: W = 13.0:12.1) setose, not touching hyperoccipital carina posteriorly; head height 1.82 (1.79–1.86)× eye length; POL>LOL in ratio of 18.9:12.4; lateral ocellus contiguous with orbit; distance between posterior margin of lateral ocellus and hyperoccipital carina 0.43 (0.45–0.48)× MOD; pilosity dense, setae of medium length, shorter than those on mesonotum and metasoma; interantennal process triangular, rugose; central keel long 0.80 (0.73–0.81)× distance from interantennal process to median ocellus; facial striae very long extending up to lower orbit; malar striae distinct; frons adjacent to central keel with weak longitudinal reticulations along the carina, followed successively by a smooth region and reticulations, with scutes longer than wide; upper frons and vertex reticulate; gena dorsally weakly reticulate, remainder smooth, 3.12 (3.04–3.21)× as long as wide; anterior margin of gena in contact with 0.51 (0.49–0.53)× length of ventral margin of eye; length of A1 0.84 (0.81–0.89)× that of clava; length of A2 0.43 (0.41–0.45)× that of A1.

Mesosoma ( Figure 27 (a,c,e)). Mesoscutum and mesoscutellum 0.50 (0.42–0.54)× and 0.18 (0.16–0.19)× as long as wide, respectively; mesoscutum and mesoscutellum imbricate with smooth posterior margins; metascutellum not visible; propodeum smooth dorsally, 0.33 (0.31–0.35)× length of mesoscutellum medially; pilosity dense, setae of medium length; dorso-lateral pronotum extending laterally as a short broad spine; lateral pronotal area dorsally imbricate except for striae postero-dorsally, anteromedially with weak vertical striae, postero-ventrally with weak transverse carinae, remainder smooth; postero-dorsal margin of lateral pronotal area with two short projections; ventral margin of lateral pronotal area extending as a short blunt projection; transverse carinae on dorsal mesopleuron terminate above the level of dorsal metapleuron; mesopleuron ventrally unevenly foveate-reticulate, followed by transverse carinae, remainder smooth; mesopleuron projecting as a narrow projection ventrally; mesopleural pit elongate; metapleuron smooth except for transverse carinae and shallow foveae ventrally; posterior suture of metapleuron almost straight; dorsal level of posterior metapleural suture level with antero-lateral margin of T 2; sculpturing of propodeum anterior to spiracular transversely carinate; region posterior to spiracle smooth with three short carinae; region ventral to spiracle with a semicircular carina, followed by an oblique carina supporting a transverse carina posteriorly; remainder of lateral propodeum smooth except for three transverse carinae ventrally; propodeal spiracular opening tear drop shaped.

Metasoma ( Figure 27 (a,c,e)). Length and width of metasoma subequal; T 2 anteriorly finely imbricate, posteriorly smooth, densely setose; remaining tergites smooth.

Material examined. Holotype: Female ( ICAR / NBAIR / P3275 ), INDIA: Karnataka: Shimoga, Thirthahalli , 13 ° 41 ʹ 22 ʹ ’ N 75 ° 14 ʹ 41 ʹ ’E, 627 m, YPT, 09.IV.2011 ; Paratypes: 7 females ( ICAR / NBAIR /P3276–P3282), same data as holotype.

Etymology. This species is named after Ravana, the mighty, ten headed scholar-king, who ruled Lanka ( Sri Lanka) in the Hindu epic Ramayana. The name is treated as a noun in apposition.

Diagnosis. B. ravana sp. n. is closer to B. takshaka sp. n. but differs from it in having a long central keel, clypeus transversely carinate, frons adjacent to central keel smooth, dorsal level of posterior metapleural suture level with antero-lateral margin of T2 and posterior metapleural suture straight not curving dorsally towards mesopleuron. Whereas in B. takshaka sp. n. central keel is short, clypeus predominantly smooth, frons adjacent to central keel sculptured, dorsal level of posterior metapleural suture is ventral to anterolateral margin of T2 and posterior metapleural suture curving dorsally towards mesopleuron.

Figures

Figure 27. Baeus ravana sp. n. (a) Habitus (colour); (b) Frons; (c) Habitus; (d) Antenna; (e) Habitus (lateral view).