Paroligoneurus indicus Gupta & van Achterberg, 2022

Gupta, Ankita, Achterberg, Cornelis Van, Pattar, Rohit, Navik, Omprakash & Mahendiran, G., 2022, Two new species of the genera Leiophron Nees and Paroligoneurus Muesebeck (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) from northern India, Zootaxa 5175 (5), pp. 593-599 : 596-599

Paroligoneurus indicus Gupta & van Achterberg , sp. nov.

Figs 3 , 4

Type material. Holotype. India. ♀; Himachal Pradesh, Chamba District, Khajjiar , 32.555795° N, 76.0655834° E, 24.ix.2014; Ankita Gupta leg; (NIM). code— NBAIR / Brac / Ichn / Para /24914- (NIM).

Holotype. Female, body length 3.1 mm, fore wing 3.6 mm ( Fig. 3 ), ovipositor sheath 0.3 mm.

Head. Width of head 1.7 × its length in dorsal view ( Fig. 4B ); antenna with 20 antennomeres, segments filamentous; length of first flagellomere subequal to second flagellomere; length of first, second and penultimate flagellomeres 7.0, 7.0 and 2.2 × as long as wide respectively; length of scape 1.2 × as long as pedicel; vertex and temple densely setose; length of eye 2.4 × as long as temple in dorsal view; POL:OD:OOL= 44:21:84; face smooth, polished, sparsely setose and shallowly punctate ( Fig. 4A ); width 1.3 × as long as its medial length (frontal view); anterior tentorial pits slightly enlarged; intertentorial distance 4.3 × as long as tentorio-ocular distance; width of clypeus 1.4 × its length; clypeus smooth, convex ventrally and with apical row of setae; length of malar space subequal to basal width of mandible.

Mesosoma. Mesosoma 1.6 × as long as high; mesoscutum flat, smooth, polished, setose; notauli absent ( Fig. 4C ); scutellum smooth, setose; propodeum smooth, sparsely setose and shallowly punctate with no visible carinae ( Fig. 4D ). Wings. Fore wing: pterostigma 3.0 × as long as wide ( Fig. 4E ); 1- R 1 0.24 × as long as pterostigma; r issuing a little behind middle of pterostigma; length of r 0.7 × pterostigmal width; cu-a prominent; 2-CU1 absent. Hind wing: M+CU: 1-M: 0.4: 0.3; 1-1A faintly sclerotised. Legs. Hind coxa smooth, sparsely punctate dorsally and setose; length of hind femur, tibia, basitarsus 3.6, 9.7 and 6.7 × as long as wide respectively; length of hind tibia 1.1 × hind tarsus; length of hind basitarsus 1.5 × combined length of second and third tarsal segments.

Metasoma. Length of metasoma 1.3 × as long as mesosoma; length of first tergite 4.6 × its apical width; first tergite smooth without longitudinal groove, narrowing basally, gradually narrowing apically ( Fig. 4D ), width at spiracle 1.9 × width at apex, first tergite length 2.4 × width at level of spiracles; second and following tergite smooth; length of second tergite 0.9 × its apical width; second tergite trapezoidal, oblique lateral grooves of medial area of distinct ( Fig. 4D ); hypopygium distinctly pointed apically; length of hypopygium 1.8 × first tergite; length of ovipositor sheath 0.8 × first tergite; ovipositor sheath setose apically.

Colour. Body brownish including antenna, eye, pterostigma, and ovipositor sheath.

Distribution. India (Himachal Pradesh).

Etymology. The species epithet is derived from the collection locality.

Comments. The new species differs from P. harishi Ranjith & van Achterberg, 2020 ( Ranjith et al. 2020) in the following set of characters: antenna with 20 antennomeres, length of first flagellomere subequal to second flagellomere; length of first, second and penultimate flagellomeres 7.0, 7.0 and 2.2 × as long as wide respectively (vs 18 antennomeres; 1.1 ×; 3.0, 2.6 and 1.6 × as long as wide, respectively in P. harishi ); length of eye 2.4 × as long as temple in dorsal view (vs 1.5 ×); intertentorial distance 4.3 × as long as tentorio-ocular distance (vs 3.25 ×); length of hind femur, tibia, basitarsus 3.6, 9.7 and 6.7 × as long as wide, respectively (vs 2.6, 10.25 and 6.5 ×); length of first tergite 4.6 × its apical width (vs 1.5 ×); length of second tergite 0.9 × its apical width (vs 0.5 ×); length of ovipositor sheath 0.8 × first tergite (vs 1.4 ×).

The new species also differs from P. songyangensis ( He, 2000) mainly by having fewer antennal antennomeres (20 vs 24 in P. songyangensis ) and largely smooth propodeum (vs medio-posteriorly propodeum longitudinally rugulose). The new species differs from P. pallidus Austin & Wharton, 1992 in having the pterostigma 3.0 × as long as wide (vs 2.0 × as long as wide in P. pallidus ) and hypopygium 1.8 × as long as first tergite (vs 2.4–2.5 × as long as first tergite).

Figures

FIGURE 3. Holotype of Paroligoneurus indicus Gupta & van Achterberg, sp. nov., female, habitus, lateral aspect.

FIGURE 4. Paroligoneurus indicus sp. nov. A. Head in frontal aspect; B. Head in dorsal aspect; C. Head and mesosoma (dorsal); D. Propodeum, T1 and T2; E. Wings; F. Head and mesopleuron (lateral).