Megachalcis kannapuramensis Sureshan and Girish Kumar, 2018

Binoy, C., Nasser, M. & Santhosh, S., 2022, The Western Ghats, a biodiversity hotspot: the example of Chalcididae (Hymenoptera) with the description of a new species of Phasgonophora Westwood and a review of the regional species, Journal of Natural History 56 (41 - 44), pp. 1627-1655 : 1639-1644

Megachalcis kannapuramensis Sureshan and Girish Kumar, 2018

Megachalcis kannapuramensis Sureshan and Girish Kumar in Sureshan et al. 2018: 181.

( Figures 8a–e , 9 , 10a–h , 11a–h )

Type material

Holotype ♀ ( Figure 8a–e ), India: Kerala, Kannur district, Kannapuram mangroves (11.5835° N and 75.1817°E), 13 May 2018, coll. C. Charesh, ZSIK Regd. No. ZSI / WGRC / IR/ INV/ 11417 (examined).

Additional material examined

♀ (Figures 9,10a–h,11a–h) India: Kerala, Kannur district, Aaralam Wildlife Sanctuary, Kurukkanpuzha (11.931°N, 75.836°E; alt. 110 m), 25 March 2021, coll . D . Ghosh , ZSI LTEO team. ( ZSIK) Regd . No . ZSI / WGRC /IR/INV.22004.

Recognition

Antenna attached at lower margin of clypeus ( Figures 8c , 10d ); scrobal margin distinctly carinate, forming sharp conspicuously produced angle in front of eye; postorbital carina distinct, obsolete at genotemporal margin ( Figures 8a , 10a ); pronotum subquadrate, with two raised projections medially ( Figures 8d , 10f ); hind coxa without any dorsobasal protuberances or tooth; hind femur ventrally with 9–10 teeth, basal one subequal in size to succeeding one ( Figures 8a , 11c ); Rs vein of fore wing indicated as a pigmented fold ( Figures 8a , 11a ); mesosoma with raised rasp-like sculpture in profile; propodeum with large irregular and smooth variably sized areola; metasoma with a short petiole visible dorsally ( Figures 8b , 10h ); Gt1 smooth, largest, occupying 0.5× of metasoma (excluding ovipositor); Gt2 telescopic behind Gt1; Gt3 distinctly pitted on anterior half; Gt4–Gt6 regularly pitted, laterally setigerous; surface shiny on Gt1–Gt4, Gt5–Gt6 with matt surface; Gt6 coarsely punctate with six rows of punctures, spiracle rounded, prominent, peritreme well expanded from surface; syntergum distinctly pitted ( Figures 8b , 11g ); ovipositor sheath long, 1.26× as long as metasoma (excluding ovipositor sheath) ( Figures 8a , 9 ).

Redescription

♀ ( Figures 9 , 10a–h , 11a–h ) Body length 10.29 mm (including ovipositor sheath); length of fore wing 5.12 mm.

Colour. Body black with the following parts variably coloured: eyes and ocelli reflective red-gold, radicle liver-brown, flagellar segments brown-black, tegula liver-brown, wing lamina brown, veins deep brown; all coxae brown-black, trochanters liver-brown, fore and mid femora and tibiae red-brown with base and apex paler, all tarsi red-brown, metasoma black with posterior margin of terga brown.

Setation. Face with moderately dense white setae arising from both punctae and interspaces; golden setae on vertex, clypeus and mandible ( Figure 10d ); adpressed white setae on scape; gena densely pubescent; pronotum anteriorly with moderately dense yellowbrown setae, remainder with sparse suberect setae throughout mesosoma; tuft of long white setae on axilla; propodeum with moderately dense setae on dorsum; legs with short, moderately dense white setae; metasoma with long white pubescence laterally arising from pits.

Head. Head distinctly wider than mesosoma in dorsal view (1.13×), coarsely rugosepunctate; OOL 1.17× POL, 1.45× OD; POL with short raised humps; occiput with similar sculpture to that on vertex ( Figure 10e ); in frontal view, head 1.42× as wide as long, rugose punctate with large shiny setigerous areola; preorbital indicated; scrobal margin distinctly carinate, scrobal margin prominently angulate in profile in front of dorsal and ventral margin of eye, scrobal surface reticulate, maximum width of scrobe 0.5× median interocular width; scrobe at most meeting anterior ocellus; interantennal projection finely punctate, 0.36× as long as scrobe ( Figure 10c, d ); mandible bidentate ( Figure 10d ); antenna inserted slightly below ventral margin of eye; scape not attaining median ocellus; two anelli indicated; clava 2-segmented; genotemporal margin carinate, straight; postorbital carina distinct, moving along outer eye margin onto occiput ( Figure 10a ); relative length of scape, pedicel, anellus, funiculars and clava = 6.7: 1.1: 0.8: 2.0: 2.2: 2.1: 2.0: 1.9: 1.6: 1.3: 1.7: 2.9.

Mesosoma. Pronotum quadrate, 3.75× as long as wide, with varyingly sized areola, anteriorly small becoming large posteriorly, margins conspicuously rugate, forming submedian tubercles, posterior margin of pronotum deeply emarginate inwards; mesoscutum 2.9× as long as wide, with irregular variable sized punctures, anteriorly small, becoming large posteriorly, middle lobe of mesoscutum punctate, margins carinate; lateral lobe of mesoscutum punctate with margin conspicuously rugate; scutellum small, 1.41× as long as wide with large areola, basad of axilla with prominent tuft of pale yellow setae, apical margin of scutellum conspicuously emarginated ( Figure 10f ); lateral lobe of pronotum coarsely rugose; propleura engraved reticulate; meso and metapleura with similar sculpturing to that of thoracic notum ( Figure 10g ); propodeum gradually declining onto metasoma, with dense white setae along the costula; spiracles subhorizontal, bean-shaped and well exposed; transverse and sublateral carina prominent; lateral teeth distinct ( Figure 10h ).

Legs. Fore coxa wide, as long as wide ( Figure 11b ); hind coxa smooth with numerous setigerous punctures, no dorsobasal tooth or protuberance; outer disc of hind femur smooth and shiny with numerous setigerous pits, inner basal protuberance present ( Figure 10d ); ventrally with 9–10 teeth, basal one larger than rest of subequal teeth; hind tibia coarsely pitted ( Figure 10c ).

Wings. Lamina infumate brown; fore wing with PMV 1.8× MV, SMV 2.7× MV, STV 0.2× PMV; lamina densely setose; Rs vein clearly indicated, present as a pigmented fold ( Figure 10a ).

Metasoma. Metasoma (excluding ovipositor sheath) longer than combined lengths of head and mesosoma (1.2×), metasoma including ovipositor 2.64× as long as lengths of head and mesosoma combined; short petiole visible dorsally; Gt1 with basal fovea, 0.5× as long as combined length of remaining tergites, dorsum shiny with scattered shallow pits medially, posterior 1/3rd smooth; Gt2 telescopic beneath Gt1; Gt3 with 6–7 rows of pits on anterior half, posterior half smooth, shiny; Gt4 distinctly pitted, a median impunctate strip on dorsum; Gt5 and Gt6 densely pitted, with a distinct median carina; spiracle on Gt4 prominent, peritreme distinctly produced laterally; syntergum 1.56× as long as Gt6, pitted anteriorly, posteriorly smooth; ovipositor sheath 0.56× as long as entire length of metasoma, 1.26× as long as metasomal terga combined ( Figure 11e–h ).

Male

Unknown.

Figures

Figure 8. Megachalcis kannapuramensis Sureshan and Girish Kumar, 2018 holotype ♀. (a) Habitus, lateral view; (b) metasoma (excluding ovipositor sheath), dorsal view; (c) head, frontal view; (d) head and mesosoma, dorsal view; (e) type labels.

Figure 9. Habitus of ♀ Megachalcis kannapuramensis Sureshan and Girish Kumar, 2018.

Figure 10. Megachalcis kannapuramensis Sureshan and Girish Kumar, 2018 ♀. (a) Head, lateral view; (b) clava,enlarged view; (d) head,frontal view;(e) lower face and clypeus, frontal view; (e) head, dorsal view; (f) mesosoma, dorsal view; (g) mesosoma, lateral view; (h) propodeum.

Figure 11. Megachalcis kannapuramensis Sureshan and Girish Kumar, 2018 ♀. (a) Wings; (b) fore leg; (c) hind leg; (d) hind leg, inner view (arrow indicating inner-basal tooth); (e) metasoma (excluding ovipositor sheath), dorsal view; (f) metasoma, lateral view; (g) metasomal terga (excluding ovipositor sheath) enlarged, lateral view; (h) ovipositor sheath.