Philoplitis margalla Fernandez-Triana & Ranjith

Ranjith, A. P., Fernandez-Triana, J., Veena, T., Priyadarsanan, D. R. & Nasser, M., 2019, Four new species of Philoplitis Nixon (Braconidae, Microgastrinae) with an updated key and illustrations of all described species, ZooKeys 841, pp. 125-150 : 136-137

Philoplitis margalla Fernandez-Triana & Ranjith sp. n. Fig. 9

Holotype.

Female, PAKISTAN (CNC). Holotype locality: Islamabad, Pakistan Museum of Natural History, Shakar Parian, 33°41'9.0"N 73°4'33.60"E, 18.iv.2012, Malaise trap, M Rafique leg. Voucher code: BIOUG02373-G10. Secondary voucher code: CNC469935.

Paratypes.

One female and one male (BIOUG, CNC). Same locality than holotype but collecting dates 5.xi.2012 and 29.xi.2012 and M Rafique & Q Abbas leg. Voucher codes: BIOUG15337-B11, BIOUG15345-A08.

Diagnosis.

Philoplitis margalla sp. n. is the only known species of Philoplitis with sexual dimorphism in the color of the metatibial spurs, which is light yellow in females, dark brown in males.

Description.

Head distinctly rugose. Frons transversely striate, without median, longitudinal carina. Occipital carina strongly defined and crenulate. Area centrally between posterior ocelli and occipital carina mostly transversally striate, with only very small, shiny spot right above the occipital carina. Antennae longer about same length as body length, L of F2 2.80 × its W, L of F15 2.40 × its W. Mesosoma mostly covered by silver setae. Anteromesoscutum coarsely rugose. Notauli deeply impressed, and with impressed postero-lateral area above tegula. Scutellar disc coarsely rugose, slightly downward apically, in lateral view. Scutellar disc L/W ratio 1.2 ×, and its L 0.86 × that of mesoscutum. Mesopleuron mostly rugose or striate, but with median, smooth area centrally. Metapleuron rugose. Propodeum rugose with complete medial longitudinal carina. Fore wing ratios, r/3RSa: 1.11 ×; r/r-m: 3.33 ×; r/2RS: 0.83 ×; 3RSa/2M: 0.90 ×; 2RS/2M: 1.20 ×; r-m/2M: 0.33 ×; r/(r-2M): 0.44 ×; height of second sub marginal cell/(r-2M): 0.44 ×. Tarsal claws simple and with arolium longer than claw length. Metafemur L 3.50 × its maximum W, inner spur of metatibia 0.50 × L of first metatarsomere. T1 fully sculptured, T1 with excavation on anterior 0.2-0.3, then a median longitudinal groove extending to half of tergite length, T1 L 2.50 × its W at posterior margin. T2 smooth, trapezoidal, relatively well defined by divergent grooves (but grooves only clearly distinct on anterior half of T2), T2 median L 0.50 × its W at posterior margin. T3+ smooth.

Colour.

Head and mesosoma black; scape and pedicel orange-yellow; flagellomeres brown to light brown; palpi mostly dark brown to black (only two apical maxillary palpi yellow); all coxae, metafemur, metatibia and metatarsus black; pro- and mesofemorae and pro- and metatibiae mostly dark brown (at most with small yellow spot apically); pro- and mesotarsi yellow; metatibial spurs light yellow; most wing veins and pterostigma brown to light yellow; area beneath stigma light brown, clearly darker than rest of wing which is hyaline; metasoma dorsally mostly dark brown, except for T1 black on anterior 0.8, and for posterior 0.2 of T1 and entire T2 yellow-white; laterotergites 1-3 white, rest dark brown.

Male.

As female, but with darker body color: palpi, scape, pedicel, most of legs (including metatibial spurs) dark brown to black; metasoma dorsally and laterally darker.

Distribution.

Pakistan, Islamabad, Margalla Hills National Park.

Etymology.

The name, to be treated as a name in apposition, refers to the Margalla Hills National Park, a 12,600+ ha protected area in Islamabad Capital Territory, and where the type locality (Shakarparian Park) is located. Despite its small size, the fauna and flora of the Margalla Hills are quite diverse and mostly tropical and constitute a transitional zone between the high mountains to the north and plain areas to the south, providing a corridor for many Himalayan species to disperse south.