Platygaster harpagoceras Popovici & Veenakumari

Popovici, Ovidiu Alin, Veenakumari, Kamalanathan & Mitroiu, Mircea-Dan, 2019, A new species of Platygaster (Hymenoptera, Platygastroidea) from India with an unusual antenna, Journal of Hymenoptera Research 68, pp. 19-28 : 19

Platygaster harpagoceras Popovici & Veenakumari

Description.

Female (Figs 1 , 3 , 8 - 10 ). Colour (Figs 3 , 8 ): Head, mesosoma, and metasoma dark brown with uneven patches of black, posterior tergites paler than anterior tergites; black band above occipital carina; legs and tegula yellowish brown; A1-A4 yellowish brown, A5-A6 slightly darker than preceding antennomeres, A7-A9 blackish brown; mandibles yellowish brown. The lighter colour of the specimens pictured in Figs 1 and 2 , compared with the specimen in Figs 3 and 8 , is attributed to the older age of these specimens.

Head. Shape of head in dorsal view: subellipsoidal, 1.8-1.9 times as wide as long; occipital carina: present, not crenulate, weak; sculpture of posterior vertex: coriaceous-imbricate, transversally arranged; pilosity of posterior vertex: sparse, short setae, generally in two transverse rows; sculpture of temple: coriaceous-imbricate; hyperoccipital carina: absent; sculpture of interocellar area: coriaceous-imbricate to reticulate; ratio OOL/OD: OOL 2.3-2.5 times as long as OD; OOL/POL/LOL: 1:2:1; sculpture of frons: reticulate, but above toruli similar to sculpture of posterior vertex; IOS/EH: IOS longer than EH (IOS 1.8-1.9 times as long as EH); setation of eyes: short, with fine scattered hairs (visible at 70 X magnification); interantennal process: not prominent, concave; width of interantennal process: about equal to diameter of torulus; mandible: bidentate.

Antenna (Figs 4 , 5 ). Number of female antennomeres: 9; number of clavomeres: 4; abrupt clava: absent; compact clava: absent; sensillar formula (A9-A6): 1:1:1:1; A6-A8: distinctly projecting anteroventrally, resembling a tooth; A9: distinctly acuminate.

Dorsal mesosoma (Figs 1 , 3 , 9 ). Pronotum: distinctly visible; pronotal shoulders: not enlarged; epomial carina: well developed; cervical pronotal area: weakly concave; setation of cervical pronotal area: absent; sculpture of mesoscutum: finely imbricate-coriaceous; sculpture of mesoscutellum: reticulate; antero-admedian line: absent; parapsidal line: absent; notauli: abbreviate, superficial, convergent posteriorly; mid lobe on posterior margin of mesoscutum: extending onto mesoscutellum; transaxillar and axillular carinae: fused, the resulting carina clearly visible; posterior mesoscutellar rim: not distinct; metanotum: narrow, smooth; metascutellum: not visible dorsally, covered by mesoscutellum; setation of propodeum: long, dense laterally, absent medially; lateral propodeal carinae: distinct, parallel; metasomal depression: narrow; propodeal spiracle: clearly visible.

Lateral mesosoma (Figs 8 , 10 ). Transverse pronotal sulcus: weak, glabrous; lateral propleural area: weakly convex; sculpture of lateral propleural area: uniform imbricate-coriaceous; setation of lateral propleural area: some sparse setae on the dorsal half; transaxillar carina, in lateral view: with numerous longitudinal striae; mesopleural depression: weakly indicated; transepisternal line: weakly indicated; transepisternal line: almost transverse, deep, and sharply incised, nearly parallel with mesopleural carina; sculpture of mesopleuron: absent, except for sparse striae dorsally; setation of mesopleuron: absent; sculpture of metapleuron: absent; setation of metapleuron: relatively dense, present throughout; metapleural carina: prominent, well developed; metapleural pit: not visible; metapleural sulcus: not visible.

Fore wing (Fig. 7 ).Venation: absent; colour of fore wing: faintly infuscate; setation of fore wing: short, sparse microtrichia; fore wing length/width ratio: 2.6 times as long as wide; marginal fringe of fore wing: absent. Hind wing (Fig. 7 ).Venation: absent; colour of hind wing: hardly infuscated; number of hamuli: 2; setation of hind wing: rare, sparse microtrichia; hind wing length/width ratio: 4.3-4.4 times as long as wide; marginal fringe of hind wing: short, almost 0.2 times as long as hind wing width.

Metasoma. Length of metasoma: shorter than head and mesosoma combined; shape of metasoma in lateral view: convex dorsally; number of visible tergites: 6; shape of T1: trapezoidal; anterior pits of T1: clearly visible; sculpture of T1: medially costate, costae longer laterally; setation of T1: sparse laterally, absent on medial sculptured area; the largest tergite: T2; anterior pits of T2: present; setation of T2: few setae on lateral T2; sculpture of anterior T2: smooth between anterior pits, laterally longitudinally striate); length of striae on T2: surpassing the middle of T2; sculpture of T3-T6: absent; setation of T3-T5: sparse (~ 12-14 setae), in a single transverse row; laterotergites: present, distinct; setation of S1: present throughout; setation of S2: absent; setation of S3-S6: sparse to absent.

Male (Fig. 2 ): similar to female, differing in the structure of antenna (Fig. 6 ), with A4 longer than A3, A5-A8 having almost the same shape and size, and metasoma consisting of 7 visible tergites with a rounded apex.

Diagnosis.

In Platygaster , a 9-merous antenna is known only from P. harpagoceras and P. novemarticulata Buhl, 2009. Platygaster harpagoceras can be distinguished by the acuminate A9, A6-A8 transverse, A6-A8 with anteroventral projection, frons reticulate, and longitudinal striae on T2 surpassing the middle of T2.

Etymology.

The epithet " Platygaster harpagoceras " given to this species refers to the characteristic antenna (gr. “harpagos” - hook, and gr. “kéras” - horn).

Material examined.

Holotype: 1 female, " India, Orissa Jajpur-Keonjahr Dists., Daitari , 28.xii.1966, leg. Topál” (Deposited in HNHM) ; Paratypes: 1 male and 1 female the same data as the holotype (HNHM) ; 1 female, India, Tamil Nadu, Kanyakumari, Manalodai , 11.25220°N, 78.69680°E, yellow pan trap, 13.v.2013, leg. A. Rameshkumar (NBAIR) .

Figures

Figures 1 - 8. Platygaster harpagoceras: 1 Holotype female (dorsal) stored in HNHM (Budapest) 2 Paratype male (dorsal) stored in HNHM (Budapest) 3 Paratype female (dorsal), stored in NBAIR (Bengaluru) 4 Female antenna-light microscopy 5 Female antenna (SEM) 6 Male antenna-light microscopy 7 Fore and hind wing 8 Paratype female (lateral), stored in NBAIR (Bengaluru).

Figures 9, 10. Platygaster harpagoceras, female (SEM): 9 Habitus, dorsal 10 Habitus, lateral.