Baeus chitrasena 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 : 841-845

Baeus chitrasena Veenakumari , sp. n. ( Figure 8 (a–e))

http://www.zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:67BA9015-982B-43D1-83E9-9DCA02222791

Holotype. Female; body length = 0.73 (0.64–0.75) mm; n = 5

Colour ( Figure 8 (a)). Head, mesonotum and metasoma dark brown, propodeum paler than rest; hyperoccipital carina black; posterior margin of mesoscutum and mesoscutellum with a black band and the latter with an additional yellow line; posterior margin of propodeum with a yellow line; A1 dark brown and apically yellow; A2–A3 dark brown; A4–A6 yellowish brown; clava brown with uneven black patches; legs brown with black patches.

Head ( Figure 8 (a–e)). Head 1.16 (1.10–1.18)× as wide as high; IOS short 0.34 (0.31–- 0.36)× width of head and 0.80 (0.74–0.82)× eye length; eye (L: W = 16.0:16.8), setose, touching hyperoccipital carina posteriorly; head height 1.71 (1.68–1.75)× eye length; POL>LOL in ratio of 17.6:10.7; lateral ocellus contiguous with orbit; distance from posterior margin of lateral ocellus to hyperoccipital carina 0.33 (0.30–0.36)× MOD; pilosity of medium density, setae of medium length, shorter than those on mesonotum and metasoma; interantennal process triangular, rugose; length of central keel 0.44 (0.43–0.46)× distance to median ocellus; facial striae extending up to lower orbit; malar striae sparse; frons adjacent to central keel smooth, followed by semicircular striae and longitudinal reticulations; upper frons and vertex weakly reticulate; gena weakly reticulate, with closely spaced costae on postero-ventral margin, 3.11 (3.02–3.16)× as long as wide; anterior margin of gena in contact with 0.71 (0.68–0.73)× length of ventral margin of eye; length of A1 subequal to that of clava; length of A2 0.49 (0.47–0.53)× that of A1.

Mesosoma ( Figure 8 (a,c,e)). Mesoscutum and mesoscutellum 0.54 (0.51–0.56)× and 0.22 (0.20–0.25)× as long as wide, respectively; mesoscutum and mesoscutellum imbricate; metascutellum not visible; propodeum smooth dorsally, 0.42 (0.40–0.48)× length of mesoscutellum medially; pilosity of medium density, setae of medium length; anterolateral margin of mesoscutellum with a weak fovea; lateral pronotal area antero-dorsally imbricate, postero-dorsally transversely weakly carinate, antero-medially vertically striate, postero-medially weakly reticulate, antero-ventrally smooth, postero-ventrally obliquely carinate; postero-dorsal margin of lateral pronotal area with two short projections; ventral margin of lateral pronotal area extending as a blunt projection; transverse carinae on dorsal mesopleuron terminate above the dorsal level of metapleuron; mesopleuron ventrally with an imbricate patch, followed by sparse oblique carinae, remainder smooth; mesopleuron extending as a short, narrow projection ventrally; mesopleural pit elongate; metapleuron dorsally with weak impressions of reticulations and weakly reticulate ventrally; posterior suture of metapleuron straight, curved slightly medially; dorsal level of posterior metapleural suture ventral to level of antero-lateral margin of T 2; sculpturing of propodeum anterior to spiracle with a semicircular carina followed by several short transverse carinae, region posterior to spiracle smooth with three short transverse carinae; region ventral to spiracle with an inverted ‘3 ʹ shaped carina; remainder of lateral propodeum smooth with three incomplete transverse carinae antero-ventrally; propodeal spiracular opening tear-drop shaped.

Metasoma ( Figure 8 (a,c,e)). Metasoma 1.1 (0.9–1.3)× as long as wide; pilosity of medium density, setae of medium length; T 2 anteriorly imbricate, posteriorly smooth; remaining tergites smooth.

Material examined. Holotype: Female ( ICAR / NBAIR / P3516 ), INDIA: Karnataka: Mudigere, College of Horticulture , 13 ° 06 ʹ 54 ʹ ’ N 75 ° 37 ʹ 57 ʹ ’E, 976 m, YPT, 29.IX.2015 ; Paratypes: 16 females ( ICAR / NBAIR / P3517 – P3532 ), same as holotype, 28 .IX .2015– 02.X .2015 ; 1 female ( ICAR / NBAIR / P3533 ), Madhya Pradesh: Bhopal, Central Institute of Agricultural Engineering ( CIAE), 23 ° 18 ʹ 48 ʹ ’ N 77 ° 24 ʹ 27 ʹ ’E, 499 m, YPT, 15. VI.2011.

Etymology. This species is named after Chitrasena, a Gandharva king in the Indian epic Mahabharata, who taught the hero Arjuna to sing and dance. The name is treated as a noun in apposition.

Diagnosis. B. chitrasena sp. n. closer to B. mahanetra sp. n. in that both have short IOS and large eyes. B. chitrasena sp. n. differs from B. mahanetra sp. n. by the following character states; in B. chitrasena sp. n, the transverse carinae on dorsal mesopleuron are above the dorsal level of metapleuron and the dorsal level of posterior metapleural suture is ventral to the level of antero-lateral margin of T2; whereas in B. mahanetra sp. n. the transverse carinae on dorsal mesopleuron is level with dorsal level of metapleuron and the dorsal level of posterior metapleural suture is also level with antero-lateral margin of T2; B. chitrasena sp. n. is also unique in having an inverted ‘3 ʹ shaped carina ventral to propodeal spiracle.

Figures

Figure 8. Baeus chitrasena sp. n. (a) Habitus (colour); (b) Frons; (c) Habitus; (d) Antenna; (e) Habitus (lateral view).