Baeus mahanetra 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 : 867-870

Baeus mahanetra Veenakumari , sp. n. ( Figure 19 (a–e))

http: //www.zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:068EFE68-DCD7-4319-A480-318C51BB78F2

Holotype. Female; body length = 0.72 (0.61–0.75) mm; n = 5

Colour ( Figure 19 (a)). Head, mesonotum and metasoma dark brown, head and propodeum paler than rest; hyperoccipital carina black; a blue line present on posterior margins of mesoscutellum and propodeum; A1 dark brown with a yellow patch apically, A2–A3 dark brown, A4–A6 yellowish brown, clava yellow and apically brown; legs yellowish brown.

Head ( Figure 19 (a–e)). Head 1.19 (1.12–1.21)× as wide as high; IOS short, 0.30 (0.28–- 0.32)× width of head and 0.59 (0.56–0.61)× eye length; eye very large (L: W = 18.0:17.8), setose, touching hyperoccipital carina posteriorly; head height 1.60 (1.54–1.66)× eye length; POL>LOL in ratio of 17.1:10.6; lateral ocellus contiguous with orbit; distance between posterior margin of lateral ocellus from hyperoccipital carina 0.60 (0.53–0.64)× MOD; pilosity of moderate density, setae of medium length, shorter than those on mesonotum and metasoma; interantennal process triangular, rugose; length of central keel 0.47 (0.45–0.49)× distance to median ocellus; facial striae long, extending 0.64 (0.58–0.70)× the length from mandibular end to lower orbit; malar striae sparse; frons adjacent to central keel smooth followed by longitudinal reticulations; upper frons and vertex finely reticulate; gena smooth with sparse, short costae on posterior margin, 3.14 (3.06–3.20)× as long as wide; anterior margin of gena in contact with 0.71 (0.63–0.74)× length of ventral margin of eye; length of A1 0.76 (0.67–0.79)× that of clava; length of A2 0.55 (0.52–0.58)× that of A1.

Mesosoma ( Figure 19 (a,c,e)). Mesoscutum and mesoscutellum 0.49 (0.45–0.54)× and 0.18 (0.16–0.19)× as long as wide, respectively; mesoscutum imbricate; mesoscutellum weakly imbricate; metascutellum not visible; propodeum smooth dorsally, 0.52 (0.51–- 0.55)× length of mesoscutellum medially; pilosity of moderate density, setae of medium length; antero-lateral margin of mesoscutellum with a fovea; lateral pronotal area dorsally imbricate, antero-medially weakly vertically striate, remainder with weak reticulations, except for smooth patch on antero-ventral region; postero-dorsal margin of lateral pronotal area with two short, weak projections; ventral margin of lateral pronotal area extending as a short blunt projection; transverse carinae on dorsal mesopleuron extend up to the level of dorsal metapleuron; mesopleuron ventrally coriaceous reticulate followed by semicircular and oblique carinae, remainder smooth; mesopleuron not extended as a long projection ventrally; mesopleural pit elongate; metapleuron smooth, except for a vertical carina antero-ventrally; posterior suture of metapleuron almost straight, gently curving dorsally towards posterior mesopleural suture; dorsal level of posterior metapleural suture at level of antero-lateral margin of T 2; sculpturing of propodeum anterior to spiracle with a long transverse carina which originates from anterior mesopleuron and continues on to propodeum branching terminally to partially enclose the spiracle basally, this is followed by two transverse carinae; region posterior to spiracle smooth with a carina reaching the posterior margin of propodeum; region ventral to spiracle with two oblique carinae one below the other, former enclosing two short transverse carinae; remainder of lateral propodeum smooth except for two short transverse carinae antero-ventrally; propodeal spiracular opening big, tear-drop shaped.

Metasoma ( Figure 19 (a,c,e)). Metasoma 0.78 (0.75–0.81)× as long as wide; pilosity of moderate density, setae of medium length; T 2 anteriorly finely imbricate, posteriorly smooth; remaining tergites smooth.

Material examined. Holotype: Female ( ICAR / NBAIR / P3466 ), INDIA: Great Nicobar: Campbell Bay, 7°00 ʹ 77 ʹ ’N 93°91 ʹ 47 ʹ ’E, 13 m, SN, 20.III.2016 ; Paratypes: 12 females ( ICAR / NBAIR / P3467 – P3478 ), same data as holotype; 1 female ( ICAR / NBAIR / P3425 ), Tamil Nadu: Dindugul, Thandikudi , RCRS, 10 ° 18 ʹ 34 ʹ ’ N 77 ° 38 ʹ 34 ʹ ’E, 1305 m, YPT, 25 . VI.2015; 1 female

( ICAR / NBAIR /P3426), Arunachal Pradesh: Pasighat , CHF, 28 ° 04 ʹ 28 ʹ ’ N 95 ° 19 ʹ 28 ʹ ’E, 173 m, YPT, 10 .XI .2014.

Etymology. This large-eyed species is named ‘mahanetra’ meaning ‘big eyes’ in Sanskrit. The name is treated as an adjective.

Diagnosis. This species is similar to B. chitrasena sp. n.; diagnosis mentioned under the latter.

Figures

Figure 19. Baeus mahanetra sp. n. (a) Habitus (colour); (b) Frons; (c) Habitus; (d) Antenna; (e) Habitus (lateral view).