Baeus takshaka 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 : 896-899

Baeus takshaka Veenakumari , sp. n. ( Figure 31 (a–e))

http://www.zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:17679436-6912-4D37-9E3E-0BB09F8E67CE

Holotype. Female; body length = 0.56 mm; n = 1

Colour ( Figure 31 (a)). Head, mesonotum and metasoma dark brown, propodeum paler than others; hyperoccipital carina black; mesoscutum and mesoscutellum with a black

band followed by a yellowish brown line posteriorly; A1–A6 brown, clava dark brown; legs yellowish brown.

Head ( Figure 31 (a–d)). Head 1.14× as wide as high; IOS wide, 0.54× width of head and 1.22× eye length; eye small (L: W = 10.2:9.6) setose, posterior orbital carina extending up to hyperoccipital carina, eye not touching hyperoccipital carina posteriorly; head height 2.13× eye length; POL>LOL in ratio of 13.8:8.6; lateral ocellus contiguous with orbits; distance between posterior margin of lateral ocellus and hyperoccipital carina 1.32× MOD; pilosity of moderate density, setae of medium length, shorter than those on mesonotum and metasoma; interantennal process triangular, rugose; length of central keel 0.39× distance from interantennal process to median ocellus; facial striae long, extending up to lower orbit; malar striae sparse; frons adjacent to central keel finely reticulate, followed by semicircular striae and reticulations, with scutes longer than wide; upper frons and vertex finely imbricate; gena smooth, 3.21× as long as wide; anterior margin of gena in contact with 0.51× length of ventral margin of eye; length of A1 0.92× that of clava; length of A2 0.38× that of A1.

Mesosoma ( Figure 31 (a,c,e)). Mesoscutum and mesoscutellum 0.52× and 0.21× as long as wide, respectively; mesoscutum and mesoscutellum finely imbricate with smooth posterior margin; metascutellum not visible; propodeum smooth dorsally, 0.61× length of mesoscutellum medially; pilosity of moderate density, setae of medium length; lateral pronotal area dorsally imbricate with vertical striations posteriorly, antero-medially weakly vertically striate-reticulate, remainder with weak impressions of reticulations; postero-dorsal margin of lateral pronotal area with two short projections; ventral margin of lateral pronotal area extending as a short blunt projection; transverse carinae on dorsal mesopleuron terminate above the dorsal level of metapleuron; mesopleuron ventrally imbricate up to mesopleural pit dorsally, followed by oblique carinae ventrally, remainder smooth with sparse transverse costae; mesopleuron not projecting ventrally; mesopleural pit small; metapleuron ventrally shallowly foveate, remainder with weak impressions of foveae; posterior suture of metapleuron straight, gently curving dorsally towards posterior mesopleuron; dorsal level of posterior metapleural suture ventral to level of antero-lateral margin of T 2; sculpturing of propodeum anterior to spiracle carinate; region posterior to spiracle smooth with one short and two long transverse carinae; region ventral to spiracle with three transverse, one vertical and several oblique carinae; remainder of lateral propodeum with impressions of weak foveae; propodeal spiracular opening tear-drop shaped.

Metasoma ( Figure 31 (a,c,e)). Metasoma 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 / P3088 ), INDIA: Himachal Pradesh: Naggar , 32 ° 06 ʹ 50 ʹ ’ N 77 ° 09 ʹ 51 ʹ ’E, 1714 m, MT, 07.VII.2013.

Etymology. This species is named after Takshaka, the king of the Nagas or snakes in Hindu mythology. The name is treated as a noun in apposition.

Diagnosis. This species is closer to B. ravana sp. n. and the diagnosis is mentioned under the latter.

Figures

Figure 31. Baeus takshaka sp. n. (a) Habitus (colour); (b) Frons; (c) Habitus; (d) Antenna; (e) Habitus (lateral view).