Paroligoneurus harishi Ranjith & van Achterberg, 2020

Ranjith, A. P., Achterberg, Cornelis Van, Sankararaman, H. & Nasser, M., 2020, Discovery of the ichneutine genus Paroligoneurus Muesebeck (Hymenoptera Braconidae) from the Indian subcontinent with the description of a new species from Northwest India, Zootaxa 4786 (3), pp. 396-408 : 405-407

Paroligoneurus harishi Ranjith & van Achterberg , sp. nov.

( Figure 1–2 )

Material examined. Holotype, female, “ INDIA: Rajasthan, Jodhpur , 27.ii.2019, leg. Sankararaman, H. ” ( DZUC).

Description. Holotype, Female, body length 1.5 mm, fore wing 1.3 mm, ovipositor sheath 0.2 mm.

Head. Width of head 1.7 × its length in dorsal view, 1.5 × its length in anterior view; antenna with 18 antennomeres; length of scape 1.3 × as long as pedicel; length of first flagellomere 1.1 × as long as second flagellomere, length of first, second and penultimate flagellomeres 3.0, 2.6 and 1.6 × as long as wide respectively; vertex and temple smooth, polished, sparsely setose; length of eye 1.5 × as long as temple in dorsal view; temple roundly narrowed posteriorly; POL:OD:OOL= 5:3:9; frons smooth, polished, sparsely setose; face smooth, polished, sparsely setose; width 1.5 × as long as its medial length; anterior tentorial pits slightly large; intertentorial distance 3.25 × as long as tentorio-ocular distance; width of clypeus 2.8 × its length; clypeus smooth with row of hairs apically; length of malar space 1.0 × basal width of mandibles.

Mesosoma. Mesosoma 1.6 × as long as high; sides of pronotum smooth, sparsely setose; mesoscutum flat, smooth, polished, sparsely setose; notauli distinct only anteriorly, absent posteriorly; scutellum smooth, sparsely setose, glabrous medially; scutellar sulcus shallow, narrow, undivided; mesopleuron smooth, polished, sparsely setose; precoxal sulcus indistinct, smooth; metapleuron smooth, setose, posteriorly; propodeum smooth, sparsely setose.

Wings. Fore wing: pterostigma 2.7 × as long as wide; length of R1a 0.3 × as long as pterostigma; r-rs issuing from middle of pterostigma; length of r-rs 0.7 × as long as pterostigmal width; 1cu-a interstitial. Hind wing: M+CU: 1M: 19: 11; 1-1A unsclerotised.

Legs. Hind coxa smooth, sparsely punctate dorsally; length of hind femur, tibia, basitarsus 2.6, 10.25 and 6.5 × as long as wide respectively; length of hind tibia 1.2 × hind tarsus; length of hind basitarsus 1.3 × combined length of second and third tarsus.

Metasoma. Length of metasoma 1.2 × as long as mesosoma; length of first tergite 2.6 × its apical width; first tergite smooth without longitudinal groove, strongly narrowing basally, gradually narrowing apically, width at spiracle 1.8 × width at apex, length 1.5 × width at spiracle; second and following tergite smooth; length of second tergite 0.5 × its apical width; second tergite with trapezoidal are bordered by shallow groove; second metasomal suture indistinct; hypopygium distinctly pointed apically; length of hypopygium 2.0 × first tergite; length of ovipositor sheath 1.4 × first tergite; ovipositor sheath setose apically.

Colour. Body brownish yellow, but antennal flagellomeres, eye, pterostigma, telotarsus, ovipositor sheath brown.

Male. Unknown.

Host. Unknown.

Distribution. India (Rajasthan).

Etymology. The new species is dedicated to Mr. Harish Sivaramakrishnan, Carnatic singer and vocalist of Agam band for his continuing journey in the realm of independent music, imaginative talk and making many listeners to think ‘out of the box’.

Comments. The new species differs from the very similar P. songyangensis (He) mainly by having less antennal antennomeres (18 versus 24 antennomeres), smooth propodeum (vs medio-posteriorly propodeum longitudinally rugulose in P. songyangensis ) and head colour (yellow versus black dorsally). The new species is also similar to P. pallidus Austin & Wharton based on number of flagellomeres, position of fore wing vein cu-a and first metasomal tergite distinctly narrowing basally. Apart from the differences mentioned in the key the new species differs from P. pallids in having the ovipositor sheath without long ventral setae (vs with long ventral setae in P. pallidus ), pterostigma 2.7 × as long as wide (vs 2.0 × as long as wide in P. pallidus ), width of head 1.7 × its length (vs 2.4 × its length in P. pallidus ) and hypopygium 2.0 × as long as first tergite (vs 2.4–2.5 × as long as first tergite in P. pallidus ).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Paroligoneurus harishi Ranjith & van Achterberg sp. nov., holotype, female; A. Habitus, lateral view, B. Head, anterior view, C. Head, dorsal view, D. Head and mesosoma (in part), oblique view, E. Mesosoma, lateral view, F. Mesosoma, dorsal view.

FIGURE 2. Paroligoneurus harishi Ranjith & van Achterberg sp. nov., holotype, female; A. Mesosoma (in part) and propodeum, dorsal view, B. Metasoma, lateral view, C. Metasoma, dorsal view, D. Metasomal tergite 1 & 2, dorsal view, E. Wings, F. Hind wing.