Homalotylus noyesi Krishnachaitanya and Manickavasagam, sp. nov.

(Figure 6)

Female

Holotype. Length, 1.51 mm. Body orange yellow to brown (Figure (6a)). Head with frontovertex and scrobal cavity metallic yellow, between ocellar triangle dusky brown, ocelli transparent; eye with silvery white setae. Antenna with radicle, scape and pedicel yellow to light brown, F1 – F4 dorsally brown, ventrally light brown, F5 – F6 and clava white. Mesosoma, dorsal view of mesosoma shiny brownish yellow; pronotum medially light brown, laterally metallic yellow, mid lobe of mesocutum light brown, lateral lobes yellow with silvery white setae; tegula in basal half white, apical half light brown; scutellum yellow with dark brown setae; propodeum medially yellowish brown, laterally light brown; mesopleuron yellowish with a descending brown band. Fore wing basally infuscate, followed by hyaline area till middle 1/3, with a brown band in middle 1/3, apical 1/3 lightly infuscate; hind wing hyaline. Legs with all coxae and trochanters white; fore and middle femur white, dorsally brown; fore tibia yellow, mid tibia dorsoventrally white, laterally brown, hind tibia ventrally dark brown, dorsally white; fore tarsi yellow, middle and hind tarsus white. Metasoma dorsally brown, laterally and ventrally yellowish brown with base whitish; hypopygium yellowish brown, ovipositor sheath yellow.

Head in frontal view broader than high (39:36); eye in frontal view 1.2× as high as wide; frontovertex with scattered polygonal reticulate sculpture, interantennal prominence, antennal scrobes with imbricate sculpture; mandible with 3 acute teeth. Antenna (Figure (6b)) with scape slender, 7× as long as wide; pedicel 2.25× as long as wide; funicle length and width gradually increasing, F1 1.1× as long as wide and F2 – F6 quadrate; clava obliquely truncate, 2.7× as long as wide. Measurements: head height: width, 36:39; eye height:width, 17:14; frontovertex width 11; POL 3; OOL 0; OCL 2.5; AOL 3.5; scape length:width, 28:4; pedicel length:width, 9:4; funicle length:width, F1, 4:3.5; F2, 4:4; F3,4:4; F4,4.5:4.5; F5, 4.5:4.5; F6, 4.5:4.7; clava length:width, 16:6.

Mesosoma 1.4× as long as wide; mesoscutum 1.6× as wide as long; scutellum 1× as long as wide; pronotum and mesoscutum with imbricate, axillae and scutellum with punctate-reticulate sculpture. Fore wing (Figure (6c)) 2.8× as long as wide; costal cell 14.7× as long as wide; marginal vein slightly longer than wide; stigmal vein 1.5× as long as postmarginal vein. Mid tibia 2.6× as long as mid tibial spur; mid basitarsus with 14 pegs and as long as mid tibial spur; mid tibial spur serrate. Measurements: mesosoma length:width, 40:29; mesoscutum length:width, 18:29; scutellum length:width, 23:22; forewing length:width, 101:36; costal cell length: width, 44:3; marginal vein length:width, 3.5:2.5; postmarginal vein length, 5, stigmal vein length, 7.5; mid tibia length, 42; mid basitarsus length, 16; mid tibial spur length, 16.

Metasoma with posterior margin of T 1 – T 3 convex; T 4 posterior margin slightly convex; T 5 with posterior margin more or less straight and T 6 concave; syntergum medially, broadly V− shaped; T 2 – T 6 each with an anterior, median incision. Hypopygium extending to apex of gaster; ovipositor (Figure (6d)) exserted, 1.5 × as long as mid tibia. Measurements: metasoma length 53; exserted ovipositor length, 20; ovipositor length, 64.

Material examined

Holotype, 1 f# (on slide under 4 cover slips) labelled ‘ INDIA: Bihar, Banka, Bounsi (N25.14° E86.56°), 08.i.2014, YPT, Abhinav Kumar ’ (EDAU, Registration No. Enc /010/2015).

Host

Unknown.

Male

Unknown.

Comments

This species is similar to H. varicolorus in having the ovipositor exserted, scape 7× as long as broad and F1 – F4 light brown, and F6 and clava white, but differs in the following characters: ovipositor 1.5× as long as mid tibia; pedicel 2.25× as long as wide; fore wing 2.8× as long as wide; clava length 2.7× as long as wide; head frontally 0.9× as long as wide; stigmal vein 1.5× as long as postmarginal vein (ovipositor 2.2× as long as mid tibia; pedicel 2.75× as long as wide; fore wing 3× as long as wide; clava 3.3× as long as wide; head frontally 1× as long as wide; stigmal vein 1.8× as long as post marginal vein in H. varicolorus).

Etymology

This species is named after the encyrtid specialist Dr. John. S. Noyes of the NHM, London.