37. Tiphia (Tiphia) sahyadriensis Hanima & Girish Kumar sp. nov.

(Figs 486–495)

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 571BCA76-F374-45F1-8002-26D7C1754BA3

Type material. Holotype, ♀, INDIA: Tamil Nadu, Coimbatore district, Sadivayal, Siruvani (10°56′22″N & 76°44′52″E, 458 m), 5.i.2019, Coll. P. Girish Kumar, (ZSIK) Regd. No. ZSI / WGRC /IR/INV.19124 . Paratypes: 1♀, same collection data as that of holotype, (ZSIK) Regd. No. ZSI / WGRC /IR/INV.19125; 2♀, Coimbatore district, Kottur (10°31′34″N & 76°58′35″E, 303 m), 2.i.2019, Coll. P. Girish Kumar, (ZSIK) Regd. Nos. ZSI / WGRC /IR/ INV.19126 &19127 .

Diagnosis. Mandible without preapical denticle; median extension of clypeus bidentate; lateral side of pronotum with well-developed transdiscal groove; dorsal side of propodeum with submarginal carina; tegulae translucent orange; hind basitarsus without groove.

Description. Holotype, ♀. Body length 6.3 mm. Paratypes, ♀. Body length 6.4–7.6 mm.

Colour. Black except the following parts as follows: tibia of all legs (Fig. 486), antenna beneath (Fig. 486) and mandible reddish brown (Fig. 488); tegula reddish brown (Fig. 480) with apical small portion yellowish.

Head. Head entirely uniformely punctate with medium sized punctures (Fig. 487); HW 1.54 × least distance between eyes; mandible without preapical denticle (Fig. 488); clypeus with its median extension straight (Fig. 488); POD 2.27 × LOD and 0.8 × OOD; scape, pedicel and first flagellomere mostly shiny, setae sparse (Fig. 492); second flagellomere with its apical small region smooth and shiny; other flagellomeres with thick setae; length of scape: pedicel: Fu 1: Fu 2: Fu 3: Fu 4: Fu 5: Fu 6: Fu 7: Fu 8: Fu 9: Fu 10 = 0.354: 0.139: 0.142: 0.150: 0.152: 0.152: 0.151: 0.152: 0.211: 0.218: 0.221: 0.294 (Fig. 492).

Mesosoma. Dorsal side of pronotum anteriorly with strong carina, most of area with punctures and posterior area with impunctate area (Fig. 490); lateral side of pronotum with distinct transdiscal groove, aciculations above the groove and striations below (Fig. 491); tegula brown translucent with apical portion yellow translucent, length of tegula 1.37 × as long as its middle width (Fig. 490); mesoscutum with its notauli not connected to anteriomedian escarpment, punctures closely placed and distributed mainly in median area (Fig. 490); scutellum with large punctures on posterior margin and scattered ones at anterior part (Fig. 490); metanotum with punctures distributed mainly in lateral side (Fig. 490); dorsal side of propodeum entirely finely shagreened with small scattered punctures (Fig. 490), with strong submarginal carina laterally (Fig. 490); lateral carina of areola sigmoid in shape (Fig. 490); second cubital cell of fore wing with an outwardly directed straight spur (Fig. 493); hind tibiae inflated, inner side with evanescent carina, hind basitarsus without groove on inner surface. Length of mesosoma: 1.97 mm.

Metasoma. All tergites smooth and shiny with punctures, distribution of punctures less in Gt 1 compared to others (Fig. 494); pygidium with basal lateral parts rugose punctuate and middle region with small punctures, apical half smooth (Fig. 494). Length of metasoma: 3.18 mm.

Male. Unknown.

Discussion. As per the key of Allen 1975, this new species comes close to Tiphia capillata Allen & Jaynes in having mandible without preapical denticle; clypeus bidentate; tegula translucent orange, hind basitarsus without groove, but this new species distinctly differs from T. (T.) capillata in the following characters: metanotum not densely punctate, with punctures on lateral side (in T. (T.) capillata, metanotum densely punctate); submarginal carina of dorsal side of propodeum present (in T. (T.) capillata, submarginal carina of dorsal side of propodeum absent); lateral side of pronotum with well-developed transdiscal groove (in T. (T.) capillata, lateral side of pronotum with weak or vestigial transdiscal groove).

Distribution. India (Tamil Nadu).

Etymology. The species name is derived from ‘Sahyadri’, the vernacular name for Western Ghats where the type specimens were collected.