Stenomalina kasaragodensis Surya & Sureshan, 2024

Surya, Kolencheri Suresh & Sureshan, Pavittu Meethal, 2024, Two new species and a new generic record of Pteromalidae (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea) from Western Ghats, India, Journal of Insect Biodiversity and Systematics 10 (2), pp. 195-205 : 197-199

Stenomalina kasaragodensis Surya & Sureshan sp. nov. ( Figs 1–2)

https://zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:B1F3DBEC-B0E5-4EDC-A8AA-0A1BBD6DE0C5

Type material. Holotype ♀ ( Figs 1A–H), mounted on triangular card, deposited at ZSIK. India: Kerala, Kasaragod district, Ranipuram (11°25'35"N, 75°21'24"E, 1048 m a.s.l.), 05.i.2012, Coll. K. Rajmohana, ZSIK Regd. No. ZSI/ WGRC /IR/INV.22932 . Paratype 1♂, mounted on triangular card ( Figs 2A–D), ZSIK Regd. No. ZSI/ WGRC /IR/INV.22933 .

Etymology. The species is named after Kasaragod, the district in Kerala from where the types were collected.

Diagnosis. This new species closely resembles Stenomalina fervida Graham, 1965 in general morphology and in having gaster ovate; fu 4 transverse; combined length of pedicel and flagellum equal to the width of the head; micropilosity present nearly halfway towards the base of clava ( Fig. 1B) and however, the new species differs from S. fervida in having: 1) Head and thorax black ( Figs 1B, 1C, 1D) (in S. fervida head and thorax bluish black); 2) fore wing hyaline ( Fig. 1H) (in S. fervida , fore wing slightly yellowish near speculum); 3) fu 3 quadrate ( Fig. 1B) (in S. fervida fu 3 slightly to distinctly elongate); 4) antennal scape and femora testaceous ( Fig. 1A) (in S. fervida , antennal scape and femora 1 Breddish); 5) mesoscutellum 1.4× as broad as long ( Fig. 1E) (in S. fervida , mesoscutellum about as broad as long); 6) median carina incomplete and slightly irregular ( Fig. 1F) (in S. fervida , median carina complete, strong, straight or only very slightly irregular, sometimes crossed by one or two short transverse ridges). The new species also resembles S. oxygyne (Walker, 1835) in anterior margin of clypeus with tooth; metasoma longer than head plus mesosoma and tuft of micropilosity extending over at most about one third the length of the clava but differs in: 1) body colour black, funicles black ( Fig. 1A) (in S. oxygyne body colour metallic bluish-green, funicles brown); 2) gaster ovate, not longer than head and thorax combined ( Fig. 1G) (in S. oxygyne conical, acuminate, much longer than head and thorax combined); 3) POL1.4× OOL ( Fig. 1D) (in S. oxygyne POL 1.15× OOL) and 4) SMV 2.1×MV, MV 0.66× PMV, PMV 2.7× STV ( Fig. 1H)(in S. oxygyne SMV 0.19×MV, MV 0.66× PMV, PMV 1.5× STV).

Description. Holotype ♀. Body length 5.03 mm, length of fore wing 3.08 mm

Colour ( Figs 1A). Body black, except for gaster brown with greenish lustre anteriorly on Gt 1; antenna brown, except scape testaceous; tegula brown; legs testaceous with tips of tarsi brown, coxae concolorous with thorax, femora brown posteriorly; wings hyaline, venation brown.

Head. In frontal view head ( Fig. 1C) width 1.5× length, distinctly reticulate; clypeus strigose, anterior margin bearing a median tooth, mandibles shiny, left mandible tridentate and right mandible tetradentate; POL 1.4× OOL ( Fig. 1D); face distinctly reticulate; malar groove distinct; gena reticulate; malar space 0.37× as long as eye in lateral view ( Fig. 1B); eyes bare, eye length 1.3× width in profile view; vertex reticulate; occipital carina absent; antennae inserted almost in the middle of the face, with two anelli, six funiculars, clava with three clavomeres, scape reaching median ocellus, 1.35× as long as first two funiculars combined; pedicel 1.49× as long as broad, 1.04× fu 1, fu 2 0.86× longer than fu 1; clava almost as long as last two preceding segments combined, funiculars with three or four rows of long white irregularly arranged sensilla, ventral surface of antennal clava with a patch of micropilosity extending about halfway along the clava ( Figs 1B–C).

Mesosoma ( Figs 1E–F). Mesosoma 0.6× as broad as long dorsally, distinctly reticulate; mesoscutum 1.49× as broad as long; notauli incomplete; mesoscutellum weakly convex, 1.4× as broad as long; frenum and frenal groove indistinct; dosellum narrow and shiny; propodeum ( Fig. 1F) moderately long, 1.79× as broad as long medially, distinctly reticulate, median carina short and incomplete; spiracle oval, close to metanotum, separated from hind margin by a distance lesser than its diameter; callus with white pubescence; nucha short; mesepimeron, mesepisternum and metapleuron reticulate entirely; legs slender, hind tibia with one spur; hind coxa moderately reticulate; fore wing ( Fig. 1H) 2.5× as long as broad, speculum moderate, basal cell bare, marginal fringe short, stigma small; uncus distinct, discal pubescence dense; relative lengths of SMV, MV, PMV and STV in the ratio 71:33:50:18. Metasoma ( Fig. 1G). Gaster sessile, ovate, finely reticulate, 3.4× as long as broad, 0.8× as long as combined lengths of head and mesosoma; Gt 1 largest, Gt 2, Gt 3 and Gt 4 almost equal, Gt 5 shorter than Gt 4; remaining tergites retracted; ovipositor and ovipositor sheath slightly exerted.

Male ( Figs 2A–D). Similar to female in general morphology, body length 4.87 mm but differs in the following: gaster oval without greenish lustre anteriorly on Gt 1; antenna slender and hairy, ventral surface devoid of micropilosity; speculum narrow; metasoma 1.2× as long as combined lengths of head and mesosoma.

Distribution. India: Kerala.