Chrysopophthorus indicus Gupta, 2025

Gupta, Ankita, Pattar, Rohit & Ajaykumara, K. M., 2025, First report of two Braconidae genera Chrysopophthorus Goidanich and Tuberidelus Chen & van Achterberg (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) with description of two new species from India, Zootaxa 5642 (5), pp. 485-492 : 486-489

Chrysopophthorus indicus Gupta sp. nov.

( Figs 1–3 )

Material examined: Holotype: female on card; INDIA: Arunachal Pradesh: Upper Siang district ; 15.iv.2024; light trap; coll. K.M. Ajaykumara; Code-NIM/NBAIR/Brac/Euph/Chry/150424-H ( NIM) . Paratype: One male on card; same data as holotype; Code-NIM/NBAIR/Brac/Euph/Chry/150424-P (NIM) .

Description of female. Length of body 3.86 mm (excluding ovipositor); fore wing 3.17 mm and ovipositor 1.28 mm.

Head. 1.7 × as wide as its median length (in frontal view) ( Fig. 2A ) and 1.1 × wider than mesosoma (in dorsal view); antenna much shorter than body or fore wing, not situated on a protuberance, with 22 antennomeres, penultimate antennomere less robust, at least twice as long as wide; apex of antenna with spine; maxillary and labial palpi with 6 and 3 segments, respectively, sixth segment of maxillary palp 1.3 × as long as long as fifth segment ( Fig. 2C ); labial palp shorter as compared to maxillary palp; occipital carina complete, eyes glabrous and large ( Fig. 2A ); face largely flattened; clypeus wide and high, margin of clypeus evenly rounded, median lobe shining and sparsely punctate, apically irregularly rugose. Face 0.4 × as wide as head. Face, frons, vertex and temple densely punctate. Face 0.4 × as wide as head. Malar suture present (faintly visible), 0.2 × as long as eye height; mandibles long, strongly twisted, overlapping each other for at least three-quarters of mandible, with long apical tooth. Dorsal length of eye 3.8 × temple ( Fig. 2D ); inter-tentorial distance 0.6 × face width. POL 0.6 × OOL; POL 1.3 × diameter of hind ocellus. F1 3.8 × as long as wide ( Fig. 3A ), slightly longer (1.1 ×) than F2, 1.9 × as long as F12.

Mesosoma. Prepectal carina complete; mesosternal sulcus distinct, crenulate; remainder of mesopleuron largely smooth and shiny; metapleuron reticulate-rugose ( Fig. 3C ). Pronotum reticulate rugose; mesoscutum rather flat, median lobe densely punctate, lateral lobe sparsely punctate; notauli complete and crenulate, fused into broad crenulated area medio-subapically; scutellum shallowly punctate to almost smooth apically ( Fig. 3B ). Propodeum distinctly areolate, distinctly concave medio-posteriorly, laterally and basally coarsely areolate, without median areola or median carina ( Fig. 3F ).

Wings. Fore wing vein SRI curved ( Fig. 1 , 2E ); vein 1-R1 of fore wing long; length of marginal cell 2.7 × its maximum width; veins 1-M and M+CU1 of fore wing unsclerotized; vein r of fore wing sub vertical; vein r-m of fore wing present, unsclerotized and short; vein 1-SR short, oblique; pterostigma wide; vein m-cu of fore wing postfurcal; cu-a distinctly curved. Hind wing vein M+CU 2.8 × as long as 1-M; vein 1r-m almost subequal to 1-M; marginal cell of hind wing wide basally and narrow apically.

Metasoma. First metasomal tergite (petiole) tubular ( Fig. 3D ), curved in lateral view, and sub-parallel-sided in dorsal view ( Fig. 3E ); very elongate, 9.5 × as long as its apical width; lateral carinae absent, dorsope and laterope absent, basally flat; spiracle of first tergite sub-medially situated; remaining tergites smooth and shiny; ovipositor distinctly protruding, straight; length of ovipositor sheath 0.4 × as long as fore wing; ovipositor sheath normally setose ( Fig. 3G ).

Colour. Head, mesoscutum (median and lateral patches dark brown), antenna (darker towards apex) and vertex yellowish brown; eyes and ocellar region black, hind ocelli pale yellow, median ocelli light brown; maxillary and labial palpi off white; mandible pale yellow with dark brown apical margin. Pronotum off white to pale yellow; anterior one third of propleuron dark brown and mesopleuron dark brown to black; propodeum black. Wings hyaline, pterostigma dark brown. First metasomal tergite (petiole) off white, remaining metasoma dark brown majorly except yellowish brown towards apex; legs off white coxae, remainder pale yellow to off-white except dark brown telotarsi; yellowish brown ovipositor, ovipositor sheath yellowish brown, darker apically.

Male. Similar to female in general appearance and colouration.

Comments. This species comes close to C. petiolus Chou, 1986 in having second submarginal cell of fore wing long petiolate and as both these species get attracted to light trap, however it can be separated from the latter in having length of eye in dorsal view 3.8 × as long as temple (2.2–2.4 × in C. petiolus ); sixth segment of maxillary palp 1.3 × as long as fifth segment (about 2 × in C. petiolus ); first metasomal tergite (petiole) 9.5 × as long as its apical width (8.8–9.0 × in C. petiolus ); ovipositor sheath 0.4 × as long as fore wing (0.28 × in C. petiolus ); cu-a distinctly curved (slightly curved in C. petiolus ); r-m arising at 0.28 of 2-SR (r-m arising from about middle of 2-SR in C. petiolus ).

Etymology. The species name is derived from the country “ INDIA ” from where it was collected.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Chrysopophthorus indicus Gupta sp. nov. Female, holotype, habitus, lateral view.

FIGURE 2. Chrysopophthorus indicus Gupta sp. nov. Female, holotype.A. Head in frontal view; B. Head and mesosoma (in part) in lateral view; C. Maxillary palp; D. Vertex; E. Wings.

FIGURE 3. Chrysopophthorus indicus Gupta sp. nov. Female, holotype. A. Antenna; B. Mesosoma in dorsal view; C. Mesosoma in lateral view; D. First metasomal tergite (petiole) in lateral view; E. Petiole in dorsal view; F. Propodeum; G. Metasoma (without petiole) in lateral view.