Brachygaster bangalorensis Rameshkumar & Kazmi, 2025

Rameshkumar, A., Kazmi, S. I., Yeshwanth, H. M. & Barua, A., 2025, Description of a new species of Brachygaster Leach (Hymenoptera: Evaniidae) from India with a key to species, Zootaxa 5618 (1), pp. 137-139 : 137-139

Brachygaster bangalorensis Rameshkumar & Kazmi sp. nov.

( Fig. 1 )

Material examined. HOLOTYPE, Female (on card), “ INDIA: Karnataka, Bengaluru (=Bangalore), GKVK, ex. Zyzygium , 06.vi.2024, Coll. Yeshwanth, H.M .

Description. Holotype female. Body length 3.8 mm (head to tip of metasoma).

Head. Black with silvery setae, quadrate, deeply punctured except vertex sparsely punctured; eyes and ocelli silvery; gena with three rows of deep punctures; mandible tridentate, brown except base and apex dark brown; fronto-vertex half of head width, 2.0 × of scape length; distance between posterior ocellus 2.3 × of the distance between anterior ocellus, 4.8 × of posterior ocellus and eye margin; malar space 0.7 × scape length and half of posterior ocelli; eyes ovoid. Antenna with 13 antennomeres (excluding radicle); scape, pedicel, F1– F3 pale brown, remaining flagellomeres (F4–F13) brown; antennal socket arise just above base of eyes; antennomeres longer than broad; pedicel 0.7 × longer than F1; scape 2.3 × longer than broad, 2.8× longer than pedicel, slightly shorter than F1 and F2 combined, 1.5 × longer than eye length. Relative measurements (in mm)—head width (height), 1.18 (1.11); fronto-vertex width, 0.6; OOL, 0.09; AOL, 0.14; POL, 0.44; eye length (width), 0.80 (0.56); malar space length, 0.22; scape length (width), 0.31 (0.13); pedicel length (width), 0.11 (0.08); F1 length (width), 0.14 (0.09); F2 length (width), 0.14 (0.08); F3 length (width), 0.17 (0.10).

Mesosoma. Black, pronotum short, with silvery setae; pronotal neck obscure; dorsolateral area of pronotum with the sharp ending; carinae present on lateral sides of pronotum; pronotal carina inconspicuous in the mid-dorsal area and prominent in lateral view. Mesoscutum foveate with silvery setae, 1.8 × longer than broad; notaulus absent; tegula brown; parascutal carina and parascutal sulcus present. Scutellum 2.3 × broader than long. Lateral metanotum covered by setae; metapleuron with upper region flat, nitid and lower region foveate; epicnemial carina with median process; prespecular sulcus not smooth and nitid; propodeum with regular foveae; adpetiolar strip (aps) broader than long; nucha present and elevated in lateral view; projection of propodeum present.

Legs: Fore coxa dark brown except apex pale; tibia yellowish brown; tarsi yellowish. Mid coxa dark brown; femur except apex pale. Hind coxa dark brown except trochanter yellowish brown; hind tibia and basitarsus with uniformly distributed short spines; length of hind leg 3.0 × mesosoma height; metatarsal length 4.3 × of external tibial spur. Relative measurements (in mm)—mesoscutum length (width), 0.52 (0.97); scutellum length (width), 0.38 (0.89); mesosoma height, 1.32; hind leg length, 4.02; hind coxa length, 0.48; hind femur length (width), 1.04 (0.32); hind tibia length (width), 0.98 (0.22); external tibial spur length, 0.28; metatarsal length, 1.22.

Wings. Hyaline; fore wing with three complete cells; costal cell length 0.58 × of head and mesosoma length; stigmal vein as wide as costal cell; 4RS and r-m vein spectral; fore wing 2.6 × longer than wide. Relative measurements (in mm)—fore wing length (width), 2.41 (0.92); costal cell length (width), 0.96 (0.08); stigmal vein width, 0.08; hind wing length (width), 1.32 (0.35).

Metasoma. Ovoid in lateral view; nitid, dark brown, smooth; ovipositor not exserted; petiole brown with prominent longitudinal sculpture on dorsal side but slightly oblique on lateral side, not punctate, half of the metasoma length. Relative measurements (in mm)—petiole length (width), 0.54 (0.14); metasoma length (width), 1.10 (0.75).

Male. Unknown.

Host. Unknown.

Distribution. India: Karnataka.

Etymology. The species is named based on type locality.

Comments. The new species is distinctive and differs from the two existing Indian species as follows: head lacks an arch-like pattern of sculptures around antennal sockets, and the length of the POL is consistently greater than that of the scape length. Further comparison of the three species of Indian Brachygaster is provided in the species key.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Brachygaster bangalorensis sp. nov. ♀ A. Habitus, lateral view, B. Head, frontal view, C. Clypeus with mandible, D. antenna, E. mesosoma, dorsal view, F. hind leg, G. Fore and hind wing, H. metasoma with petiole.