Omphale akhtari Jamali & Zeya, 2022

Jamali, Mohd Majid, Zeya, Shahid Bin & Andrabi, Syed Aasif Hussain, 2022, The genus Omphale Haliday (Hymenoptera, Chalcidoidea, Eulophidae) from India with description of four new species, Journal of Insect Biodiversity and Systematics 8 (2), pp. 229-243 : 235-237

Omphale akhtari Jamali & Zeya sp. nov. ( Figs 3, 5)

http://zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:B272111E-10D5-48AC-A48A-91E04570C9ED

Material examined. Holotype ♀ (on slide under four coverslips, slide No. EUL.207), INDIA: HIMACHAL PRADESH: Shimla , 28.viii.2014, Coll. K. Veenakumari ( ZDAMU).

Paratypes, 3 ♀♀. 1 ♀ (on slide under four coverslips, slide Nos EUL.22); 2 ♀♀ (on cards), with same data as for holotype ( ZDAMU) .

Diagnosis: Omphale akhtari Jamali & Zeya sp. nov. comes close to O. stonia Narendran , but differs from the latter as follow: scrobal grooves fused before joining frontal groove; eye height 7× as long as malar space; mandible with many teeth, and ventral two larger teeth; antenna with 3 anelli. In O. stonia scrobal groove joining frontal groove separately; eye height 2.3× as long as malar space; mandible tridentate; antenna with 1 anellus ( Narendran, 2006: fig. 12).

Description: Female: Body ( Fig. 5A) length, 1.1 mm. Head metallic brown. Antenna brown except scape pale brown. Mesosoma pale yellow except mesoscutum anteriorly one-fourth, mesoscutellum posteriorly one-fifth and propodeum laterally brown. Fore wing hyaline, with slight yellow tinge ( Fig. 3E). Legs, including coxae, pale brown to pale yellow. Petiole pale yellow; gaster metallic brown.

Head ( Fig. 3A), in frontal view, 1.3× as broad as high, smooth, with 14 setae on vertex; scrobal grooves fused before joining frontal groove; eye height 7× as long as malar space; mandible ( Fig. 3B) with several blunt teeth, and ventral two latger teeth; clypeus rectangular, 1.4× as broad as high; antennal toruli situated slightly above the lower eye margin. Antenna ( Fig. 3C) with scape 5.8× as long as broad, 2.5× as long as pedicel; pedicel 2× as long as broad; pedicel + flagellum 2.6× as long as distance between eyes (63: 24); flagellum with 3 distinct anelli; Fu1, Fu2 and Fu3 subequal, Fu4 slightly shorter than Fu1; clava 3.5× as long as broad; clava shorter than all funiculars individually.

Mesosoma ( Fig. 3D) almost smooth, except transverse striations on anterior part of mesoscutum; pronotum very narrow, not visible in dorsal view; mesoscutum shorter than mesoscutellum; notauli incomplete, present in anterior third; mid lobe of mesosctum with 4 setae; side lobe with 1 posterolateral seta; axillae elongate, extending posteriorly more than two-thirds length of mesoscutellum; mesoscutellum longer than broad with 2 long setae; dorsellum smooth, 0.2× as long as broad, and 0.2× propodeum; propodeal callus with 2 short setae. Fore wing ( Fig. 3E) 2.6× as long as broad; 11 admarginal setae arising from both marginal vein and from membrane below vein; radial cell setose; marginal vein + parastigma 1.7×as long as submarginal vein, 11.6 as long as stigmal vein; post marginal vein 2× as long as stigmal vein; longest marginal seta 0.2× maximum wing width. Hind wing ( Fig. 3F) 6.3× as long as broad with apex pointed; longest marginal seta 0.7× maximum wing width.

Metasoma ( Fig. 3G). Petiole 2.1× as broad as long; gaster distinctly longer than mesosoma; ovipositor occupying almost whole length of gaster, exserted beyond apex of gaster; ovipositor 1.5× as long as hind tibia.

Relative measurements (holotype slide at 100×). Head height: width, 29: 38; eye height, 20; malar space, 3; clypeus height: width, 5.5: 8. Antennomeres length: width – scape, 19: 3.25; pedicel, 7.5: 4.25; Fu1, 10.25: 3.25; Fu2, 10.75: 3; Fu3, 10: 3.25; Fu4, 9: 3.25; clava, 8: 2.25; spicula, 2. Mesosoma length: width, 42: 32; propodeum length, 6.5. Fore wing length: width, 122: 47; longest marginal seta, 11.5; submarginal vein length, 33; parastigma length, 6; marginal vein length, 52; postmarginal vein length, 10; stigmal vein length, 5. Hind wing length: width, 95: 15; longest marginal seta, 10.5. Hind tibia length, 38. Metasoma. Petiole length: width, 3.5: 7.5; gaster length, 60; ovipositor length, 70.

Male: Unknown.

Host: Unknown.

Etymology: The species named after the name of Late Akhtar Ali, the beloved teacher of the first author.

Distribution: India: Himachal Pradesh.