Megischus ranjithi Binoy, Santhosh & Girish Kumar, 2020

Megischus ranjithi Binoy, Santhosh & Girish Kumar sp. nov.

( Figs 57–71 View FIGURE 57 View FIGURES 58–65 View FIGURES 66–71 )

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Type material. Holotype ♀, India: Tamil Nadu, Coimbatore district, TNAU Campus ( 11°0’28”N & 76°56’14”E, 47 m), Coll. M. Ranjith, ( ZSIK) Regd. No. ZSI/ WGRC /IR/INV.14031. GoogleMaps

Diagnosis. Head in dorsal view with smooth and shiny area past eyes, pronotum anteriorly with three strong carinae, posteriorly smooth with scattered setigerous pits; mesoscutum densely and obliquely punctate; scutellum and axillae smooth with scattered pits; ovipositor sheath with a subapical ivory band 0.4× as long as the apical dark part. The new species falls out from the first couplet of key to old world Megischus ( van Achterberg 2002) in having narrowed part of hind tibia 0.4× as long as hind tibia; ivory part of ovipositor sheath 0.52× as long as its dark apical part; area behind eyes in dorsal view smooth; mesopleuron smooth with setigerous pits. The new species runs close to M. ptosimae in key to Chinese Megischus ( Hong et al. 2010) in having temple slightly convex behind eye; head largely blackish or dark brown; widened part of hind tibia of female distinctly concave ventrally. But it differs from M. ptosimae in having vein 1-M of fore wing 6.8× as long as 1-SR and 0.8× as long as vein m-cu (in M. ptosimae 1-M 4.2–5.5× as long as vein 1-SR and 1.1–1.3× vein m-cu); ovipositor sheath with subapical ivory band 0.52× dark apical band (in M. ptosimae subapical ivory band 0.7–2× dark apical band). The new species varies from the previously reported Indian specimen M. alveolifer van Achterberg, 2004 in having head black (in M. alveolifer , head orange red); head in frontal view with striae subparallel, converging medioventrally from sides); vertex with two strong and two weak more or less straight carinae (in M. alveolifer vertex with three deeply emarginated carinae); hind coxa robust (in M. alveolifer hind coxa rather slender, spindleshaped); subapical ivory part of ovipositor sheath 0.52× as long as dark apical part (in M. alveolifer ivory part 1.3× as long as dark apical part); and petiole reddish brown (in M. alveolifer petiole brownish black).

Description. Holotype, ♀. Body length 17.06 mm; ovipositor length 3.93 mm; fore wing length 9.64 mm.

Colour. Black with the following parts as follows: tegulae apically with a reddish brown patch; fore and mid coxae black with a reddish tint apically; fore and mid trochanters, femur, tibia and tarsi deep reddish; hind trochanters, tibia and tarsi red; petiole basally and apically brownish red with medial portion bright reddish; apex of second metasomal tergite reddish brown; ovipositor sheath black with subapical ivory band.

Head. Antenna with 41 distinct antennomeres; first antennal segment 1.6× as long as wide and 2× as long as second segment; clypeus rugose with moderate pubescence; mandibles strong with thick setae arising from above and below teeth; ventrally more setose; three anterior coronal teeth large and acute, both posterior ones short and wider; frons finely and transversely rugate; rugae sub parallel sided almost forming a medial carina on lower face; coronal area with smooth areolate rugose channels enclosing the anterior ocellus ( Fig. 60 View FIGURES 58–65 ); vertex rugose-carinate with three carinae beyond the posterior ocelli; area behind the eye in dorsal view, smooth and shiny; temples non angulate ( Fig. 61 View FIGURES 58–65 ); face with scattered golden yellow setae along vertex and frons; clypeus rugate with moderate pubescence; thick yellowish brown setae arising from above and below mandibles; gena smooth with dense setigerous micropunctures halfway up the temple ( Fig. 59 View FIGURES 58–65 ).

Mesosoma . Pronotum stout with neck less emarginate, weakly convex in level with middle part of pronotum ( Fig. 62 View FIGURES 58–65 ); anteriorly with three strong carinae (prominent laterally), posteriorly smooth with few setigerous punctures, laterally produced as shoulders, ending near propleura as buttressing ridges ( Fig. 63 View FIGURES 58–65 ); propleura with a row of setae along the margin; mesoscutum with oblique rows of irregular punctae forming with a median bare foveate line; scutellum and axillae smooth, shiny with few punctae; axillae separated by a large fovea; mesopleura smooth with scattered setigerous pits, more concentrated ventrally, dorso posteriorly smooth and shiny; metapleura dorsally and ventrally smooth and shiny, medially with irregular setigerous areola ( Fig. 63 View FIGURES 58–65 ); propodeum two thirds foveolate with inside of fovea and interstices smooth, a median rugose stripe present, posteriorly fovea turning into irregular rugae ( Fig. 62 View FIGURES 58–65 ); fore wing with vein 2-1 A and 3-CU 1 present; pterostigma elongate and acutely ending posteriorly; 1-M straight, 6.8× as long as vein 1-SR, 0.8× vein m-cu ( Fig. 64 View FIGURES 58–65 ); hind coxa smooth, strong broken striae to tuberculate sculpture anteriorly, posteriorly trans striate with thick setae arising from strong pits along the length ( Fig. 65 View FIGURES 58–65 ); hind femur smooth, with many setigerous pits on outer and inner disc, setae arising from the pits long and variable in colour (brown and white), a pair of strong tooth ventrally, basal one wider, a denticle near the ventral apex; hind tibia robust, narrowed part 0.45× as long as hind tibia; expanded part micropitted with long setae similar to that on hind femur, below widened part distinctly concave ( Fig. 66 View FIGURES 66–71 ); apex of hind tibia and hind tarsi ventrally densely setose with thick yellow setae extending till the second tarsal segment; hind telotarsi almost bare ( Fig. 67 View FIGURES 66–71 ).

Metasoma. First metasomal tergite anteriorly rugose carinate, regularly annulated along the length with a medio-lateral groove, sparsely setose ventrally ( Fig. 68 View FIGURES 66–71 ); 9.8× as long as its maximum width, 2.98× as long as second tergite and 1.3× as long as remainder of metasoma; post-petiolar tergites largely smooth to weakly reticulate, scattered setae ventro-laterally; seventh and eighth tergites microreticulate ( Fig. 69 View FIGURES 66–71 ); pygidial area distinctly differentiated, pygidial impression moderate, reverse V-shaped with a pair of nodes with three pairs of setae arising from it ( Fig. 70 View FIGURES 66–71 ); length of ovipositor sheath 0.54× as long as body length, with a subapical ivory band, 0.52× apical dark part ( Fig. 71 View FIGURES 66–71 ).

Male. Unknown.

Distribution. Oriental: India ( Tamil Nadu).

Host. Unknown.

Etymology. The species is named after M. Ranjith (Research Scholar, Department of Entomology, University of Agricultural and Horticultural Sciences, Shivamogga), who collected the type specimen.