Epitranus longicaudatus Binoy, 2024

Epitranus longicaudatus Binoy View in CoL sp. nov. ( Figs 1–10)

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Type material. Holotype ♀, India: Kerala, Malappuram district, Botanical Garden, University of Calicut ( 11°08'01.6"N, 75°53'26.5"E, 105m above MSL), Malaise Trap, 1.iii.2018 – 2.iv.2018, Coll. C. Binoy. GoogleMaps

Etymology. The species name is derived from Latin longicauda (long-tail), in reference to the long acuminate gaster of the new species.

Diagnosis. The new species resembles E. salinae in general morphology and runs close to it in the key to Oriental species of Epitranus ( Narendran, 1989) in having epipygium distinctly long, last sternite plough shaped, propodeum with a small and often raised areola followed by a median carina, and gastral apex acuminate in profile. Epitranus longicaudatus Binoy sp. nov. differs from E. salinae as follows: Gt 1 long, twice as long as epipygium (in E. salinae epipygium longer than half length of Gt 1 ( Fig. 11)); hind femur deep reddish brown, no median black patch (in E. salinae , hind femur with distinct median black patch ( Fig. 16)); Gt 1 2.2× as long as petiole (in E. salinae first tergite 2.9× length of petiole) ( Fig. 12); clypeus edentate (in E. salinae , clypeus with three well-formed teeth) ( Fig. 15, arrow head).

Description. Holotype ♀ ( Figs 1–10). Body length 5.08 mm, length of fore wing 2.44 mm. Body black except following parts: eyes pale golden yellow with black patches, ocelli reddish brown, scape, pedicel and ring segment reddish brown, following segments darker; tegulae rufous; wings hyaline with brown veins; fore and mid legs brown, hind coxa brown-black with apical third red-brown, hind femur red-brown with moderate white pubescence, ventrally with basal one largest followed by seven short black teeth, hind tibia red-brown with pale yellow sub-basal tooth, all tarsi rufous; pubescence on thorax pale golden yellow; metasoma deep red-brown with ovipositor sheath black.

Head. Head with dense setigerous punctures, wider than mesoscutum in dorsal view (1.2×), distinctly transverse (1.6× as wide as high in frontal view); scrobe 1.5× as long as wide with weak striae ( Fig. 3). Vertex finely densely punctate between, interspaces smooth, POL 1.4× OOL. Preorbital carina weakly indicated; malar area densely finely punctate; malar space 0.43× as long as eye height in lateral view; malar carina absent; gena with coarse setigerous punctures; post-orbital carina indicated. Occipital area finely densely punctate, interspaces wide, smooth; occipital carina, just above foramen magnum. Frontal lobe very short, not masking clypeus, with free margin entire ( Fig. 3 inset). Antenna. 12 antennomeres with sparse short setae; scape relatively long not reaching median ocellus, as long as fu 2 to fu 6 combined; pedicel sub-cylindrical; anellus transverse; clava bluntly tapered apically, 2.2× as long as wide. Flagellomeres (except the first) bearing mostly a single row of MPS; relative length of antennomeres in the ratio 5.5: 1.1: 1.1: 1.2: 1.2: 1.1: 1.1: 1.1: 1.2: 3.1.

Mesosoma. Pronotum and mesoscutum dorsally with close pits, interstices wide, sparse yellow pubescence; diameter of the pit on mesoscutum increases posteriorly; mesoscutellum as long as wide with wide pits, single pale golden yellow seta arising from each pit; median short carina on anterior scutellar margin; mesoscutellum rounded apically ( Fig. 5); propodeum with small areola anteriorly followed by raised median carina accompanied by sublateral carinae ( Fig. 6); lower episternum ending in blunt notches ventrally before insertion of hind coxa ( Fig. 7, arrow head); Wings. Hyaline, with sparse short scattered setae on lamina, mv long, bending in a curve forming small stv ( Fig. 8); Hind leg. Hind femur matt with dense brown setae, ventrally with basal tooth large, sharp, followed by seven regularly placed black teeth; hind tibia ventrally with grove, with subbasal hump and a sharp tooth ( Fig. 9).

Metasoma. Metasoma long, 1.6× as long as mesosoma; petiole red-brown, long and arching 3.9× as long as broad, 5.3× as long as high with carinae on dorsal and lateral margins in lateral view ( Fig. 6); terga with sparse pubescence ventro-laterally, base bulging ventrally inwards, apically acuminate, Gt 1 as long as 0.7× total length of metasoma (including epipygium), 2.5× as long as petiole; Gt 2 0.3× as long as Gt 1; Gt 3 –Gt 6 small, retracted or partially behind Gt 1; epipygium very long, as long as 0.5× length of Gt 1; ovipositor sheath black, visible dorsally ( Fig. 10).

Male. Unknown.