Two new species of Chalcididae ( Hymenoptera : Chalcidoidea ) from India

Two new species of Chalcididae viz. Psilochalcis mathuraensis sp. nov. and Brachymeria neoatteviae sp. nov. are described and compared with similar species. Illustrations of important features are provided.

Diagnosis: Antennae 13 segmented; in female antennae inserted at clypeus; in male, antennae inserted a little distance above it; scape not reaching anterior ocellus; head in front view roundly triangular or subrectangular as in soudanensis group; outer surface of clypeus gradually turns downwards and its upper edge projects slightly to strongly in different species; body densely setose in some species; mesosoma sturdy, in some species propodeum is almost horizontal with very distinct carinae submediae, accessoriae, sublaterales and costae lateralis; scutellum flatly arched, posteriorly broadly rounded or truncated; hind femur with a ventral row of comb of teeth, basal tooth massive in Chalcidiopsis and typical Psilochalcis.Gaster with large, tongue shaped, posteriorly rounded T1.
Hosts: Parasites of lepidopterous pupae.Distribution: North and Central America, Europe, Africa, Madagascar, Oriental region and Japan.
Description: Length 3.72mm.Black with following parts as follows; scape, pedicel and F1 pale brownish-yellow; all coxae concolrous with body; remaining leg segments pale brownish-yellow with carinae and ventral comb of teeth of hind femur black; eye and ocellus pale grayish yellow; pubescence white; wings hyaline with veins brown; pilosity of wing disc brown.
Mesosoma: Pronotum with widely scattered shallow setigerous pits; interstices much wider than diameter of a pit; pronotum including collum longer and wider than mesoscutum; posterior margin of pronotum with a thick row of short setae; lateral panel of pronotum with a deep close umbilicate pits with interstices carinate, area close to lower margin of panel coriaceous; lateral panel separated from fore coxa by a deep furrow; mesoscutum with widely spaced (with interstices wider than a pit) setigerous pits; scutellum with widely spaced pits with interstices wider than a pit; posterior margin of scutellum rounded; propodium in the anterior two thirds subhorizontal, posterior third more sloping; carinae submediae, accessoriae, sublaterale and costae lateales very distinct; secondary transverse carinae short but distinct, bottom of the areola shiny; carina media lacking; metapleuron with close deep umbilicate setigerous pits; mesopleura with distinct anterior ridge, delimited facies femoralis, with transverse, oblique dorsally horizontal wrinkles; fore coxa subrectangular in side view with four to five oblique carinae; mid coxa with a deep concavity in side view; hind coxa densely pubescent on ventral half; hind femur arched 1.83x as long as wide, smooth with relatively small pits (smaller than pits of scutellum); pubescence moderately dense, longest hairs 0.5x width of hind tibia; ventral margin with a comb of 33-34 teeth; forewing 3.4x as long as wide.
Male: Unknown.Host: Unknown.Etymology: The species name is after the place Mathura from the holotype is collected.
The genus Brachymeria Westwood occurring in the Oriental region was revised first by Joseph, Narendran & Joy (1973), and later Narendran (1989) again revised Oriental Brachymeria in his monograph on 'Oriental Chalcididae'.Since then, Farooqi et al. (1991), described four new species and two new subspecies of Brachymeria.The new species described by these authors are: Brachymeria kurukshetraensis, B. neomegaspila, B. rossicorporis and B.gauhatiensis.From the descriptions of these species it is clear that Brachymeria kurukshetraensis is a junior synonym of B. albicrus (Klug) (syn.nov.) and that B.neomegaspila is a form of B.megaspila (Cameron, 1991) (syn. nov.).Unadilla (1996) later described Brachymeria encarpae Ubaidillah from Indonesia.Joseph, Narendran and Joy (1973) and Narendran (1989) revised oriental Brachymeria and provided keys.
Diagnosis: Head oval in profile; scrobe deep with carinate margins; in some species head with preorbital or postorbital carinae or with both carinae present; malar sulcus carinate or ridged; antennal formula 11171 (clava 1 to 3 segmented).Mesosoma with umbilicate punctures; forewing with PMV usually half or about half as long as MV and usually twice as long as STV.Hind coxa in female in some cases with an inner ventromesal tooth; hind femur with a ventral row of irregular teeth and in some species with an inner basal tooth; hind tibia arcuate; gaster sessile, T1 always the longest; ovipositor sheath slightly compressed slightly exerted; in some species gaster elongate.
Biology: The species are mostly primary parasitoids in pupae of holometabolous insects, especially of Lepidoptera but some species attack Diptera, Coleoptera and Hymenoptera.Most species are primary parasitoids.Some are hyperparasitoids attacking Lepidoptera through parasitic Hymenoptera or Diptera.
Mesosoma: Provided with umbilicate pits, interstices carinate and rugose; mesoscutum 1.13x as wide as its length; scutellum well high at base, subperpendicularly declined towards apical part; apical flange slightly emarginated at middle, explanate; dorsal margin of lateral panel of pronotum complete and not interrupted anteriorly; hind coxa on ventral side densely pitted and pubescent, without an inner ventromesal tooth, dorsal side smooth; hind femur 1.62x as long as wide; outer disc rather mat like, pubescent, outer ventral margin with a row of 12 differently sized teeth.Forewing 2.56x as long as broad; relative length of SMV = 66, MV = 31, PMV = 14; STV = 6.
Gaster: Shorter than mesosoma; not pointed at apex; T1 smooth and shiny; T2 microsculptured all over with dense pubescence on side; T6 with 6 transverse rows of rugose pits; ovipositor a little visible from dorsal side.
Male: Similar to female except for a shorter gaster.
Etymology: Named after Brachymeria atteviae Joseph,Narendran & Joy for its superficial resembence to the new species.
Remarks: This new species comes very close to Brachymeria atteviae Joseph, Narendran and Joy in general appearance and comes close to Brachymeria atteviae in the key to species by Narendran (1989), but differs from B. attevae in having: (i) gaster shorter than mesosoma (in B atteviae gaster longer than mesosoma); (ii) gaster subrounded and not at all pointed at apex (in B. atteviae gaster pointed and not at all subrounded); (iii) front genal angle acute (in B. atteviae front genal angle nearly rectangular); (iv) area below scrobe with a small smooth shiny area (in B. atteviae no such smooth area below scrobe), and (v) MV 2.33x PMV (in B. atteviae MV 2.67x PMV).
This new species may also get confused with Brachymeria nephantidis Gahan and Brachymeria hime Habu since both these two species have somewhat similar colour pattern of hind leg, similar punctures on mesosoma and in the nature of scutellum.However, the new species differs from Brachymeria nephantidis Gahan, in having: (i) base of hind tibia yellow ( in B. nephantidis base of hind tibia black or brown with reddish tinge or pale brownish red); (ii) fore and mid tibia yellow completely (in B. nephantidis fore and hind tibia yellow with black band medially); (iii) MV 2.33x PMV (in B. nephantidis MV more than 4x PMV); (iv) metasoma shorter than mesosoma (in B. nephantidis metasoma longer than mesosoma), and (v) gaster not pointed posteriorly (in B. nephantidis gaster pointed posteriorly).This new species differs from Brachymeria hime Habu in having different colour pattern of fore and mid tibiae and black band of hind tibia much shorter than that of B. hime.Besides front genal angle is acute in the new species where as it is almost rectangular in B. hime.In the new species metasoma is shorter than mesosoma where as metasoma is longer than mesosoma and pointed in B. hime.