Description of a new species of the genus Idiasta Foerster (Hymenoptera: Braconidae)
from India
AhmadSamiuddin 1, Zubair Ahmad 2
& Mohammad Shamim 2
1 Department of
Plant Protection, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, Aligarh Muslim University,
Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh 202002, India
2 Entomology
Section, Department of Zoology, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, Uttar
Pradesh 202002, India
Email: 1 asamiuddin@gmail.com
Date of
publication (online): 26 February 2010
Date of publication
(print): 26 February 2010
ISSN 0974-7907
(online) | 0974-7893 (print)
Editor: T.C. Narendran
Manuscript
details:
Ms # o1932
Received 28
January 2008
Final received
24 October 2009
Finally accepted
02 February 2010
Citation: Samiuddin, A., Z. Ahmad & M. Shamim(2010). Description of a new species of the genus Idiasta Foerster (Hymenoptera: Braconidae)
from India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 2(2):
709-711.
Copyright: © Ahmad Samiuddin, Zubair Ahmad &
Mohammad Shamim 2010. Creative Commons Attribution
3.0 Unported License. JoTTallows unrestricted use of this article in any medium for non-profit purposes,
reproduction and distribution by providing adequate credit to the authors and
the source of publication.
Acknowledgements: We thank Dr. M. Hayatand Dr. Shujauddin for reviewing the manuscript and
offering useful suggestions. Authors are
also thankful to Chairman, Department of Zoology for laboratory facilities.
Abbreviations:2RS - first cubital cross vein; m-cu - recurrent
vein; r - first abcissa of radius; 3RSa -
second abcissa of radius; 2 CUb- parallel vein; 1 cu-a -nervulus; m-cu in hind
wing - post nervellus; F1 - first flagellomere; F2 - second flagellomere;
OOL - ocello-ocular line (distance from the outer
edge of a lateral ocellus to the compound eye); POL -
post-ocellar line (distance between the inner edges
of the two lateral ocelli); AOL - anterior-ocellar line (distance between the inner edges of anterior
and lateral ocellus); OD - diameter of an ocellus; ZDAMU - Zoology Department, Aligarh Muslim
University.
The genus Idiasta Foerster belongs to the Phaenocarpacomplex of Alysiinae genera (Fischer 1971; Wharton
1980, 2002) because of the long second flagellomere. The presence of well developed ventral and
diagonal ridge in mandibles; 2RS longer than 3RSa; (RS+M) b present; 2CUb
arising at or below middle of first subdiscal cell;
hind wing with m-cu well developed and M+CU generally equal to or longer than
1M, readily distinguish Idiasta from
all other genera in this complex.
So far, the genus is represented
by 27 species from the world out of which 21 occur in Holarcticregion, one in Afrotropical region and five in the
Indo-Australian region of which only one Idiasta nigriae (Sharma) occurs in India (described from
Himachal Pradesh in 1978) and the Indian subcontinent (Shenefelt1974; Wharton 1980, 1986 & 2002; Belokobylskij1998). In the present work a new
species, Idiasta transiens,
is described.
The terminology for the various
body parts and wing venation is that of Sharkey & Wharton (1997) while Eady (1968) has been followed for the description of
surface sculpture.
The types of the new species have
been deposited in the Insect collection, Department of Zoology, Aligarh Muslim
University, Aligarh, India.
Idiasta transiens Samiuddin, sp. nov.
(Images 1-5)
Material
examined
Holotype: 9.v.2000,
male, Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India, coll. Zubair Ahmad, Reg.no. HYM/BR. 005.
Paratypes: 27.iv.2002, 7
males, 2 females, Etawah, Uttar Pradesh, India, coll.
Mohammad Shamim, Reg.no.
HYM/BR.041,042,043,044,045,046,047,048,049,
Distribution: India (Uttar
Pradesh).
Etymology
The species name is an arbitrary
combination of letters.
Female: Body length,
2.8mm.
Head: Transverse,
dorsally about 1.8× as wide as long (29:16). Eyes large, clearly protruded, in lateral view, 2.2× longer than temple
width (12:5.5), with about 5-6 short setae visible in dorsal view. Face pubescent, smooth and
shiny throughout except at bottom with both side weakly horizontal streaks;
middle carina blunt at top, faint on bottom. Frons and vertex bare smooth and shiny. Mandibles tridentate, about 1.6× longer than its apical width (12:7.5),
1.1× wider at apex than at base (7.5:6.5), tooth 1 and 3 equally protruding
broad, tooth 2 more acute than 1 and 3. Antenna 34 segmented , 1.6× longer than body (182:113.5);
F2 twice longer than F1 (11:5.5), 1.2 longer than F3 (11:9); setae slightly
shorter than flagellomere width; maxillary palpi long, 1.6× longer than head height (33:20.5).
Mesosoma: 1.6× longer
than high (41:26). Pronotum dorsally with crenulate posterior margin and pronope. Mesonotum emarginate overall, crenulate; notauli short, incomplete, weakly crenulateand deeply impressed anteriorly; mesonotaldisc smooth and shiny, largely bare, with few setae on anterior margin and few
along in a row of imaginary line of notauli; midpit deep and oval. Scutellum smooth and shiny. Post axillaepolished on top, clearly crenulate on bottom. Metanotum smooth, with acute median spine, side field of metanotum finely crenulate. Sternaulus wide, crenulate, extends
to mid coxae. Propodeum anteriorly polished
with mid longitudinal carina and major part reticulate.
Wings: Stigma 4.1×
longer than wide (24:5.9); 3RSa 2.7× longer than r (8:3); 2RS strongly curved,
somewhat longer than 3RSa (9.5:8); m-cu antefurcal; 1
cu-a postfurcal; 2 CUbarising exactly middle of first subdiscal cell. Hind wing m-cu distinctly pigmented at least
half distance to wing margin.
Metasoma: Petiole
clearly striated, about 2.6× longer than apical width
(15.5:6). Ovipositor 1.2× longer than mesosoma (48:41), sharply acute apically, ovipositor
sheaths densely setose, weakly expanded at apex,
extreme apex narrowed and sharply pointed.
Colour: Body
yellowish-brown; frons, temple, occiputreddish-brown; palpi white; legs yellow; apical metasoma brown to dark brown; scape,
pedicel and basal half of first flagellomere yellow; subapical 6-10 segment whitish and rest of the segments
brown; wings slightly infuscate, veins and stigma brown.
Male: Similar to the
female.
Host: Unknown.
Remarks
The new species, Idiasta transiens Samiuddin, sp. nov. is closely related to Idiasta nigriae (Sharma) but differs in having: vertex smooth
(vertex sparsely punctate in nigriae),
mandible tridentate (mandible bidentate in nigriae), F2 twice longer than F1 (F2 shorter than
F1 in nigriae), metanotumsmooth (metanotum punctatein nigriae); propodeum anteriorly polished with mid longitudinal carina and
major portion reticulate (propodeum with a prominent
areola and costula, areola interspersed with many
transverse carinae and joined by a longitudinal
carina to the base in nigriae).
References
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