Table Of ContentMONELATA COMPLETUS ANEW SPECIES OF DIAPRIIDAE (HYMENOPTERA
, •
PROCTOTRUPOIDEA) FROM INDIA
1
K. Rajmohana2andT.C.Narendran3
(Withfour text-figures)
Key words: New species, Monelata completus Diapriidae, India
,
A new species ofDiapriidae, namely Monelata completus is described from India.
Introduction wings hyaline; veins deep brown. Antennal
pilosity and marginal fringe ofwings brownish.
Proctotrupoidea represent one of the Bodypubescenceandscalesonpetioledullwhite.
important superfamilies ofparasitic Hymenop- Head (Figs. 1-4): HL:HB(DV) = 9:11;
tera, but very little work has been done on the HL:HB (AV) = 12:11.2; viewed from above
systematics ofthese insects. Inthe course ofour distinctly transverse, smooth, shiny, scattered
investigation on the Proctotrupoidea of the erect pubescence, ocelli minute, on a slightly
Oriental Region (Rajmohana and Narendran elevated area when viewed laterally;
1996),wecameacrossanewspeciesofMonelata OOL:OD:POL = 8:2:3; occiput slightly
FoersterfromCalicut,whichisdescribedbelow. emarginate; occipital flange narrow; gena not
At present only one species, Monelata bulging but converging behind eyes to occiput;
incisipennis Huggert 1982, is known fromIndia postgenal cushion distinct, with a lappet-like
as well as from the Oriental Region. appearance; eyes globular, notbulging laterally,
Abbreviations used: AV - Anterior view; bare and located much anteriorly, sub-oval,
ABL - Length ofAbdomen; ABW - Width of slightly shorter than finely converging gena;
abdomen; DV - Dorsal view; FI-FI1 - Flagellar viewed laterally higher than long; rather
segments; FWB - Forewing width; FWL - trapezoid,HH:HL=13.5:12; faceandfronsvery
Forewing length; HL - Length of head; HB - hairy; frontalshelfprotruding,antennalinsertion
Width ofhead; OD - Ocellar diameter; OOL - slightlyabovelevelofvertex;mandiblebidentate;
Ocellocular distance; POL - Postocellar length; malar groove wanting; malar space almost half
TSS-Trans-scutalsulcus;TL-Lengthofthorax; ofshortestwidth ofeye; antenna 13-segmented,
TW
- Width ofthorax; T2 - Second abdominal last4 segments graually enlarged, terminal club
tergite; DZCU - Department of Zoology, segment much enlarged, longer than 3
University ofCalicut; ZSI - Zoological Survey penultimate segments together, antenna clothed
ofIndia, Calicut. with fine hairs, subequal to length ofF2; scape
thinner basally and thicker medially; length to
Monelata completus sp. nov. thickness ratio ofantennal segments from scape
(Figs. 1-4) to F2 as follows: 31.5:7.87, 12:6, 6.7:3.77,
3.5:3.76; F2 to F7 subequal; proportions ofF8
Female: Length =1.11 mm. Head black; toFI1 being4.2:5.8,6.5:7.9,6.6:8.1,20.9:10.45.
thorax and abdomen deep blackish brown; Thorax (Figs. 1-2): TL:TB = 18:10;
propodeum and petiole pale brown; eyes black; slightly narrower than head; cervix distinct,
smooth, overgrown laterally and basally with
'AcceptedFebruary,1998 thick tufts of hairs and semi-hyaline scales,
WesternGhatsRegionalStation,
ZoologicalSurveyofIndia,Calicut673002,Kerala,India. giving an overall foamy appearance; pronotum
-'DepartmentofZoology,UniversityofCalicut, visible as a band anterolateral to mesonotum,
Calicut673635,Kerala,India. pronotalcollarinawidecirculararea;metanotum
260 JOURNAL, BOMBAYNATURAL HISTORYSOCIETY. 97(2), AUG. 2000
NEWDESCRIPTIONS
mm
0.25
Antenna
4.
view;
(female)
anterior
nov.
sp. Head
3.
completes
view;
dorsal
Monelata
Body
1-4.
2.
Figs:
profile;
Body
.
JOURNAL, BOMBAYNATURAL HISTORYSOCIETY, 97(2), AUG. 2000 261
1
NEWDESCRIPTIONS
smooth with two pairs of erect setae; notauli Host: Unknown
absent; TSS not very prominent; scutellum a Holotype: Female: india. Kerala:
rather broad zone, without any grooves or pits; Tiruvannur: l.vi.1996, Coll. Mohana. (ZSI).
gently arched with no median carina and basal Paratypes: Two females, one with data
fovea; shield wide with slightly convex lateral same as holotype, the other also with same data
andposteriorborders;metanotumwithareduced exceptcollectiondatebeing 16.x.1996. (DZCU).
median and two lateral longitudinal keels; Etymology: This species name is derived
propodeum with a raised median longitudinal from a prominent character, namely forewing
keelandwithdorsalsemi-hyalinezoneandlesser with the distal margin entire and not incised.
raisedtwolateralones;posteriorbordercarinate;
area between carinae and keel smooth andbare; Discussion
propleuron and mesopleuron bare and smooth,
withafaintimpressionofstemaulus;metapleural This species differs from the only known
areacoveredwithfineadpressedpubescence;legs Oriental species, Monelata incisipennis, in the
normal, fore-tibiawithoutanoutwardly-directed follow—ing characters:
spine; tibial spur formula 1.0.0; wings normal; Distal margin of forewing entire,
forewing not longer than meso + metasoma without incision. (In M. incisipennis distal
FW =
combined and without an incisedtip; L:B margin—offorewing incised).
45:14.5;veinslongerthan0.33 oflengthofwing, Forewing not longer than meso +
sm:total vein length = 7:16.5; distal portion of metasoma combined. (In M. incisipennis
wingwithratherlongfringe, 0.33 ofwingwidth; forewing longer than meso + metasoma
hindwingnarrow, withfringe subequaltowidth combin—ed).
ofwing. Proportions ofantennal segments.
Abdomen:(Fig 1-2):ABL:ABW=7.85:3.
Petioleclothedwithsemi-hyaline,elongatescales, AcKNOWLEDGEMENTS
mixed with setae concealing posterior margin of
petiole and basal margin ofT2; petiole distinctly Rajmohana K. is grateful to the Director,
longer than broad; sub-parallel and abruptly ZoologicalSurveyofIndia, Calcuttaforgranting
narrowedtoapex,T2extendingto0.78ofabdomen a SeniorResearchFellowship forthis study. We
(petiole + tergites); segments beneath T2 visible thankMr. C. Radhakrishnan (Officer-in-charge,
only as rings. T2:T3:T4:T5:T6 - 13.3:1:0.5:1:1. ZSI, Calicut), for help, and the University of
Male: Unknown Calicut for facilities.
Refer •NCES
HuggertL.(1982):Newtaxaofsoil-inhabitingdiapriids Rajmohana, K. & T.C. Narendran (1996): Four new
from India and Sri Lanka (Hymenoptera, species of the genus Phcienoserphus Kieffer
Proctotrupoidea). RevuesuisseZool. 89(1): 183- (Hymenoptera: Proctotrupidae)fromIndia.J.ent.
200 Res. 20(1):43-51.
.
262 JOURNAL BOMBAYNATURAL HISTORYSOCIETY. 97(2). AUG. 2000
.
