Indohormius Ranjith, Belokobylskij et Quicke, gen. nov.
Creators: name: Ranjith, A. P.
name: Belokobylskij, Sergey A.
name: Quicke, Donald L. J.
name: Kittel, Rebecca N.
name: Butcher, Buntika A.
name: Nasser, M.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2017
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Braconidae
Indohormius

description: Indohormius Ranjith, Belokobylskij et Quicke gen. nov.
(Figs 1–3)
Type species. Indohormius keralaensis Ranjith, Belokobylskij et Quicke sp. nov.
Description. Female. Head. Antenna with 16 flagellomeres. Scape without modifications (Fig. 1 D). Terminal flagellomere not distinctly acuminate apically. Head transverse, not depressed dorso-ventrally (Fig. 1 D). Antennal sockets widely separated each other (Figs 1 B–D). Ocelli medium-sized, arranged in almost equilateral triangle (Fig. 1 C). Eyes glabrous. Face weakly convex in lateral view (Fig. 1 D). Tentorial pit rather large (Fig. 1 B). Clypeus short and convex. Hypoclypeal depression oval. Malar space without malar suture (Fig. 1 D). Occipital carina not reaching hypostomal carina, absent ventrally on long distance, slightly interrupted dorso-medially (Fig. 1 C), dorsally connected with a shallow longitudinal groove arising nearly middle of posterior ocelli. Mandible bidentate and twisted (Fig. 1 B). Palpi short and thickened (Fig. 1 B). Maxillary palp with five segments; labial palp with four segments, its third segment only weakly shortened.
Mesosoma. Mesosoma high and short. Pronotum with fine, incomplete pronotal carina, without pronope. Propleural dorso-posterior lobe short and wide. Mesoscutum almost perpendicularly elevated above pronotum (lateral view) (Fig. 1 F), smooth, with a shallow longitudinal groove posteriorly (dorsal view) (Fig. 1 E), densely setose only at notauli and postero-laterally, its median lobe without antero-lateral corners. Notauli present anteriorly as distinct groove and running medially as raised carina, indistinct posteriorly (Fig. 1 E). Precoxal sulcus (sternaulus) distinct, short, not strongly crenulated, not reaching posterior margin of mesopleuron (Fig. 1 F). Metapleuron densely rugose, crenulate anteriorly, metapleural flange long, narrow, rounded apically (Figs 1 F, 2B). Metanotum with a smooth triangular area, sparsely crenulate laterally (dorsal view) (Fig. 2 A), with distinct rounded dorsal lobe (lateral view). Propodeum smooth medio-posteriorly, rest rugose, with long and wide areola delineated by distinct carinae; its lateral tubercles and propodeal bridge absent; propodeal spiracles distinct and round (Fig. 2 B).
Wings. Wings entirely setose; veins tubular. Fore wing vein r arising almost from middle of pterostigma (Fig. 3 B). Marginal cell weakly narrowed, not shortened, ending in apex of wing. Second submarginal cell short. First discal cell subrectangular. Fore wing vein m-cu distinctly postfurcal (Fig. 3 B). Fore wing veins SR1 and 3M running subparallel. Vein 1SR+M straight. Fore wing vein cu-a slightly antefurcal or almost interstitial (Fig. 3 B). Fore wing veins M+CU1 and 1-1A slightly evenly curved. Fore wing vein 3M long and mainly tubular. First subdiscal cell weakly narrowing towards apex, closed apically. Fore wing vein 1CUb long, arising slightly posterior to level of vein 1CUa. Fore wing vein a absent. Posterior margin of hind wing with rather long and dense setae, but basally setae longer and rather sparse (Fig. 3 B). Hind wing vein 1r-m straight and short. Basal cell narrow. Hing wing vein M+CU distinctly shorter than vein 1-M. Hind wing vein m-cu rather long, distinctly oblique and weakly curved, antefurcal.
Legs. Middle tarsal segments long. Hind coxa rather long and wide, without baso-ventral corner and tubercle (Fig. 2 F). Hind femur wide. Inner spur of hind tibia short. Basitarsus of hind tarsus weakly claviform, thickened, long, about as long as second to fifth segments combined (Fig. 2 F). Claws not strongly curved, without basal lobe, glabrous.
Metasoma. Metasoma mainly smooth (Fig. 2 C). First tergite wide and short, with a pair of high and weakly rounded convergent carinae posteriorly; laterope wide and distinct (Figs 2 B). Acrosternite of first segment about 0.25× as long as first tergite, its apical margin ending before level of spiracles (lateral view). Suture between second and third tergites distinct and complete (Fig. 2 C). Joined second and third tergites enlarged, smooth, mainly glabrous (Fig. 2 C). Laterotergites of second and third tergites separated, its spiracles located on laterotergites very closely to line of separation (Fig. 2 D). Ovipositor sheath sparsely setose (Fig. 2 E). Ovipositor weakly widened towards apex, subapically without dorsal nodus or notch and ventral serrations (Fig. 2 E).
Etymology. Named by the combination of the type locality, “ India ” and the name of the type genus of subfamily Hormiinae, “ Hormius ”.
Comparative diagnosis. In the molecular phylogenetic tree (Fig. 4), the new genus is nested in a clade with genera Hormius, Parahormius, and Pentatermus Hedqvist, 1963 and shows a more distant relation with Lysiterminae clade. Lack of strong support within this part of the tree means that the inclusion of Pentatermus (which has five strongly sclerotized and sculptured metasomal tergites with the enlarged fifth tergite covering the following segments) is unlikely to be correct. More importantly, the new genus is excluded from the Rhyssalinae and Mesostoinae, in a clade with 98% bootstrap support.
Within the Hormiinae this new genus appears to be more closely related to Hormius because of the following characters: distinctly enlarged pedicel in antenna, shortened subbasal cell in hind wing, distinctly postfurcal position of vein m-cu in fore wing, and long basitarsus of hind tarsus. Indohormius gen. nov. would run to couplet 17 in Wharton’s (1993) key to the genera of Hormiini, then move to couplet 21 with genera having hardly sclerotised metasomal tergite, but it distinctly differs from the two genera that key-out there (Pentatermus and Tetratermus Wharton, 1993) in having a less rigid unsculptured tergites behind first one and in not having enlarged fourth or fifth tergites, as well as the number of characters listed as it differentiates from the genus Hormius below. The new genus clearly differs from Hormius in that the third segment of the labial palpus is not shortened (distinctly shortened and usually disc-shaped or completely absent in Hormius), the metasomal tergites behind first one rather coarsely sclerotized and rigid (rather soft and flexible in Hormius), the second tergite with separated laterotergites and dorsally lack baso-lateral oblique depressions (laterotergites not separated and tergite with more or less distinct lateral oblique depressions in Hormius), the parastigma indistinct (distinct in Hormius), fore wing rather sparsely setose in basal third (entirely densely setose in Hormius), vein CU1a not interstitial (usually interstitial in Hormius), veins 1-M and m-cu subparallel (rather distinctly convergent posteriorly in Hormius), and metanotum dorso-medially with distinct flat projection (without projection in Hormius). This new genus is also similar to the Oriental genus Taiwanhormius, but differs from it in the tergites of metasoma behind first one coarsely sclerotized and rigid (rather soft and flexible in Taiwanhormius), second tergite with separated laterotergites (laterotergites not separated in Taiwanhormius), fore wing sparsely setose in basal third (entirely densely setose in Taiwanhormius), fore wing vein CU1a not interstitial (interstitial in Taiwanhormius), fore wing veins 1-M and m-cu subparallel (rather distinctly convergent posteriorly in Taiwanhormius), metanotum dorsomedially with distinct raised flat projection (without projection in Taiwanhormius), and mesoscutum mainly smooth (entirely densely granulate in Taiwanhormius).
Morphologically this new genus also resembles some genera of subfamily Rhyssalinae and superficially similar to Dolopsidea, Oncophanes, and Thoracoplites Fischer, 1961. Indohormius gen. nov. distinctly differs from Oncophanes in having the third segment of labial palp not shortened (distinctly shortened in Oncophanes), the second metasomal tergite with separated laterotergites and with spiracle located almost on the line of separation (laterotergites not separated and spiracle located on lower part of tergite side in Oncophanes), the second tergite completely smooth (usually sculptured at least basally in Oncophanes), the first discal cell of fore wing subrectangular, similar width basally and apically (distinctly wider basally than apically in Oncophanes), fore wing veins SR1 and 3M running subparallel (distinctly divergent in Oncophanes), fore wing vein cu-a almost interstitial (strongly postfurcal in Oncophanes), fore wing vein 1CUb long, arising slightly posterior to level of vein 2-CU1 (short and arising much posteriorly vein 2-CU 1 in Oncophanes), fore wing vein a absent (present in Oncophanes), and hind wing vein M+CU distinctly shorter than vein 1-M (longer in Oncophanes).
Additionally, the new genus differs from Dolopsidea and Thoracoplites by having the second tergite with separated laterotergites and with spiracle located almost on the line of separation (laterotergites not separated and spiracle located on lower part of tergite side in Dolopsidea and Thoracoplites), the first discal cell of fore wing subrectangular, similar width basally and apically (distinctly wider basally than apically in Dolopsidea and Thoracoplites), fore wing veins SR1 and 3M running subparallel (distinctly divergent in Dolopsidea and Thoracoplites), fore wing vein cu-a almost interstitial or antefurcal (strongly postfurcal in Dolopsidea and Thoracoplites), fore wing vein 1CUb long, arising slightly posterior to the level of vein 2-CU1 (short and arising much posteriorly vein 2-CU 1 in Dolopsidea and Thoracoplites), vein a absent (present in Dolopsidea and Thoracoplites), and hind wing vein M+CU distinctly shorter than vein 1-M (almost equal in Dolopsidea and Thoracoplites).
description: Published as part of Ranjith, A. P., Belokobylskij, Sergey A., Quicke, Donald L. J., Kittel, Rebecca N., Butcher, Buntika A. & Nasser, M., 2017, An enigmatic new genus of Hormiinae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) from South India, pp. 371-385 in Zootaxa 4272 (3) on pages 377-380, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4272.3.3, http://zenodo.org/record/892464