Mischochalcis enigmatus Ranjith & Priyadarsanan & Delvare 2022, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Ranjith, A. P.
name: Priyadarsanan, Dharma Rajan
name: Delvare, Gérard
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2022
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Chalcididae
Mischochalcis
Mischochalcis enigmatus

description: Mischochalcis enigmatus Ranjith sp. nov.
Figs 1–5
urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: FCBC7BCF-F319-46FF-8B1D-CE0C2C190ACC
Etymology. The species name refers to the presence of a combination of several unusual overlapping morphological character states that are observed in other genera of the subfamily.
Material examined. Holotype, female. INDIA: Kerala, Malappuram, Calicut University Botanical Garden, 11.0800°N, 75.5322°E, yellow pan trap, 20.ii.2020, coll. Ranjith, A.P. (AIMB). Paratype, one female. INDIA: Karnataka, Chamarajanagar, Biligiri Ranganathaswamy Temple Tiger Reserve, Marapan Hadlu, 12.0034°N, 77.0752°E, Malaise trap, 7.xi.2007, coll. Priyadarsanan, D.R. (AIMB).
Description. FEMALE. Body length 2.25–2.4 mm. Colour. Body reddish to reddish brown except following testaceous: flagellum, mandible medially, maxillary and labial palps, procoxa, profemur apically, protibia basally and apically, protarsus, mesocoxa, mesofemur apically, mesotibia apically, mesotarsus, metatibia apically, metatarsus, tegula, venation, first metasomal tergite basolaterally, second metasomal tergite basolaterally, following tergites ventrally, metasoma ventrally, syntergum dorsally, and hypopygium. First metasomal tergite dorsally yellowish brown, eyes, ocelli reddish.
Head. Head 2.1× as wide as long, 1.1× as wide as high and 1.7–1.9× as high as long; eye 0.8–0.92× as long as high; temple 0.4× as long as eye when latter is seen in dorsal view. Frontovertex 0.6× as wide as head. Ocelli forming together an obtuse angle (Fig. 1E). POL: transverse diameter of posterior ocellus: OOL = 21: 6: 4. Malar space 2.9× as long as basal width of mandible. Gena, adscrobal area, vertex and occiput moderately and shallowly punctured (Figs 1D, E), with setae lanceolate, adpressed and proclinate (Fig. 1E). Anterior outline of frons in dorsal view only slightly concave. Eye with short, sparse setae (Figs 1C–F, 2D). Temples uniformly convex, genal carina not visible in dorsal view (Fig. 1E). Lateral outline of gena moderately sinuous above oral fossa (Fig. 6C). Labrum subtriangular, depressed medially, with a short marginal fringe (Figs 1C, F). Sides of antennal scrobes parallel (Figs 1C, F); scrobes delicately reticulate dorsally, faintly striolate ventrally; carina above interantennal projection visible over about lower half of depression (Figs 1C, F).
Antenna. Scape linear, 4.4× as long as wide, tapering very slightly near apex, about as long as height of head as defined above (Fig. 1D). Combined length of pedicel plus flagellum 0.8× as long as head width. Flagellum with short and adpressed setation, multiporous plate sensilla (MPS) in single rows (Figs 1C, D, 2A, B). Pedicel, anellus (first flagellomere) and first and second funicular respectively 1.0, 0.25, 1.3 and 0.8× as long as wide. Clava 1.6× as long as wide.
Mesosoma. Mesosoma 1.6–1.7× as long as wide. Pronotal collar 3.1× as wide as long. Mesoscutellum 0.8–1.0× as long as wide. Lateral panel of pronotum with ventral areola. Notauli as punctured grooves (Figs 1B, 2C, 5A). Mesoscutellum only slightly bulging in lateral view, with a posterior row of larger areolae, hardly overhanging postscutellum. Axillar grooves thin anteriorly and narrowly separated on transscutal line (Figs 1B, 2C, 5A).
Legs. Metacoxa 1.4× as long as wide, smooth dorsally, densely coriaceous ventrally, and densely coriaceous and setose laterally (Figs1A, 2D, 3A). Metafemur 1.9× as long as wide, disc with moderately dense punctulation; setae thin and adpressed, about twice as long as interspaces between punctures (Figs 1A, 3A).
Wings. Fore wing 2.8× as long as wide; marginal vein 0.13× as long as costal cell. Costal cell 8.0× as long as wide. Stigmal vein 0.62× as long as marginal vein with short upturned uncus (Figs 3A–B). Hind wing 3.9× as long as wide.
Metasoma. Metasoma 2.6–2.7× as long as wide. First gastral tergite 0.5× as long as gaster, 1.4–1.5× as long as wide; with a pair of submedian carinae basally. Second gastral tergite 3.2–3.6× as wide as long, smooth, dorsally bare. Gt3 with two rows of setae (Figs 1B, 4A, B, 5A, B). Gt 3–7 superficially coriaceous (Figs 1B, 4A, B, 5A, B).
Male. Unknown.
Variation. Body more reddish (Fig. 5). Carina separating anteromedian areola and median areola weak (Fig. 5B).
Host. Unknown.
Distribution. India (Karnataka and Kerala).
description: Published as part of Ranjith, A. P., Priyadarsanan, Dharma Rajan & Delvare, Gérard, 2022, Mischochalcis, an enigmatic new genus of Chalcididae (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea) from the Old World tropics with the description of a new species, pp. 147-161 in Zootaxa 5205 (2) on pages 150-155, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5205.2.3, http://zenodo.org/record/7305801