Paradelius striatus Ranjith & Butcher 2024, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Ranjith, A. P.
name: Butcher, Buntika A.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Braconidae
Paradelius
Paradelius striatus

description: Paradelius striatus Ranjith sp. nov.
http://zoobank.org/ urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: D5358AF6-A5BC-4F85-A8D1-9381A057A7CC
(Figs 3–4)
Material examined. Holotype, male, INDIA: Kerala, Kozhikode, Malabar Botanical Garden, 11.143373 N, 75.494083 E, 16 Jan 2023, V. Mithun leg., Malaise trap (AIMB). Paratypes, 5 males with same data as holotype (AIMB).
Description. Holotype, male.
Body length 1.8 mm, fore wing 1.4 mm.
Head.Antenna with 22 antennomeres (Fig. 3A). Scape 1.7 × as long as maximum width. Pedicel as long as wide (Fig. 3A). Third antennomere 1.5 × as long as fourth antennomere. Third, fourth and terminal antennomeres 2.3, 2.2 and 2.2 × as long as maximum width respectively. Head 1.3, 1.7 × as wide as long in anterior view and dorsal view respectively. Face faintly transverse striate, smooth medio-posteriorly, setose, 1.2 × as wide as long (Fig. 3B). Ratio of height of clypeus: intertentorial distance: tentorio-ocular distance = 1.1: 1.4: 1.0. Length of malar space 1.4 × basal width of mandible. Length of eye 3.0 × as long as temple in dorsal view. Frons with a midlongitudinal carina, faintly rugose laterally (Fig. 3C). Vertex and occiput faintly rugose, setose (Fig. 3C). Ratio of POL: OD: OOL= 1.7: 1.0: 2.5.
Mesosoma. Mesosoma 1.4 × as long as high. Mesosoma dorso-ventrally flattened. Pronotum crenulate laterally (Fig. 3D). Propleural lobe present (Fig. 3D). Mesoscutum faintly rugose-punctate, setose (Fig. 3E). Notauli impressed only anteriorly (Fig. 3E). Scutellar sulcus more or less straight, crenulated divided by 8 crenulae (Fig. 3E). Scutellum punctate, setose (Figs 3E, F). Lateral sides of scutellum distinctly crenulate (Fig. 3F). Metanotum smooth medially, crenulated (Fig. 3F). Mesopleuron smooth (Fig. 3D). Precoxal sulcus long, smooth, crenulate (Fig. 3D). Sternaulus impressed, crenulated (Fig. 3D). Metapleuron striate with distinct medial pit (Figs 3D, 4A). Propodeum with distinctly marginated faintly sculptured areas (Fig. 3F). Propodeum slightly curved in lateral view, not differentiated into anterior and posterior part (Fig. 3D). Transverse carina indistinct medially (Fig. 3F). Posterior side of propodeum with distinct transverse carina (Fig. 3F). Propodeal areola hexagonal, faintly rugulose, 1.6 × as long as maximum width (Fig. 3F).
Wings. Fore wing (Fig. 4C): Fore wing infuscated below pterostigma (Fig. 4C). Pterostigma 2.5 × as long as wide. Vein 1-R1 as long as pterostigma. Vein m-cu 0.2 × as long as vein 1-M. Vein M+CU distinctly curved. Vein cu-a postfurcal. Vein r absent. Vein r-m absent. Hind wing (Fig. 2D): ratio of veins M+CU: 1-M: 1r-m = 2.6: 1.2: 1.0.
Legs. Hind femur, tibia and basitarsus 2.8, 4.6 and 4.5 × as long as maximum width, respectively.
Metasoma. Metasoma 0.7 × as long as head and mesosoma combined. First tergite rugose anterior half, longitudinally striate-rugose posterior half, 1.5 × as wide as long, setose (Fig. 4B). Second tergite indistinctly longitudinally striate 2.3 × as wide as long, setose (Fig. 4B). Third tergite sculptured basally (Fig. 4B). Metasomal tergites 4–6 smooth, setose (Fig. 4B). First and second metasomal suture present, crenulate (Fig. 4B).
Color. Body yellow except eye grey, ocellar triangle, pronotum laterally, propleuron, mesopleuron, metapleuron, scutellum, propodeum medially, pterostigma, tarsal claw, metasomal tergites brown.
Female. Unknown.
Biology. Unknown.
Distribution. India (Kerala).
Etymology. The species is named after the striated metapleuron.
Comparative diagnosis. The new species comes close to P. flavus sp. nov. (see comparative diagnosis of P. flavus sp. nov.). Based on the presence of medial transverse carina on propodeal areola and basally sculptured third metasomal tergite it shows similarity with the Afrotropical species, P. ghesquierei, but P. striatus can be distinguished from P. ghesquierei by having 22 antennomeres (20 in P. ghesquierei), metapleuron striate (smooth medially in P. ghesquierei), and frons with midlongitudinal carina (without carina in P. ghesquierei).
description: Published as part of Ranjith, A. P. & Butcher, Buntika A., 2024, First record of the adeliine genus Paradelius de Saeger, 1942 (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) from India with the description of two new species, pp. 573-580 in Zootaxa 5463 (4) on pages 577-579, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5463.4.7, http://zenodo.org/record/11612531