Megachalcis undetermined
Creators: name: Binoy, C.
name: Nasser, M.
name: Santhosh, S.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2022
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Chalcididae
Megachalcis
Megachalcis undetermined

description: Megachalcis sp.
(Figures 12, 13a–h, 14a–d)
Material examined
♂, India: Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram district, Neyyar Wildlife Sanctuary (8.530°N, 77.152° E; alt. 93 m), 17 January 2019, Coll. P. Girish Kumar.
Recognition
Antenna attached at lower margin of clypeus (Figure 13d); scrobal margin distinctly carinate, forming sharp, conspicuously produced angle in front of eye; postorbital carina distinct, slightly obsolete at genotemporal margin (Figure 13a); two short projections over POL (Figure 13b); pronotum subquadrate; scutellum with a tuft of golden yellow setae; hind coxa with dorsobasal protuberance or tooth; hind femur ventrally with 9–10 teeth, basal one sharp and large (Figure 14a); mesosoma with raised rasp-like sculpture in profile (Figure 13g); dorsally with large irregular and smooth variably sized areola (Figure 13f); Gt1 with basal ridge and fovea, dorsum shiny red with scattered pits anteriorly, posterior 1/3rd coarsely pitted; Gt2–Gt4 distinctly pitted, two rows of well-impressed pits, pits on Gt 5 in 3– 4 rows, punctures becoming larger posteriorly (Figure 14c, d); Gt6 coarsely punctate with six rows of large punctures, spiracle rounded, prominent, peritreme forming distinct ring; syntergum distinctly pitted (Figure 14d).
Description
♂ Body length 3.58 mm; length of fore wing 2.91 mm.
Colour. Body black with the following parts variably coloured: eyes and ocelli reflective golden, scape and pedicel dark brown, flagellar segments dark brown to paler brown, with clava dark brown ventro-apically, mandible red-brown with teeth black, tegula dark brown, wing hyaline with dark brown veins; all coxae black, trochanters dark brown, fore and mid femora and tibia red-brown with apex paler, with golden yellow setae ventroapically, hind coxa brown-black with apex red, hind trochanter red-brown, hind femur brown-black, hind tibia black with apex red-brown, all tarsi testaceous to pale brown, metasoma red-brown, apical terga more black, sterna similarly coloured.
Setation. Pubescence on head arising from punctures, stout bristle-like and golden yellow on upper face, sparse and white on lower face; mesosoma with very sparse pubescence, tuft of golden setae below axilla; propodeum with dense, golden yellow setae; legs with short, moderately dense golden yellow to brown setae; metasoma with scattered pubescence laterally.
Head. Head as wide as mesosoma in dorsal view, coarsely rugose-punctate; OOL 1.8× POL, 2.4× OD; occiput longitudinally rugate (Figure 13e); in frontal view, head 1.5× as wide as long, rugose punctate with large shiny setigerous areola; preorbital carina feebly indicated; scrobal margin distinctly carinate, scrobal margin prominently angulate in profile in front of eye, scrobal surface smooth, maximum width 0.6× median interocular width, scrobe occupying median ocellus; interantennal projection regularly punctate, 0.3× as long as scrobe (Figure 13c, d); mandible bidentate (Figure 13d); scape not attaining median ocellus; pedicel long, 3.4× as long as fu1; anelli indicated; clava 3-segmented; genotemporal margin reflexed, carinate; post-orbital carina distinct, branching and reaching lateral ocelli along the occiput (Figure 13a); relative length of scape, pedicel, anellus, funiculars and clava = 6.3:1.5:0.5:0.5:1.4:1.4:1.1:1.0:1.2:1.1:1.1:2.8.
Mesosoma. Pronotum quadrate, 3.0× as wide as long, with varyingly sized areola, anteriorly small becoming large posteriorly, margins conspicuously carinate, posterior margin of pronotum more or less straight; mesoscutum with irregular variable sized punctures, anteriorly small, becoming large posteriorly, margins carinate; 2.2× as wide as long; scutellum small, 1.5× as wide as long with irregular lozenge-shaped areola, basad of axillae with prominent tuft of golden yellow setae, apical margin of scutellum emarginated (Figure 13f); lateral lobe of pronotum transversely strigose; meso and metapleura with similar sculpturing to that of thoracic notum (Figure 13g); propodeum gradually declining onto metasoma, with dense golden yellow setae along the costula, spiracles horizontal, bean-shaped and well exposed, lateral teeth distinct (Figure 13h).
Legs. Hind coxa ventrally finely rugose with setigerous punctures, dorsally somewhat smooth with tooth-like projection basally; hind femur deep with inner and outer surfaces, shiny, finely punctate with moderately dense golden yellow setae dorsally, ventrally with 11 teeth, basal one largest and sculptured; hind tibia pitted (Figure 14a).
Wings. Hyaline with veins deep brown; fore wing with PMV 2.6× MV, MV 1.86× STV; Rs vein obsoletely marked; lamina faintly setose (Figure 14b).
Metasoma. Metasoma longer than mesosoma (1.1×), Gt1 0.6× length of remaining tergites combined, with basal ridge and fovea, dorsum shiny red with scattered pits anteriorly, posterior 1/3rd coarsely pitted; Gt2–Gt4 distinctly pitted, subequal, with two rows of well impressed pits, pits on Gt 5 in 3–4 rows, punctures becoming larger posteriorly; Gt6 coarsely punctate with six rows of large punctures, spiracle rounded, prominent, peritreme forming distinct ring; syntergum distinctly pitted (Figure 14c, d).
Female
Unknown.
description: Published as part of Binoy, C., Nasser, M. & Santhosh, S., 2022, The Western Ghats, a biodiversity hotspot: the example of Chalcididae (Hymenoptera) with the description of a new species of Phasgonophora Westwood and a review of the regional species, pp. 1627-1655 in Journal of Natural History 56 (41 - 44) on pages 1647-1649, DOI: 10.1080/00222933.2022.2134059, http://zenodo.org/record/7340886