Leiophron indefinita Gupta & van Achterberg 2022, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Gupta, Ankita
name: Achterberg, Cornelis Van
name: Pattar, Rohit
name: Navik, Omprakash
name: Mahendiran, G.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2022
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Braconidae
Leiophron
Leiophron indefinita

description: Leiophron indefinita Gupta & van Achterberg, sp. nov.
Figs 1, 2
Type material. Holotype. ♀; India, Tripura, Agartala, Khejurbagan, 23°51’43.9”N 91°16’54.7”E, yellow pan trap, 5.iii.2022; leg G. Mahendiran and Omprakash Navik. code— NBAIR / Brac / Euph / Leio /5322A (NIM). Paratype, female, same data as holotype, code— NBAIR /Brac/Euph/Leio/5322B (NIM).
Etymology. The species epithet refers to the comparatively vague fore wing venation; “indefinitus” is Latin for vague.
Holotype. Female, body length 2.7 mm (Fig. 1); fore wing length 2.0 mm.
Head. Antenna 16 antennomeres and as long as body; scape as long as wide, F1 3.3 × as long as wide and as long as F2; head transverse, ca. 1.4 × as wide as long in dorsal view, temple smooth; eye length 1.9 × temple in dorsal view (Fig. 2B); POL: OOL: OD (relative) = 16: 29: 9; POL 0.5 × OOL; malar space slightly longer than basal width of mandible and malar suture present; occipital carina ventrally straight; mandible two-toothed; face smooth and setose (Fig. 2A), minimum width of face 0.6 × as long as F1−F3, clypeus smooth and intertentorial line 2.5 × longer than tentorio-ocular line; vertex smooth around ocelli, with shallow punctations near temple and occiput. F1 subequal to F 2 in length; ratio of length and width of F1, F2, F3 and penultimate flagellomere 3.3, 3.3, 2.6, 1.3, respectively.
Mesosoma. Mesosoma 1.8 × as long as high in lateral view, median and lateral lobes of mesoscutum smooth except for faint notaulic impression with shallow crenulae (Fig. 2E). Propodeum irregularly reticulate-rugose and no median carina (Fig. 2F). Fore wing 3.4 × as long as wide (Fig. 2D), shorter than body and basal cell glabrous; pterostigma 2.4 × as long as wide; 1- R 1 0.2 × length of pterostigma; marginal cell short; pterostigma 6.1 × longer than marginal cell; veins r, 3-SR+SR1 and 1-M sclerotized; veins 1-SR+M and 2-CU1 present but weakly sclerotized; vein m-cu absent and vein cu-a sclerotized. Hind wing: veins 1-1A (except basally) and cu-a absent and subbasal cell open. Hind femur 4.6 × as long as wide medially; hind tarsus a little longer than hind tibia; hind basitarsus slightly longer than combined length of second to fourth tarsomeres and 2.6 × as long as second tarsomere.
Metasoma. Metasoma shorter than mesosoma; first tergite longitudinally striate (Fig. 2G) but basal quarter irregularly rugose, 3.3 × as long as its apical width, hardly widened posteriorly, its spiracles situated in front of middle of tergite and ventral 0.6 closed (medially) (Fig. 2H); remaining tergites smooth (Fig. 2I).
Colour. Body mainly yellowish; antennomeres yellowish but 4 apical antennomeres dark brown; legs in general yellowish except light brown hind tibia in apical half; wings faintly infuscate, fore wing with pterostigma dark brown in apical half and remainder pale yellowish; first tergite pale yellowish and following tergites brown or dark brown.
Variation. The topotypic paratype is very similar to the holotype but differs in having 17 antennomeres.
Distribution. India (Tripura).
Comments. This species comes near to L. topali Papp, 1997 according to Papp (1997) because of the weakly developed notauli and the pterostigma being 2.4 × as long as wide, however differs in the following set of characters: head yellowish and transverse, ca. 1.4 × as wide as long in dorsal view; antenna with 16 antennomeres; scape, pedicel and F1 yellow, F2 onwards dark brown; F1 1.3 × as long as F2; face 0.6 × as long as F1−F3; propodeum transversely rugulose (vs head blackish brown; head 1.55 × as wide as long in dorsal view; antenna with 15 antennomeres; scape, pedicel and F1−F12 yellow, F13 onwards dark brown including apex, F1 subequal to F2; face as wide as flagellomeres 1−3; propodeum irregularly reticulate-rugose in L. topali).
This species also differs from other species described by Papp (1997) in the following characters: from L. mutila in the absence of the mutilated vein r+3-SR of the fore wing and from L. cacuminata in lacking the pair of latero-apical teeth of the clypeus. The new species can be separated from other Indian species described in Shamim et al. (2009) in having the notauli faintly impressed and from L. sharifi in having F1 and F2 length and width ratio subequal (vs 4.6 and 3.1, respectively). In the key to Chinese species of Leiophron (Chen, He and Ma 2001) it runs to L. ruficephala Chen & van Achterberg, 1997 from Oriental China (Yunnan) because of similar venation and shape of clypeus. The new species differs by having the notauli shallowly impressed (entirely absent in L. ruficephala), smaller eyes and malar space slightly longer than basal width of mandible (0.9 × basal width of mandible), malar suture present (absent), eye 1.9 × longer than temple in dorsal view (1.5 ×), mesosoma yellowish (dark brown) and marginal cell of fore wing shorter (longer, see Fig. 265 in Chen and van Achterberg 1997).
description: Published as part of Gupta, Ankita, Achterberg, Cornelis Van, Pattar, Rohit, Navik, Omprakash & Mahendiran, G., 2022, Two new species of the genera Leiophron Nees and Paroligoneurus Muesebeck (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) from northern India, pp. 593-599 in Zootaxa 5175 (5) on pages 594-596, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5175.5.8, http://zenodo.org/record/7009604