Tanaostigma indica Gupta, sp. n.
Creators: name: Gupta, Ankita
name: Joshi, Sunil
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2016
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Tanaostigmatidae
Tanaostigma
Tanaostigma indica

description: Tanaostigma indica Gupta sp. n.
(Figs 1A −F, 2A–C)
Diagnosis. Head and body extensively covered with squamiform white setae (Fig. 1A), but dorsal surface of pedicel with normal setae (Figs 2A, B). Head with median ocellus not bordered by white spot (Fig. 2B). Antenna with F2 subequal to following segments (Fig. 1E). Fore wing setae normal (Fig. 1F), unmodified humeral plate without black seta (Fig. 1C). Mesopleuron entirely black to brown, without longitudinal white stripe (Fig. 1C); metapleuron visible (Fig. 1C).
Scutellum with lateral glabrate area (Fig. 1D). Propodeum without squamiform setae between spiracles (Fig. 2A). Posterior margin of T2−T4 with small median incision (Fig. 2C).
Description. FEMALE. Holotype, length of body 2.6 mm, fore wing 2.4 mm, ovipositor 0.18 mm. Paratypes, length of body 2.3–2.6 mm, fore wing 2.4–2.5 mm, ovipositor 0.16–0.19 mm.
Colour. Black with white or pale yellow markings on following: face ventrally with wide transverse stripe along oral margin between malar sulci (Fig. 1B) contiguous with ventrally widened region along outer orbit adjacent to malar suture (Fig. 1C), and frons with narrow transverse stripe extending from eye towards but not reaching scrobes just dorsal to torulus (Fig. 1B).
Chaetotaxy. Body (Figs 1, 2) with squamiform white setae on following: frons, vertex, gena, dorsal surface of scape, pronotum dorsally, mesonotum, propodeum laterally, tegula, humeral plate, pro- and mesosterna, pro- and mesocoxae and femora, T1−T5 dorsally and laterally, and T6 laterally.
Head 1.43× wider than long, with weak transverse ridges between lateral ocelli. OOL (0.14‒0.15); POL (0.24); OOL 1.5−1.6× POL (Fig. 2B). Scrobal impression shallow, reticulate dorsally, glabrate ventrally. Interantennal projection small, with faint longitudinal median carina ventrally. Subocular sulcus complete. Frons reticulate; face, gena and occiput elongate-reticulate (Fig. 1B). Antenna (Figs 1A, C, E) with scape 2.24‒2.42× longer than wide, with flattened ventral expansion; pedicel 1.38× longer than wide; first anellus medially 0.77× as long as and slightly narrower than second annellus; F1 0.75× as long as and slightly narrower than F2; funicular segments all wider than long, laterally compressed with F2 widest and subsequent segments narrowing towards clava; clava 1.82‒2.2× longer than wide, narrower than funicle.
Mesosoma 1.07× as long as metasoma in lateral view (Fig. 1A). Mesonotum (Figs 1D, 2A) coarsely reticulate except scutellum with glabrate area laterally. Propodeum (Fig. 2A) with median carina and one to three lateral carinae between median carina and spiracle. Acropleuron reticulate-punctate (Fig. 1C). Metapleuron visible (Fig. 1C). Wings (Fig. 1F) hyaline with veins light brown; stigmal vein slightly curved, not perpendicular to postmarginal vein; basal cell with 40‒45 setae; CC/MV 2.01‒2.07, MV/PMV 2.45‒2.74, MV/SV 1.74‒1.95, PMV/SV 0.67‒0.07.
Metasoma coarsely reticulate-punctate (Fig. 2C); T1‒T4 with medial line; posterior margin of T2 and T3 with small medial incision not reaching one-quarter length of tergum. Ovipositor (Figs 1A, 2C) yellowish brown, setose; exerted part 0.16−0.19 mm (0.15× as long as metasoma in lateral view).
MALE. Not known.
Type material. Holotype ♀ (NBAIR), INDIA, Karnataka, Bangalore, Hebbal, 13.03°N 77.59°E, 10.v.2016, ex: Millettia (= Pongamia) pinnata (L.) Panigrahi (Fabaceae), coll. Sunil Joshi, code- NBAIR / Tana / Tanaostigma /10516 A. Paratypes: 4 ♀ (NBAIR) [same data as holotype], codes- NBAIR /Tana/ Tanaostigma /10516 B −E.
Etymology. The species name is derived from the country name from where it was collected.
Biology. The wasps were collected from a container carrying leaves of Millettia (= Pongamia) pinnata (L.) Panigrahi (Fabaceae) infested with galls. We are not sure of their exact biology, whether these wasps are gall inducers or otherwise.
Remarks. Tanaostigma indica keys closest to T. lobo in the key to the New World species of Tanoastigma by LaSalle (1987) but differs in the following set of characters: scape 2.24‒2.42× longer than wide (versus 1.75−2.1×); dorsal surface of pedicel without (versus with) squamiform setae; clava 1.82‒2.2× longer than wide (versus 1.35−1.85×); basal cell with 40−45 setae (versus 20−26); ratio of marginal vein to post marginal vein 2.45‒2.74 (versus 3.15−3.4); T1‒T4 with medial line (versus T2−T5 with medial line); posterior margin of T2 and T3 with small medial incision not reaching one-quarter length of tergum) (versus posterior margin of T3 with deep medial incision reaching to half length of the tergum).
The comparison with T. lobo was based on the original description as the female paratype in BMNH, London could not be located (pers. comm. Natalie Dale-Skey Papilloud).
description: Published as part of Gupta, Ankita & Joshi, Sunil, 2016, The first record of the genus Tanaostigma (Hymenoptera: Tanaostigmatidae) in the Old World, with the description of a new species from India, pp. 197-200 in Zootaxa 4193 (1) on pages 197-200, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.4193.1.13, http://zenodo.org/record/166674