Chakra pillaiyar Veenakumari & Sreedevi & Mohanraj 2022, sp. nov.

Chakra pillaiyar Veenakumari sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 6318EB9A-195E-4B0D-88D1-BF7DCF059BB2

(Figures 18 (a–f), 19(a–b), 23(j))

Female body length = 2.43–2.69 mm (n = 6); male body length = 2.28–2.39 mm (n = 3).

Colour

Head and mesosoma golden brown; horn on T1, T4–T6 black, T1–T2, T3 brown; ocelli with black patches on inner margin; radicle yellow; A1 basally brown, remainder yellow; A2–A7 brown; remaining antennomeres black-brown; all legs yellow-brown, with black apical tarsomeres.

Head

1.3× as wide as high, 0.9× as high as long. Setation on head: dense. IOS: 0.6× head width, subequal to eye length. POL> LOL> OOL: 14.1:9.7:2.2. OOL: 0.7× MOD. Compound eye: large (L:W = 22.2:15.7). Sculpture on vertex: with setose protuberances, furrows between protuberances with reticulations. Sculpture of frons: smooth, with setose protuberances dorsally, with transverse carinae medially and on either side of central keel. Central keel: present, 0.2× head height. Sculpture of gena: longitudinally carinate, interspersed with sparse setose protuberances. Facial and malar striae: prominent. Interantennal process: smooth, truncate apically.

Mesosoma

L:W of mesoscutum: 32.3:40.7. Setation of mesoscutum: dense. Sculpture of mesoscutum: with setose protuberances, furrows between protuberances with reticulations. Mesoscutal humeral sulcus: weakly foveate. Mesoscutal suprahumeral sulcus: not foveate. Scutoscutellar sulcus: laterally foveate. L:W of mesoscutellum: 12.3:30.0. Sculpture of mesoscutellum: with setose protuberances, furrows between protuberances with reticulations. Setation of mesoscutellum: dense. Sculpture of metascutellum: rugose. Armature of metascutellum: rectangular lamina with a wide medial notch and lateral margins projecting posteriorly. Sculpture of metanotal trough: weakly foveate. Sculpture of lateral propodeal area: rugose, with large depressions posteriorly. Posterior propodeal projection: not pointed, directed inwards. Sculpture of lateral pronotal area: anteriorly rugose, dorsally with sparse setose protuberances, medially smooth, posteriorly with sparse oblique carinae and ventrally with weak transverse carinae. Pronotal cervical sulcus: not foveate. Netrion sulcus: foveate. Speculum of mesopleuron: transversely carinate. Episternal sulcus: foveate. Postacetabular sulcus: foveate. Prespecular sulcus: foveate. Mesepimeral sulcus: weakly foveate. Mesepimeral area: smooth, narrower than mesepimeral sulcus. Mesopleural carina: present. Sculpture of femoral depression: smooth. Mesopleural pit: present. Sculpture of ventral mesopleuron: with setose protuberances. Sculpture of metapleuron: dorsally and ventrally smooth, with setose protuberances anteroventrally. Metapleural sulcus: foveate. Paracoxal sulcus: foveate. Metapleural epicoxal sulcus: foveate. L:W of fore wing: 138.8:38.8. L:W of hind wing: 124.4:22.7. Marginal cilia on posterior margin of proximal fore wing: present.

Metasoma

L:W of metasoma: 160.5:42.1. Sculpture of T1: longitudinally costate, with weak punctae between costae. Length of T1: 0.5× the length of T2. Horn on T1: present. Length of horn on T1: 0.6× length of T1. Sculpture of horn on T1: costate-punctate, with a smooth patch apically. Length of T2: 0.7× the length of T3. Sculpture of T2: longitudinally costate, with punctae between costae, and a smooth patch posteriorly. Sculpture of T3: medially punctate, remainder longitudinally costate, with punctae between costae. Sculpture of T4–T6: medially weakly reticulate, remainder longitudinally costate.

Male

Similar to female. Shape of antennomeres: oblong.

Material examined

Holotype. Female (ICAR / NBAIR / P4489), INDIA: Karnataka: Bengaluru, Jarakabande Kaval, 13.094°N 77.543°E, 921 m, MT, 7 October 2014.

Paratypes. 2 females (ICAR / NBAIR / P4490, P4492), Karnataka: Mandya, 12.564°N 76.733°E, 749 m, YPT in ragi (Eleusine coracana: Poaceae) field, 27 July 2016; 1 female (ICAR / NBAIR / P4491), Tamil Nadu: Dindugul, Thandikudi, RCRS, 10.309°N 77.642°E, 1305 m, YPT (banana (Musa sp.: Musaceae) plot), 26 November 2016; 1 female (ICAR / NBAIR / P4493), Tamil Nadu: Madurai: Agriculture College and Research Institute, 9.968°N 78.203°E, 145 m, YPT, 17 November 2015; 1 female (ICAR / NBAIR / P4494), Karnataka: Chikkaballapur, Nandi Hills, 13.617°N 77.692°E, 1448 m, SN, 10 November 2019; 2 males (ICAR / NBAIR / P4495 – P4496), Karnataka: Chikkaballapur, Nandi Hills, 13.617°N 77.692°E, 1448 m, SN, 4 August 2011; 1 male (ICAR / NBAIR / P4497), Karnataka: Bengaluru, CIFA, Hessaraghatta, 13.133°N 77.490°E, 859 m, YPT, 7 July 2014; 1 male (ICAR / NBAIR / P4498), Karnataka: Chikkaballapur, Nandi Hills, 13°37′02″N 77°41′34″E, 1448 m, YPT, 4 October 2012; 1 male (ICAR / NBAIR / P4499), Karnataka: Bengaluru, Hebbal, 13.027°N 77.584°E, 927 m, PFT, 21 August 2011.

Etymology

This species is named ‘Pillaiyar’, one of several names of the elephant-headed Hindu deity Ganesha. The name is treated as a noun in the genitive case.

Diagnosis

Chakra pillaiyar sp. nov. resembles C. pachmarhica. The distinguishing characters are given above under the latter species.