Cephalotilla (Cephalotilla) manikandani Terine, Lelej & Girish Kumar, sp. nov.

(Figs 1–6)

Diagnosis. Head predominantly black, frons ferruginous. Antenna and legs black. Clypeus fully ferruginous. T2 apically and T3 with band of golden setae. Pygidial plate black, apically and apico-laterally ferruginous.

Description. FEMALE. Body length 7.35–7.84 mm. Coloration and setation. Head predominantly black, frons ferruginous. Mesosoma ferruginous. Legs black. Antenna black, except scape apically ferruginous. Antennal tubercle ferruginous. Mandible basally ferruginous, apically black. Clypeus fully ferruginous. Metasoma black, except for dark brown S1. Frons, vertex, antennal tubercle and mandible with sparse erect golden setae. Gena and scape with sparse recumbent white setae. Clypeus with tuft of golden setae. Flagellomeres with short golden setae. Mesosoma dorsally with sparse erect dark brown setae, laterally with erect golden setae and propodeal posterior face with denser golden setae. Mesopleuron and metapleuron with short sparse golden setae. Metasoma laterally with sparse golden setae. Anterior face of T1 with erect golden setae, T1 apically with fringe of golden setae. T2 with lateral golden felt line. T2 apically with band of golden setae medially widened. T3 wholly with band of golden setae. T6 with lateral tuft of golden setae. S1 and S2 with sparse white setae. S2–6 with fringe of golden setae. Legs with mixed white and sparse golden setae. Tibial spur golden.

Structure and sculpture. Head. Oval in frontal view, slightly conical at vertex, slightly elongated behind eyes (dorsal view), longitudinal eye diameter 0.73 × minimal distance between eyes; eye not emarginated on the inner margin. Hypostomal carina developed. Head punctate-reticulate. Mandible apically acuminated, without any denticle. Clypeus medially depressed. Ratio of pedicel length and F1–3 0.135: 0.321: 0.154: 0.235.

Mesosoma. Maximal mesosomal width 0.87 × maximal head width. Scutellar scale absent. Mesosoma dorsally rugosopunctate. Posterior propodeal face dorsally with a row of eight spines, middle spines largest. Mesopleuron and metapleuron with fine transverse rugae.

Legs. Mid and hind tibia with two rows of spines, four in each row.

Metasoma. T1 sessile, much narrower than T2 and propodeum. T2 maximal width 1.58 × T1 maximal width, T2 rugosopunctate. T6 with elongate pygidial plate, granulate. S1 with medial longitudinal ridge connecting with posterior triangular carinae. S2–6 punctate, punctures on S2 apically larger than basally.

Variation. Paratype ♀. Similar to holotype except golden setae on head denser. Pygidial plate dark brown.

MALE. Unknown.

Material examined. Holotype ♀, INDIA, Kerala, Malappuram district, Nilambur, Punchakolly, 11.383400° N, 76.377311° E, 117 m, 22.IV.2022, Terine J.B., ZSI/WGRC/IR/INV. 24790 [ZSIK]; Paratypes: 2♀, same data as that of holotype, ZSI /WGRC/IR/INV. 24791, 24792. 1♀, INDIA, Kerala, Kozhikode district, Elathur, 76.377311° N, 75.743244°E, 28 m, 27.XII.2020, C. Binoy, ZSI/WGRC/IR/INV. 24793 [ZSIK].

Distribution. India (Kerala).

Etymology. This species is named in honor of Mr. V. Manikandan Nair, Western Ghat Regional Centre (WGRC), Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), Kozhikode for his years of service in WGRC, ZSI, Kozhikode which includes his great efforts to collect various faunal samples.

Remarks. The new species Cephalotilla (Cephalotilla) manikandani sp. nov. is related to the Oriental C. (C.) porcella (Turner, 1911), but differs by having T2 apically and T3 with band of golden setae (band of yellow setae in C. porcella); head, scape and legs black (ferruginous in C. porcella); pygidial plate mostly black (ferruginous in C. porcella); body length 7.35–7.84 mm (6.0– 7.2 mm in C. porcella).