Taeniogonalos deepaki Femi and Ranjith sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 09EA6CAD-919C-4BB7-BFCB-8A2171AD4620

(Figs 1–2, 5A)

Type material. Holotype female, India: Karnataka, Belgaum, Nipani, 16°2412 N, 74°2242 E, 615 m. a.s.l., 2.vii.2020, coll. Deepak Deshpande (AIMB).

Diagnosis. This new species differs from all other Indian species of Taeniogonalos in having the following combination of characters: vertex dorsally reddish brown (Fig. 1C); antenna with 22 flagellomeres (Fig. 1A); fore wing with apical brownish black patch; second submarginal cell of fore wing sessile anteriorly connecting with discal cell transversely at a point (Fig. 2E); mesopleuron without four distinct yellow spots (Fig. 1E) and scutellum largely yellow with the middle of scutellum reddish brown (Figs 1F, 2A).

Description. Holotype, female, length of body 7.7 mm; fore wing 6.0 mm.

Head. Head 1.7, 1.6 × as wide as long anteriorly (except mandibles) and dorsally respectively; antenna with 22 flagellomeres (Fig. 1A); frons (Fig. 1B) coarsely rugose punctate, with narrow shiny interspaces of diameter shorter than the interspaces; vertex shallowly punctate with large shiny interspaces wider than fine punctures; OOD 2.6 × POD (Fig. 1C); OOD 4.4 × OD; punctures on temple as that of vertex, smooth towards occiput and punctured towards eye (Fig. 1D); eye in dorsal view 0.9 × as wide as temple; occipital carina distinct (Fig. 1C); supra-antennal elevation medium-sized, about 0.2 × as long as scape, outer margin oblique; clypeus distinctly concave medioapically, setose; mandible large; interocular distance at middle of face 3.7 × distance between antennal toruli.

Mesosoma. Mesosoma 1.4 × as long as high (Fig. 1F); transverse mesopleural sulcus present (Fig. 1E); mesopleuron not rugulose except for the shiny area posteriorly on the upper half, indistinct; notauli (Fig. 1F) deep, narrow and complete; mesoscutum coarsely rugose-punctate, short longitudinal streak indicated on lateral lobes; scutellar sulcus complete, medium-sized, finely crenulate; scutellum similarly sculptured as mesoscutum, weakly convex; metanotum medially slightly convex, not protruding, somewhat glossy (Figs 1F, 2A); propodeum largely irregularly rugulose punctate with some longitudinally or obliquely rugose punctures; posterior propodeal carina arched (Fig. 2A).

Wings. Fore wing with length of vein 1-M 1.4 × as long as vein 1-SR, vein 1-M curved and vein 1-SR straight; subdiscal and discal cells setose (Fig. 2E); second submarginal cell sessile anteriorly, 1.4 × as long as third cell, connecting with discal cell at a transverse point.

Metasoma. First metasomal tergite 1.2 × as wide as long, glossy with more or less distinctly punctate (Fig. 2C); second metasomal tergite rugose-punctate medially remainder punctate, shiny, moderately setose; remainder tergites conspicuously rugose-punctate and setose (Figs 2B–C); sternites (Fig. 2D) with similar sculpturing as tergites; metasomal sternite one with a pair of longitudinal carina antero-medially associated with longitudinal wrinkles, striate-punctate antero-laterally, metasomal sternite 2+ punctate, visible part of third sternite 0.2 × as long as second sternite; hypopygium bluntly triangular in ventral view (Fig. 2C).

Colour. Head, mesosoma and metasoma predominantly tricoloured (black to brownish black, red to reddish brown, and yellow). Body mostly reddish brown mandible except apex, clypeus, frons near toruli, inner eye margin, anterior to median ocellus, lateral to posterior ocelli, temple anteriorly, occiput posteriorly, pronotum anterodorsally and antero-laterally, postero-laterally, middle lobe of mesoscutum anterolaterally, scutellum except medially, metanotum, propodeum submedially, mesopleuron postero-laterally, fore coxa, fore trochanter, fore femur basally, mid coxa apical two third, mid trochanter, mid femur basally, hind coxa dorsally, hind trochanter, hind femur basally, hind tibia basally, tegula, first metasomal tergite postero-medially, second metasomal tergite antero- medially, metasomal tergites four to six except medially, metasomal sternites one and two posterior one third, metasomal tergite three postero-laterally yellow. Apex of mandibles, posterior margin of clypeus, face antero-medially, frons medially, ocelli, malar area, propleuron, pronotum medio-posteriorly, occiput dorso-ventrally, mesopleuron anteriorly and posterior half, metapleuron posterior half, hind coxa ventrally, metanotum posteriorly, propodeum antero-medially and postero-medially, first metasomal tergite except medio-posteriorly, second metasomal tergite anterior half except antero-medially, third metasomal tergite anterior one third and posteriorly, fourth metasomal tergite posteriorly, fifth metasomal tergite antero-laterally and medially, metasomal sternite one except posterior margin, second metasomal sternite anterior half, third metasomal sternite except postero-laterally, metasomal sternites 4+ black. Metasomal tergites and sternites 2+ with white setae.

Biology. Unknown

Etymology. The species is named after Dr Deepak Deshpande, a medical doctor and a nature enthusiast who collected the specimen.

Distribution. India (Karnataka).

Remarks. Taeniogonalos deepaki sp. nov. resembles T. thwaitesii (Westwood, 1874) from Sri Lanka, in having head, mesosoma and metasoma predominantly tricoloured and the second submarginal cell of fore wing sessile anteriorly and connecting with the discal cell as a transverse point. However the new species differs from T. thwaitesii in having the yellow band of second tergite not broad centrally but forming a conical projection laterally (vs broad centrally in T. thwaitesii); mesopleuron without four distinct yellow spots (vs mesopleuron with four distinct yellow spots in T. thwaitesii); scutellum largely yellow and reddish brown medially (vs largely brown with narrow yellow bands laterally in T. thwaitesii). Additionally, T. deepaki sp. nov. resembles T. gestroi (Schulz, 1908) from India and China, in having posterior half of first submarginal cells of fore wing more or less darkened. However, T. deepaki sp. nov. differs from T. gestroi in having general body colouration reddish brown (vs black in T. gestroi) mesopleuron and metapleuron without extensive yellow pattern (vs with extensive yellow pattern in T. gestroi); metasomal tergite one with continuous yellow margin posteriorly (vs a medial yellow spot in T. gestroi) and v shaped yellow mark behind stemmaticum absent (vs present in T. gestroi)