Tiphia (Tiphia) kurumba Hanima & Girish Kumar 2022, sp. nov.

21. Tiphia (Tiphia) kurumba Hanima & Girish Kumar sp. nov.

(Figs 274–286)

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 50915EA5-E8ED-4A77-997E-0A1958414714

Type material. Holotype, ♂, INDIA: Kerala, Palakkad district, Silent Valley National Park, Panthanthod (11°04′21″N & 76°25′25″E, 974 m), 16.v.2016, Coll. Prashanth, (ZSIK) Regd. No. ZSI / WGRC /IR/INV.18084. Paratypes: 1♂, same collection locality as that of holotype, (ZSIK) Regd. No. ZSI / WGRC /IR/INV.18085; 3♂, Wayanad district, Meppadi, Mundakai forest (11°33′40″N & 76°08′44″E, 853 m), 16.xi.2018, Coll. K.P. Hanima Raveendran, (ZSIK) Regd. Nos. ZSI / WGRC /IR/INV.18912–18914.

Diagnosis. Carina of dorsal side of pronotum without ridges; metanotum with small sparse punctures; carina of propodeal areola with crenulations, median carina of areola complete; marginal cell of fore wing long and greatly longer than second cubital cell in apical extension.

Description. Holotype, ♂. Body length 9.5 mm. Paratypes, ♂. Body length 6.9–9.1 mm.

Colour. Antennae beneath yellowish orange (Fig. 274); trochanter, femur, tibia and tarsi of first two pairs of legs yellowish brown, other leg areas black (Figs 274, 279); mandible dark yellowish brown apically (Fig. 276); tegula orange brown (Fig. 278).

Head. Head with coarse punctures concentrated sparcely on upper frons and adjacently on lower frons (Fig. 275); HW 2.28 × least distance between eyes; median extension of clypeus emarginated (Fig. 276); mandible without preapical denticle; POD 1.84 × LOD and 0.73 × OOL; length of scape: pedicel: Fu 1: Fu 2: Fu 3: Fu 4: Fu 5: Fu 6: Fu 7: Fu 8: Fu 9: Fu 10: Fu 11 = 0.353: 0.143: 0.150: 0.215: 0.214: 0.213: 0.213: 0.214: 0.215: 0.217: 0.219: 0.222: 0.325.

Mesosoma. Dorsal side of pronotum with anterior transverse carina without ridges, uniformely arranged punctures with impunctate apical region (Fig. 278); tegula 1.24 × middle width (Fig. 278); pronotum and mesoscutum with large punctures, metanotum with minute sparse punctures (Fig. 278); lateral side of pronotum with curved faint groove posteriorly (Fig. 279); mesopleuron with coarse large punctures mixed with small punctures (Fig. 279); lateral side of propodeum strongly regulate on upper area which weakens towards posterior apex (Fig. 279); dorsal side of propodeum besides areola imbricate with scattered punctures, carina of areola with crenulations, median carina complete (Fig. 278); areola with length 1.75 × apical width and 1.4 × basal width; fore wing completely hyaline with large stigma (Fig. 281); fore wing with long marginal cell greatly longer than second cubital cell in lateral extension (Fig. 281). Length of mesosoma: 2.7 mm.

Metasoma. Gt 1 without anterior transverse carina (Fig. 282); Gs 5 with lateral denticle (Fig. 283); Gs 6 with sparse setae (Fig. 283). Length of metasoma: 4.3 mm.

Genitalia. Paramere apically wider than base and covered with setae; digitus almost oval in shape; cuspis slender and sickle shaped and covered with setae aedeagus folded (Figs 284–286).

Female. Unknown.

Discussion. As per the key of Allen (1975), this new species comes close to T. (T.) birganjae Allen in the following characters: absence of mandibular preapical denticle; dorsal side of pronotum with carina; lateral side of pronotum without transdiscal groove; Gt 1 without anterior transverse carina, but this new species distinctly differs from T. (T.) birganjae as follows: marginal cell of fore wing greatly longer than second cubital cell in lateral extension (in T. (T.) birganjae, marginal cell of fore wing only slightly longer than second cubital cell in lateral extension); marginal cell of fore wing long (in T. (T.) birganjae, marginal cell of fore wing short); metanotum with sparse punctures (in T. (T.) birganjae, metanotum closely with coarse primary punctures); carina of dorsal side of pronotum without ridges (in T. (T.) birganjae, carina of dorsal side of pronotum with ridges); median carina of areola complete (in T. (T.) birganjae, median carina of areola not complete, disappearing towards apex).

Distribution. India: Kerala.

Etymology. The specific name kurumba is derived from the name of a tribal community Kurumbar. They are one of the earliest known inhabitants of the Western Ghats, who are engaged in the collection and gathering of forest products.