Description of a new species of Zeuxevania Kieffer (Hymenoptera: Evaniidae) from India with a key to species

Abstract Background Taxonomy and diversity of Evaniidae from India have not been studied in depth and hosts of many species are unknown. Out of 31 world genera, only five genera (Evania Fab., Prosevania Kieffer, Szepligetella Bradley, Vernevania Huben & Deans and Zeuxevania Kieffer) are reported from India. Based on the collection deposited in the Hymenoptera section of Zoological Survey of India (National Zoological Collection), here we are describing a new species of the genus Zeuxevania. New information A new evaniid species Zeuxevania hubeni sp. nov. is described, based on a female specimen collected from Kadaludi Bird Sanctuary, Kerala, India. The new species is compared with Z. curvicarinata (Cameron), as well as Z. kasauliensis (Muzaffer) and a key to Indian species, based on females, is provided. The type specimen is deposited in the National Zoological Collection, Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata, India.


Introduction
The genus Zeuxevania was erected by Kieffer (1902) with Evania dinarica Schletterer, 1886 as its type species. Two genera, Parevania and Papatuka were recently treated as junior synonyms of Zeuxevania (Sharanowski et al. 2019). The genus currently consists of 39 world species with four species from India (including three fossils and one species described here) distributed predominantly in the Afrotropical and Oriental region (Deans 2005, Deans et al. 2019, Sharanowski et al. 2019. The species of Zeuxevania have been reported as parasitoids of oothecae of Blattellidae (Roth 1985). The present paper deals with the description of a new Zeuxevania species from Kerala, India. A key to Indian species of Zeuxevania, based on females, is provided.

Materials and methods
The specimen was collected using a sweep net from Kadaludi Bird Sanctuary, Kerala, India, killed by ethyl acetate and stored in 70% ethyl alcohol. The specimen was later dried and mounted on a rectangular card using water-soluble glue. Photographs were taken with a Nikon DS-Ri2 camera, mounted on a Nikon SMZ25 stereozoom microscope and processed by the NIS-Elements BR Analysis v5.20.00 software. Generic placement was determined using the key provided by Deans and Huben (2003). The examined holotype is deposited in the National Zoological Collection, Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata, India (NZC). The following abbreviations are used in the text: OOL -Minimum distance between the posterior ocellus and eye margin; POL -Minimum distance between the two posterior ocelli; OAL -Minimum distance between the posterior ocellus and anterior ocellus; F1-F11 -Funicular segments 1-11. Wings (Fig. 2b). Hyaline; seven cells; 1RS vein attached with Sc+R at base of stigma; 1M clearly separated from Sc+R; 3M, 3CU present; r-m present as nebulous vein; fore wing 2.5× longer than wide; hind wing 3.0× longer than wide; hamuli consisting of five hooks; M + CU longer than jugal lobe. Relative measurements (in mm) -fore wing length (width), 3.0 (1.2); hind wing length (width), 1.8 (0.6).

Etymology
The species is named after Mr. M. Huben, Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA in recognition of his contribution to the taxonomy of Evanioidea.

Taxon discussion
Zeuxevania hubeni sp. nov. is very close to Z. curvicarinata (Cameron) (Cameron 1899), but differs in having brown mandibles with yellow patch; mesosoma orange brown, hind coxa white, except brown apices without punctures; hind tibia basal 1/3 yellowish-brown; metatarsus dark brown; petiole smooth and shiny, longer spur of hind tibia 0.75× metatarsus length (in Z. curvicarinata, mandibles reddish; mesosoma red; hind coxa black, transversely punctuate, more strongly at the base than apex; hind tibia and metatarsus white; petiole with few large punctures; longer spur of hind tibia nearly equal to the length of metatarsus). In comparison with Z. kasauliensis (Mani and Muzaffer 1943), it differs in the following features: mandibles brown with yellow patch; the base of antennae yellowish; eye length and width ratio 2:1; hind coxa not punctate; basal 1/3 hind tibia yellowish-brown; hamuli consisting of five hooks; petiole basal half dark brown, apical half white (in Z. kasauliensis, mandibles reddish-brown; antennae dark reddish-brown; eye length and width ratio 10:7; hind coxa punctuate; hind tibia darker; hamuli consisting of nine hooks; petiole dark brown).

Identification keys
Key to Indian species of Zeuxevania Kieffer (Based on females) -Hind coxa black with transverse punctures; mesosoma red; the base of flagellum white; petiole with few large punctures curvicarinata (Cameron)