A taxonomic study of Methocha Latreille (Hymenoptera: Tiphiidae: Methochinae) from India with description of three new species Author Hanima, Raveendran K. P. Western Ghat Regional Centre, Zoological Survey of India, Eranhipalam, Kozhikode, Kerala, 673006, India. Author Kumar, P. Girish 0000-0003-2121-0165 Western Ghat Regional Centre, Zoological Survey of India, Eranhipalam, Kozhikode, Kerala, 673006, India. & kpgiris @ gmail. com, https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0003 - 2121 - 0165 Author Binoy, C. 0000-0003-4309-5460 Insect Ecology and Ethology Laboratory, Department of Zoology, University of Calicut, Kerala, 673635, India. binoy _ doz @ uoc. ac. in; https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0003 - 4309 - 5460 & Systematic Entomology Laboratory, Malabar Christian College, Kozhikode- 673001, Kerala, Affiliated to University of Calicut. binoy_doz@uoc.ac.in Author Sureshan, P. M. 0000-0003-4722-6368 Western Ghat Regional Centre, Zoological Survey of India, Eranhipalam, Kozhikode, Kerala, 673006, India. & pmsuresh 43 @ gmail. com, https: // orcid. org / 0000 - 0003 - 4722 - 6368 text Zootaxa 2021 2021-07-12 4999 3 258 272 journal article 10.11646/zootaxa.4999.3.5 1175-5326 5119053 FB77698C-87DD-4525-A697-F4026E57266C 5. Methocha shyamagatra Hanima, Girish Kumar & Sureshan , sp. nov. ( Figs 37–48 ) urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act: 25D033BA-71E9-4B2A-B681-5A99EB0B7BC1 Type material. Holotype ♂ , pinned specimen, India : Uttarakhand , Dehradun district , ZSI Campus ( 30°20’49”N & 78°01’04”E , 693 m ), 17.vii.2019 , Coll. P. Girish Kumar , ( ZSIK ) Regd. No. ZSI/ WGRC /IR/INV.15314. Diagnosis. Clypeus, gena, lower part of frons and scape covered with dense setae; pronotal disc anteriorly with ridge; parapsidal furrow present, notauli absent; mesopleuron with median ovate, impressed, densely setose fossa. Description. Holotype ♂ . Body length 9.2 mm ; fore wing length 5.3 mm . Colour . Black with the following parts as follows: palpi dark brown; labrum yellowish brown; outer part of tegula light yellow; stigma and veins brown; vestiture silvery white. Head . Clypeus, gena, lower part of frons and scape covered with dense setae ( Fig. 39 ); eyes with sparse erect setae; frons up to posterior ocelli with sparse punctures, remaining areas except below anterior ocellus (a smooth impunctate smooth area) with coarse adjacent punctures ( Fig. 41 ); HW (frontal view) 1.59 × height (from clypeal apex to posterior ocellus); IOD at anterior ocellus 1.3 × least IOD; OOD 1.7 × POD; clypeal lobe deeply emarginated apico-medially ( Fig. 42 ). Mesosoma . Pronotal disc anteriorly with ridge, surface behind with small punctures and setae; scutum anteriorly with deep punctures, laterally besides parapsidal furrows with transverse rugae, middle region smooth with sparse punctures; scutellum anteriorly with linear furrow subdivided by small longitudinal ridges, posteriorly with curved ridge; upper part of mesopleuron rugose-reticulate, above median fossa with coarse punctures ( Fig. 45 ); propodeum ruguloso-reticulate, lateral margins with rows of setae ( Fig. 44 ). Metasoma. Metasoma with scattered setigerous punctures separated by more than 2× diameter of a puncture ( Fig. 47 ). FIGURES 37–44. Methocha shyamagatra Hanima, Girish Kumar & Sureshan , sp. nov. Holotype ♂37. Habitus, lateral view; 38. Habitus, dorsal view; 39. Head, lateral view; 40. Antenna; 41. Head, frontal view; 42. Lower half of head, frontal view; 43. Head, dorsal view; 44. Mesosoma, dorsal view. FIGURES 45–48. Methocha shyamagatra Hanima, Girish Kumar & Sureshan , sp. nov. Holotype ♂ 45. Mesosoma, lateral view; 46. Fore wing; 47. Metasoma, dorsal view; 48. Metasoma, lateral view. Female. Unknown. Etymology. The species epithet is derived from Sanskrit word ‘ shyamagathram’ meaning black, based on the black body of the new species. Distribution. India : Uttarakhand . Remarks. This new species comes close to M. litoralis Krombein , in having medio-apically deeply emarginated clypeus, pronotal disc with anterior ridge, and propodeum without median ridge, finely ruguloso-reticulate, but differs from the aforesaid species in having: mesopleuron above median fossa with coarser punctures (in M. litoralis , mesopleuron above median fossa with sparser punctures); apices of metasomal segments without row of punctures (in M. litoralis , apices of metasomal segments with a row of punctures); tegulae apically black with yellow laterally (in M. litoralis , tegulae with apex light red); mandibles completely black (in M. litoralis , mandibles medially red); OOD 1.7 × POD (in M. litoralis , OOD 1.3 × POD). This new species differs from M. violaceipennis in having: wings hyaline (in M. violaceipennis , wings fuscoviolaceous); scape with sparse silvery white setae (in M. violaceipennis , scape covered with thick long fuscous setae); clypeus smooth (in M. violaceipennis , clypeus strongly aciculated); mesosoma with sparse setae (in M. violaceipennis , mesosoma thickly covered with setae; propodeum ruguloso-reticulate (in M. violaceipennis , propodeum closely rugose punctured with transverse striations anteriorly, striae running into reticulations). SPECIES INCERTAE SEDIS Descriptions for the identification of the following species were insufficient and no additional materials were obtained during the present study. Hence the following species are not included in the key for the time being.