Four new species of Neostromboceros Rohwer (Hymenoptera: Selandriinae) from India

Abstract

November 2004 Literature based facts reveal that so far this genus is recorded from the Oriental region only. Rohwer (1912) was first to define the genus Neostromboceros taking Stromboceros metallica Rohwer from Singapore as its type species. Prior to the work by Indian taxonomists 37 species in total of this genus from the Oriental region were on record, and the contribution goes to Cameron (1888, 1899, 1902, 1907), Konow (1898, 1901, 1908), Rohwer (1912, 1915, 1916), Enslin (1912), Enderlein (1919), Takeuchi (1929), Forsius (1925, 1931, 1933), Benson (1935) and Malaise (1944) of these only nine species were known from the Indian faunistic limits, and the credit goes to Cameron (1888, 1899, 1902, 1907), Konow(1898) and Malaise (1944) who described six, one and two species respectively. Enderlein (1919) erected the genus Stypoza taking Stypoza cyanea as its type species that was brought under Neostromboceros by Malaise (1944), while compiling the entire scattered work of this genus in the form of a key from the Oriental region. Following mainly the contribution by Malaise (1944), Vasu et al. (1997, 1999), Saini and Vasu (1999a, 1999b), Vasu and Saini (1999a, 1999b, 2000, 2001) and Saini et al. (1999, 2001) added 32 species as new to science and four species as first record under this genus from the Indian subcontinent. This genus is now represented by 49 species from India that includes the four species dealt herein as new to science collected from the Himalayan region of northern and northeastern states. The paper deals with the description and illustrations of the new species in question. The species are described following a standardized uniform pattern defined for the selandrine sawflies. Illustrations pertaining to genitalia and other morphological characters of taxonomic importance are provided. The host plants of these species remain unknown.