A New Species of the Genus Phanerotoma Wesmael (Braconidae: Cheloninae) with a key to Indian Species

Wesmael 1838 erected the genus Phanerotoma with the type species Chelonus dentatus Panzer. The genus includes two subgenera: Bracotrictoma Csiki and Phanerotoma Wesmael (Achterberg 1990). It is a cosmopolitan genus characterized by glabrous eyes, 23 segmented antenna, comparatively stout pterostigma and carapace with distinct sutures. The genus is represented by nine species from India (Shenefelt 1973, Zettel 1990, Varshney and Shujauddin 1999 and Ahmad and Shujauddin 2004). In this work we describe one new species of Phanerotoma from Kerala, India. A key to Indian species is also provided. The terminology used in this work is that of Achterberg (1993). The types of the species described are deposited in Department of Zoology, University of Calicut pending transfer to Western Ghat Regional Station, Zoological Survey of India, Kozhikode, Kerala, India later.