Microplitis similis Lyle

Ranjith, A. P., Rajesh, K. M. & Nasser, M., 2015, Taxonomic studies on Oriental Microplitis Foerster (Hymenoptera: Braconidae, Microgastrinae) with description of two new species from South India, Zootaxa 3963 (3), pp. 369-415 : 404-406

publication ID

https://doi.org/ 10.11646/zootaxa.3963.3.4

publication LSID

lsid:zoobank.org:pub:C543FC96-D621-4BAD-8746-ED14E447F948

DOI

https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.5668938

persistent identifier

https://treatment.plazi.org/id/6E2F87FE-FFDD-FF90-3DF0-99677CA7DA2F

treatment provided by

Plazi

scientific name

Microplitis similis Lyle
status

 

Microplitis similis Lyle View in CoL

Microplitis similis Lyle 1921:129 View in CoL ; Dutt 1921:157; Ayyar 1924:359; Wilkinson 1930:26; Beeson & Chatterjee 1935:132; Beeson 1941:372; Thompson 1953:163. Holotype BMNH.

Materials examined. Types. Cotype ♂, No collection data except 16.iii.1914, Microplitis similis Lyle “Parasitic on Agrotis ipsilon, 1921 -140 ( BMNH).

Other specimens examined. 1♂ Indonesia, N, Sumatra, 14.iv.1992, Tj. Morawa, ex. Spodoptera litura on Soybean, Hvd B 0 2 IIE 22405 Hvd B 92/02, pres by Int. Inst. Ent. BM 1992-1, Microplitis similis Lyle det. A.K. Walker, 1992 ( BMNH); 1♀ India, Bihar, 1962, 49 18761, “ Microplitis similis Lyle, G.E.J. Nixon det. 1963 ( BMNH); India, Kerala, Changanassery, N 09° 46’ 67” E 76° 55’ 00”, 26.i.2013, sweep net, coll. Ranjith ( DZUC).

Female. Body length 1.8 mm (based on examined specimens).

Head: Subcircular, 1.1× as wide as long in anterior view ( Fig. 18 View FIGURE 18 -B); lateral temples slightly visible in anterior view ( Fig. 18 View FIGURE 18 -B); width of face (at widest) 0.5× width of head; face slightly convex, rugulose, glabrous, 1.7× as wide as long ( Fig. 18 View FIGURE 18 -B); lateral temples slightly rugose, pilose; vertex, dorsal occiput slightly rugose, setose ( Fig. 17 View FIGURE 17 -C); occiput concave; frons rugulose setose laterally, area between antennal sockets without distinct carinate longitudinal ridge; eyes setose; POL 1.5× OOL ( Fig. 17 View FIGURE 17 -C); ocelli forming an obtuse triangle; antennae 1.2× as long as body; first flagellomere 1.2× as long as second flagellomere; first and second flagellomere 2.6, 2.2× as long as wide; terminal flagellomere acute, 2.4× as long as wide.

Mesosoma: Mesosoma 1.3× as long as high; mesoscutum rugulose, sparsely setose ( Fig. 17 View FIGURE 17 -C); notauli faintly indicated by slight shallow depression not separated by medial longitudinal carina ( Fig. 17 View FIGURE 17 -C); medial furrow absent; scutellar lunules widest medially divided by six carinae ( Fig. 17 View FIGURE 17 -C); area lateral to scutellar lunules flat; dorsal scutellum convex, with fine punctuation, setose, with marginal carinate groove laterally; propodeum with percurrent medial longitudinal carina and transverse carina at the basal half, rest coarsely rugose ( Fig. 17 View FIGURE 17 -D); lateral pronotum with oblique crenulate furrow; mesopleuron pilose anteriorly, smooth and glabrous posteromedially; epicnemal area setose, with deep crenulate epicnemal furrow reaching to anterior margin of mesopleuron; precoxal groove shallow, crenulate; hind coxa mostly smooth, except for micropunctures with setae; hind femur 3.5× as long as wide; hind tibia 6.7× as long as wide; outer hind tibial spur 0.3× as long as basitarsus.

Wings: Fore wing 2.7× as long as wide ( Fig. 17 View FIGURE 17 -F & Fig. 18 View FIGURE 18 -D); pterostigma 2.3× as long as wide; areolet large, quadrangular ( Fig. 17 View FIGURE 17 -F); 1-M straight; margin of vannal lobe convex and setose ( Fig. 17 View FIGURE 17 -D).

Metasoma: T1 2.1× as long as wide, smooth with medial shallow groove, parallel sided, widest apically and rounded apically ( Fig. 17 View FIGURE 17 -D & E); T2 with median field ( Fig. 17 View FIGURE 17 -B); T2–T7 smooth, with sparse transverse row of fine setae posteriorly ( Fig. 17 View FIGURE 17 -B); ovipositor 0.3× as long as hind basitarsus.

Colour: Body generally black except scape brownish black, flagellomeres brownish, maxillary palps yellow, pterostigma brownish, venation yellowish brown, legs brownish, metasoma mostly reddish brown except T1 brownish.

Male: Same as female except antennae 1.4× as long as body.

Distribution. Bangladesh, India (Bihar and Kerala), Indonesia and Vietnam.

Host. Agrotis ypsilon Linn.

Discussion. This species is close to M. demolitor in having the propodeum coarsely rugose with distinct medial longitudinal carina, scutellum micropunctured, presence of longitudinal carina between antennal sockets and hind coxa smooth basally. It differs from M. demolitor in the following characters: notauli impressed (in M. demolitor notauli faintly indicated), T1 parallel sided with medial longitudinal groove (in M. demolitor T1 sub parallel sided without medial longitudinal groove), T2 with median field (in M. demolitor T2 without median field), face 1.7× as wide as long (in M. demolitor face 1.5× as wide as long), POL 1.5× OOL (in M. demolitor POL 1.5× OOL), fore wing vein 1-M straight (in M. demolitor 1-M slightly arched throughout).

Comments. We could not examine the holotype and the above description is based on the examined material.

DZUC

Departamento de Zoologia da Universidade de Coimbra

Kingdom

Animalia

Phylum

Arthropoda

Class

Insecta

Order

Hymenoptera

Family

Braconidae

Genus

Microplitis

Loc

Microplitis similis Lyle

Ranjith, A. P., Rajesh, K. M. & Nasser, M. 2015
2015
Loc

Microplitis similis

Thompson 1953: 163
Beeson 1941: 372
Beeson 1935: 132
Wilkinson 1930: 26
Ayyar 1924: 359
Lyle 1921: 129
Dutt 1921: 157
1921
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