Apanteles javensis Rohwer, 1919

Gupta, Ankita, 2012, Reared parasitic wasps attacking hesperiids from Western Ghats (Kerala, India) with description of a new species of Dolichogenidea (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) as a larval parasitoid of Thoressa evershedi (Evans) (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae), Zootaxa 3413, pp. 29-43 : 35-36

Apanteles javensis Rohwer, 1919

Apanteles javensis Rohwer is reported for the first time from India parasitizing larvae of Pelopidas mathias (Fabricius) . The other hosts from macrolepidoptera are Parnara conjuncta Herrich-Schaffer , Mycalesis perseus (Fabricius) and Polytremis pellucida (Murray) ( Yu, 2012) .

Brief diagnosis. Female. Black; antennae, tegulae, hind legs largely, mid legs except apex of femora, front legs at base of femora, basal ventrites, lateral membranous margins of first gastral tergite, deep red; rest portion of legs red testaceous. Basal part of hind tibiae lighter than apical part. Stigma pallid with margins brown. Propodeum with areola well marked in the apical half; areola shining. Ovipositor sheath in length equal to basal joint of the hind tarsus. First tergite of metasoma narrow apically and broad basally; punctuate along the marginal third in apical half (except at apex); second tergite completely smooth and shining.

Discussion. Apanteles javensis can be easily confused with A. baoris Wilkinson which is also a larval parasitoid of P. mathias and has been reported earlier from Indian subcontinent (Orissa and southern parts of India), Malaysia and Ceylon. It can be separated from the latter with the ovipositor sheaths rather longer than the hind tibiae in the case of A. baoris .

Distribution. India: Kerala (New record), Aakulam lake, Thiruvananthapuram city suburbs Kerala.

Material examined. 10 females mounted on card, 6 females wet preserved in 70% alcohol, INDIA, Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram, November 2010, emerged from parasitized larvae Pelopidas mathias (Fabricius) ( Lepidoptera : Hesperiidae ) on host plant Brachiaria mutica (Forssk.) Stapf (Poaceae) , leg. Kalesh, S. All specimens deposited in National Bureau of Agriculturally Important Insects ( NBAII), Bangalore, India. Code. NBAII /Bra/ Mic/Apan/jav/1110.

Host record. Pelopidas mathias (Fabricius) larva ( Lepidoptera : Hesperiidae ) on host plant Brachiaria mutica (Forssk.) Stapf (Poaceae) . Brachiaria mutica is a gregarious tall grass growing at the edges of water bodies and in marshes.