Microplitis chui Xu & He

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 : 389-391

Microplitis chui Xu & He

Microplitis chui Xu & He 2002: 155 ; Chen & Song 2004:223 Holotype ZUH.

Female. Body length 2.3 mm.

Head: Head in dorsal view not broadening behind eyes, 1.85× as wide as long; eyes large, 1.9× as high as broad, inner margin of eyes parallel ( Fig. 9 -B); face 1.2× as wide as high, rugose; clypeus with straight margin ( Fig. 9 -B); antennal socket and frons rugose, vertex rugose-punctate; upper temple with fine punctation; ocelli small, forming a high triangle; POL 0.7× OOL; antenna thin and hairy, longer than the body; scape 2.3× as long as wide; first flagellomere 3× as long as wide, terminal flagellomere 2.3× as long as wide.

Mesosoma: Mesosoma 1.4× as long as high; mesoscutum rugose-punctate with a wide and deep mediolongitudinal crenulate furrow ( Fig. 9 -C), middle lobe and lateral lobes sculptured and densely punctate; notauli well developed, represented by coarsely crenulate furrows meeting posteriorly to form a sunken rugose-reticulate area, and divided by a short medio-longitudinal ridge ( Fig. 9 -C); scutellar lunules wide divided by six carinae ( Fig. 9 -D); dorsal scutellum coarsely rugose, bordered laterally by crenulate furrow forming distinct carinate margin ( Fig. 9 -C); propodeum scrobiculate with a strong medio-longitudinal carina, rest reticulate-rugose; pronotum densely rugose; mesopleuron with crenulate groove; anterior and lower part of metapleura with strong rugosity, the rest smooth; hind coxa sculptured basally, the rest smooth; hind femur 3.7× as long as wide; hind tibia spurs almost equal, inner one 0.38× as long as basitarsus.

Wings: Fore wing 2.3× as long as wide ( Fig. 9 -F); pterostigma 2.9× as long as wide ( Fig. 9 -F); 1-R1 2.9× as long as its distance from apex of radial cell, and as long as pterostigma respectively; r slightly curved; areolet rectangular ( Fig. 9 -F); first distal cell 1.2× as long as high; 1-CU1 0.5× as long as 2-CU1; 1-M slightly curved, 1.7× as long as m-cu; 1-SR 0.25× as long as 1-M; m-cu 1.4× as long as 2-SR+M; submarginal cell of hind wing 1.3× as long as basal width.

Metasoma: T1 2× as long as wide, rugose, sub parallel sided but smooth postero-medially, in posterior 1/4 weakly narrowing ( Fig. 9 -D); T2 smooth with an indistinct median field, and shorter than T3 ( Fig. 9 -E); T3 and following tergites smooth ( Fig. 9 -E); hypopygium short, sclerotized; its apex ending far to apex of abdomen, posterior margin straight; ovipositor sheath long, not reaching apex of abdomen, 0.3× as long as hind tibia.

Colour: Body black, scape dark reddish yellow, tip of mandible yellowish brown, palps white, tegulae reddish yellow, sternites 1 & 2 yellowish white to reddish yellow, rest blackish brown, fore and mid legs reddish yellow, all spurs reddish yellow, hind legs reddish yellow but in basal 1/4 and in distal 1/4 of hind tibia brown, tarsi blackish brown, fore and hind wings hyaline, pterostigma blackish with a yellow in basal 1/3, venation yellowish brown ( Fig. 9 -F).

Male: Same as female but F1–F6 dark brown, red and yellow, T1 2.1× as long as wide.

Distribution. China (Zhejiang).

Host. Unknown.

Discussion. This species similar to M. vitellipedis in having the pronotum coarsely rugose-punctate, propodeum with indistinct anterior transverse carina, T1 narrowing posteriorly and T2 without distinct median field. It differs in the following characters, face rugose (in M. vitellipedis face densely punctate), POL 0.7× OOL (in M. vitellipedis POL 1.1× OOL).

Comments. Type material could not be directly examined, but images of the holotype taken by Dr. Tang Pu (ZUH) were used to compare with the new species described in this paper.

Figures

FIGURE 9. Microplitis chui Xu & He, female, holotype A) Habitus, dorsal view; B) Head, anterior view; C) Mesosoma, dorsal view; D) Propodeum & tergite 1, dorsal view; E) Metasoma, dorsal view; F) Fore wing.