Microplitis zhaoi 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 : 411-412

Microplitis zhaoi Xu & He

Microplitis zhaoi Xu & He 2000b: 107 . Holotype ZUH.

Material examined. 2♀♀ India, Kerala, Kallai, 24.vi.87, (R-344 & R-345), Sumodan ( DZUC); India, Kerala, CU campus, 10.ii.93 (R-452), Rema ( DZUC).

Female. Body length 2.1–2.6 mm (based on examined specimens).

Head: Subcircular, 1.1× as wide as long ( Fig. 22 -B); lateral temples slightly visible behind eyes; width of face (at widest) 0.5× width of head; face slightly convex, 1.2× as wide as long; lateral temples, vertex and dorsal occiput slightly rugulose, sparsely setose ( Fig. 22 -B); area between antennal sockets with distinct carinate longitudinal ridge; eyes setose; POL 1.2× OOL; ocelli forming an obtuse angle; antenna 0.9× as long as body ( Fig. 22 -A); first flagellomere 1.2× as long as second flagellomere, 3.1× as long as wide; second flagellomere 3.1× as long as wide; terminal flagellomere acute, 2.9× as long as wide.

Mesosoma: Mesosoma 1.4× as long as high; mesoscutum rugose, setose ( Fig. 22 -C); notauli impressed, meeting posteriorly, separated by a longitudinal ridge; medial furrow indistinct; scutellar lunules widest medially, divided by five carinae ( Fig. 22 -C); area lateral to scutellar lunules flat; dorsal scutellum slightly rugose, convex, setose with marginal carinate groove laterally; propodeum with percurrent medial longitudinal carina; lateral pronotum with oblique, slightly crenulate furrow; mesopleuron sparsely setose anteriorly, smooth and glabrous postero-medially, epicnemal area setose with crenulate epicnemal furrow reaching anterior margin of mesopleuron; precoxal groove shallow, crenulate; hind coxa smooth associated with micropunctures, setose; hind femur 4× as long as wide; hind tibia 7.5× as long as wide; outer hind tibial spur 0.3× as long as basitarsus.

Wings: Fore wing 3.2× as long as wide; pterostigma 3× as long as wide ( Fig. 22 -F); areolet large, quadrangular ( Fig. 22 -F); 1-M straight or slightly curved; margin of vannal lobe convex and setose.

Metasoma: T1 2× as long as wide, rugose with medial groove, parallel sided, rounded apically ( Fig. 22 -D & E); T2 with indistinct median field ( Fig. 22 -E); T2–T7 smooth with sparse transverse row of setae posteriorly ( Fig. 22 -E); ovipositor 0.4× as long as hind basitarsus.

Colour: Body black, antenna reddish yellow except scape and apical 7th–8th flagellar blackish, the tip of mandible yellowish brown, the rest black, maxillary palps yellow, tegulae and tergites T2–T3 reddish yellow ( Fig. 22 -E), sternites 1–3 yellowish white and hypopygium black, legs reddish yellow but hind coxa with basal part blackish and hind tibia with apical 1/4 blackish, all spurs pale yellow, fore and hind wings hyaline, pterostigma blackish with a yellow basal spot at basally, most of veins yellowish brown ( Fig. 22 -F).

Male: Similar to female except body 2.3–2.7 mm long; antennae brownish black; penultimate flagellomere 1.6× as long as wide.

Distribution. China (Fujian and Zhejiang) and India (Kerala).

Host. Unknown.

Discussion. This species is close to M. marshalli in having the impressed notauli, mesoscutum with medial furrow, median field of T2 faintly marked. It differs from M. marshalli in the following characters: propodeum reticulate-rugose (in M. marshalli propodeum coarsely rugose), hind coxa smooth basally (in M. marshalli hind coxa sculptured or punctate basally), face punctate (in M. marshalli face rugose or rugulose), mesosoma 1.4× as long as high (in M. marshalli mesosoma 1.7× as long as high), scape black (scape reddish brown in M. marshalli ), head 1.1× as wide as long (in M. marshalli head 2.1× as wide as long).

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 22. Microplitis zhaoi Xu & He, female, holotype A) Habitus, lateral view; B) Head, anterior view; C) Mesosoma, dorsal view; D) Propodeum (in part) & tergite 1, dorsal view; E) Metasoma, dorsal view; F) Fore wings.