Microplitis spodopterae Rao & Kurian

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 : 406-409

Microplitis spodopterae Rao & Kurian

Microplitis spodopterae Rao & Kurian 1950: 167 –190. Holotype NZSI.

Microplitis spodopterae Gupta 2013: 446 .

Material examined. 1♀ India, Kerala, Kollam, Kundara, N 08° 57’ 03.1” N 76° 41’ 21.8”, 24.i.2013. sweep net, coll. Ranjith ( DZUC).

Female. Body length 1.9 mm (based on examined specimen).

Head: Subcircular, 1.1× as wide as long in anterior view (Fig. 20-B); lateral temples slightly visible in anterior view; width of face (at widest) 0.5× width of head; face 1.3× as wide as long, slightly convex, rugose-punctate, sparsely setose (Fig. 20-B); lateral temples, vertex and dorsal occiput slightly rugose; occiput concave; frons slightly rugose, anterior frons with raised area in dorsal view; area between antennal sockets without distinct carinate longitudinal ridge; eyes setose; POL 1.1× OOL; ocelli forming an obtuse angle; antennae 1.1× as long as body (Fig. 20-A); first flagellomere 1× as long as second flagellomere, 3× as long as wide; second flagellomere 3.1× as long as wide; terminal flagellomere acute, 3.2× as long as wide.

Mesosoma: Mesosoma 1.1× as long as high; mesoscutum rugose, setose, separated by a longitudinal ridge (Fig. 20-C); notauli impressed, percurrent, meeting posteriorly; medial furrow present; scutellar lunules wide, divided by six carinae (Fig. 20-C); area lateral to scutellar lunules convex; dorsal scutellum convex, sparsely punctate, setose with marginal crenulate groove laterally; propodeum rugose with percurrent medial longitudinal carina with lateral transverse carina (Fig. 20-D); lateral pronotum with impressed furrow, slightly crenulate; mesopleuron 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 slightly rugose-punctate, setose; hind femur 4.1× as long as wide; hind tibia 6.2× as long as wide; outer hind tibial spur 0.4× as long as basitarsus.

Wings: Fore wing 3× as long as wide (Fig. 20-F); pterostigma 2.8× as long as wide (Fig. 20-F); 1-M slightly arched throughout; areolet quadrangular (Fig. 20-F); margin of vannal lobe convex, setose.

Metasoma: T1 1.25× as long as wide, rugose, without medial depression, parallel sided, sparsely setose with apical swelling (Fig. 20-D & E); T2 with median field (Fig. 20-E); T2–T7 smooth with sparse transverse row of setae posteriorly and scattered setae postero-laterally (Fig. 20-E); ovipositor 0.5× as long as hind basitarsus.

Male: Same as female except scutellar lunules divided by four carinae, hind femur much darker than that of female.

Colour: Head, antennae, mesosoma and coxae black, tegulae dark brown, fore and mid legs mostly yellow brown, hind femur either completely reddish brown or along with yellow brown patches in postero-lateral sides ( Fig. 19 -A & B), tibia with median half white, apical 1/3 and base with black infuscation (Fig. 20-BF), tarsi dark reddish brown, wings infuscate (Fig. 20-F), venation brown, pterostigma and veins uniformly dark brown, T1 black with anterior laterotergites pale testaceous to white.

Distribution. India (Bihar, Karnataka and Kerala).

Host. Spodoptera mauritia (Boisduval) .

Discussion. This species is close to M. prodeniae in having the T1 rugose, propodeum with distinct medial longitudinal carina. It differs from M. prodeniae in the following characters: scutellum micropunctured (in M. prodeniae scutellum rugose), T1 without medial longitudinal groove (in M. prodeniae T1 with medial longitudinal groove), T2 without setae medially (in M. prodeniae T2 with single row of setae medially), mesoscutum rugose (in M. prodeniae mesoscutum rugose-punctate).

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

Figures

FIGURE 19. Microplitis spodopterae Rao & Kurian, female, holotype A) Mesosoma & metasoma, lateral view; B) Mesosoma & metasoma, dorsal view.