Microplitis indicus Marsh

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 : 393-394

Microplitis indicus Marsh

Microplitis indicus Marsh, 1978: 15 –33; Gupta, 2013: 437 . Holotype USNM.

Female. Body length 2.5 mm.

Brief diagnosis. Head punctate; mesoscutum distinctly punctate, median lobe without longitudinal furrow; notauli not strongly indicated; scutellum dull, finely punctate; scutellar lunules divided by eight–nine carinae; mesopleuron punctate except smooth and nitid area above crenulated precoxal sulcus; propodeum strongly rugose with weak indication of a median carina in apical half; hind tibial spurs equal in length; T1 1.6× as long as wide, parallel sided for 2/3 of length, narrowing apically, finely rugose laterally, smooth apically; ovipositor not exserted; hypopygium not extending beyond apex of metasoma;

Colour: Head, antenna (except brown pedicel), mesosoma, propodeum black, palps pale yellow, tegulae yellow–orange, T1–T3 yellow orange, rest black, legs in general orange yellow except tarsus and hind coxa, hind coxa with a mixture of brown, yellow, and black at extreme base and posterior lateral sides, hind femur and tibia (except brown coloration at apical 1/3) yellow orange; tarsi black except the extreme base of basitarsus pale, wings evenly infuscated, veins brown, pterostigma brown with basal yellow spot.

Male: Unknown.

Distribution. India (Himachal Pradesh).

Host. Helicoverpa assulta (Guenee) and Helicoverpa sp.

Discussion. This species is close to M. ajmerensis in having the absence of medial furrow on mesoscutum, T1 without medial longitudinal groove, scutellar lunules narrow and propodeum coarsely rugose. It differs from M. ajmerensis in the following characters: propodeum with an indistinct medial longitudinal carina (in M. ajmerensis medial longitudinal carina distinct), T1 parallel sided (in M. ajmerensis T1 narrowing posteriorly).

Comments. We could not examine the type specimens.