Microplitis demolitor Wilkinson

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 : 391-393

Microplitis demolitor Wilkinson

Microplitis demolitor Wilkinson 1930 ; 119. Holotype BMNH.

Microplitis demolitor Parrott 1953: 202 ; Shenefelt 1973: 743; Austin & Dangerfield 1992: 42; 1993: 1116; Gupta 2013: 435 (See Shenefelt 1973 for complete bibliography).

Materials examined. Types. Cotype ♂, Queensland, H. Jarvis Stanthorpe, Microplitis demolitor Wilkinson , cotype, host: H. obsoletes Brad. i.32, pres.by Imp.Inst.Ent.Brit.Mus. 1934.171 ( BMNH).

Other specimens examined. 1♂ Australia, N.S.W, Narrabri, 23.i.1961, M.Nilktin, B.M.1961-402, Microplitis demolitor Wilk. Det. Austin & Dangerfield, 1993 ( BMNH); 1♂ Pakistan, 25.iii.86, Rahmiyar Khan, ex. larva of Heliothis feed on Cicer arietinum CIE A 18556 , Microplitis demolitor Wilk. det. A.K. Walker, 1987 , Austin & Dangerfield, 1993, Press by Comm. Inst. Ent. BM 1986-1 ( BMNH); 1♂ India, Kerala, CU Campus, 22.ii.94 (R- 455), sweep net, coll. Rema ( DZUC); 1♂ India, Kerala, Nilambur, 11.viii.87 (R-382), sweep net, coll. Sumodan ( DZUC).

Female. Body length 2.4 mm (based on examined specimens).

Head: Subcircular, 1.1× as wide as long in anterior view ( Fig. 10 -B); lateral temples hidden behind eyes in anterior view ( Fig. 10 -B); width of face (at widest) 0.5× width of head; face 1.5× as wide as long, slightly convex, finely micropunctate, densely setose ( Fig. 10 -B); vertex, lateral temples and occiput smooth except for micropunctures, densely setose; frons smooth except for micropunctures, setose along eye margin, with few striations behind antennal sockets and short medial carina between sockets; ocelli small, forming acute triangle, slightly raised above rest of vertex, POL 1.3× OOL; eyes densely pilose, emarginate at antennal sockets; antennae 1.2× as long as body, first flagellomere 1.1× as long as second flagellomere, 2.2× as long as wide; second flagellomere 1.9× as long as wide; terminal flagellomere acute, 2.5× as long as wide.

Mesosoma: Mesosoma 1.3× as long as high; mesoscutum mostly smooth and shining except for micropunctures, densely setose, medial furrow absent ( Fig. 10 -A & F); notauli slightly indented, smooth, area where notauli meet posteriorly broad and flat, divided by short medial longitudinal carina ( Fig. 10 -F); scutellar lunules broad, divided by five carinae ( Fig. 10 -F); areas lateral to scutellar lunules smooth; dorsal scutellum mostly smooth and shining, except for micropunctures, densely setose, lateral margins with single row of punctures, posterior band rugulose medially; propodeum with percurrent medial longitudinal carina and curved transverse carina in anterior half, rest coarsely rugose ( Fig. 10 -A & E); lateral pronotum with oblique crenulate furrow, area postero-medially to furrow smooth, rugulose posteriorly, lightly strigose anteriorly, rugulose-granulate dorsally ( Fig. 10 -C); mesopleuron finely punctate, setose anteriorly and dorsally, smooth and glabrous postero-medially; epicnemial area pilose, with deep crenulate epicnemial furrow reaching to anterior margin of mesopleuron; precoxal groove shallow, crenulate, upturned anteriorly, almost reaching margin of mesopleuron at epicnemial furrow; mesosternum smooth, sparsely setose; hind coxa mostly smooth, except for micropunctures; hind femur 3.8× as long as wide; hind tibia 6.7× as long as wide; outer hind tibial spur 0.3× as long as basitarsus.

Wings: Fore wing 2.6× as long as wide ( Fig. 10 -E); pterostigma 2.5× as long as wide ( Fig. 10 -E); 1-M slightly arched throughout; areolet quadrangular ( Fig. 10 -E); margin of vannal lobe convex, setose.

Metasoma: T1 2× as long as wide, smooth, faint medial depression basally, faintly constricted medially, rounded apically ( Fig. 10 -A); T2 without median field ( Fig. 10 -A); T2–T7 smooth, with sparse transverse row of fine setae posteriorly ( Fig. 10 -A); hypopygium smooth, sparsely setose; ovipositor sheaths straight, sparsely setose apically.

Colour: Head, mesosoma and T4–T7 black ( Fig. 10 -A), antennae dark brown, palps, legs and TI–T3 orangebrown, except for tarsal segments which are brown, wings infuscate, with darker areas below pterostigma and around discal cell ( Fig. 10 -E), venation brown, pterostigma brown to dark brown, sometimes with indistinct lighter spot basally ( Fig. 10 -E).

Male: As for females except as follows; body length 2.2 mm (type series), antennae slightly longer; T1 darker in colour; T3–T7 with slightly longer hairs.

Distribution. Australia, India and Pakistan.

Host. Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner) , Helicoverpa punctigera (Wallengren) , Helicoverpa zea (Boddie) , Heliothis virescens (Fab.) , Chrysodeixis includes (Walker) , Spodoptera frugiperda (Smith & Abott) , Spodoptera littoralis (Boisduval) , Spodoptera litura (Fab.) and Laelia obsoleta (Fab.) .

Discussion. This species is closely related to M. murkyi in having the distinct transverse carina on propodeum, absence of medial furrow on mesoscutum. It differs from M. murkyi in the following characters, T1 2.1× as long as wide (in M. murkyi T1 1.85× as long as wide), T2 without median field (in M. murkyi T2 with distinct median field).

Comments. We could not examine the holotype. The above description is based on the examined material.

Figures

FIGURE 10. Microplitis demolitor Wilkinson, male A) Habitus, dorsal view, cotype; B) Head, anterior view, specimen from Australia; C) Habitus, lateral view, specimen from Pakistan; D) Habitus, lateral view, specimen from Australia; E) Fore wing & habitus, dorso-lateral view, specimen from Australia; F) Head & mesosoma, dorsal view, specimen from Pakistan.