Microplitis carinicollis ( Cameron )

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 : 387-389

Microplitis carinicollis ( Cameron)

Microgaster carinicollis Cameron 1905: 81 ; Ayyar 1924: 359, Wilkinson 1927: 173, 1929: 121; Thompson 1953: 155. The type depository was not mentioned in the original publication.

Microplitis carinicollis ( Cameron) Gupta & Fernández-Triana 2014:11 .

Materials examined. 2♀♀ “ India, Kerala, Wayanad, Kambalakkad, 11°67’ 56.3 N, 76°07’ 54.5 E, 8.xi.2012 emerged from Psalis pennatula Fab. Coll. Nasser, M. ”. 1♀ “ India, Kerala, Palakkad, Pattambi, 10°82’00” N, 76°20’00” E, 18.ii.2014, emerged from Psalis pennatula Fab., Coll. Ranjith, A.P. ”.

Female. Body length 4.1 mm (based on examined specimens).

Head: Subcircular in anterior view 1.2× as wide as long ( Fig. 8 -A); lateral temples hidden behind eyes; width of face (at widest) 0.5× width of head; face 1.6× as wide as long, convex, rugulose, pilose antero-laterally ( Fig. 8 - A); lateral temples punctulate, rugulose posteriorly; vertex, dorsal occiput rugulose with micropunctures, sparsely pilose; occiput concave; frons rugulose; area between antennal sockets and medial ocellus without distinct carinate longitudinal ridge; eyes pilose; POL 1.7× OOL; ocelli forming an obtuse triangle; antenna 1.1× as long as body; first flagellomere 1.1× as long as second flagellomere, 3.4× as long as wide; second flagellomere 3.1× as long as wide; terminal flagellomere blunt, 2.9× as long as wide.

Mesosoma: Mesosoma 1.2× as long as high; mesoscutum rugulose with micropunctures anteriorly, pilose ( Fig. 8 -C); notauli indicated by slight shallow depression, separated by an indistinct longitudinal carina ( Fig. 8 -C); medial furrow absent; scutellar lunules narrow divided by six carinae ( Fig. 8 -C); area lateral to scutellar lunules flat with long hairs; dorsal scutellum convex, slightly rugose with long hairs, with carinate groove laterally; propodeum, coarsely rugose with percurrent medial longitudinal carina, distinct transverse carina anteriorly ( Fig. 8 -D); lateral pronotum with oblique, indistinctly crenulate groove; mesopleuron rugulose, pilose, smooth laterally; epicnemal area pilose, with deeply crenulate epicnemal furrow reaching anterior margin of mesopleuron; precoxal sulcus deep, crenulate; precoxal groove shallow; hind coxa slightly rugose with micropunctures dorsally; hind femur 3.1× as long as wide; hind tibia 6.9× as long as wide; outer hind tibial spur 0.3× as long as basitarsus.

Wings: Fore wing 2.6× as long as wide ( Fig. 8 -F); pterostigma 2.8× as long as wide ( Fig. 8 -F); 1-M straight; areolet quadrangular; margin of vannal lobe convex, setose.

Metasoma: T1 1.6× as long as wide, smooth, slightly rugulose medio-laterally, sub parallel sided, narrowing basally, wide medially, slightly narrowing apically, medial furrow distinct extending well beyond middle of tergite ( Fig. 8 -D); T2 smooth, median field faintly indicated; T2–T7 smooth with one–three transverse row of hairs posteriorly, setose laterally ( Fig. 8 -D); ovipositor 0.3× as long as hind basitarsus.

Colour: Body generally reddish except scape brownish, flagellomere brownish yellow, lateral temples black, scutellum black apically, pterostigma brown, venation brown, legs brownish yellow or reddish brown except hind tibia yellowish in basal half, T1 reddish yellow apically, T2 yellowish brown medially, rest reddish brown ( Fig. 8 - E).

Male: Unknown.

Distribution. India (Kerala) and Sri Lanka.

Host. Psalis pennatula Fab. ( Lepidoptera : Erebidae ).

Discussion. This species is closely related to M. narendrani sp. nov. and M. pennatulae sp. nov. in its large body size, T1 sub-parallel sided, widening apically, and presence of a medial furrow on T1. It differs from M. narendrani sp. nov. in having mesoscutum without medial furrow (in M. narendrani sp. nov. mesoscutum with medial furrow), and in the absence of a longitudinal carina between the antennal sockets (in M. narendrani sp. nov. longitudinal carina present). It differs from M. pennatulae sp. nov. in having the terminal flagellomere blunt (terminal flagellomere acute in M. pennatulae ), hind femur 3× as long as wide (in M. pennatulae sp. nov. hind femur 3.3× as long as wide), and the face 1.6× as wide as long (in M. pennatulae sp. nov. face 1.4× as wide as long).

Comments. We could not locate the type material of this species, and neither has any author following Cameron’s (1905) original description. The above description is based on examined material.

Figures

FIGURE 8. Microplitis carinicollis (Cameron), female A) Habitus, lateral view; B) Head, anterior view; C) Mesosoma, dorsal view; D) Propodeum & tergite 1, dorsal view; E) Metasoma, dorsal view; F) Fore wing & hind leg.