Microplitis narendrani Ranjith & Nasser

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 : 377-379

Microplitis narendrani Ranjith & Nasser sp. nov.

Holotype, female (♀), body length 5.2 mm, fore wing 3.9 mm, ovipositor 0.2 mm, antenna 5.9 mm.

Material examined. Holotype, female (♀), “ India, Kerala, Palakkad, Pattambi, 10°48’77.2” N, 76°11’80.6” E, 16.ii.2014, emerged from Psalis pennatula Fab., Coll. Ranjith, A.P. ”. Paratypes: 1♀ with same collection data, 1♂ “ India, Kerala, Palakkad, Pattambi, 10°48’77.2” N, 76°11’80.6” E, 23.ii.2014, emerged from Psalis pennatula Fab., Coll. Ranjith, A.P. ”, 2♂♂ “ India, Kerala, Malappuram, Chelari, 11°11’21.2” N, 75°89’0.3” E, 19.x.2014, emerged from Psalis pennatula Fab., Coll. Rajesh, K.M. ”., 1♂ “ India, Kerala, Malappuram, Chelari, 11°11’21.2” N, 75°89’0.3” E, 19.x.2014, emerged from Psalis pennatula Fab., Coll. Rajesh, K.M. ”. 5♂♂ “ India, Kerala, Malappuram, Calicut University, 11°25’10.2” N, 75°78’86” E, 29.x.2014, emerged from Psalis pennatula Fab., Coll. Ranjith, A.P. ”. All type specimens are deposited in DZUC.

Head: Sub circular in anterior view ( Fig. 3 -B); lateral temples hidden behind eyes in anterior view; width of face (at widest) 0.5× width of head; face 1.5× as wide as long, rugose-punctate, pilose with medial carina, convex with medial protuberance below antennal sockets ( Fig. 3 -B); clypeus strongly convex, punctate and pilose; length of clypeus 0.4× its width; tentorial pit deep; maxillary palp four segmented; length of maxillary palp 1.1–1.3× height of head in dorsal view; height of clypeus: inter tentorial distance: tentorio-ocular distance 7:17.5:3.5; length of eye 3.7× length of malar space; length of malar space 1.2× basal width of mandible; vertex, temples and frons punctate, setose with medial longitudinal carina extending from medial ocellus to middle of antennal sockets, anterior frons with raised area in dorsal view; in lateral view medial temples 0.6× width of eye; eyes pilose ( Fig. 3 - B); in dorsal view width of head 2.4× its length; ocelli normal size forming obtuse triangle; POL 2× OOL; occiput smooth; length of antennae 1.1× length of body; scape and pedicel 0.8, 0.3× as long as wide; length of first flagellomere 1.2× second flagellomere; length of first, second and penultimate flagellomere 2.8, 2.4 and 2.9× as long as wide respectively; terminal flagellomere acute, 3.9× as long as its maximum width.

Mesosoma: Mesosoma 1.3× as long as high; mesoscutum punctate with pilosity; lateral lobes of mesoscutum rugose with prominent medial groove extending from anterior to posterior ( Fig. 3 -C); notauli impressed, rugulose, crenulate, meeting posteriorly in broad strigose-rugulose field, which is divided medially by prominent longitudinal carina ( Fig. 3 -C); scutellar lunules wide medially divided by nine carinae; anterior scutellum areolate rugose, posterior half punctuate and pilose; posterior margin with two large laterally diverging, crenulate, short furrows which form carinate margin to posterior half of dorsal scutellum, these furrows partly extending on to and merging with rugosity of medial posterior band ( Fig. 3 -C); propodeum with percurrent medial longitudinal carina surrounded by coarse rugosity with a well developed branched transverse carina extending to the spiracles ( Fig. 3 - D); lateral pronotum with oblique crenulate furrow, rugulose dorsally and posteriorly; mesopleuron finely punctate, pilose in dorsal and anterior parts, the rest smooth, shining and glabrous; epicnemal furrow crenulate, reaching to anterior margin of mesopleuron; precoxal groove almost reaching epicnemal furrow; mesosternum sparsely pilose; hind coxa punctate, pilose without striate basally; length of hind femur 3× its width; length of hind tibia 4× its width; length of basitarsus 5× its width; length of hind tibial spurs 0.47, 0.4× hind basitarsus; hind tarsal claw normal size.

Wings: Fore wing 2.8× as long as wide ( Fig. 3 -F); pterostigma 2.4× as long as wide ( Fig. 3 -F); 1-R1 short, 0.38× distance from pterostigma to SR1; 1-M straight; areolet quadrangular; 1-CU1 0.2× as long as 2 CU1; angle between C+SC+R and 1-SR 83° hind wing 2-SC+R short but present; first submarginal cell elongate.

Metasoma: T1 1.7× as long as wide, with broad shallow medial longitudinal depression, rugulose laterally; T1 narrowing in anterior 1/3, widest medially, slightly narrowing in posterior 1/3, apical surface with shallow depression ( Fig. 3 -E); T 2 in medial line 0.8× as long as T3; T2 smooth basally, sparsely pilose apically with oval medial field ( Fig. 3 -E); T3–T5 smooth, sparsely pilose posteriorly; T6 and T7 faintly punctate with pilosity; ovipositor sheath rounded apically, setose.

Colour: Head and mesosoma black, metasoma orange brown, T1 dark brown, palps yellow, clypeus brown, ocelli yellow, antennae brownish black, fore, mid tibiae and tarsi yellow to brown, hind tibia apically black, rest yellowish brown, hind tarsus black except basitarsus, hind tibial spur yellow, wings hyaline without infuscation, tegulae black, venation brown, pterostigma yellow on proximal 1/3, rest black ( Fig. 3 -F).

Male: Same as female except body length 3.3 mm.

Distribution. India (Kerala).

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

Etymology. Microplitis narendrani is named in honor of late Dr T.C. Narendran, Kerala, India, in recognition of his four decades of extraordinary work on parasitic Hymenoptera .

Variation. Number of carinae dividing the scutellar lunules varies from eight–nine.

Discussion. This new species is closely related to M. carinicollis in its large body size, T1 sub-parallel sided, with medial longitudinal groove. It differs in the following characters, mesoscutum with medial furrow (mesoscutum without medial furrow in M. carinicollis ), scutellum rugose (in M. carinicollis scutellum rugulose) and presence of a longitudinal carina between antennal sockets (in M. carinicollis longitudinal carina absent). This species is also related to M. pennatulae sp. nov. in having the mesosoma 1.3× as long as high, T1 1.7× as long as wide, presence of longitudinal carina between antennal sockets and T2 with distinct median field. It differs in the following characters, mesoscutum with medial furrow (in M. pennatulae sp. nov. medial furrow on mesoscutum indistinct), lateral temples hidden behind eyes in anterior view (in M. pennatulae sp. nov. lateral temples slightly visible in anterior view), length of malar space 1.2× basal width of mandible (in M. pennatulae sp. nov. malar space 1.9× basal width of mandible), scutellar lunules divided by eight–nine carinae (in M. pennatulae sp. nov. scutellar lunules divided by six–seven carinae).

Figures

FIGURE 3. Microplitis narendrani Ranjith & Nasser sp. nov., female, holotype A) Habitus, lateral view; B) Head, anterior view; C) Mesosoma, dorsal view; D) Propodeum, dorsal view; E) Metasoma, dorsal view; F) Fore wing.