Taxonomic studies on Oriental Microplitis Foerster (Hymenoptera: Braconidae, Microgastrinae) with description of two new species from South India
Author
Ranjith, A. P.
Author
Rajesh, K. M.
Author
Nasser, M.
text
Zootaxa
2015
3963
3
369
415
journal article
41039
10.11646/zootaxa.3963.3.4
46d5ef05-03f8-4b67-8e81-fd5c1cd89387
1175-5326
235263
C543FC96-D621-4BAD-8746-ED14E447F948
Microplitis similis
Lyle
Microplitis similis
Lyle 1921
:129
;
Dutt 1921
:157
;
Ayyar 1924
:359
;
Wilkinson 1930
:26
;
Beeson & Chatterjee 1935
:132
;
Beeson 1941
:372
;
Thompson 1953
:163
.
Holotype
BMNH.
Materials examined
.
Types
. Cotype ♂, No collection data except
16.iii.1914
,
Microplitis similis
Lyle
“Parasitic on
Agrotis ipsilon
, 1921
-140 (
BMNH
).
Other specimens examined.
1♂
Indonesia
, N, Sumatra,
14.iv.1992
, Tj. Morawa, ex.
Spodoptera litura
on Soybean, Hvd B 0 2 IIE 22405 Hvd B 92/02, pres by Int. Inst. Ent. BM 1992-1,
Microplitis similis
Lyle
det. A.K. Walker, 1992 (
BMNH
); 1♀
India
, Bihar, 1962, 49 18761, “
Microplitis similis
Lyle, G.E.J. Nixon
det. 1963 (
BMNH
);
India
, Kerala, Changanassery, N
09° 46’ 67” E
76° 55’ 00”,
26.i.2013
, sweep net, coll. Ranjith (
DZUC
).
Female.
Body length
1.8 mm
(based on examined specimens).
Head
: Subcircular, 1.1× as wide as long in anterior view (
Fig. 18
-B); lateral temples slightly visible in anterior view (
Fig. 18
-B); width of face (at widest) 0.5× width of head; face slightly convex, rugulose, glabrous, 1.7× as wide as long (
Fig. 18
-B); lateral temples slightly rugose, pilose; vertex, dorsal occiput slightly rugose, setose (
Fig. 17
-C); occiput concave; frons rugulose setose laterally, area between antennal sockets without distinct carinate longitudinal ridge; eyes setose; POL 1.5× OOL (
Fig. 17
-C); ocelli forming an obtuse triangle; antennae 1.2× as long as body; first flagellomere 1.2× as long as second flagellomere; first and second flagellomere 2.6, 2.2× as long as wide; terminal flagellomere acute, 2.4× as long as wide.
Mesosoma
: Mesosoma 1.3× as long as high; mesoscutum rugulose, sparsely setose (
Fig. 17
-C); notauli faintly indicated by slight shallow depression not separated by medial longitudinal carina (
Fig. 17
-C); medial furrow absent; scutellar lunules widest medially divided by six carinae (
Fig. 17
-C); area lateral to scutellar lunules flat; dorsal scutellum convex, with fine punctuation, setose, with marginal carinate groove laterally; propodeum with percurrent medial longitudinal carina and transverse carina at the basal half, rest coarsely rugose (
Fig. 17
-D); lateral pronotum with oblique crenulate furrow; mesopleuron pilose anteriorly, smooth and glabrous posteromedially; epicnemal area setose, with deep crenulate epicnemal furrow reaching to anterior margin of mesopleuron; precoxal groove shallow, crenulate; hind coxa mostly smooth, except for micropunctures with setae; hind femur 3.5× 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 2.7× as long as wide (
Fig. 17
-F &
Fig. 18
-D); pterostigma 2.3× as long as wide; areolet large, quadrangular (
Fig. 17
-F); 1-M straight; margin of vannal lobe convex and setose (
Fig. 17
-D).
Metasoma
: T1 2.1× as long as wide, smooth with medial shallow groove, parallel sided, widest apically and rounded apically (
Fig. 17
-D & E); T2 with median field (
Fig. 17
-B); T2–T7 smooth, with sparse transverse row of fine setae posteriorly (
Fig. 17
-B); ovipositor 0.3× as long as hind basitarsus.
FIGURE 17.
Microplitis similis
Lyle, A
) Habitus, dorsal view, male, cotype; B) Metasoma, dorsal view, specimen from Indonesia; C) Head & mesosoma (in part), dorsal view, specimen from Indonesia; D) Propodeum & tergite 1, dorsal view, specimen from Indonesia; E) Mesosoma (in part), medio & latero tergite 1, specimen from Indonesia; F) Fore wing, specimen from Indonesia.
FIGURE 18.
Microplitis similis
Lyle
, female A) Habitus, lateral view; B) Head, anterior view; C) Propodeum & tergite 1, dorsal view; D) Fore wing & metasoma.
Colour
: Body generally black except scape brownish black, flagellomeres brownish, maxillary palps yellow, pterostigma brownish, venation yellowish brown, legs brownish, metasoma mostly reddish brown except T1 brownish.
Male
: Same as female except antennae 1.4× as long as body.
Distribution.
Bangladesh
,
India
(Bihar and Kerala),
Indonesia
and
Vietnam
.
Host.
Agrotis ypsilon
Linn.
Discussion.
This species is close to
M. demolitor
in having the propodeum coarsely rugose with distinct medial longitudinal carina, scutellum micropunctured, presence of longitudinal carina between antennal sockets and hind coxa smooth basally. It differs from
M. demolitor
in the following characters: notauli impressed (in
M. demolitor
notauli faintly indicated), T1 parallel sided with medial longitudinal groove (in
M. demolitor
T1 sub parallel sided without medial longitudinal groove), T2 with median field (in
M. demolitor
T2 without median field), face 1.7× as wide as long (in
M. demolitor
face 1.5× as wide as long), POL 1.5× OOL (in
M. demolitor
POL 1.5× OOL), fore wing vein 1-M straight (in
M. demolitor
1-M slightly arched throughout).
Comments.
We could not examine the
holotype
and the above description is based on the examined material.