Microplitis leucaniae Xu & He

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 : 394

Microplitis leucaniae Xu & He

Microplitis leucaniae Xu & He, 2002: 153 ; Chen & Song 2004:225 Holotype ZUH.

Female. Body length 3.1 mm.

Head: Head not broadening behind eyes in dorsal view, 1.8× as wide as long ( Fig. 11 -B); face convex, 1.3× as wide as long, rugose ( Fig. 11 -B); eyes large, 1.6× as high as broad, inner margin of eyes parallel; clypeal margin convex ( Fig. 11 -B); frons rugose, vertex and upper temple rugose-punctate; antenna longer than body ( Fig. 11 -A); eyes 1.2× as wide as long in dorsal view; frons rugose; lateral temples; POL 0.8× OOL; ocelli forming an obtuse angle; scape 1.5× as long as wide; first flagellomere 4.5× as long as wide; terminal flagellomere acute, 3× as long as wide.

Mesosoma: Mesosoma 1.5× as long as high; mesoscutum rugose-punctate with a wide and deep mediolongitudinal crenulate furrow, middle lobe and lateral lobes sculptured and punctate; notauli well developed, represented by coarsely crenulate furrows meeting posteriorly to form a sunken rugose-reticulate area; dorsal scutellum coarsely rugose, bordered laterally by crenulate furrow forming distinct carinate margin ( Fig. 11 -C); scutellar lunules wide medially, divided by five carinae ( Fig. 11 -C & D), area lateral to scutellar lunules flat; dorsal scutellum rugose; propodeum with percurrent medial longitudinal carina, coarsely rugose ( Fig. 11 -D); pronotum densely rugose; precoxal sulcus crenulate; anterior and lower part of metapleuron coarsely rugose, rest smooth; hind coxa rugose basally, rest smooth; hind femur 4.1× as long as wide; hind tibial spur 0.3× as long as basitarsus.

Wings: Fore wing 2.7× as long as wide ( Fig. 11 -F); pterostigma 3× as long as wide ( Fig. 11 -F); 1-R1 1.7× as long as its distance from apex of radial cell, and 0.95× as long as pterostigma respectively; areolet rectangular ( Fig. 11 -F); first distal cell 1.2× as long as high; 1-CU1 0.4× as long as 2-CU1; 1-M slightly curved ( Fig. 11 -F), 1.6× as long as m-cu; 1-SR 0.23× as long as 1-M; m-cu 1.6× as long as 2-SR+M; cu-a of hind wing feebly curved to basal; submarginal cell of hind wing 1.7× as long as basal width; hind wing vannal lobe convex, setose ( Fig. 11 -F).

Metasoma: T1 2.1× as long as wide, rugose, parallel sided, smooth postero-medially, weakly narrowing in posterior 1/3 ( Fig. 11 -D); T2 smooth with an indistinct median field, and as wide as T3 ( Fig. 11 -D & E); medial length of T3 as long as T2; T2–T7 smooth, sparsely setose ( Fig. 11 -E); T3 with transverse row of setae; ovipositor sheath long, 0.33× as long as hind tibia, setose apically.

Colour: Body black, antenna reddish yellow except distal 7–8 flagellar segments blackish ( Fig. 11 -B), tip of mandible reddish yellowish brown, palps, tegulae, T2–T5 of abdomen ( Fig. 11 -E), sternites and hypopygium reddish yellow, all spurs yellowish, coxa black, fore, mid and hind legs reddish yellow ( Fig. 11 -E) but in basal 1/5 of hind tibia blackish and distal part of tarsi brown, fore and hind wings hyaline, pterostigma blackish with a yellow patch in basal 1/3 ( Fig. 11 -F), venation brown.

Male: Body length 3.1 mm, penultimate flagellomere 3.1× as long as wide, T2 and T3 red and yellow, coxae dark brown.

Distribution. China (Fujian, Guangxi, Xinjiang and Zhejiang).

Host. Leucania separata (Walker) , Spodoptera (= Prodenia ) litura (Fab.) , Heliothis (= Helicoverpa ) armigera (Hübner) .

Discussion. This species is close to M. longwangshana in having the absence of longitudinal carina between antennal sockets, indistinct medial longitudinal carina on propodeum. It differs from M. longwangshana in the following characters: medial furrow on mesoscutum distinct (in M. longwangshana mesoscutum without a medial furrow), scutellum rugose (in M. longwangshana scutellum micropunctured), T1 with medial longitudinal groove (T1 without medial longitudinal groove in M. longwangshana ).

Comments. Type material could not be directly examined, but images of the holotype taken by Dr. Tang Pu (ZUH) were used to compare with the new species described in this paper.

Figures

FIGURE 11. Microplitis leucaniae Xu & He, female, holotype A) Habitus, lateral view; B) Head, anterior view; C) Propodeum, dorsal view; D) Mesosoma (in part) & tergite 1 & 2, dorsal view; E) Metasoma, dorsal view; F) Fore wing & hind wing.