Fulgoraecia melanoleuca (Fletcher)

Kumar, Rajesh, Mittal, Vishal & Chutia, Preetirekha, 2015, Taxonomy of Fulgoraecia melanoleuca (Fletcher, 1939), (Lepidoptera: Epipyropidae) in India, a biological control agent of Pyrilla perpusilla (Walker) (Hemiptera: Lophopidae), Zootaxa 3974 (3), pp. 431-439 : 432-433

Fulgoraecia melanoleuca (Fletcher)

Epipyrops melanoleuca Fletcher, 1939: 293 ; Kato, 1940: 79.

Epiricania melanoleuca (Fletcher) ; Misra & Krishna, 1987; Khan & Kanhaya, 1988; Ansari et al., 1989; Joshi & Sharma, 1989. See Nomenclatural note below.

Fulgoraecia melanoleuca (Fletcher) ; Beccaloni et al., 2003.

Nomenclatural note. Several authors have used the combination Epiricania melanoleuca (see above). Yet we have been unable to find any published reference where the transfer of melanoleuca to Epiricania was formally done. Kato (1940: 79) described the genus Epiricania , but on page 83 of the same work he listed melanoleuca under Epipyrops . Davis (1983: 67) treated Epipyrops Bowring, 1876 as a junior synonym of Fulgoraecia Newman, 1851 . But according to Nye & Fletcher (1991), because the senior name has not been used since it was established, the existing usage of the junior name should be maintained and the case referred to the International Commission of Zoological Nomenclature. Here we follow the online Lepindex ( Beccaloni et al. 2003) in using the combination Fulgoraecia melanoleuca .

Morphology. Adults ( Fig. 1, 7–8 ): Both males and females can be easily distinguished as adults. In the male the outer margin of the forewing is off white and the hindwing off white, while in female the forewing is grey black and the hindwing dark grey. The antennae are bipectinate in both sexes and the wing expanse is 9–12 mm in the male and 10–13 mm in the female. The newly emerged female does not fly well whereas males are active and fly rapidly in search of females for coupling. The coupling time noted under field conditions is 10–15 minutes.

Eggs ( Fig. 2 ): The female begins oviposition immediately and lays upto 234– 450 eggs. The eggs are light brown in color ( Fig. 2 ) and are mostly laid on the leaf margin near to the cocoon. After hatching, only three larval instars develop.

Larva ( Figs. 3-5 , 9–13 ): Larvae possess a proboscis-like structure ( Fig. 11 ), which functions in sucking fluid from the abdomen of the host’s abdomen ( P. perpusilla ). Four pairs of abdominal and one pair of anal prolegs are present. Abdominal prolegs have uniordinal, uniserial crochets. Anal proleg with crochets uniserial but in a half circle, which help to attach to the abdomen of the host ( Davis 1987). The body of larvae is covered with white waxy material.

Cocoons ( Figs. 6 , 14–21 ): Cocoons are constructed on the leaf, and are pure white, elongate, flattened, convex anteriorly and concave posteriorly. Male and female pupae are light brown. Male pupae have a short abdomen and the male genital scar is present on the 9th sternum. Female pupae are larger than male pupae and with a larger abdomen. Eight and 9th sternum are fused and a female genital pore is present on the fused sternum. The anus is present on the 10th sternum in both male and female pupa. Dark brown color patches are present on the dorsal surface of female pupal abdominal segments, and fewer light brown patches are present on all dorsal surfaces of male pupal abdominal segments.

Taxonomic description ( Figs. 22 –38). Alar expanse: Male 9–12 mm, Female 10–13 mm.

Male: Head small, rounded, roughly covered with blackish scales with white tips; bases of antennae and spaces between them with large white scales; eyes small somewhat projecting laterally, with white scales anteriorly and with long, narrow white scales posteriroly; spaces between eyes broadly trapezoidal, turned approximately ventrally, measuring a little less than twice diameter of eye. Mouth parts reduced and no part is visible among dense scaling. Antenna 13-segmented, including the two basal segments, bipectinate, extending slightly more than one-third of costa of forewing; scape stout, rounded, with pecten of short scales; pedicellus smaller, shaft bifid at apex, with 11 pairs of long, ciliated branches, the longest branch being four times longer than the segment from which it arises; shaft white-scaled dorsally, spotted with fuscous above the base of each branch; branches dark brown, also white scaled, spotted with fuscous. Thorax covered with blackish grey scales. Abdomen rather short and slender, densely covered with short, broad, fuscous and blackish scales with whitish tips; anal tuft small, ochreous. Legs fuscous, irrorate with whitish tips on most scales; tarsi narrowly lined with white; foreleg with broad coxa; tibia without epiphysis; mid and hind legs without spurs and spines.

Mouth parts entirely reduced and not rough-scaled; covered with large blackish scales; eyes small, but projecting slightly, space between eyes approximately more than twice diameter of eye as seen from this aspect; haustellum absent; labial palpi three segmented, small; antenna short, covered with hairs, shaft bifid at apex, bipectinate; pecten long, ciliated; thorax blackish with long scales; abdomen short and slender, not reaching tornus of hindwing, blackish; posterior margins of segments narrowly white; legs fuscous, tarsi lined with white; foreleg without epiphysis; mid and hind leg without tibial spurs; forewings covered with white scales upto discal cell and half of the wing covered with blackish grey scales; hindwings covered with white scales; both the wings smaller in size.

Female: Head rather small, rounded, relatively rough-scaled; covered with large blackish scales; eyes small, but projecting slightly; space between eyes slightly more than twice diameter of eye.; haustellum absent; labial palpi three segmented, small; antenna short, covered with sensilla, shaft bifid at apex, bipectinate; pecten small, ciliated; thorax blackish with long scales; abdomen long and stout, extending to tornus of hindwing, blackish, posterior margins of segments blackish; legs fuscous; tarsi lined with white; foreleg without epiphysis; mid and hindlegs without tibial spurs; forewings and hindwings covered with black scales, larger in size.

Wing venation: Both fore and hindwing discal cells divided into two subcells, but forewing with one more cell, i.e. accessory cell. Forewing Sc vein arising from the base of discal cell. Veins R1, R2, R3, separate, but veins R4, R5, fused, and originating from accessory cell near apex of discal cell; veins M1, M2, M3 present and originate from the discal cell separately; veins Cu1a, Cu1b present, separate, arising from the lower angle of discal cell; vein CuP present. 1A+2A fused and 3A not present ( Fig. 30 ). Hindwing vein Sc+R1 fused. Veins M1, M2, M3 separate. Veins Cu1a, Cu1b originating at the lower angle of discal cell; Cu1b present and originates separately; CuP present at tornal margin. 1A+2A fused and 3A not present ( Fig. 31 ).

Male genitalia: Tegumen stout, anterior margin with semicircular excavation, with large, semicircular, lateral lobes, uncus does not differentiated; gnathos represented by two strongly sclerotized, arcuate, conical processes, not fused medially, valva stout, broad, with strongly sclerotized clasper; saccus small; saccullus oval shaped, bearing small spines, aedeagus small, projecting anteriorly as a pair of bifurcated, bulbous processes, cornuti not present.

Female genitalia: Anal papillae sclerotized, small, bearing minute spines; anterior apophysis short, anterior end blunt and rounded; posterior apophysis extremely short; ductus bursae short; corpus bursae rounded without signa.

Material examined. Rajesh Kumar; 100 pupae, Sorghum & Wheat, IARI, New Delhi, 05.02.2008; 50 larvae on Pyrilla perpusilla, Sorghum , IARI, New Delhi, 20.03.2008, leg. Rajesh Kumar and Vishal Mittal; 90♂, emerged in laboratory, Entomology Division, IARI, New Delhi, 20.03.2008, leg. Rajesh Kumar and Vishal Mittal; 40♀ emerged in laboratory, Entomology Division, IARI, New Delhi, 0 5.03.2008, leg. Rajesh Kumar and Vishal Mittal.

Distribution. North India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka

Host. Pyrilla perpusilla ( Hemiptera : Lophopidae )

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 8. Life stages of F. melanoleuca. 1. Male and female emerged from pupae; 2. Eggs; 3. Larva parasitizing on nymph of Pyrilla perpusilla; 4. Larva parasitizing on adult’s abdomen of P. perpusilla; 6. Pupa of F. melanoleuca; 7. F. melanoleuca adult male; 8. F. melanoleuca adult male.

FIGURES 9 – 13. Larvae of F. melanoleuca. 9. Larva removed from the abdomen of P. perpusilla; 10. After removing waxy material from the body of the larva; 11. Proboscis for sucking fluids from the body of the host P. perpusilla; 12. Uniserial crochets on abdominal prolegs; 13. Uniserial crochets on anal prolegs.

FIGURES 14 – 21. Pupae of F. melanoleuca. 14. Dorsal view of male pupa; 15. Ventral view of male pupa; 16. Lateral view of male pupa; 17. Dorsal view of female pupa; 18. Ventral view of female pupa; 19. Lateral view of male pupa; 20. Male genital scar; 21. Female genital ostium scar.

FIGURES 22 – 31. Adult structures of F. melanoleuca. 22. Habitus of female; 23. Habitus of male; 24. Lateral view of head; 25. Male antenna; 26. Female antenna; 27. Foreleg; 28. Midleg; 29. Hindleg; 30. Forewing venation; 31. Hindwing venation.