Brachymeria indica (Krausse)

Plate V.

Meyeriella indica Krausse 1916:93 -95. F. INDIA. Trichinopoly (? ZMHU). Narendran, 1986: 11 -41, 307-310; Narendran, 1989:286.

The description fits with the one given in Narendran (1989) with some minor variation hence a brief diagnosis is provided. Female: 6.5 mm. Black. Scape blackish brown with yellowish brown patch at apex and at base, pedicel brown; tegulae brownish. Fore and hind femur black with yellowish brown patch at apex. Fore and mid tibia yellowish brown with a black spot dorsally leaving apex and base. Hind femur black with a brownish patch at apex gradually fading to yellowish tinge towards the apices; hind tibia brownish yellow with a narrow black ventral margin. All tarsi yellowish brown. Pubescence white. Antennae with scape hardly reaching front ocellus. Apex of scutellum weakly emarginated. Fore wing with relative measurements of veins: submarginal: 42, marginal: 21, post marginal: 8, stigma: 5. Metasoma with first tergite distinctly less than half of its length.

Distribution. India: Maharashtra (new distribution record) and Tamil Nadu.

Material examined. One female; INDIA, Maharashtra, Mumbai, Asawa Fort 1587ft above MSL and 75km north of Borivli), (base village: Varangade), Thane District, 30.x.2011, ex. Pupa of Pareronia valeria (Cramer), leg. Blaise Pereira, deposited in National Bureau of Agriculturally Important Insects (NBAII), Bangalore, India. Code 301011.

Host record. Pupa of Pareronia valeria on Vitex negundo .

Remarks: The natural larval food plant of Pareronia butterflies is Capparis (Capparidaceae) Kunte (2000), but the pupa was found hanging on a V. negundo plant. There is a possibility that larva, in search of food has travelled some distance and pupated on a different species of plant.

PLATE V. 24–30. (24) Pupa of Pareronia valeria . (25) Adult of Brachymeria indicia, lateral view. (26) B. indicia, dorsal view. (27) Adult of Pareronia valeria, male UP. (28) Adult of Pareronia valeria, male UN. (29) Adult of Pareronia valeria, female UP. (30) Adult of Pareronia valeria, female UN.

Discussion. Thus the only two host records of Brachymeria indica (Krausse) are pupae of Pareronia valeria (Cramer) and pupae of common jezebel, Delias eucharis (Drury) .