Microplitis spodopterae Rao & Kurian, 1950

Gupta, Ankita, 2013, Revision of the Indian Microplitis Foerster (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Microgastrinae), with description of one new species, Zootaxa 3620 (3), pp. 429-452 : 446-450

VIII. Microplitis spodopterae Rao & Kurian, 1950

Plate IX (Female)—Figs. 26, 27, 28.

Plate X (Male)—Figs. 29, 30 & 31.

Brief diagnosis. Notauli distinct; median furrow present; scutellar sulcus with six distinct costulae in female and four in male; propodeum with median longitudinal carina surrounded by coarse rugosity. Third tergite nearly equal to second tergite in length. Tegulae dark brown; hind femur dark reddish brown (darker dorsally and apically); 1/3rd of hind tibia (sub basal and median region) white leaving brown infuscation at basal end, apical 1/3rd with black infuscation; wings infuscate, stigma and veins uniformly dark brown. T1 of metasoma black and anterior laterotergites pale testaceous to white, 1.25x as long as broad, rugose; lateral sides of second tergite yellow, rest of metasoma smooth, shiny and black.

Diagnosis. Female. Head, antennae (scape and pedicel yellow brown ventrally), mesosoma and coxae black; tegulae dark brown; fore and mid legs mostly yellow brown (except dark coxae and tarsi); hind femur either completely reddish brown or along with yellow brown patches in posterior-lateral sides; tibia with median half white, apical 1/3rd and extreme base with black infuscation; tarsi dark reddish brown; wings infuscate, venation brown, stigma and veins uniformly dark brown.

Head densely pilose; mesoscutum pilose and rugose punctuate; notauli visible, median furrow present; scutellar sulcus with six distinct costulae; scutellum shallow rugose with pilosity denser at apical tip; propodeum with median longitudinal carina surrounded by coarse rugosity; mesopleuron medially smooth, shining, without any pilosity; anterior, posterior and lateral sides finely punctate with dense pilosity.

T1 of metasoma black with anterior laterotergites pale testaceous to white, first tergite widest in the middle, converging apically; apical margin width almost equal to basal margin width; 1.25x as long as broad, rugose; lateral sides of second tergite yellow, smooth and shiny, rest of the metasoma smooth, shiny and black. T2 with median field with slanting lateral margins; ovipositor slightly visible in lateral view; dorsally not visible. Median length of T3 equal toT2; T2 and T3 with single row of setae in the middle, denser and much scattered on sides. T4 onwards setae scattered all over the surface of tergites.

Male. Scuto-scutellar junction with four large costulae. Hind femur much darker than that of female, hind tibia similar to female. Other characters similar to female.

Host. Spodoptera mauritia (Boisduval) ( Lepidoptera : Noctuidae ).

Material examined. Two females and one male; one female and male, Karnataka, Attur, 28.viii.2011, ex. Spodoptera sp. feeding on Trigonella foenum-graecum L., solitary grey brown cocoon, coll. Ankita Gupta. One female, Karnataka, Mudigere, 12.vii.2012, yellow pan trap, coll. Devaraj. Code. NBAII/Bra/Mic/ Microplitis /spod/ 28811. Specimens deposited in NBAII, Bangalore, India.

PLATE IX. Microplitis spodopterae Rao & Kurian (Female) (Figs. 26–28). 26. Female, lateral view 27. Metasoma 28. Mesosoma.

PLATE X. Microplitis spodopterae Rao & Kurian (Male) (Figs. 29–31) Fig. 29. Female, dorsal view 30. Mesosoma 31. Metasoma.

PLATE XI. Acanthodelta janata (L.) (Figs. 32–35). 32. Caterpillars with solitary cocoon of M. maculipennis 33. Unparasitised caterpillar 34. Pupa 35. Adult moth.

PLATE XII. Spodoptera litura (Fab.) (Figs. 36–38). 36 & 37—Caterpillar 38. Adult moth.