Microplitis maculipennis (Szépligeti)

Microplitis maculipennis Szépligeti 1900: 60; Wilkinson 1930: 26; Wilkinson 1934: 120; Shenefelt 1973: 749. [See Shenefelt 1973 for complete bibliography]. Holotype HNHM.

Microplitis eusirus Lyle 1921: 129 . Synonymy by Wilkinson 1930: 26.

Microplitis ophiusae Ramakrishna Ayyar 1921: 298 . Synonymy by Wilkinson 1930: 26.

Snellenius maculipennis Austin & Dangerfield 1992: 60 .

Snellenius maculipennis Austin & Dangerfield 1993: 1153 .

Microplitis maculipennis Gupta 2013: 439 .

Materials examined. Types. Cotype ♂, India, Bihar, Pusa, 20.ix.1912, Dutt. Coll.no. 13, 13 1921-140, parasitic on Achaea janata, Microplitis eusirus ♀ Lyle, Achaea janata Linn. (BMNH).

Other specimens examined. 2♀♀ mounted on minuten pin with pupal case, Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, 2.2.1944 (no collector’s name), Entom. Div. Agric. Dept. EX.04689 (Larva), Microplitis maculipennis Szep. G. Nixon det., 1959, 0 4735 COM. INST. ENT. COLL. NO. 11490 (BMNH); 1♀ with pupal case, S. India, Coimbatore, 29.v.1932, P.S. Nathan, B.M. 1938-102, ex. Achaea melicerta larva on castor plant (BMNH).

Female. Body length 3.1 mm (based on examined specimens).

Head: Oval to subcircular in anterior view (Fig. 13 -B); eyes small but lateral temples hidden behind eyes in anterior view (Fig. 13 -B); face and clypeus densely rugose-punctate, densely setose; face slightly convex, with a faint medial, longitudinal carina dorsally, width of face (at widest) about 0–5× width of head (Fig. 13 -B); inner margins of eyes slightly emarginate near to antennal sockets; posterior vertex and temples rugose-punctate (Fig. 13 -C); upper frons with small depression below median ocellus; in lateral view width of temple equal to width of eye; occiput slightly excavate, smooth except for punctation laterally which extends onto temples (Fig. 13 -C); lower frons smooth and shining divided by broad medial ridge, with a few transverse striae above antennal sockets; eyes pilose (Fig. 13 -B); ocelli forming slightly obtuse triangle, POL 0.75× OOL (Fig. 13 -C); antennae moderately robust (Fig. 13 -A, (Fig. 14 -A), 0.9× as long as body; first flagellomere 1.1× as long as second flagellomere; first and second flagellomere 2.9, 2.4× as long as wide; terminal flagellomere acute, 2.3× as long as wide.

Mesosoma: Mesosoma 1.2× as long as high; mesoscutum with medial lobe finely rugose-punctate, lateral lobes usually smoother than medial lobe (Fig. 13 -C & D); notauli impressed, crenulate, meeting posteriorly to form broad longitudinally reticulate-punctate area, medial furrow slightly impressed, punctate to crenulate-punctate (Fig. 13 -D); scutellar lunules broad, deep, divided by three–four carinae (Fig. 13 -D); dorsal scutellum more or less flat to slightly convex, rugulose, margined laterally by sharp carina (Fig. 13 -D); propodeum with medial longitudinal carina usually no more prominent than surrounding very coarse reticulate rugosity, transverse carina often distinct, sometimes indistinct (Fig. 13 -E); lateral pronotum with broad oblique coarsely crenulate furrow; mesopleuron with areas above and below epicnemal furrow finely punctate, with fine sparse pilosity; epicnemial furrow crenulate, reaching anteriorly to margin of mesopleuron; precoxal groove broad, coarsely crenulate; hind coxa finely punctate dorsally, pilose; hind femur 3.7× as long as wide; hind tibia 5.2× as long as wide; outer hind tibial spur 0.4× as long as basitarsus.

Wings: Fore wing 2.8× as long as wide; pterostigma 2.3–2.6× as long as wide; areolet large, quadrangular; 1- M straight; margin of vannal lobe convex and setose.

Metasoma: T1 about 2.5–3.3× as long as apical width (3.3× as long as wide in cotype of M. eusirus), sub parallel sided, densely and finely rugose-punctate except for smooth basal area and narrow smooth apical margin (Fig. 14 -B); T2 smooth, with indistinct median field indicated by oblique grooves in anterior half only, median field appearing more prominent in specimens with white or yellowish T2 and black median field (Fig. 13 -F); medial length of T2 as long as T3; T3–T7 each with a transverse row of setae posteriorly, becoming denser laterally (Fig. 13 -F); hypopygium smooth, setose in ventral half (Fig. 13 -A); ovipositor sheaths slightly curved, with sparse long setae subapically, with indistinct tuft of fused setae apically (Fig. 13 -A).

Colour: Variable, body generally dark-brown to black, mandibles yellow-brown, mesosoma red-brown or orange-brown, wings hyaline in basal, infuscate elsewhere with darker patches around first discal cell and from areolet to pterostigma (Fig. 14 -A), laterotergites and sterna of anterior metasoma light brown or cream (Fig. 13 -F), legs dark brown, fore and mid legs lighter apically.

Male: Similar to female.

Distribution. Australia, India, Malaysia, Papua New Guinea and Thailand.

Host. Acanthodelta janata (L.), Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner), Helicoverpa zea (Boddie), Dysgonia algira (Linnaeus) and Elygea maternal (Linnaeus) .

Discussion. This species is close to M. areyongensis in having the notauli impressed, mesoscutum with medial furrow, T1 sub-parallel sided, scutellum rugulose, T1 with medial longitudinal groove, face rugose or rugulose. It differs from M. areyongensis in the following characters: propodeum with an indistinct medial longitudinal carina (in M. areyongensis propodeum with distinct medial longitudinal carina), presence of medial longitudinal carina between antennal sockets (in M. areyongensis medial longitudinal carina between antennal sockets absent), T2 with median field (in M. areyongensis T2 without median field), hind coxa sculptured or punctate basally (in M. areyongensis hind coxa striate basally).

Comments. This species earlier considered as Snellenius maculipennis but it has been transferred to Microplitis by Gupta 2013.