Description of a new species of the genus IndiopiusFischer (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) from India

 

Ahmad Samiuddin 1, Zubair Ahmad 2 & Mohammad Shamim 2

 

1 Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agricultural Sciences, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh 202002, India

2 Entomology Section, Department of Zoology, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh 202002, India

Email: 1 asamiuddin@gmail.com

 

 

Date of publication (online): 26 December 2009

Date of publication (print): 26 December 2009

ISSN 0974-7907 (online) | 0974-7893 (print)

 

Editor: T.C. Narendran

 

Manuscript details:

Ms # o1947

Received 18 February 2008

Final received 24 October 2009

Finally accepted 26 October 2009

 

Citation: Samiuddin, A., Z. Ahmad & M. Shamim(2009). Description of a new species of the genus IndiopiusFischer (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) from India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 1(12): 619-620.

 

Copyright: © Ahmad Samiuddin, Zubair Ahmad & Mohammad Shamim 2009. Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License. JoTTallows unrestricted use of this article in any medium for non-profit purposes, reproduction and distribution by providing adequate credit to the authors and the source of publication.

 

Acknowledgments:We thank Dr. M. Hayat and Dr. Shujauddinfor reviewing the manuscript and offering useful suggestions.  Authors are also thankful to Chairman, Department of Zoology for laboratory facilities.

 

Abbreviations:3RSb - third abcissa of radius; 2RS - first cubital cross vein; r-m - second cubital cross vein; m-cu - recurrent vein; 3RSa - second abcissa of radius; m-cu in hind wing - post nervellus; T2 - second metasomal tergite; T3 - third metasomal tergite; T4 - fourth metasomal tergite; OOL - ocello-ocular line (distance from the outer edge of a lateral ocellusto the compound eye); POL – posterior-ocellar line (distance between the inner edges of the two lateral ocelli); AOL –  anterior-ocellarline (distance between the inner edges of anterior and lateral ocellus); OD- diameter of an ocellus; ZDAMU- Zoology Department, Aligarh Muslim University.

 

 

For Images – click here

 

The genus Indiopius Fischer was revised and redescribed by Fischer (1987) and Wharton (1997).  It is easily characterized by having fore wing 3RSb absent apically, thus marginal cell incomplete apically.  Both 2RS and r-m missing thus all submarginal cells incomplete. m-cu missing.

This is a small genus, recorded so far only from Oriental region by two species viz., Indiopius humillimusFischer (India) and Indiopius saigonensis Fischer (Vietnam).  In the present work a new species, viz., Indiopius fischeri,is described.  The diagnostic characters of the species are provided.

The terminology for the various body parts and wing venation is that of Sharkey & Wharton (1997) while Eady (1968) has been followed for the description of surface sculpture.

 

Indiopius fischeri Samiuddin & Ahmad, sp. nov.

(Images 1-3)

 

Material examined:

Holotype: 8.vii.1999, male, Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India,  coll. Ahmad Samiuddin, Reg.no. HYM/BR.008.

Paratypes: 10.v.1999, 1 male, Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India, coll. Ahmad Samiuddin, Reg.no.HYM/BR.055; 20.v.1999, 2 males, Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India, coll. Ahmad Samiuddin, Reg.no. HYM/BR.056-57; 18.v.2000, 1 male, Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India, coll. Zubair Ahmad, Reg.no. HYM/BR.058; 11.x.2001, 1 female, Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India, coll. Ahmad Samiuddin, Reg.no.HYM/BR.059; 27.vii.2002, 3 males,  Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India, coll. Mehdi Hayat Shahi, Reg. no. HYM/BR.060,061,062; 4.x.2002, 1 male, Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India, coll. Zubair Ahmad, Reg.no. HYM/BR.063.

 

Distribution: India (Uttar Pradesh). 

 

Etymology

The species has been named in honour of Dr. Maximilian Fischer, a well known Braconologist.

 

Female: Body length 1.3mm.

Head: Smooth, 1.9x as wide as long (17:9); Eye slightly protruded, 1.4x as long as temple (5.5:4), temple rounded; occiputslightly curved; ocelli slightly protruded, small, AOL:POL:OOL:OOD = 2:2.5:4.5:1.25, width of stemmaticum0.12mm.  Face strongly convex, sparsely punctate polished, twice as wide as high (9:4.5), sparsely setose, middle carina visible faint on bottom; clypeus considerably less convex than face, smooth polished, 3.5x as wide as high (7:2), separated from face through a clearly impressed semicircular suture.  Inter-tentorialline 3.4x tentorio-ocular line (5.5:1.6).  Malar area shorter than basal mandibular width (2:3), mandibles at  base not wide, upper tooth is longer than lower.  Oral cavity visible.  Maxillary palp 0.5x as long as head height (6:13).  Antennae filiform, 1.2x longer than body (62:52.5), 18-segmented (range 18-19), F1 2.1x as long as wide (4.25:2), F2 0.8x as long as F1 (3.5:4.25), following flagellomeresas wide as F1 (2:2), penultimate 1.5x as long as wide (2.8:1.9), allflagellomeres clearly separated from each other, length of longest setae is less than the width of flagellomeres(1.5:2), in side view three placodes visible.

Mesosoma: Dorsally slightly convex, 1.2x as long as high (19:16.5), 1.2x as high as head (16.5:13) and 0.8x as wide as head (14:17); mesonotum smooth, 0.8x as wide as long (11:14), equally rounded before the tegulae;notauli visible only anteriorly, absent on disc, its imaginary line is not represented through a row of fine setae; mid pit absent; sides of mesonotum  margined  and finely crenulate.  Scutellar sulcus moderately narrow, crenulate.  Scutellum smooth, polished. Metanotum smooth, polished; side field of metanotum finely crenulate.  Propodeum smooth, polished. Side of thorax smooth, polished; sternaulusnarrow, finely crenulate.  Mesosoma overall smooth, polished.  Legs narrow, hind femur 3.6x as long as wide (12.5:3.5).

Wings: Stigma wedge shaped, Length, 0.32mm, width, 0.08mm, Metacarpus (R1) as long as stigma (13:13), not reaching completely up to apex; marginal cell clearly short, imaginary tip visible clearly before the wing apex; vein r arising from basal fourth of stigma (13:3.25), completely merged with 3RSa in the form of an equally curved vein.  2RS and r-m absent thus all sub marginal cells incompletely formed; 1CU visible, faint; 1cu-a clearly postfurcal; m-cu in hind wing absent.

Metasoma: Petiole slightly convex, equally granulate, as long as its apical width (6.5:6.5), basally equally narrow; basal carina visible until more than half of petiole, converging apically.  T2, T3clearly granulate.  T4 finely granulate.  Rest of the metasoma smooth, polished. Ovipositor slightly protruded, Length 0.12mm.

Colour: Body brownish including tegulae, mandibles and scape; antennae brown including pedicel; palpi pale; legs yellowish; mandibulartip, tarsal claw dark brown; ovipositor sheath black; wings infuscate, stigma and reduced venation brown.

Male: Similar to the female. Body length 1.3mm.

Host: Unknown

 

Remarks

The new species, Indiopius fischeri,closely resembles  Indiopius humillimus Fischer but differs in having: upper mandibular tooth is longer than lower tooth (both mandibular teeth equally long in humillimus), maxillary palpi 0.5x as long as head height (maxillary palpi as long as head height in humillimus), top side of mesosomaslightly convex (top side of mesosoma strongly convex in humillimus), hind femur 3.6x as long as wide (hind femur 4.5x as long as wide in humillimus), 1 cu-a clearly postfurcal (1 cu-a almost interstitial in humillimus), basal carina visible until more than half of petiole (basal carina visible until basal third of petiole in humillimus).

 

References

Eady, R.D. (1968). Some illustrations of microsculpture in the Hymenoptera. Proceedings of  the Royal Entomological Society of London 43(4-6): 66-72.

Fischer, M. (1987). Hymenoptera, Opiinae III: Äthiopische, orientalische, australische und ozeanische Region. Das Tierreich., 104. Verlag Walter de GruyterBerlin, New York, XV+734 pp.

Sharkey, M.J. & R.A. Wharton (1997). Morphology and Terminology, pp. 19-37. In: Manual of the New World Genera of the Family Braconidae (Hymenoptera). Wharton, R.A., P.M. Marsh & M.J. Sharkey (eds.). The International Society of Hymnenopterists: Washington D.C.

Wharton R.A. (1997). Generic relationships of Opiine Braconidae (Hymenoptera) parasitic on fruit-infesting Tephritidae (Diptera). Contributions of the American Entomological Institute 30: 1-53.