Euurobracon cephalotes cephalotes ( Smith, 1858 )

Ahmed, Ishtiaq & Kazmi, Sarfrazul Islam, 2023, New findings of Euurobracon Ashmead, 1900 (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Braconinae) from India, Journal of Insect Biodiversity and Systematics 9 (1), pp. 39-47 : 40-43

Euurobracon cephalotes cephalotes ( Smith, 1858)

( Figs 1A, 2A–F)

Body length. 12.7–14.8 mm; forewing length= 12.15–14.9 mm; ovipositor sheath= 15.7–27.0 mm

Diagnosis. Length of head behind eye: horizontal length of eye = 0.69–0.87: 1, second metasomal tergite usually with a pair of well-developed or less obvious pits medially on either side of midline; ovipositor relatively short i.e. 1.2–1.5× of the forewing length.

Antennae with 55 flagellomeres, terminal flagellomere 1.4× longer than wide basally, 1 st flagellomere 1.5 and 2.5× longer than 2 nd and 3 rd flagellomeres respectively, medial flagellar segments wider than long, scape with sparse long hairs, pedicel small ring shape ( Figs 2E, 2F); Inter-tentorial distance: tentorio-ocular distance = 20:14, shortest distance between eyes: width of head = 45:87. Length of head behind eye: horizontal length of eye = 0.94:1, face with sparse and long setae dorsally just below the antennal sockets and ventrally above clypeus, some comparatively shorter setae present laterally, medial area immediately raised above clypeus and adjacent lateral depressed areas glabrous ( Figs. 2D, 2E). Anterior ocellus reasonably larger than posterior ocelli, frons with a deep medial groove extending upto antennal sockets ( Fig. 2E). Mesosoma smooth, shiny, 1.7× longer than high, with sparse setae on basal half and comparatively longer setae distally; mesoscutum convex, notauli smooth only impressed anteriorly; scutellum triangular and shiny; propodeum sparsely setose laterally and almost bare medially. Hind wing vein 1r-m 1.25–1.4× longer than SC+ R 1. Length of fore wing vein SR1:3-SR:r = 80:65:9; vein 2-SR:3-SR:r-m = (28:67:27)–(28:71:32) ( Fig. 2C). Hind tibia 1.4× as long as femur, covered by stout sparse setae anteriorly and by small dense setae posteriorly, hind tarsi densely setose, basitarsus more than twice as long as telotarsus (excluding claws), penultimate hind tarsal segment 0.2× basitarsus. First metasomal tergite 1.3× longer than wide, often with a mid-longitudinal depression; second metasomal tergite 1.6× as wide as long, with less prominent grooves on either side of the midline ( Figs 2A, 2B); third tergite with antero-lateral area demarcated by posteriorly diverging grooves, remainder of metasomal tergites shiny and glabrous.

Colour. Body yellowish brown, antennae and ovipositor sheath black, ovipositor yellow. Legs uniformly yellow, Wing membrane yellow, fore wing with two brownish areas; hind wing uniformly yellowish, wing venation yellow except for brown apical portion of pterostigma ( Fig. 1A).

Variations. The wings are transparent in the distal half (infuscate in original description); antenna 55 segmented (vs 67), terminal flagellomere as long as wide (1.3× longer than wide); ovipositor 1.2–1.5× as long as fore wing length (1.7–2). Body length varies considerably from 12.7 to 14.82 mm.

Material Examined. 2 ♀♀ (regd. 26924/H3-25), INDIA, Andaman and Nicobar Island, South Andaman (Mannar Ghat), 28.iii.1964, coll. B.S. Lamba; 1♀, little Andaman, 22.i.1988, coll. A.N.T Joseph and party.

Distributions. India; Andaman & Nicobar Islanad (new record). Elsewhere: China ( Li et al., 2016).