ON A COLLECTION OF EULOPHIDAE ( HYMENOPTERA : CHALCIDOIDEA ) FROM SUNDERBANS BIOSPHERE RESERVE OF WEST BENGAL , INDIA

The Sunderbans area is composed of a group of Islands from the mouth of the river Hoogly on the west and extending up to the river Meghna in the east, covering North and South 24 Parganas districts of West Bengal in India and Khulna and Barishal districts in Bangladesh. It lies approximately 87°51'-91 °30' east longitude and 21 °31' -22°30' north latitude. It is considered as the largest single mangrove belt of the world. comprising an area of 9827 sq. km. of which 4264 sq. km. comes under India. In 1989, the Government of India declared the entire Indian Sunderbans (9630 sq. km.: mangrove belt plus nearby villages) as Sunderbans Biosphere Reserve. Due to its unique ecosystem, it has also been declared a World Heritage site in 1989. It is the largest estuary delta in the world with extremely rich diversity of aquatic and terrestrial flora and fauna.


INTRODUCTION
The Sunderbans area is composed of a group of Islands from the mouth of the river Hoogly on the west and extending up to the river Meghna in the east, covering North and South 24 Parganas districts of West Bengal in India and Khulna and Barishal districts in Bangladesh.It lies approximately 87°51'-91 °30' east longitude and 21 °31' -22°30' north latitude.It is considered as the largest single mangrove belt of the world.comprising an area of 9827 sq.km. of which 4264 sq.km.comes under India.In 1989, the Government of India declared the entire Indian Sunderbans (9630 sq.km.: mangrove belt plus nearby villages) as Sunderbans Biosphere Reserve.Due to its unique ecosystem, it has also been declared a World Heritage site in 1989.It is the largest estuary delta in the world with extremely rich diversity of aquatic and terrestrial flora and fauna.
Lulophidae is one of the economically important t~ll1lilies ofChalcidoidea (Hymenoptera).Many species of this t~lInily are parasitic on insect pests of agricultural crops.In continuation of our explorations of the chalcidoid fauna of Sunderbans (Narendran & Girish Kumar, 2009a& b: Narendran et al., 2010), we are reporting here 20 species of eulophids of which 13 species are new record from Sunderbans Biosphere Resen'e and 11 species are new record from West Bengal State.

J\;IATERIAL AND METHODS
The collections were taken from several localities in the Sunderbans Biosphere Reserve.All the identified specimens are deposited in the "National Zoological Collections' of the Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata.
All the specimens except Chrysonotomyia postmarginaloides (Saraswat) and Leptocybe invasa Fisher & LaSalle were collected by using sweep net specially made for the purpose.C. postmarginaloides and L. invasa were reared from the leaf galls of Mangifera indica and Eucalyptus respectively.The card mounted specimens were studied under Leica MZ 6 stereozoom microscope (Switzerland) and the photographs were made by using Sam sung (Model PL 50~ 10.2 megapixels and 3x optical zoom) digital camera while specimens kept under the microscope.Diagnosis: Female: Length 2.34 mm.Body yellow except for dorsomedian metallic coppery-green and green patch on mesonotum and scutellum respectively; head reddish brown; antennae dark brown with scape yellowish brown; eyes dark red; legs pale yellow; T3-T6 with brownish black transverse band; ovipositor sheath brownish black; wings hyaline.

Host:
The studied specimen reared from the leaf galls of Mangifera indica (Family: Anacardiaceae).
Distribution : India : Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal (new record) (Oman).Diagnosis: Female: Length 3.2 mm.Dark metallic green reflections with the following parts as follows: eyes pale yellow with a dark tinge; ocelli reflecting pale brownish yellow; tegula pale brownish yellow; legs with coxae concolorous with body; femora concolorous with body except base and apex paler; trochanter yellow; tibiae mostly yellow with weak brownish band in middle; first three tarsal segments yellow, fourth brown; wings hyaline with veins pale brown.
Subfamily EULOPHINAE 3. Elachertus nigrithorax (Girault) (Image 3) Diagnosis: Female: Length 1.5-2.5 mm.Yellowish brown or pale brownish yellow~ middle coxa dark brown or black on basal half; head with ocellar triangle, axillae, propodeum, a spot on base of first gastral tergite on either side, an obscure narrow patch above near base of hind coxa; ovipositor sheath brownish black.
Diagnosis: Female: Length 1.3-2.13mm.Black with green reflections on head, mesosomal dorsum and on sides of basal T 1; tegula dark brown; mesoscutum with a yellow spot on each side near tegula; scutellum black with slight metallic refringence; metanotum yellow at base of posterior hyaline extended part; legs dark brown with lruL'iwnters.apical half of fore femur, apices and middk of hind femur and tibiae of all legs pale yellow.
Diagnosis : Female: Length 1.23 mm.Head and mesosoma blackish brown to black~ gaster dark brown~ antenna dark brown except scape pale brown~ eyes dark brown~ ocelli reflecting black~ tegula dark brown~ all coxa concolorous with mesosoma except at apex pale yellow: mid and hind femur yellowish brown~ all trochanters and remaining parts of legs pale brownish ydlow except at apical tarsal ,seglnents brown; wings hyaline and veins pale brown.Distribution : India : Karnataka, Kerala, ivlaharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal (new record) (Australia, Canary Islands, China, Ethiopia, Figi, Ghana, Guam, Hawaii, Indopesia, Iran, Japan, Kenya.Madeira, Malaysia, New Caledonia, Pakistan, Peoples' Republic of China, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Seychelles, Spain.Sri Lanka, Sudan~ Taiwan, Tanzania, Turkey.Vanuatu).(Ashmead) (Image 7) Diagnosis : Female : Length 1.22-1.25 mm.Predominantly black with slight metallic reflections on head and mesosoma; flagellum brown; scape, pedicellus, femora, trochanters, tibiae, tarsi and tegulae pale brownish yellow; coxa dark brown; T 1 and sides of T2 pale yellowish brown; wings hyaline, veins pale whitish yellow.Mesoscutum with 4 adnotaular setae~ pedicellus plus flagellum O.8Sx width of meso soma; MV 3.15x as long as STY; gaster 1.16x as long as mesosoma.Diagnosis: Female: Length 2.14 mm.Body yellow with the following markings: ocellar area black, posterior part of pronotum, anterior median part of mesoscutum, a spot on the anterior part of scapula, a spot on anterior part of axilla and scutellum (except on the extreme sides of scutellum behind SLG) blackish brown with metallic green reflections; dorsellum brown with slight metallic green reflections; propodeum with submedian area pale brown and median carina black, gaster with blackish brown markings and with slight metallic green reflections; antenna brown with pedicellus and scape paler~ wings hyaline; legs including coxae yellow, pretarsi blackish brown; ovipositor sheath black.Mesosctum with 3 adnotaular setae on each side; MV 3.73x as long as STY; gaster 2x as l~ng as mesosoma.Diagnosis : F~male : L~ngth 1.50 111111.Body reddish brown to black with m~tallic grt?t?nish hlut?luster: I~gs yellowish brown with hind co\.a dorsally hlack: antenna with 1 anellus: postocellar line 1.5:\ ucdlocular line: t()rewing 2.4x as long as broad: 1\1\' .i.n5:\ as long as STY: hind femur 1.25:\ as long as \\ idt?: gaster 1.5x as long as mesosoma.laterally compressed: 0\ ipositor long exerted from ventrally far ahead of abdominal tip.Diagnosis: Female: Length 2 mm.Yellow with following exceptions: eye brick red: ocelli reflecting yellow; pedicellus and flagellum dark brown: scape pale yellow with anterior dorsal side slightly darker: space between ocelli, median part of pronotum.a larg~ patch from anterior margin to three-fourth region extending to posterior margin of mesoscutUIl1.a spot on the anterior part of scapula.anterior part of axilla and on scutellum, black.Scutellar spot and mesoscutal spot with slight metallic green reflections; propodeum with n:tedian carina and a patch in between spiracle and median carina dark brown.Gaster with dark brown patches on sides dorsally: ovipositor sheath hlack: wings hyaline.MV 6x as long as STY: meSOsclitUIll with 3 adnotaular setae on either side: pedicellus plus flagellum lAx as long as width of mcsosoma: rim or Diagnosis: Female: Length 1.77 InITI.Dark metallic green with the following parts as follows : antenna brown with pale scape; mouth slightly pale; legs pale yellow with hind coxa brown and reflecting metallic green; fourth tarsal segment and pretarsus brown; wings hyaline.Eye length 1.06x its maximum width in profile; F 1 nearly 2x as long as pedicellus; pedicellus plus flagellum about 1.8x width of mesoscutum; anterior pair of scutellar setae placed a little before middle of scutellum; hind coxa 2x as long as broad; CC 0.74x as long as MY.Diagnosis: Female: Length 2.62 mm.Dark metallic green with following parts as follows: antenna blackish brown with scape and ventral side of pedicellus pale brownish yellow; foreleg pale brownish yellow with fourth tarsus and pretarsus blackish brown; midleg similar to foreleg but base of coxa slightly brown; hind leg similar to midleg but hind coxa concolorous with mesosoma-with pale apex; wings hyaline; pubescence on body pale white.Scape exceeding level of vertex; midlobe of mesoscutum with 7 adnotaular setae in irregular double rows, posterior pair longer than other pairs; forewing 3.47x as long as its maximum width: tip of hypopygium reaching middle of gaster.Diagnosis: Female: Length 1.7 mm.Body metallic green: antenna brown with basal part of scape sl ightly paler: fore and mid coxae brown: hind coxa concolorolls with mesosoma and other parts of legs yellowish \\hite: tegula pale yellowish white: puhescence on hody white: Wings hyaline.Scape exceeding a little ahove level of vertex: mesoscutum \\'ith 3 pairs of adnotaular setae.Diagllosis : Female: Length) .J-2 mm.Body black with weak hluish or greenish tinge; antenna with I anellus; F2 1.4-l.43xas long as hroad: clava about as long as F2 and F3 comhined: mesosclltum with distinct median line: SMV with single dorsal seta; CC of forewing very narrow, more than lOx as long as broad.Remarks : New record for Sunderbans Biosphere Resenc.

SUMMARY
Twenty species of Eulophidae were identified from Sunderbans Biosphere Reserve of which 13 species are reported here for the first time from Sunderbans Biosphere Reserve of which 1 1 species are new record for West Bengal state.Fi .20. Tetrastidtus epi/achnae (Giard).em ale.
; ocel1i reflecting yellow; tegula brown; legs yellow except all coxae and tips of tarsi dark brown; wings hyaline and veins pale brown.