A NEW SPECIES OF PHILOLEMA CAMERON ( HYMENOPTERA : EURYTOMIDAE ) PARASITIC ON SPIDER EGGS ( ARACHNIDA : ARANEAE ) FROM INDIA

The genus Philolema was raised by Cameron in 1908 based on the type species Philolema carinigena Cameron. Boucek (1988 : 106) stated that Philolema Cameron would be emerged with Eurytoma Hliger. But most of the recent workers (Narendran, 1994; Lotfalizadeh et al., 2007) considered it as a distinct genus. The generic classification in the family Eurytomidae is still very unsatisfactory. In the most recent classification (Lotfalizadeh et al., 2007; Noyes, 2009) this new species comes under Desantisca species group of the genus Philolema. In Desantisca species group all species are parasitic on spider eggs. This species group consists of 4 valid species from the Indian subcontinent namely, Philolema (=Desantisca) belgaumensis (Narendran) from Maharashtra, India, P. (=D.) palanichamyi (Narendran) from Tamil Nadu, India, P. (=D.) uloborae (Narendran) and P. (=D.) lankana (Narendran) from Nugegoda, Sri Lanka (Narendran, 1994; Noyes, 2009). In this paper one new species is described from West Bengal, India based on specimens which emerged from unidentified spider egg sacs.


INTRODUCTION
The genus Philolema was raised by Cameron in 1908 based on the type species Philolema carinigena Cameron.Boucek (1988 : 106) stated that Philolema Cameron would be emerged with Eurytoma Hliger.But most of the recent workers (Narendran, 1994;Lotfalizadeh et al., 2007) considered it as a distinct genus.The generic classification in the family Eurytomidae is still very unsatisfactory.In the most recent classification (Lotfalizadeh et al., 2007;Noyes, 2009) this new species comes under Desantisca species group of the genus Philolema.In Desantisca species group all species are parasitic on spider eggs.This species group consists of 4 valid species from the Indian subcontinent namely, Philolema (=Desantisca) belgaumensis (Narendran) from Maharashtra, India, P. (=D.) palanichamyi (Narendran) from Tamil Nadu, India, P. (=D.) uloborae (Narendran) and P. (=D.) lankana (Narendran) from Nugegoda, Sri Lanka (Narendran, 1994;Noyes, 2009).In this paper one new species is described from West Bengal, India based on specimens which emerged from unidentified spider egg sacs.
The Holotype and Paratype are deposited in the 'National Zoological Collections' of the Zoological Survey of India, Kolkata (NZSI).

MATERIALS AND METHODS
The egg sacs of the unidentified spider species are collected from the spider web.They reared in the laboratory from which the parasite emerged out.The specimens are card mounted and studied under Wild Heerbrugg Stereozoom microscope (Made in Switzerland) and drawings were made using the drawing tube of the microscope.
The following abbreviations are used in the text:   Holotype : Female : Length 1.86 mm.Black.Mandible blackish brown; antenna brownish black with scape and pedicel black; tegula black; fore and mid tibiae pale brown except at bases and apices yellow; hind tibia dark brown except base and apex yellow; all tarsi yellow with apical tarsal segment yellowish brown; claws brown.Wings hyaline, veins whitish yellow with some brown margins on fore wing veins.Body hairs short, thick and white, originate from each umbilical puncture; hairs sparse on clypeus and supraclypeal area, absent on lateral corner of pronotum, scapula, axilla and mesopleuron (except a line of hairs on carina of mesopleuron anteriorly).

SUMMARY
A new species of Philolema Cameron viz., Philolema nadia Narendran and Girish Kumar sp.nov., emerged from the spider eggs, is described from India and its affinities to the closest relative are discussed.