ON SOME INTERESTING CHALCIDOID PARASITOIDS ASSOCIATED WITH EPHEDRA FOLIATA BOISS

Ephedra fo.liata Boiss. ex C.A. Meyer (Ephedraceae) is a climber species distributed in Sindh, Baluchistan, Kurram Valley, North-West Frontier Province (N.W.F.P.), Pakistan, and Punjab plains to 800 m in Salt range, Rajasthan, Afghanistan, Arabia and Aden (Stapf, 1889; Sahni, 1990; Price, 1996). Ecologically it acts as a soil builder, economically important source of browse for camel, sheep, goat and an important source of pseudoephedrine (Khanna et aI., 1976). Five species of Chalcidoids were collected from the seeds of Ephedra foliata from its wild locality in Samod near Jaipur in Rajasthan. They are Eurytomidae : Eurytolna ephedrae Narendran & Prabha Sharma sp. nov. and EurytomaJoliatae Narendran & Rita Singh sp. nov., Torymidae : Pseudotorynzus ephedrae Narendran & Prabha Sharma sp. nov. and Idiornacrolnerus sp. and Eupelmidae : Eupelrnus urozollus Dalman. The new species are described and others commented hereunder. The holotypes of the new species are deposited in the Department of Zoology, University of Calicut (OZUC) but ,eventually will be transferred to Western Ghat Regional Station of Zoological Survey of India, Kozhikode (ZSIK).


INTRODUCTION
Ephedra fo.liata Boiss.ex C.A. Meyer (Ephedraceae) is a climber species distributed in Sindh, Baluchistan, Kurram Valley, North-West Frontier Province (N.W.F.P.), Pakistan, and Punjab plains to 800 m in Salt range, Rajasthan, Afghanistan, Arabia and Aden (Stapf, 1889;Sahni, 1990;Price, 1996).Ecologically it acts as a soil builder, economically important source of browse for camel, sheep, goat and an important source of pseudoephedrine (Khanna et aI., 1976).Five species of Chalcidoids were collected from the seeds of Ephedra foliata from its wild locality in Samod near Jaipur in Rajasthan.They are Eurytomidae : Eurytolna ephedrae Narendran & Prabha Sharma sp.nov.and EurytomaJoliatae Narendran & Rita Singh sp.nov., Torymidae : Pseudotorynzus ephedrae Narendran & Prabha Sharma sp.nov.and Idiornacrolnerus sp. and Eupelmidae : Eupelrnus urozollus Dalman.The new species are described and others commented hereunder.The holotypes of the new species are deposited in the Department of Zoology, University of Calicut (OZUC) but ,eventually will be transferred to Western Ghat Regional Station of Zoological Survey of India, Kozhikode (ZSIK).Holotype : Female: Length 1.9 mm.

Eurytoma ephedrae
Colour: Black except following: antenna brown with base and apex of scape paler; apices of femora, bases and apices of tibiae pale brownish yellow; tarsi pale brownish yellow, wings hyaline with veins pale white .
This new species differs from E. apara in having: (1) Hind tibia with 10-15 strong setae on dorsal margin (in E. apara not such stout setae in dorsal margin of hind tibia); (2) F2 to F5 not strongly wider than long (in E. apara F2 to F5 strongly wider than long); (3) Propodeum without a median furrow containing pits (in E. apara propodeum with a median furrow containing pits) and (4) Marginal vein shorter than postmarginal (in E. apara marginal vein longer than pos tmarg i nal).This new species does not fit to the description of any of the Oriental species of Eurytol1za listed by Noyes (2005).
Colour: Black except following: eye grey with reflecting yellow and brown patches; ocelli brownish red; antenna brown with scape and pedicel (ventral and apical parts) paler; apices of femora, bases and apices of tibiae pale yellow with median part of tibiae brown; tarsi pale yellow.
Wings hyaline and veins and pilosity white.
Mesosoma : Fore coxa depressed ventrally in basal half for reception of lower part of head, depression strongly carinate along outer edge, medially and longitudinally grooved; mesopleuron and mesepisternum with semicircular carinae meeting medially and protruding forward between Remarks: This new species is not given a name here since the single specimen is not in good condition to designate as a holotype.The genus ldionlacronlerus reported here is the first record of the genus from Indian subcontinent.
(3) ovipositor sheath 1.12x as long as metatibia (In I. silybi ovipositor sheath 1.4x as long as hind tibia; (4) marginal vein 1.58x postmarginal vein (In I. silybi marginal vein 3.09x postmarginal vein); ( 5) forewing with a brown patch extending from marginal and stigmal veins to about two-thirds across the wing (In I. silybi no submedian brown patch present) and in several other features.Head: Width subequal to width of mesoscutum; width in anterior view 1.13x its length; POL 3x OOL, malar space O.3x eye height in side view, torulus with ventral edge slightly above level of lower ocular margin; scrobe moderately deep.Antenna with scape almost reaching front ocellus; scape a little less than 4x as long as wide (15 : 4); pedicel as long as wide~ FI a little more than l.3x as wide as its length; F2 length subequal to its width; F3 slightly wider than long; F4 to F7 wider than long; clava 1.25x as long as broad without a process or spicule at apex.

Pseudotorymus ephedrae
Mesosoma : In dorsal view a little more than 1.27x as long as its width; pronotum and mesoscutum with short white pilosity; notauli complete but not deep; scutellum length subequal to its width; propodeum medially about 2x as long as dorsellum, its anterior margin with a row of small carinulae; a weak median carina present.Hind coxa with two or three setae, posterior margin, ventral half pilose, hind femur 2.5x as long as broad.Fore wing length a little more than 2.3x its Material exanzined : Holotype : Female: INDIA, Rajasthan, Jaipur, Samod (27 0 12' N 75°49' E), reared from seeds of Ephedra foliata Boiss ex C.A. Meyer, May 2005, Rita Singh & Prabha Sharma (Reg.No. MoEF 4784); Paratypes : 1 Female and 4 males of the same collection data of holotype (Reg.Nos.MoEF 4785-4788 & 4794).
In dorsal view (Fig.13) 2.15x breadth of mesoscutum; 2.67x as broad as its median dorsal length; POL 3x OOL.Head in front view l.1 x as broad as "high, malar space in side view O.375x height of eye; torulus with ventral edge slightly above level of lower ocular margin; scrobe moderately deep; occiput without carina.Antenna with scape not reaching front ocellus, separated by the diameter of latter; pedicel almost to as long as first four flagellar segments, with many short hairs; flagellum clavate with 3 anelli and five funicular segments; clava about 2x as long as broad apically rounded without a process or spicule.Mesosonza : In dorsal view 1.7x as long as broad; pronotum with dorsal surface rounded in to anterior face; mesonotum dorsally with inconspicuous short, white pilosity.Notauli complete but not deep; scutellum length subequal to its width; propodeum medially 2x as long as dorsellum, its anterior margin with an elongated fovea on either side.Hind leg with dorsal surface of coxa pilose on dorsal margin on basal half; femur 2.83x as long as broad; tibia with 2 distinct apical spurs, outer one longer than inner one.Forewing (Fig.11) basal cell with 1-3 hairs (excluding hairs on cubital veins); speculum partially open below.Ratio of costal cell : marginal vein : \ Figs.7-10.: Eurytoma Joliatae Narendran & Rita Singh sp.nov.; Female 7. Body profile; 8. Head front view; 9. Head dorsal view; 10.Propodeum.forecoxae;mesosternalshelfflat,widerthanmesocoxaldiameter; prepectus subtriangular, Material examined: Holotype : Female: INDIA, Rajasthan, emerged from seeds of Ephedra Joliata Boiss.exC.A. Meyer, May 2005, Rita Singh & Prabha Sharma (Reg.No.MoEF 4789) (ZSIK).Paratype : 1 Female of the same collection data of holotype (Reg.No.MoEF 4790).Etymology : The species is named after the host plant Ephedra Joliata.Discussion: This new species comes near Eurytoma agalica Narendran in general appearance but differs from it in having (1) Pedicel shorter than FI (pedicel as long as F I in E. agalica);(2) Gaster shorter than combined length of head plus mesosoma (gaster longer than head plus mesosoma in E. agaUca); (3) Hind tibia with more than 10-15 stout spines on dorsal margin (no stout spines on dorsal margin of hind tibia in E. agalica).Sculpture : Head, mesosoma dorsally with distinct raised reticulations; mesepisternum and mesepimeron mostly smooth and shiny; metapleuron weakly reticulate; coxae weakly reticulate.Propodeum smooth medially and weakly reticulate on sides; gaster mostly smooth with weak reticulations.E EFigs.11-14.: Idiomacromerus sp.; Female: 11.Body profile; 12. Head front view; 13.Head dorsal VIew; Rec.zool.Sllrv.India Head: Narendran & Prabha Sharma sp.nov.Holotype : Female: Length excluding ovipositor sheath 2 mm; ovipositor sheath 1.82 mm.
a known species Eupelmus urozonus Dalman are reared from the seeds of Ephedra foliata Boiss.ex C.A. Meyer.The new species are described and the known species are commented.