NEW HOST AND DISTRIBUTIONAL RECORDS FOR SOLENURA ANIA (WALKER) FROM INDIA AND REDESCRIPTION OF SOLENURA FERETRIUS (WALKER) (HYMENOPTERA : CHALCIDOIDEA : PTEROMALIDAE)

Solenura Westwood is an old world pteromalid genus belonging to the tribe Lyciscini, of subfamily Cleonyminae. It is represented by five species distributed in the Afrotropical, Oriental ~nd'-Palearctic regions of the world (Fig. 3). Among the other Lyciscini Solenura and Grooca Sureshan and Narendran form a monophyletic group (see Gibson, 2003, for the phylogeny of these genera). Host records are available only for the species S. ania (Walker), which was reared ~om Chrysobothris succedanea Sanders (Buprestidae) and Trichoferus campestris (Faldermann) (Cerambycidae) in China, though the other species of Solenura may also prove to be parasitoids of wood boring beetle larvae.


INTRODUCTION
Solenura Westwood is an old world pteromalid genus belonging to the tribe Lyciscini, of subfamily Cleonyminae.It is represented by five species distributed in the Afrotropical, Oriental ~nd'-Palearctic regions of the world (Fig. 3).Among the other Lyciscini Solenura and Grooca Sureshan and Narendran form a monophyletic group (see Gibson, 2003, for the phylogeny of these genera).Host records are available only for the species S. ania (Walker), which was reared ~om Chrysobothris succedanea Sanders (Buprestidae) and Trichoferus campestris (Faldermann) (Cerambycidae) in China, though the other species of Solenura may also prove to be parasitoids of wood boring beetle larvae.
During the faunal exploration surveys conducted in the Lonar Crater Wild Life Sanctuary of Buldhana district, Maharashtra (19°59" N 76°34" E), the author could rear one specimen of Solenura ania (Walker) from a piece of dead wood of Ficus sp.heavily infested with wood boring beetles.
Two specimens of the Cerambycid beetle Olenocamptus bilobus Fabricius were also reared from the same wood.Mani and Kaul (1973) reported S. telescopica Westwood (later synonymised with S. ania by Boucek et aI., 1979) from Dehradun (now in Uttaranchal) and Assam without mentioning the host, and it was the only record of this species from India.The present record of S. ania represents further extension of the distribution of the species to the deccan peninsula.
Though the present specimen of S. ania is not having any direct host data, it is assumed that the species parasitise the larvae of the beetleOlenocamptus bilobus, which attacked the wood.(Stebbing, 1914).Thus collection of S. ania by Mani and Kaul (1973) also might have been from Olenocamptus bilobus as its host fig.
is common there.

Map showing the world distribution of Solenura species. Rec. zool. surv. India ( The grubs of Olenocamptus bilobus nonnally infest decaying wood of Ficus sp. but also attack living branches of other trees and are known pest of cultivated fig. The beetles are found in Dehra Dun and southwards throughout the Gangetic plains
based on the Indian specimen) Length 8.7 mm.Body (including antennae) black with greenish blue luster, punctate reticulate; scape of antenna reddish brown; tip of ovipositor sheath brownish yellow; interantennal ridge with distinct notch at base of dorsal process; antenna with pedicel 1.5x as long as Fl and a little shorter than club, which is as long as 2.5 preceding segments combined.Dorsomedian carina on pronotum distinct; dorsellum finely Antennae inserted slightly below level of lower orbits, dorsal margin of toruli at level of margin of eyes, scape O.7x as long as eye, expanded towards tip, with a triangular depression ventrally on the upper part reaching up to 1/3 length; pedicel little longer than FI;Fl and F2 with numerous small sensillae arranged in four rows; FI as long as F2, anelli I.8x longer than wide.linewithuppermesepimeronextensivelysetoseand lower mesepirncron setose posteriorly; mesepistemum distinctly punctate reticulate.Metapleuron largely punctate reticulate and setose.Propodeum (Fig.2) with median area very narrow due to the highly inwardly projecting posterior margin; plical region crenulate punctate; callus coarsely punctate reticulate and densely setose, no distinct median carina but median area with an irregular median ridge; spiracles reniform.Broadly attached to thorax, petiole broad and tansverse with anterior half finely granulate with a strong median carina reaching upto middle and with a few short carinulae on either side in the anterior half, posterior half smooth and shiny; T4 posteriorly and T5 and T6 entirely carinate mediolongitudinally; TI reticulate punctate except on posterior half; exposed part of T2 a little shorter than median length of TI, punctate basally and smooth apically, T3 a little longer than TI medially, extensively punctate except for a posterior narrow smooth band; T4 completely punctate except for a smooth line posteriorly, medially slightly longer than 2x T3; T5 medially a little shorter than T4, finely punctate reticulate; in lateral view length of gastral tail 5.33xheight of syntergum at level of circus (measured from spiracle to posterior margin of syntergum) syntergum with precercal length 0.7 Ix post cereal length (measured from hind margin of T6 to middle of circus) exposed part of ovipositor sheath half as long as postoercal length; ovipositor distinctly exserted out; hypopygium reaching up to half length of T4; T6 and syntergum finely reticulae and extensively setose; T5 extensively setose; TI-T4 extensively setose laterally; length of gaster (measured from base of petiole to tip of syntergum) 1.51 x as long as head plus thorax.Material examined: Lectotype Female (designated by Boucek), Philippine islands, B. M. typeHym.5.901.(inBMNH).