TAXONOMIC STUDIES ON CALLITULA SPINOLA WITH THE DESCRIPTION OF FOUR NEW SPECIES FROM INDIAN SUBCONTINENT ( HYMENOPTERA : CHALCIDOIDEA : PTEROMALIDAE )

Callitula Spinola belonging to the subfamily Pteromalinae of Pteromalidae is distributed in all parts of the world. According to Boucek (1988) the members of the genus are parasites of small Diptera especially Agromyzidae and they prefer the host's larvae that burrow in grass stems or other plant parts. Though widely distributed, the genus is little known from the tropics (about 5 species described). From the Indian subcontinent the genus is so far represented by one species viz. C. rugosa (Waterston) from India and Sri Lanka. Four new species of Callitula are described in this paper based upon the collections from Kerala, India. A key to separate the species of Callitula from the Indian subcontinent is also provided.

3. Body (Fig. 1) robust, length 3.7 mm; gaster (Fig. 4) l.Ix as long as head plus mesosoma and length 3.1 x width in dorsal view; antenna (Fig. 2  Female: Length 3.7 mm.Head and mesosoma bright metallic bluish green with golden reflection; gaster metallic blue, almost black dorsally; antennae with scape and pedicel testaceous, remainder dark brown; coxae concolrous with mesosoma, remainder of legs testaceous with tips of tarsi brown; tegulae testaceous; wings hyaline; veins pale brown. Head: (Fig. 1) raised reticulate, finely reticulate on genae.In dorsal view head 1.4x as wide as mesosoma and width 2.2x length; POL: OOL = 8 : 9; temple length half of eye length; anterior margin of clypeus weakly emarginate; malar space length half of eye height.Antennae (Fig. 2) inserted above middle of face; scape length 0.8x eye height, reachingjust level of vertex, pedicel plus flagellum little shorter than head width; pedicel shorter than FI; funicular segments slightly widening towards tip; clava as long as two preceeding segments combined.

M. Sureshan.
Renzarks : In having an elongate gaster and larger body size this species resembles C. elongata (Thomson) but differs from it in having antennal scape shorter than eye, not reaching well above level of vertex, FI distinctly longer than pedicel; anterior margin of clypeus weakly emarginate and gaster 3.1 x as long as wide (in elongata scape longer than eye, reaching well above level of vertex; Fl shorter than pedicel; anterior margin of clypeus deeply emarginate, appearing bidentate and gaster only 2.3-2.4x as long as wide).
Head: (Figs. 5,7) 1.14x as wide as mesosoma, moderately reticulate.In dorsal view head width 2x length and in front view width 1.3x height; POL: OOL = 6.5 : 6; temple length O.34x eye length; malar space length half of eye height; eyes separated by 1.4x their height; lower margin of clypeus slightly convex and roundly produced.Antennae (Fig. 6) inserted slightly above middle of face; scape length O.9x eye height, exceeding level of vertex; pedicel plus flagellum length 1.12x head width; p"edicel shorter than FI (3.5 : 4.5); clava little longer than two preceeding segments combined, terminal stylus sharp.
Renlarks : This species resembles C. nigricoxa Kamijo in the nature of clypeus, antennae and forewing venation but differs in having a long gaster (length 2.7x width) distinctly longer than mesosoma, forewing with basal cell bare, pronotal collar not margined anteriorly and POL only very little longer than OOL (in nigricoxa gaster short, length 1.63x width, slightly shorter than mesosoma, basal cell of forewing closed below, pronotal collar distinctly margined and POL 1.5x OOL).
Head: (Fig. 10) 1.3x as wide as mesosoma, uniformly engraved reticulate, finely on lower face and vertex; vertex curving over strongly to occiput.In dorsal view head width 2x length and in front view width 1.3x height; POL 1.6x OOL; temple almost half of eye length; clypeus finely radiately striated, smooth in the centre; anterior margin roundly produced; eyes separated by I.4x their height; malar space length about half of eye height.Antennae (Fig. 11) inserted almost in the middle of face, scape as long as eye, reaching very little above level of vertex; pedicel plus flagellum length almost equal to head width; pedicel twice as long as wide, third anellus slightly wider; Fl little shorter than pedicel; F2 little longer than Fl; clava as long as two preceeding segments combined; terminal stylus distinct, sensillae in one row on each segment.
Mesosonla : Length 1.6x width with scattered long white hairs; pronotal collar distinctly margined at least medially with a broad smooth strip in posterior half.Mesoscutum width 2.3x length, coarsely reticulate.Scutellum as long as mesoscutum, little wider than long.Propodeum (Fig. 13) width 1.8x median length, strongly produced posteriorly, median area coarsely reticulate; plicae weakly indicated up to middle; nucha occupying one third length of propodeum; spiracles close to hind margin of metanotum, separated by less than their diameter.Forewing (Fig. 12) length 2.4x width, marginal fringe long; basal vein setate; basal cell closed below; costal cell with a single incomplete row of hairs.
Remarks: C. anguloclypea closely resembles C. nigricoxa Kamijo in general morphology, but differs in having antenna with Fllittle shorter than pedicel, clava as long as two preceeding segments combined, forewing with PMV not much shorter than MV; gaster as long as mesosoma and all coxae testaceous (in nigricoxa Fl as long as or slightly longer than pedicel, clava little longer than two preceeding segments combined; PMV much shorter than MV; gaster slightly shorter than mesosoma and all coxae blackish).
Head: (Fig. 20) 1.3x as broad as mesosoma, engraved reticulate with broad meshes on upper face and vertex.In dorsal view head width 1.9x length and in front view width l.3x height; POL 1.7x OOL; temple length 0.4x eye length; anterior margin of clypeus weakly emarginate; malar space length 0.8x eye height; eyes separated by 1.8x their height.Antennae (Fig. 20) inserted a little above middle of face; scape length 1.2x eye height, reaching above level of vertex; pedicel plus flagellum little longer than head width (22.5 : 21)~ pedicel slightly longer than Fl; clava as long as two preceeding segments combined; terminal stylus short.

;I
Felnale, Trivandrum district, Kattakada, 24.iLI989, ColI.P. M. Sureshan.Remarks: This species can be distinguished from other species in having antenna with terminal stylus less distinct; forewing with basal cell hairy towards the distal end, speculum very narrow, almost closed below, smaller body size and colour black.In the nature of forewing venation, narow basal cell and general morphology it resembles C. nigricoxa Kamijo but differs in the nature of clypeus, antenna, gaster and colour of coxae. 5. Callitula rugosa (Waters ton ) (Figs. 14-17) Trigollogastra rugosa Waterston, 1915.Bull.ent.Res.V. 326-328.M, F. Sri Lanka (BMNH) (examined).Waterston (1915) described the species based on male holotype and also provided description of female.I have examined the male holotype in BMNH (Type No. BM 5-867) in a very poor condition with only one antenna, gaster, part of one wing and parts of legs.The description of male holotype by Waterston tallies with the type material, but in the description and figures of female the antennal formula is shown as 11263 which is quite unusual for the females of Callitula genus which has 11353 in all other known species.It is possible that Waterston (1915) might have misidentified the female.I got males and females of C. rugosa in my collection and a redescription of the species is provided here based on my collection. 10