Stenobracon (Stenobracon) nicevillei (Bingham)

Hymenoptera: Ichneumonoidea: Braconidae: Braconinae

Body medium to large, 9-15 mm long, gaster elongate, ovipositor much longer than body. Dorsal side predominantly yellow-orange, gaster apically black, wings yellowish grey with yellowish brown veins, apical margins brownish, fore wing with three blackish brown spots, hind wing with two fuscous spots. Vertex of female largely blackish or with black band (Fig. 1); sixth and fifth metasomal tergites of female black (Fig. 2) (tergites 6 and anterior half of 7th blackish in male). Face of male somewhat narrow, dorsally head completely blackish except near antennal sockets. Antenna with scape ovoid, protruding ventrally (Fig. 1). Fore wing vein 1-SR+M distinctly curving towards anterior wing margin (Fig. 3); vein cu-a of fore wing interstitial or just postfurcal by about width of vein. Second metasomal tergite dorso-laterally depressed, posteriorly and sublaterally smooth. Third tergite of female usually rugose-striate anteromedially with distinct anterolateral grooves. Ovipositor sheath much longer than gaster, with a pre-apical dorsal notch or abrupt angulation. Inner side of fore tibia with band of bristles or slender spines.

Chishti & Quicke (1996) reviewed the species in detail and provided a key to both sexes.

 Fig. 1. Head (arrow mark indicates ventrally produced scape of antenna)
 Fig. 2. Gaster, female
 Fig. 3. Wing venation

   Adult female - dorsal view

India (widely distributed almost throughout the country); Nepal; Sri Lanka; introduced into Mauritius and Reunion, apparently without establishing (van Achterberg & Walker, 1998).

Commonly collected as a solitary larval parasitoid of several graminaceous borers such as Chilo partellus Swinhoe, C. infuscatellus Snellen, C. sacchariphagus indicus (Kapur), C. auricilius Dudgeon, C. suppressalis (Walker), Scirpophaga excerptalis (Walker), S. incertulas (Walker), S. innotata (Walker), S. nivella (F.), and Sesamia inferens (Walker) on rice, sugarcane, sorghum and maize and is commonly collected (Chishti & Quicke, 1996; Achterberg & Walker, 1998).