Scientific name

Propicroscytus mirificus (Girault, 1915)

Taxonomic position

Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea: Pteromalidae

Diagnosis

Head and mesosoma black with metallic green tinge; metasoma yellow with three brown longitudinal streaks (one in the middle and two on the sides); antennal scape, pedicel and anelli testaceous, remainder dark brown; leg yellow. Antennae inserted on middle of face. Clypeus slightly emarginated anteriorly, with striations; both mandibles with 4 teeth. POL almost equal to OOL. Pronotum collar weakly marginated. Mesosoma convex and reticulate; notauli faintly present anteriorly; propodeum without median carina and plica. Fore wing densely hairy outside speculum; basal vein setose, basal cell bare; speculum open posteriorly. Metasoma sessile and lanceolate.

 Head
 Forewing
 Mesosoma & metasoma

Image

 Female - lateral view

Distribution

India: Karnataka, Kerala and Uttar Pradesh.

Biology / Hosts

Parasitic, sometimes secondary of all gall midges in rice and stems of some other grasses, as Paspalidium and Imparata cylindrica (Sureshan, 2003). This species normally attacks larvae of Pachydiplosis oryzae (Wood - Mason) (Xiqao and Huang, 2000).

References

  • Noyes, J.S. 2012. Universal Chalcidoidea Database. World Wide Web electronic publication. http://www.nhm.ac.uk/chalcidoids.
  • Sureshan, P.M. 2003. Pteromalinae (Pteromalidae: Chalcidoidea: Hymenoptera) of Indian subcontinent. Records of the Zoological Survey of India, Occasional Paper 205: iii+170pp.
  • Xiqao Hui and Huang Da-Wei, 2000. A revision of genus Propicroscytus szelenyi from China (Hymenoptera : Pteromalidae). Acta Zootaxonomica Sinica. 25(4): 438 - 441.