Review of the genus Sparasion Latreille, 1802 (Hymenoptera: Platygastroidea: Sparasionidae) of the Oriental region with descriptions of new species from India.

BACKGROUND: The genus Sparasion, endoparasitoids of Tettigoniidae, occur in the Nearctic, Palearctic, Afrotropical and Oriental regions. It is absent in the Neotropics and Australasia. Of the thirteen species found in the Oriental region only a single species is from India. RESULTS: Two new species groups - Sparasion bilahari species group and Sparasion manavati species group - are proposed for species from the Oriental region. Thirty-six species are described and illustrated of which twenty-four are new: Sparasion albopilosellus Cameron, 1906 (Pakistan); S. bhairavi Veenakumari, sp. n. (India); S. bhupali Veenakumari, sp. n. (India); S. bihagi Veenakumari, sp. n. (India); S. bilahari Veenakumari, sp. n. (India); S. cellularis Strand, 1913 (Taiwan); S. coconcus Kozlov and Lê, 2000 (Vietnam); S. coeruleus Kieffer, 1905 (Sumatra); S. cullaris Kozlov and Lê, 2000 (Vietnam); S. darbari Veenakumari, sp. n. (India); S. deepaki Veenakumari, sp. n. (India); S. domes Kozlov and Lê, 2000 (Vietnam); S. elbakyanae Veenakumari, sp. n. (India); S. formosus Kieffer, 1910 (Taiwan); S. hindoli Veenakumari, sp. n. (India); S. kalyani Veenakumari, sp. n. (India); S. kanakangi Veenakumari, sp. n. (India); S. karivadana Veenakumari, sp. n. (India); S. lividus Johnson, Masner & Musetti, 2008 (Philippines); S. manavati Veenakumari, sp. n. (India); S. meghmalhari Veenakumari, sp. n. (India); S. micromerus Kozlov and Lê, 2000 (Vietnam); S. pahadi Veenakumari, sp. n. (India); S. philippinensis Kieffer, 1913 (Philippines); S. ratnangi Veenakumari, sp. n. (India); S. rupavati Veenakumari, sp. n. (India); S. salagami Veenakumari, sp. n. (India); S. shulini Veenakumari, sp. n. (India); S. sinensis Walker, 1852 (China); S. sivaranjini Veenakumari, sp. n. (India); S. syamalangi Veenakumari, sp. n. (India); S. todi Veenakumari, sp. n. (India); S. travancoricus Mani and Sharma, 1981 (India); S. vanaspati Veenakumari, sp. n. (India); S. visvambari Veenakumari, sp. n. (India) and S. zeelafi Veenakumari, sp. n. (India). Keys to Oriental species of Sparasion are furnished. Intrasexual colour morphs among females of Sparasion is reported. Lectotype is designated for Sparasion cellularis Strand. CONCLUSIONS: Twenty-four new species are added to the Indian fauna of Sparasion. Previously described species of Oriental Sparasion are redescribed and illustrated. Keys are furnished for all Oriental species.

Review of the genus Calotelea Westwood, 1837 (Platygastroidea: Scelionidae) of India.

The genus Calotelea Westwood, 1837 (Scelionidae) of the Indian region is revised. Fifteen new species of Calotelea - C. andamanensis sp. n., C. aurea sp. n., C. brevinotaularis sp. n., C. hodgsoni sp. n., C. kannagiae sp. n., C. lambodara sp. n., C. longistriata sp. n., C. mandavyai sp. n., C. marykingsleyae sp. n., C. microtrichiana sp. n., C. nigriventris sp. n., C. oloftoreni sp. n., C. sibyllamerianae sp. n., C. sushrutai sp. n. and C. trikona sp. n. - are described and imaged. Images of previously described species, C. auriventria Sharma, 1978 and C. immaculata Sharma, 1982, are also provided. Calotelea cameroni (Masner, 1965) is revalidated and redescribed as Probaryconus cameroni Masner, 1965 status revalidated based on morphological characters. Keys to females and known males of Indian species of Calotelea are furnished. While sexual dimorphism with differently coloured males and females has been reported earlier in some species of Calotelea, intrasexual colour dimorphism among females of a species is reported here for the first time.

Five new species of Telenomus Haliday (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae) parasitizing eggs of Tabanidae in India.

Five new species of Telenomus-T. bucephalus sp. n., T. hayagriva sp. n., T. kanthaka sp. n., T. poseidon sp. n., and T. subaharani sp. n.-reared from the eggs of Tabanidae (Diptera), belonging to the Telenomus tabanivorus species group, are described for the first time from India. Although Telenomus parasitizing tabanid eggs have been reported earlier from India, this is the first time that Indian species in this group are assigned specific status.

Review of the genus Isolia Förster (Platygastroidea: Platygastridae: Sceliotrachelinae) with description of two new species from India.

Two new species of Isolia Förster viz. I. bhima Veenakumari and Buhl sp. n. and I. bandoola Veenakumari and Buhl sp.n. are described and illustrated from India. The generic concept of Isolia has been expanded with additional characters. Supplementary characters have been provided to the original descriptions wherever required. All species (except I. longistriata Alekseev), including the six Palearctic species (I. biroi Szabó, I. dobrogica Popovici Buhl, I. foersteri Szabó, I. hispanica Buhl, I. mongolica (Kozlov) and I. santosi García Pujade-Villar) and the two Oriental species (I. indica Buhl and I. kalingae Veenakumari Buhl) have been imaged. Isolia striatitergitis Szabó is transferred to the genus Fidiobia Ashmead, and the images are provided. Isolia kalingae is treated as a junior synonym of I. indica. A key is furnished to differentiate genera in the Isolia-cluster and the species of Isolia treated here.

Neotype designation and redescription of Inostemma indicum (Platygastroidea: Platygastridae) parasitizing ivy gourd gall midge.

Inostemma indicum Mani, a parasitoid of Neolasioptera cephalandrae Mani (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae), collected from stem galls of ivy gourd (Coccinia grandis (L.) Voigt (Cucurbitaceae)) was described by Mani in 1941. The original description is scanty and ambiguous, with little diagnostic value. The holotype, a dissected female mounted on a slide, is lost. It is redescribed with illustrations and a neotype is designated. The previously unknown male is also described.

A new sexually dichromatic species of Telenomus Haliday (Platygastroidea: Scelionidae) from India.

A new species of Telenomus which is sexually dichromatic is described and imaged from India.

Two new species of Apteroscelio Kieffer (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae) from India.

Two new species of Apteroscelio Kieffer, a previously monotypic genus, are here described, illustrated and keyed. Affinities between Apteroscelio and other scelionine genera are discussed. The male of this genus is imaged and described for the first time.

A new Indian species of Pardoteleia Kozlov & Lê (Hymenoptera: Scelionidae: Scelioninae) and first description of the male.

Pardoteleia, a monotypic genus was described by Kozlov and Lê (1988). A new species Pardoteleia flava from India is now described and imaged. The hitherto unknown male of this genus is also described and imaged for the first time. Pardoteleia prater, the type species is redescribed and imaged with intraspecific variations in the Indian specimens.

The life cycle and immature stages of Kallima albofasciata, the endemic Oakleaf, in the Andaman Islands (Indian Ocean, Bay of Bengal).

Kallima albofasciata Moore 1877 (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae), a species of Oakleaf butterfly reported for the first time from the Andaman Islands in 1874, was recognized as an insular endemic in 1877. Studies so far indicate that it is restricted to the contiguous islands of South and Middle Andamans. On these islands it apparently has a very localized distribution, giving rise to fears that it may be vulnerable and could face the threat of extinction with increasing developmental pressures on its habitat. Though it was reported to be extinct in 1993, its presence has since been documented and is currently protected by law in India. Nevertheless, nothing is known about the immature stages, its larval food plants or life history, and very little is known about its habitat and periods of occurrence on the islands. Here, details of all these aspects of this little-known butterfly of the Andaman Islands are presented. This should prove useful in the formulation of a conservation strategy for this iconic Oriental butterfly.

Formicidae of the Andaman and Nicobar islands (Indian Ocean: Bay of Bengal).

Ants on the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India were surveyed. These collections doubled the number of ant species recorded from these islands (from 59 to 125). Records include five endemic species, but no endemic genera. The surveys were fairly superficial, and it is likely many species remain to be discovered on these islands.