T. C. Narendran

Biosystematics and biogeography of Oriental Chalcidoidea (Hymenoptera) Associated with plant galls

Abstract Chalcidoid wasps have exquisite life histories and diverse host relationships. They are believed to have originated in the upper Jurassic period. Among the chalcidoids it is not always easy to separate the obligatory gall inhabitants and those which have a discrete association with the galls. The following three categories of chalcidoids are treated in the present article (i) gall inducers (ii) gall inquilines and (iii) parasitoids attacking the gall inducers and gall inquilines. Gall-inducing chalcidoids mostly belong to Agaonidae, Eulophidae, Eurytomidae, Pteromalidae, Tanaostigmatidae, and Torymidae. The families of Chalcidoidea associated with plant galls in widely varying degrees of dependence are Aphelinidae, Encyrtidae, Trichogrammatidae, Eupelmidae, Mymaridae, Ormyridae, and Chalcididae. Several hypotheses explain the phylogeny of Chalcidoidea. Morphological features tend to support the monophyletic origin of Chalcidoidea. However, no hypothesis is acceptable totally to a chalcidologist, since a comprehensive knowledge on the distribution of the character states throughout the superfamily is lacking. Gall induction arose more then once in the six families referred above. The biogeography of gall-associated Chalcidoidea is related to the distribution of their respective host plants. The Oriental chalcidoids are not isolated from the nearby Asiatic and Middle-eastern countries. Even the Palearctic and Ethiopian elements are quite frequently met with in the Oriental region.

Insecta, Hymenoptera, Chalcidoidea, Eurytomidae and Torymidae in Iran

A taxonomic checklist of 43 species of Eurytomidae belonging to seven genera, and 41 species of Torymidae belonging to 15 genera, are currently recognized as occurring in Iran. Based mostly on various faunistic survey reports; no eurytomid or torymid species with collection records from Iran have previously been listed. Therefore; we did not intend to confirm identifications of previous studies, except in very obvious cases. A more comprehensive collection-based study is needed to confirm the actual Iranian occurrence of each species listed in this checklist.

Chalcididae (Hymenoptera) from rice stores in Thailand, with description of two new species

Five species of Chalcididae (Hymenoptera) were collected from rice stores in Thailand. Proconura minusa Narendran was dominant and is thought to be an important parasitoid of Sitotroga cerealella (Olivier). Many individuals of Proconura caryobori (Hanna) were collected, and the host in rice stores of this species was Corcyra cephalonica (Stainton). Antrocephalus mitys (Walker) is known to parasitize C. cephalonica, but few individuals were collected; therefore, it is thought not to be important in Thailand. Notaspidiella clavata Narendran and Konishi sp. nov. and Notaspidium thailandicum Narendran and Konishi sp. nov. are described.

Biosystematics of Chalcididae (Chalcidoidea: Hymenoptera)

The Chalcididae represent a large group of parasitic Hymenoptera which parasitise pupal or larval stages of various insects including several pests. Their phylogeny is not so far clearly known, but a Eurytomid—Torymid line of accent could be postulated. There is a general resemblance in their adult behaviour such as emergence, courtship, mating, oviposition, feeding etc. Their hosts belong to Lepidoptera, Diptera, Hymenoptera, Neuroptera, Coleoptera and Strepsiptera.

The Leucospis species of India and adjacent countries (Hymenoptera : Leucospidae)

Abstract The leucospid wasps of the Indian subcontinent now comprise 11 species of the genus Lcucospis F., including a new one, L. Lankana from Sri Lanka, described in this paper. Two additional species from the northwestern border areas are added and all species are treated in an illustrated key and individually commented on briefly, with data on their known hosts and distributtion.

Parasitoids (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea; Ceraphronoidea) reared mainly from Coccoidea (Homoptera) attacking Sandalwood, Santalum Album L.

Abstract The hymenopteran parasitoids of pests associated with sandalwood in southern Indian State of Karnataka are dealth with. One new encyrtid genus (Neperpolia) and ten new species are described: 6 species in Encyrtidae (Anicetus inglisiae Hayat, Metaphycus bolangerae Hayat, Microterys agaeus Hayat, Neperpolia bangalorensis Hayat, Ooencyrtus kerriae Hayat, Philosindia inglisiae Hayat), one species in Signiphoridae (Signiphora woolleyi Hayat), and 3 species in Eulophidae (Aprostocetus bangaloricus Narendran, A. santalinus Narendran, Euplectrus nuperus Narendran). The following species are recorded: Aphelinidae: Coccophagus bivittatus; C. ceroplastae; C. cowperi; Encarsia citrina; Marietta leopardina; Encyrtidae: Bothriophryne pulvinariae; Cheiloneurus basiri; Encyrtus aurantii; Thomsonisca pakistanensis; Pteromalidae: Cephaleta nirupama; Scutellista caerulea.

The importance of systematics

ConclusionSystematics today is an exciting and active branch of biology and it is to be greatly wished that more students of life sciences take up systematics as their research field. In its broader sense, systematics is nothing less than a thorough and complete study of the diversity of living forms, and its domain thus encompasses ecology, evolutionary biology and biodiversity studies, in addition to the norms and principles of classification.

Taxonomic studies on Eurydinotomorpha and Netomocera (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea: Pteromalidae)

Two new species of Pteromalidae, Eurydinotomorpha malabarensis and Netomocera nigra are described from Kerala, India. Eurydinotomorpha is reported from India for the first time. Keys are provided to the Oriental species of Eyrydinotomorpha and the Afro Oriental species of Netomocera.

A revision of Neotrichoporoides Girault (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) from India

Abstract The Indian species of the eulophid genus Neotrichoporoides Girault are revised. The genus is represented by ten species. These are Neotrichoporoides viridimaculatus (Fullaway), N. beonus Narendran, sp. nov., N. crinius Narendran, sp. nov., N. mediterraneus Graham, N. delhiensis (Shafee, Fatma & Kishore), N. tonimus Narendran, sp. nov., N. stom Narendran & Jilcy, sp. nov., N. curiosus Narendran & Girish, sp. nov., N. galia Narendran & Santhosh, sp. nov., and N. nyemitawus (Rohwer). A key to the Indian species is provided.

A New Species of Eulophidae (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea) from Kerala, India

A new species,Tamarixia sheebae, is described and illustrated.Tamarixia sheebae differs fromT. bicolor Mercet andT. radiata Waterston in having the apex of gaster tilted upwards. It emerged from leaf galls ofTerminalia arjuna (Roxb.) Wright & Arn. (Combretaceae), a tree with many medicinal properties in addition to its timber value.