A new host record and a new combination in Cotesia Cameron ( Hymenoptera : Braconidae ) from India

Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner) and Helicoverpa zea (Boddie); Cotesia marginiventris (Cresson) infesting Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner) and Spodoptera litura (Fabricius); Cotesia ruficrus (Haliday) infesting Pelopidas mathias (Fabricius) on rice, P. brassicae (Linnaeus) and P. rapae (Linnaeus) on cabbage, Pectinophora gossypiella (Saunders) on cotton, Plutella xylostella (Linnaeus) on cabbage, Helicoverpa armigera (Hubner) on many crops, Spodoptera spp. and Chilo sp.; Cotesia chilonis (Munakata) infesting Chilo partellus (Swinhoe), Chilo infuscatellus Snellen and Chilo suppressalis Walker; Cotesia sesamiae (Cameron) as larval parasitoid of Chilo partellus (Swinhoe) and Cotesia melanoscela as parasitoid associated with Lymantria dispar Linnaeus. In the present study, a new combination is proposed for Cotesia tiracolae (=Apanteles tiracolae), which is recorded as a larval parasitoid of Phaedyma columella (Cramer) (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) feeding on the host plant Grewia tiliifolia Vahl from Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. This is the first record of larval parasitism associated with P. columella from India. Cotesia tiracolae comb. nov. is redescribed and illustrated. Materials and Methods: The wasps were bred from the parasitized caterpillar collected from Indian Institute of Technology, Mumbai campus. Specimens were preserved in 70% alcohol. Alcohol preserved specimens were critically point dried and later card mounted and identified consulting Wilkinson (1928) and Mason (1981). The parasitoid images were taken using a Leica M 205 A stereozoom microscope with Leica DC A new host record and a new combination in Cotesia Cameron (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) from India

Metasoma laterally testaceous yellow-red except last and second last lateral tergites black; 1 st and 2 nd tergite with lateral margins pale testaceous, 3 rd tergite testaceous red laterally, paler on latero-apical margin, suffused with black in the middle; basal ventrites testaceous yellow.Pale lateral margins of 1 st and 2 nd tergite narrower than lateral margins of 3 rd tergum.Tergum 1 st (Image 8) nearly quadrate, hardly longer than wide, its lateral margins subparallel with corners rounded; apical half coarsely but sparsely sculptured.Tergum 2 nd indefinitely sculptured with lateral sulci, basal margin little wider than apical margin of tergum 1 st , tergum 2 nd shorter in median length than 3 rd but longer than 4 th , subrectangular and indefinitely sculptured.Tergum 3 rd subrectangular and smooth.4 th and 5 th tergites testaceous yellow mediolaterally with posterior margin black.Hypopygium short; ovipositor sheath shorter than half length of hind tibia, concealed by hypopygium, with a few hair concentrated at apex.
Types: Wilkinson (1928) redescribed this species from a cotype given by Dr. A.B. Gahan to the British Museum and from five females and one male, 10.i.1919, ex.larvae Remarks: Both the genera, Apanteles Förster and Cotesia Cameron, are described in detail by Mason (1981).Genus Cotesia can be identified with following key characters: Propodeum mostly rugose, usually with a median carina and a short transverse carina running mesad from near the spiracle, never with an areolet, short inflexible hypopygium, short ovipositor.Tergum 1 st parallel sided or broadened posteriorly, mostly rugose. 2 nd tergum rectangular, rugose.The key characters of the Genus Apanteles include: Propodeum never showing trace of a median longitudinal carina but instead more or less well defined areola and costulae; ovipositor sheath usually long and hairy throughout.Hindwing with vannal lobe margin typically concave and hairless on the posterior part, in extreme case convex, though curve is somewhat flattened and sparsely hairy.
The original description of 'tivacholae' given by Ashmead (1896) lacks characters of propodeum which are very important in correct placement of species in the genus.The species description was based on 36 females and 14 males bred from larvae of Tirachola plagiata Walker.It mentions "two basal joints of antennae brownish-yellow.The legs are brownish-yellow, but all coxae black, while the apex of hind femora, apex of their tibiae and their tarsi are fuscuous, the scutellum is smoother; the abdomen is as long as the thorax and except ventor, the membranous margins of first and second segments and lateral dorsal spots on third and fourth segments, which are yellow and sometimes confluent, is black; the plate of first segment is long trapezoidal, more than twice as long as wide at apex and shagreened apically; the second is as long as the fourth, feebly shagreened; the third is very short".
The diagnostic characters of this species agree with the redescription of 'tiracholae' given in Wilkinson (1928).In the key to Indo-Australian species of Genus Apanteles provided by Wilkinson (1928)  propodeum characters stating "propodeon rugose with median longitudinal carina from which emerge oblique carinae and with strong basal transverse carinae".Considering the following contradicting characters: Propodeum with strong rugosity and distinct median longitudinal carina, areola absent; shape and sculpture of 1 st and 2 nd tergite (similar to that of Genus Cotesia), the species is proposed to be rightly placed in Genus Cotesia instead of Apanteles.
Distribution: India (New distribution record) and Sri Lanka.

Discussion
Both species, Cotesia tiracolae (Ashmead) and Protapanteles neptisis (Watanabe) attack same host Genus Neptis.P. neptisis is recorded as a larval parasitoid of Neptis coenobita Goeze (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) (Yu 2012).Morphologically, the genus Protapanteles is very close to the genus Cotesia (Whitfield 1997).Hence, both species are compared here as C. tiracolae can be confused in identification with P. neptisis.It differs in the following characters of P. neptisis -head, disc of scutellum and hind coxae smooth; cocoons white; first tergite 1.5x longer than wide.

Conclusion
Cotesia tiracolae (Ashmead 1896), new combination, is redescribed and illustrated from India.Phaedyma columella larva parasitised by C. tiracolae confirms that this parasitoid is capable of infecting Nymphalidae in addition to the known host spectrum belonging to Crambidae and Noctuidae.