Taxonomic studies on a collection of Chalcidoidea ( Hymenoptera ) from India with new distribution records

New distribution records of Chalcidoidea from various parts of India are listed. Aprostocetus versicolor (Ranaweera) is recorded for the first time from India. In total, twenty one species, including nine species of Pteromalidae, two species of Encyrtidae, six species of Eulophidae, two species of Trichogrammatidae, one species of Chalcididae and one species of Torymidae are recorded from different parts of India.

Introduction Division of Project Directorate of Biological control, Bangalore, using Leica S8APO Stereo zoom microscope and with the aid of recent literature as well as the Universal Chalcidoidea database (Noyes 2003).
Diagnosis: Forewing with a broad brown spot beneath stigmal vein; gaster long, 0.8x as long as head plus mesosoma combined; antennal flagellum dark brown.
Diagnosis: Gaster with metallic blue reflection on first tergite dorsally, distinctly longer than mesosoma, not collapsing; forewing with basal cell open below, speculum broad; antenna with pedicel shorter than first funicular segment; pronotal collar not margined anteriorly.
Distribution: India: Karnataka (new record) and Kerala.
Diagnosis: Antenna slender with first funicular segment as long as second, scape little longer than eye; clava 2x as long as wide; gastral petiole slender.
Distribution: India: Karnataka (new record) and Kerala.
Distribution: India: Karnataka (new record), Assam and West Bengal.
Diagnosis: Funicular segments increasing in length distad towards club, segments 1-2 shorter than 3-6; mandible with two teeth and a broad truncation; frontovertex about 0.25x of head width.
Aprostocetus versicolor (Ranaweera), Narendran, 2007: 104.This species, originally described from Sri Lanka, is recorded for the first time from India.The detailed description is provided by Ranaweera (1947).
Diagnosis: Malar sulcus distinct; antennae dark brown, scape testaceous, pedicel short, distinctly longer than wide, 2 anelli present, funicular segments 1-3 subequal in size, club almost as long as preceding two segments combined. Material

Leptocybe invasa Fisher & La Salle
Leptoc ybe invasa Fisher & La Salle, in Mendel et al., 2004:103. Holotype F: Israel, Bet Shean .This is the eucalyptus gall wasp (Images 1-9), a pest recently introduced in India.It has been spreading rapidly and has assumed serious proportions on Eucalyptus spp. in parts of Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu in southern India.Specimens were also collected from New Delhi and Aligarh (Uttar Pradesh).
Diagnosis: Mendel et al. (2004) provided a detailed description of the genus and species.The genus is presently monotypic and females (Image 3) can be identified by the following combination of characters: Antenna with four anelli, 3 funicular segments, 3 club segments.Scape expanded ventrally.Funicular segments all roughly quadrate.Mid lobe of mesoscutum without median line.Scutellum with submedian and sublateral line.Propodeum with a raised lobe of callus that partly overhangs the outer rim of spiracle; spiracular depression open to anterior margin of propodeum.Males (Images 4,5) similar to females in general appearance and coloration; antennal formula 11343 with scape having a narrow and elongate sensory organ on lateral margin, annelli threesegmented, funicle four-segmented with long latero-terminal bristles and less stout than in female, club three-segmented; abdomen somewhat tubular.
Material studied: Several specimens from Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, New Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Kerala.All the specimens are deposited in PDBC.
Tetrastichus niger Ranaweera, Narendran, 2007: 278.This species is originally described from Sri Lanka.The detailed description is provided by Ranaweera, 1947.Diagnosis: Antennae dark brown with yellowish brown scape and pedicel, 3 anelli present; legs testaceous except coxae and femora dark brown.
Distribution: India, Sri Lanka and Russia.
Distribution: India: Karnataka (new record) and Tamil Nadu.
Diagnosis: Forewing slightly more than two times as long as wide, infuscated beneath marginal vein, stigmal vein developed; antennae with pedicel two and a half times as long as wide, club four times as long as wide.
Distribution: India: Karnataka (new record) and Uttar Pradesh.
Diagnosis: Antennae with first funicular segment more than one-half the length of second, club less than three times as long as wide; forewing with basal vein track with 1 seta.
Distribution: India: Karnataka (new record) and Uttar Pradesh.
Diagnosis: Each hind femur has one sharp dent and funicle segments two to seven distinctly transverse.

Discussion
In total, 21 species, including nine species of Pteromalidae, two species of Encyrtidae, six species of Eulophidae, two species of Trichogrammatidae, one species of Chalcididae and one species of Torymidae are recorded from different parts of India.Leptocybe invasa has been spreading rapidly and has assumed serious proportions on Eucalyptus spp. in parts of Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu in southern India.Aprostocetus versicolor is reported for the first time from India.
studied: 1 female, 6.vii.06,Sweeping in Cyperus rotundus L., Shivagange, Karnataka, coll.Ankita (Reg.No.2009/Eul/146-PDBC).Neochrysocharis with Closterocerus requires further investigation and disregard the synonymy of Neochrysocharis with Closterocerus without any supporting evidence.Gaster yellow above, slightly more orange yellow at tip, only two lines on the sides at base and the petiole black; antennae orange yellow, brown towards tip, scape light yellow; pronotum very short, mesoscutum with irregular transverse striae; scutellum finely reticulate.