First record of the male of the widespread Calliscelio elegans (Perkins) (Hymenoptera, Platygastridae) along with some taxonomic notes on the species

Abstract The hitherto unknown male of the widespread and tramp species, Calliscelio elegans (Hymenoptera, Platygastridae) is hereby reported for the first time, from India. The two sexes are chromatically quite similar. The male has the same conspicuous banding pattern in the forewing as that of the female. The status of Calotelea tanugatra Narendran (Hymenoptera, Platygastridae) from India is reviewed and is proposed to be a junior synonym of Calliscelio elegans, new synonymy. Distribution of Calliscelio elegans in India is mapped.


Introduction
Calliscelio Ashmead 1893, (Hymenoptera: Platygastridae) with type species Calliscelio laticinctus Ashmead is a rather small genus, with 65 species http://hol.osu.edu/index.html? id=461. One strikingly colourful species, C. elegans (Perkins, 1910), is quite widespread throughout the tropics, likely distributed by human commerce, possibly in association with cricket pests (Orthoptera: Gryllidae) of sugar cane, cf. Masner et al. (2009) During our taxonomic studies on the platygastrid subfamily Scelioninae of India, we identified 12 specimens of C. elegans, from a series of Malaise trap samples from the semi-evergreen forests of Biligirirangan Hills, situated at the conjunction of the Western and the Eastern Ghats in Karnataka, South India. The hitherto unknown male of Calliscelio elegans was spotted among the collections, and forms the first ever report of the male of this species. The two sexes are chromatically quite similar (Figs 1, 7). The male has the same conspicuous banding pattern in the forewing (Fig. 8) as that of the female.

C. elegans Head Front view (Male)
First record of the male of the widespread Calliscelio elegans (Perkins) ...  We examined the types of Scelioninae at The National Zoological Collection at Western Ghat Regional Centre, Zoological Survey of India and hereby propose Calotelea tanugatra Narendran, 1998 (Fig. 9) to be a junior synonym of Calliscelio elegans (Perkins).  Genal and facial striations of Calotelea sp.
A distribution map of C. elegans in India is provided (Fig. 12).

Materials and methods
Specimens for this study belonged to National Zoological Collection, at Zoological Survey Of India, Calicut (ZSIC) and also those received on loan from Western Ghats Insect Inventory Programme of Atree, Bangalore. The description and imaging work were carried out by employing Leica M205A stereomicroscope and Leica DFC-500 digital camera. The species distribution map has been generated using DIVA GIS version 7.4.

Distribution map of C. elegans in India
First record of the male of the widespread Calliscelio elegans (Perkins) ...
Qualitative characters of head and mesosoma being exactly similar to that of female as mentioned in Masner et al. (2009), is not repeated here. However propodeum being flat and elongate, with faint longitudinal striae and irregular rugosities differs from that of the female.

Variation:
Hardly showing any variation from the description of the female by Masner et al. (2009), except for its smaller size (< 2 mm). A pair of dark patches seen on median mesoscutum is not distinct in females. A few of the dense granulations on median frons appear fused as short, coarse irregular strips of striae (Fig. 3), but such a partially striated nature of median frons is seen in all the female specimens of C. elegans included in this study as well.
The eyes of one of the freshly caught specimen female had a beautiful peacock green metallic lustre (Fig. 7), but turned black within 24 hours of dry preservation.

Ecology
Females are mostly seen close to ground, in search of gryllid eggs for oviposition.

Biology
Egg parasitoid of crickets (Orthoptera: Gryllidae) as per Masner et al. (2009). The females are seen in low numbers, but the males are extremely rare.

Taxon discussion
As per the generic concept of Calotelea Westwood, in Hope (1837), Masner (1976), Masner (1980b), Masner (1980c), http://www.zsi.gov.in/right_menu/IIS/index.html and Popovici et al. (2013), diagnosis of the genus from the very similar Calliscelio Ashmead, relies on the presence of skaphion in most cases, distinct or at least traces of genal and facial straie (Fig. 10) and an elongate antennal radicle, often measuring about one-third of scape length (Fig. 11). Cheeks and gena are never striate in Calliscelio and the antennal radicle is usually short, at most one-fourth length of scape First record of the male of the widespread Calliscelio elegans (Perkins) ...
(http://www.zsi.gov.in/right_menu/IIS/index.html). Calotelea tanugatra Narendran does not have any traces of striae on mandibular corners or cheeks and antennal radicle is less than one-fourth of scape length. Hence the placement of C. tanugatra under Calotelea is incorrect. Instead the species agrees in all aspects including the character states, proportions and colouration of the body and wings to C. elegans as stated in Masner et al. (2009). In contrast to most Calliscelio species, the metascutellar plate is extremely narrow and weakly concave medially in C. elegans, as seen at times in Calotelea. Such a metascutellar plate is seen in Calotelea tanugatra too. Hence Calotelea tanugatra Narendran (Hymenoptera, Platygastridae) after the current review, is proposed to be a junior synonym of Calliscelio elegans, new synonymy.

Notes
Quoting Narendran (1998), "forewing with a median blackish brown band surrounded basically and apically by hyaline patches, basal and apical part infumate,"-the banding pattern of forewing ( Fig. 9) is correctly described, but the pattern in the illustration as of page 72, does not match the description. Masner et al. (2009) studied 60 female specimens of C. elegans from all over the world, but no males were available for their study. From this observed lack of representation of male specimens in the world collections, it was opined that the male sex may either be chromatically different from the female and not so conspicuous or the species can even be thelyotokus. This fact is however disproved by our report and description of the male of C. elegans in this study. It can be concluded that males are extremely rare compared to females and that both the sexes of C. elegans are chromatically quite similar, with the same conspicuous banding pattern on their forewings.