Colour and Distributional Pattern of Callaspidia notata (Boyer de Fonscolombe, 1832) (Hymenoptera: Figitidae: Aspicerinae) from Pakistan

Ammara Gull-e-Fareen1,2, Imran Bodlah1,*, Muhammad Adnan Bodlah3, Muhammad Tariq Rasheed1, Habib Ali4 and Muhammad Asif5 1Insect Biodiversity and Conservation Group, Department of Entomology, PMAS-Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi 2Department of Environmental Sciences, PMAS-Arid Agriculture University, Rawalpindi 3Fareed Biodiversity and Conservation Centre, Department of Agricultural Engineering, Khwaja Fareed University of Engineering and Information Technology, Rahim Yar Khan, Punjab 4Department of Entomology, University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Sub Campus Depalpur, Okara, Punjab 5Agricultural Linkages Program, Pakistan Agricultural Research Council, Islamabad Article Information Received 27 May 2019 Revised 30 July 2019 Accepted 03 January 2020 Available online 13 July 2020

The subfamily Aspicerinae is monophyletic and can be recognized by different characters including facial impression and saddle-shaped third abdominal tergum (Ronquist, 1995;Ros-Farré et al., 2000). Eight genera are included in this subfamily including Callaspidia (Ros-Farré, 2007). Dahlbom (1842) proposed the genus Callaspidia on the basis of two species: C. defonscolombei and C. westwoodi. Dalla-Torre and Kieffer (1910) did the last revision of genus Callaspidia including six new species of this genus. Ros-Farré and Pujade-Villar (2009) have done the latest revision of this genus and provided a key to six valid species of this genus including Callaspidia dahlbomi Ros-Farré and Pujade-Villar n. sp.
The members of this genus can be recognized by the combination of following characters: Occiput with strong transversal carinae; Scutellar foveae about 1/2 as long as scutellum; Vein R1 absent; Petiole at least as long as broad; 3 rd tergum with a central patch of pubescence (Ros-Farre, 2007). The biology of Callaspidia is not well known. According to certain studies, larvae of dipteran and coleopteran are attacked by some species of Callaspidia (Fergusson, 1986;Kirchner, 1867). Rotheray (1979) found that Callaspidia defonscolombei was attracted by O n l i n e

Materials and methods
The studies were performed during 2018-2019 in various localities of Punjab province of Pakistan. During our surveys for the collection of aphids and their parasitoids, these wasps were collected with the help of insect collection net. They were then killed and preserved in small glass vials in 70% ethanol. Some specimens were preserved dry in vials. Specimens were attached on triangular shaped card and observed under Labomed microscope (CZS6, Labo America, Inc. USA). Identification and observation of colour variations were done by using re-description given by Ros-Farré and Pujade-Villar (2009 According to Ros-Farré and Pujade-Villar (2009) this species has following coloration of body parts: head black, antenna light brown, scape and pedicel slightly lighter, leg orange, mesosoma black, basally orange, scutellum and mesopleura mostly orange with some darker areas, metasoma black with some orange reflections. They stated that there is a possibility to find some specimens with colour variations ranging from black with some light brown areas to light brown specimens with some darker areas. We found some variations of our specimens as given below.
Scape, pedicel and basal part of antennal segment 3 are slightly darker than remaining segments. Scutellum and mesopleura mostly dark reddish with some darker areas. Legs also reddish brown except tarsal segments lighter in colouration.
Female possesses bright scape and dark pedicel and first third of antennal segment 3. Specimens collected from Rawalpindi and Islamabad possessed darker coloration as compared to those collected from Layyah and Mianwali. This might be due to low temperature ranges in Rawalpindi and Islamabad.
Female body ranges from 2.7 to 4.4 mm. Antennae 13 segmented. Third antennal segment straight. Head, antennae, thorax and legs reddish brown, abdomen shiny black. In other characters it is similar to male.
This species is reported for the first time from various locations of Pakistan. Specimen collected from Pakistan were compared with published description by Ros-Farré and Pujade-Villar (2009) and found to be similar excepting color variations of various body parts. In our observed specimens, mesosoma dark reddish brown, legs also reddish brown except tarsal segments are lighter in coloration as compared to other parts of the leg. Scutellum and mesopleura mostly dark reddish with some darker areas. While in type species as given by Ros-Farré and Pujade-Villar (2009) mesosoma black, basally orange; scutellum and mesopleura mostly orange with some darker areas. Similarly antenna light brown, scape and pedicel slightly lighter, legs orange.

Statement of conflict of interest
The authors have declared no conflict of interest.