Review of the world species of Paroplitis Mason, 1981 (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Microgastrinae), with description of three new species

The world species of the microgastrine genus Paroplitis (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) are revised. Three new species are described, P. horticola Fujie & Fernandez-Triana, sp. nov. and P. japonicus Fujie & Fernandez-Triana, sp. nov. from Japan and P. kakhetiensis Fujie, Japoshvili & Fernandez-Triana, sp. nov. from Georgia. P. vietnamensis van Achterberg & Fernandez-Triana, 2013 is re-described, based on additional specimens. P. wesmaeli Ruthe, 1860 is recorded from Georgia for the first time. A key to the nine known species (eight described and one undescribed) of the genus is provided.


Introduction
The subfamily Microgastrinae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) is a large group of parasitoid wasps living on the larvae of Lepidoptera (Mason 1981, Fernandez-Triana et al. 2020. The genus Paroplitis Mason, 1981 is a rather infrequently collected taxon in the subfamily which is poorly represented in collections. This genus was erected to accommodate a group of species in the Microgastrini sensu Mason (1981) with strongly flattened mesosoma, short antenna, short and robust legs, smooth metanotum and propodeum usually with a transverse carina. It is distributed in the Nearctic, Palaearctic and Oriental Regions, with five described species previous to this publication (Fernandez-Triana et al. 2013, 2020. As a result of studies being carried out by the authors on the Microgastrinae fauna of Georgia (GJ and JFT), new material, representing one additional species of Paroplitis, was discovered. Additionally, until now, no species were known in the eastern Palaearctic Region; Morphological terms and measurements follow Mason (1981), Huber and Sharkey (1993), Whitfield (1997), Karlsson and Ronquist (2012) and Fernandez-Triana et al. (2014). The abbreviations F2, F3, F14 and F15 refer to antennal flagellomeres 2, 3, 14 and 15; T1, T2 and T3 are used for metasomal mediotergites 1, 2 and 3; and L and W refer to length and width, respectively. Abbreviations for standard measurements of distances between compound eye and ocelli are as follows: POL -Posterior Ocellar Line, OOL -Ocular Ocellar Line, OD -Ocellar Diameter (of a posterior ocellus). For every diagnostic description, we state the number of specimens we measured (using "n = number"), which always included the holotype and some, but not all, paratypes.  Photos of specimens were taken with Keyence VHX-1000 and VHX-7000 Digital Microscopes, using a lens with a range of 10-130×. Multiple images were taken of the structures through the focal plane and then combined to produce a single in-focus image using the software associated with the Keyence System. Plates were prepared using Microsoft PowerPoint 2010 and saved as .TIF files.
A map with the distribution of the species was generated using SimpleMappr (Shorthouse 2010).

Results and discussion
We recognise eight species of Paroplitis worldwide, including three new species described in the present paper.
We are aware of at least one other undescribed species from India (Ahmed 2017) which we could not examine. It is included in the key, based on the description provided by Ahmed (2017). Although the distributions of some species overlap (Fig. 1), they tend to inhabit different altitudes and some species seem to have a limited distribution within a biogeographical region. Paroplitis appears to be mostly distributed in temperate zones, but occasionally reaches northern areas of the Oriental Region (Fernandez-Triana et al. 2013). Including the new taxa described below, three species are recorded from the western Palaearctic, two from the eastern Palaearctic, one from the Nearctic and three from the Oriental Region. We anticipate that additional species will be found as more comprehensive collecting and study of world collections advances. as long as wide (Fig. 7); fore wing with areolet smaller, its maximum height 0.3-0.4× vein r length, its maximum width 0.4-0.6× vein r length (Fig. 4); longest setae on ovipositor sheath much longer than maximum width of ovipositor sheath  Description. A detailed description of the species and images are available in Mason (1981) and Fernandez-Triana et al. (2013).
Etymology. The name refers to the country where the species is found. . Fore wing with vein 2CUa entirely nebulous; vein R1 shorter than pterostigma length and a little longer than distance delimited between end of vein R1 and end of vein 3RSb. Fore wing with areolet triangular and relatively small, its maximum height 0.3× vein r length, its maximum width 0.5× vein r length. Propodeum mostly smooth and shiny, with some rugosity longitudinally and along median transverse area, without trace of some transverse carina; median longitudinal carina complete at least on anterior 0.5; propodeal areola present medio-posteriorly. Metafemur L/W: 2.5×. Anterior 0.5 of T1 coarsely punctate-rugose, rest of T1 and T2 mostly smooth; T1 median length 1.7× its width at posterior margin; T2 width at posterior margin 1.8× its median length. Metatibia L: 0.79 mm. Metatibia L/ovipositor sheath L: 2.9×. Ovipositor sheath L: 0.27 mm. Maximum length of setae on ovipositor sheath at most slightly longer than maximum width of ovipositor sheath.

Paroplitis kakhetiensis
Body dark brown to black. Mouth parts, humeral complex, wing veins, trochantellus, apical part of pro-and mesofemora, pro-and mesotibiae and tarsi and anterior 0.2 of metatibia brown to yellowish-brown. Palpi yellow.
Male. Unknown. Hosts. Unknown. Distribution. Western Palaearctic Region: Georgia. Etymology. The species is named after the region in Georgia (Kakheti), where it was found.

Paroplitis luzonicus
Description. A detailed description of the species and images are available in Mason (1981) andFernandez-Triana et al. (2013).
Description. A detailed description and images of the species in Papp (1991).
Comments. Only known from the female holotype. Its distribution seems to overlap with that of P. wesmaeli, although P. rugosus was collected in the Alps at a higher altitude (2400 m) than European specimens of wesmaeli.  IV. 2011, Malaise trap 6, C. v. Achterberg, RMNH'11, CNC308758.