New Distributional Records of Pteromalidae (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea) from Ladakh, India

Abstract

Ladakh region of the Trans-Himalaya is characterized by its peculiar topography, harsh climatic conditions and is usually referred as 'cold desert'. The fauna of the region is very distinct and unique due to its location being at the confluence of two of the world's Zoogeographical Regions ie. the Palearctic and the Oriental. High levels of endemism and species richness occur in the area and Palearctic elements dominate in the fauna of the Region (Mani 1974). Based on the collections obtained during a rapid assessment survey of faunal resources conducted in Ladakh from July to September 2008, two species of Torymidae (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea) viz. Megastigmus kashmiricus Sureshan and Ecdamua lehensis Sureshan, were described as new to science, earlier from the area (Sure shan, 2009, Sureshan, 2010). In continuation of the above studies, in the present communication ten species of Pteromalidae (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea) are being reported from Ladakh. The present collections were made from the north eastern and south eastern parts of the Ladakh, comprising the Ladakh range, Nubra Valley and Changthang valley, using an insect net and aspirator. The specimens are deposited in the Gangetic Plains Regional Centre, Zoological Survey of India, Patna.