Aleiodes brevis Shaw and Marsh

Shaw, Scott R., Marsh, Paul M. & Fortier, Joseph C., 2006, Revision of Nearctic Aleiodes Wesmael (Part 8): the coxalis (Spinola) Species­Group (Hymenoptera: Braconidae, Rogadinae), Zootaxa 1314, pp. 1-30 : 8-10

Aleiodes brevis Shaw and Marsh , NEW SPECIES

( Figs. 3 , 12 )

Female. Body color: ( Fig. 3 ) yellow, mesonotum, dorsum of propodeum and first metasomal tergum occasionally marked with brown or black; antenna black on apical 1/4; wings hyaline, veins light brown, stigma bicolored brown with yellow at apex and base, tegula yellow. Body length, 3.5–4.5 mm; fore wing length, 3 mm. Head: eyes and ocelli small, normal; antenna shorter than fore wings, 28–35 antennomeres, all flagellomeres slightly longer than wide; malar space long, 1/2 eye height and nearly 2 times basal width of mandible; temple about 1/2 eye width; occipital carina complete, meeting hypostomal carina; oral space small, width 1/2 malar space and face length; clypeus not swollen; ocelli small, ocellocular distance about 2 times diameter of lateral ocellus; face, vertex and frons rugulose coriaceous, temple and malar space coriaceous; maxillary palpus not swollen; mandible small, tips not crossing when closed. Mesosoma: pronotum rugose, short ( Fig. 12 ); mesonotum and scutellum coriaceous; notauli scrobiculate, meeting posteriorly in wide rectangular rugose striate area; subalar sulcus and sternaulus strongly rugose, rugosities often covering most of mesopleuron which is coriaceous at least above episternal scrobe; propodeum strongly rugose dorsally, coriaceous laterally, median carina complete. Legs: tarsal claws not pectinate; inner spur of hind tibia less than 1/2 length of hind basitarsus; hind coxa coriaceous dorsally. Wings: hyaline; fore wing with vein r 2/3 length of 3RSa and 4/5 length of m­cu, vein 1cu­a beyond 1M by distance equal to length of 1cu­a, 1CUa 1/3 length of 1CUb; hind wing with vein RS slightly arched in middle, marginal cell narrowest in middle, vein 1r­m slightly shorter than 1M, M+CU longer than 1M, vein m­cu indicated by short non­infuscated line. Metasoma: terga 1–3 strongly costate, terga 4 weakly costate sometimes at extreme base, otherwise coriaceous, remainder of terga coriaceous; first tergum length equal to apical width; ovipositor barely exerted, less than 1/2 length of hind basitarsus.

Male. Essentially as in female.

Holotype. Female: NEW HAMPSHIRE, Straf. Co., Spruce Hole, 3 mi SW Durham, July 24, 1987, D. S. Chandler sweep. Deposited in USNM.

Paratypes. NEW HAMPSHIRE: 4 females, same data as holotype except dates of June 18–21, 1982, August 2–5, 1982, July 29­August 1, 1982, November 17, 1987 and collectors R. M. Reeves and W. J. Morse. FLORIDA: 3 females, Jackson County, Spring Lake, June 16 1982, W. H. Cross, blacklight in deciduous woods; 1 female, Alachua Co., Gainesville, March 10–15, 1991, R. Wharton; 6 females, 1 male, Putnam Co., 2 mi NW Orange Springs, August 4–8. 1975, D. Bowman, black light trap; 1 female, 1 male, Liberty Co., Torreya St. Pk., August 30, 1978, L. Stange, black light trap; 4 females, Marion Co., 9 mi SSW Ocala, May 21, 1975, September 10–19, 1975, September 19­October 2, 1975, R. E. Woodruff, J. Wiley. MARYLAND: 4 females, Beltsville, June 20­October 4, 1988, G. Steck. QUEBEC: 1 female, Hull, September 29, 1965, P. Corbet; 1 female, Shawington Falls, August 2, 1949, E. G. Munroe. TEXAS: 3 females, Brazos Co., Lick Creek Park, June 22–30, 1987 and October 23­November 6, 1988, R. Wharton, J. Heraty, J. Woolley.

ARIZONA: 1 female, Sta. Catalina Mts. , April 12, 1936, Bryant; 1 female, Chiricahua Mts., 5–6000 ft., Cave Creek, Cochise Co., August 25, 1927, J. A. Kusche collector; 1 female, Chirichua Mtns., September 9, 1974, A. Strawn. CALIFORNIA: 1 female, Alameda Co., Sunol, May 20, 1920, F. E. Blaisdell collector. MICHIGAN: 1 female, Gull Lake Bio. Sta., Kalamazoo Co., August 11, 1967, Roland L. Fischer. NEW MEXICO: 1 female, 14 mi. N Silver City, Grant Co., July 7, 1961, G. C. Eickwort. NEW JERSEY: 2 females, Moorestown, June 15–16, 1939, H. and M. Townes. RHODE ISLAND: 2 females, Westerly, July 11, 1935, July 18, 1946, M. Chapman, M. Townes. NEW YORK: 1 female, Ithaca, July 28, 1935, H. Townes and M. Chapman. Deposited in USNM, RMSEL, UNH, AEI, MISS, CAS, FSCA, MSU.

Distribution. Known from New Hampshire, Quebec, Maryland, Florida, Texas, California and Arizona.

Biology. Unknown.

Comments. This species is one of the smallest species in the genus and its short antennae will distinguish it from all others. The disjunct distribution of the type series is curious but we are confident that all specimens are the same species.

Etymology. The species name is from the Latin brevis meaning short in reference to the short antennae and body.

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 8. Habitus illustrations of the Aleiodes coxalis species­group and mummy of A. aquilonius. 1, A. aquilonius; 2, A. aquilonius mummy; 3, A. brevis; 4, A. sanctihyacinthi; 5, A. dichromatus; 6, A. shenefelti; 7, A. wyomingensis; 8, A. itamevorus.

FIGURES 11 – 16. Head and mesosomal characters of the Aleiodes coxalis species­group. 11, A. aciculatus pronotum; 12, A. brevis pronotum; 13, A. aciculatus vertex; 14, A. wyomingensis vertex; 15, A sanctihyacinthi vertex (Arrow indicates yellow coloration around eye); 16, A. quadratus propodeum (Arrows indicate tubercles).