Aleiodes itamevorus 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 : 15-16

Aleiodes itamevorus Shaw and Marsh

( Figs. 8 , 19 )

Aleiodes itamevorus Shaw and Marsh, 2004 , Zootaxa 656: 4.

Female diagnosis. Body color: ( Fig. 8 ) head including antennae, mesosoma and metasoma dark brown or black, occasionally with yellow markings on face, inner eye orbits, pronotum and mesonotum; legs honey yellow, hind tarsus light brown; wings hyaline, veins brown, tegula yellow. Body length, 3.5–4.5 mm; fore wing length, 3.5–4.5 mm. Head: eyes and ocelli small, not covering most of head; 41–44 antennomeres, all flagellomeres longer than wide; mallar space moderate, very slightly longer than basal width of mandible and about 2/3 eye height; occipital carina complete, reaching hypostomal carina; oral space small and circular, diameter about 3/4 basal width of mandible and 2/3 face height; clypeus weakly swollen; ocelli small, ocellocular distance slightly greater than twice diameter of lateral ocellus; head entirely rugulo­coriaceous; maxillary palpus not swollen; mandible small, tips not crossing when closed. Mesosoma: pronotum costate laterally; mesonotum and scutellum coriaceous, notauli weakly scrobiculate, meeting posteriorly in traingular rugose ares; mesopleuron coriaceous, smooth above episternal scrobe, subalar sulcus rugulose, sternaulus absent; propodeum rugose coriaceous, median carina complete. Legs: tarsal claws not pectinate; hind coxa coriaceous dorsally. Wings: fore wing with vein r 1/2 to 2/3 length of 3RSa and m­cu, second submarginal cell often nearly square, vein r­m curiously absent on some specimens and often only on one wing, vein 1cu­a beyond 1M by distance equal to or less than length of 1cu­a, vein 1CUa 1/3 or less length of 1CUb; hind wing ( Fig. 19 ) with vein RS slightly arched in middle, marginal cell narrowest in middle, vein 1r­m about 3/4 length of 1M, vein 1M about 2/3 length of M+CU, vein m­cu a distinct tubular vein for most of its length, about 2/3 length of 1r­m. Metasoma: appearing carapace­like, terga 1–4 often concealing following terga, terga 1–4 all rugose coriaceous, remainder of visible terga smooth, median carina complete on terga 1–3, groove between terga 2 and 3 deep and scrobiculate; ovipositor less than 1/2 length of hind basitarsus.

Male. Essentially as in female except all coxae dark brown or black.

Type material examined. Holotype.—Female: ONTARIO, Gogama, 1 km SE Jct. Hwys. 144 & 560, June 15–18, 1988, reared, K. Barber & D. Hamilton, jack pine plantation, Vaccinium angustifolium ; host, Itame brunneata (Thunberg) . Deposited in CNC.

Paratypes examined. ONTARIO, 13 females, 12 males, same data as holotype with additional dates of June 2–7, 1988. WISCONSIN: 1 female, 1 male, Jackson Co., T21N, R4W, S27, May 14–27, 1975, Gypsy moth m.t.; 14 males, Bayfield Co., T46N, R9W, S16, May 12–June 3, 1975, Gypsy moth m.t.; 1 female, Oneida Co., T35N, R11E, S17, May 20–28, 1975, Gypsy moth m.t.; 3 males, Fond duLac Co., T 31N. R19E, S23, July 29–August 5, 1975, Gypsy moth m.t. Deposited in CNC, RMSEL, USNM, AEI.

Distribution. Known only from the type localities in Ontario and Wisconsin. Biology. Reared from the geometrid Itame brunneata (Thunberg) .

Comments. This species is similar to A. maritimus but is easily distinguished from other species by the distinct tubular vein m­cu in the hind wing ( Fig. 19 ). Here we see an example of unusual variability in wing venation that sometimes occurs in Braconidae . In some specimens vein r­m of the fore wing is missing or only partially present. This may occur in only one wing or in both.

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 17 – 22. Wing features of the Aleiodes coxalis species­group. 17, A. aciculatus forewing (Arrow indicates bicolored stigma); 18, basi­posterior section of forewing of A. aquilonius; 19, A. itamevorus hind wing; 20, A. quadratus forewing (Arrow indicates bicolored stigma); 21, A. quadratus forewing (Arrow indicates nearly square second submarginal cell); 22, A. sanctihyacinthi forewing (Arrow indicates unicolored stigma).