Aleiodes dichromatus 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 : 11-13

Aleiodes dichromatus Shaw and Marsh , NEW SPECIES

( Fig. 5 )

Female. Body color: ( Fig. 5 ) head orange, vertex, ocellar triangle and mesopleuron sometimes marked with black, antenna black; mesonotum, pronotum and legs orange; mesopleuron black, sometimes marked with orange; propodeum usually black, sometimes orange laterally; metasoma usually black, sometimes orange escept for first tergum; wings slightly dusky, veins brown, stigma usually bicolored brown, yellow at base. Body length, 5–6 mm; fore wing length, 4–5 mm. Head: eyes and ocelli normal size; 35 antennomeres, flagellomeres beyond second as wide as long, first flagellomere slightly longer than second; malar space long, about 2/3 eye height and 2 times basal width of mandible; temple broad, nearly equal to eye width; occipital carina complete, meeting hypostomal carina; oral space small, width less than malar space and face height; clypeus not swollen; ocelli small, ocellocular distance 2 times diameter of lateral ocellus; face, frons and vertex rugose, temple coriaceous; maxillary palpus not swollen; mandible small, tips not crossing when closed. Mesosoma: pronotum rugose, coriaceous basally; mesonotum and scutellum coriaceous; notauli scrobiculate, meeting posteriorly in wide rugose area; mesopleuron, including subalar sulcus and sternaulus, rugose, smooth and shining above episternal scrobe; propodeum rugose, median carina weak but complete. Legs: tarsal claws not pectinate but with 4–5 thin spines on basal half; inner spur of hind tibia shorter than half length of basitarsus; hind coxa rugulose coriaceous dorsally. Wings: slightly infumated; fore wing with vein r 1/2 length of 3RSa and 2/3 length of m­cu, vein 1cu­a beyond 1M by distance very slightly greater than length of 1cu­a, vein 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 spectral ridge. Metasoma: terga 1–3 strongly rugose costate, median carina complete on terga 1–2 and at least on basal half of tergum 3; tergum 4 weakly rugose at extreme base, coriaceous apically; remainder of terga coriaceous; first tergum about as long as apical width; ovipositor exerted, about 2/3 length of hind basitarsus

Male. Essentially as in female except body black, legs beyond coxa orange, stigma often entirely brown.

Holotype Female: CALIFORNIA, Sagehen Crk. nr. Hobart Mills, Nevada Co., July 18, 1962, P.M.Marsh collector. Deposited in USNM.

Paratypes. CALIFORNIA: 5 females, 8 males, same data as holotype, various dates from 1964–1972, various collectors; 1 male, nr Hobart Mills, Nevada Co., June 29, 1962, M. E. Irwin; 1 male, Strawberry, Tuolumne Co. June 14, 1951, A. T. McClay; 1 male, Carson Pass, Alpine Co., July 26, 1959, L. A. Stange; 1 female, Webster Lake, Sierra Co., August 4, 1951, E. I. Schlinger; 1 male, Mammoth Lake, July 28, 1933; 1 male, Luther Pass, Grass Lake, Eldorado Co., July 24, 1955, E. I. Schlinger; 1 male, Mono Co., 1 mi. S Saddlebag Lk., July 15, 1961, J. A. Litsinger. COLORADO: 6 males, Hewlett Gulch, Larimer Co., 6000 ft., September 1978, Malaise trap, H. E. Evans; 1 female, Gould, August 5, 1974, H. and M. Townes. WYOMING: 1 male, Albany Co., Medicine Bow Nat. Forest,. 5 mi. SW Lincoln Monument, medow nr mixed forest, July 12, 1990, S. R. Shaw. UTAH: 2 females, 1 male, Cedar Breaks, Iron Co., July 11, 1961, July 16, 1962 and July 8, 1964, G. F. Knowlton. OREGON: 3 females, 3 males, Pinehurst, June 21–July 2, 1978, H. and M. Townes. ALASKA: 2 males, Anchorage, July 20–August 3, 1976, P. A. Rush; 1 male, Sable Pass, June 29, 1959, W.C.F. coll. SASKATCHEWAN: 1 male, Saskatoon, June 6, 1950, A. R. Brooks. NORTHWEST TERRITORIES: 2 females, 11 males, Mask River, Banks Island, July 1968, W. R. M. Mason; 4 females, 3 males, Hazen Camp, 81°49’N, 71°18’W, August 1962, 1963, R. E. Leech, R. B. Madge; 2 males, Kovaluk River, 69°11’N, 131°W, July 1971, W. R. M. Mason. YUKON TERRITORY: 2 males, Herschel, July 7–26, 1971, W. R. M. Mason; 3 males, British Mtns, Firth River, July 24–25, 1956, E. F. Cashman, R. E. Leech. ALBERTA: 1 female, Elkwater, June 4, 1952, L. A. Konotopetz; 4 males, Frank, June 16–18, 1962, W. R. M. Mason; 1 male, Johnston Canyon, Banff, 4700’, July 30, 1962, W. R. M. Mason. Deposited in USNM, RMSEL, CNC, UCD, WISC, AEI.

Distribution. Known from northwestern North America including Alaska.

Biology. Unknown.

Comments. This species is similar to sanctihyacinthi but differs in its black abdomen and shorter antennae. It also is very similar to the Palaearctic bicolor Spinola but differs also in the shorter antennae.

Etymology. The species name is from the Greek chromatos meaning color of the skin referring to the two distinct colors of the female 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.