Aleiodes aestuosus (Reinhard, 1863)

van Achterberg, Cornelis, Shaw, Mark R. & Quicke, Donald L. J., 2020, Revision of the western Palaearctic species of Aleiodes Wesmael (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Rogadinae). Part 2: Revision of the A. apicalis group, ZooKeys 919, pp. 1-259 : 1

Aleiodes aestuosus (Reinhard, 1863) Figs 22-25 , 26-37

Rogas aestuosus Reinhard, 1863: 265; Shenefelt 1975: 1216-1217; Zaykov 1980a: 112; Tobias 1976: 84, 1986: 78 (transl.: 129); Kotenko 1992: 96 [examined].

Rhogas aestuosus ; Fahringer 1931: 232-234.

Aleiodes (Neorhogas) aestuosus ; Papp 1985a: 152, 1989: 52, 1990: 90, 1991a: 67-68.

Aleiodes (Chelonorhogas) aestuosus ; Chen and He 1997: 38; He et al. 2000: 665; Belokobylskij 2000: 26; Chen et al. 2003: 211; Papp 2012: 187; Farahani et al. 2015: 238-240.

Aleiodes aestuosus ; Fortier and Shaw 1999: 230; Zaldívar-Riverón et al. 2004: 234.

Rhogas (Rhogas) aestuosus var. desertus Telenga, 1941: 152-153, 404 (not Rhogas (R.) desertus Telenga, 1941).

Type material.

Holotype, ♀ (MNHN), "Cipro [= Cyprus]", “Muséum Paris, 1867, coll. O. Sichel", " Rogas aestuosus Rhd.".

Additional material.

Albania, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Greece, Russia, Turkey, Tunisia, [Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Syria, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan]. Specimens in ZJUH, BZL, CNC, HSC, MRC, MTMA, NMS, RMNH, ZSSM, ZISP. Distributed principally in Asia Minor, extending to Cyprus where it has been collected plentifully. Only single specimens examined from Albania (MTMA) and mainland Greece (BZL), but in North Africa it apparently extends westwards to Tunisia (one specimen in BZL).

Molecular data.

MRS004 (Turkey).

Biology.

Collected March-July, often at light, but it is not clear how many generations are represented nor how the winter is passed. Reared from Noctuidae : Heliothis peltigera (Denis & Schiffermüller) (4 [1 CNC/Iraq, 1 ZISP (with mummy)/Uzbekistan, 2 MTMA/Iraq]), Sesamia sp. (2 [ZJUH/Iran]). This indicates a host range of both endophagous and exophagous larvae, but the individuals purporting to be from Sesamia are labelled [no doubt incorrectly] "ex pupa" and lack mummies, suggesting that they may have resulted from substrate rearings (presumably from stems of crop species of Poaceae , inside which Sesamia larvae feed and pupate) rather than from isolated hosts, with a consequent reduction in the reliability of the host determination and suspicion that mummies of other hosts could have been overlooked on the stems (see also remark under A. apicalis ). On the other hand, the large hypoclypeal depression and somewhat protruding clypeus does indicate that A. aestuosus adults are equipped to chew their way out of mummies made in concealed sites. The hosts given above are regular crop pests, but the paucity of reared material examined may suggest that A. aestuosus is not especially associated with cultivated habitats. The single mummy seen (Fig. 25 ) is rather elongate, scarcely arched, and the cocoon occupies most of the host abdomen. It has the appearance of not being securely stuck to the substrate.

Diagnosis.

Maximum width of hypoclypeal depression 0.6-0.7 × minimum width of face (Fig. 34 ); clypeus rather protruding anteriorly and rather thick ventrally (Fig. 36 ); head brownish yellow; vertex finely punctate; lateral lobes of mesoscutum sparsely and finely punctate, with wide smooth interspaces; precoxal sulcus absent, area only sparsely finely punctate or smooth; 1-CU1 of fore wing subequal to vein 2-CU1 (Fig. 26 ); hind tarsal claws with brownish pecten (Fig. 37 ); only apex of hind tibia dark brown; metasoma of ♀ completely yellowish and distinctly depressed subapically, 1st tergite partly and 4th-6th tergites of ♂ often blackish. Sometimes entire body (including propodeum and 1st metasomal tergite) yellowish ("var. desertus ").

Description.

Redescribed ♀ (RMNH) from Turkey (Icil). Length of fore wing 6.8 mm, of body 8.3 mm.

Head. Antennal segments of ♀ 52, length of antenna 1.1 × fore wing, its subapical segments approx. as long as wide; frons with irregular curved rugae, shiny, and rugose behind antennal sockets; OOL 2.4 × diameter of posterior ocellus, and finely remotely punctate, interspaces much larger than diameter of punctures; vertex spaced punctate, shiny; clypeus short, coarsely and densely punctate; ventral margin of clypeus thick and rather protruding forwards (Fig. 36 ); width of hypoclypeal depression 0.65 × minimum width of face (Fig. 34 ); length of eye 0.8 × temple in dorsal view (Fig. 35 ); vertex behind stemmaticum sparsely punctate; clypeus near lower level of eyes; length of malar space 0.3 × length of eye in lateral view.

Mesosoma. Mesoscutal lobes largely smooth, shiny, sparsely and finely punctate; prepectal carina medium-sized, reaching anterior border; precoxal area of mesopleuron and metapleuron remotely punctate, interspaces much wider than diameter of punctures, shiny; mesopleuron above precoxal area (except speculum) sparsely punctate; scutellum slightly convex, remotely punctate and evenly rounded laterally, no carina; propodeum evenly convex and coarsely rugose, medio-longitudinal carina complete, but irregular posteriorly, without tubercles.

Wings. Fore wing: r 0.4 × 3-SR (Fig. 26 ); 1-CU1 horizontal, nearly as long as (0.9 x) 2-CU1; r-m 0.9 × 2-SR, and 0.7 × 3-SR; second submarginal cell medium-sized (Fig. 26 ); cu-a vertical, not parallel with CU1b, straight; 1-M rather curved posteriorly. Hind wing: marginal cell gradually and evenly widened, its apical width 2.3 × width at level of hamuli (Fig. 27 ); 2-SC+R shortly longitudinal; m-cu distinct; M+CU:1-M = 23:19; 1r-m 0.7 × 1-M.

Legs. Tarsal claws subpectinate, with four brown medium-sized pectinal bristles (Fig. 37 ); hind coxa remotely punctate, shiny; hind trochantellus robust; length of hind femur and basitarsus 3.0 and 3.5 × their width, respectively; length of inner hind spur 0.55 × hind basitarsus; hind tibia slender (Fig. 23 ).

Metasoma. First tergite rather flattened, as long as wide apically; 1st and 2nd tergites coarsely and densely rugose, robust, with distinct median carina; medio-basal area of 2nd tergite wide and short; 2nd suture deep medially and shallow laterally; basal half of 3rd tergite finely rugose, remainder of metasoma largely smooth, punctulate; 4th and apical half of 3rd tergite without sharp lateral crease; ovipositor sheath with medium-sized setae and apically rounded (Fig. 22 ).

Colour. Brownish yellow; antenna, mesosternum (except anteriorly) and mesopleuron (except anteriorly and dorsally), metapleuron, propodeum, ovipositor sheath and stemmaticum black; hind tibia (except apically) pale yellowish; apices of femora (dorsally) and tibiae, palpi, tarsi (except basally), veins and pterostigma dark brown; wing membrane rather infuscate.

Variation. Size of eyes and ocelli rather variable. Mesopleuron, mesosternum, metapleuron and propodeum brownish yellow or black; 1st tergite entirely brownish yellow or with dark brown patch basally; in desert areas body can be wholly orange. Antennal segments: ♀ 49 (1), 50 (3), 51 (9), 52 (13), 53 (10), 54 (3), 55 (5), 56 (2); ♂ 51 (10), 52 (11), 53 (5), 54 (4), 55 (3), 56 (1). The two sexes have comparable numbers of antennal segments. Apical tergites of ♂ type 3 and fringe moderately strong; inner hind tibial spur 0.50 × as long as hind basitarsus.

Distribution.

Albania, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, *Greece, Iran, *Iraq, Israel, *Jordan, Russia, Syria, Turkey, Tunisia, *Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan.

Figures

Figures 22 - 25. Aleiodes aestuosus (Reinhard), ♀, Cyprus, Yermasoyja River, but 25 from Uzbekistan, Qamashi 22 ovipositor sheath lateral 23 habitus lateral 24 apex of antenna 25 mummy of Heliothis peltigera (Denis & Schiffermueller).

Figures 26 - 37. Aleiodes aestuosus (Reinhard), ♀, Cyprus, Yermasoyja River 26 fore wing 27 hind wing 28 mesosoma lateral 29 mesosoma dorsal 30 metasoma dorsal 31 fore femur lateral 32 hind femur lateral 33 base of antenna 34 head anterior 35 head dorsal 36 head lateral 37 inner hind tarsal claw.