Paradelius rubra Whitfield, 1988

Shimbori, Eduardo M., Bortoni, Marco A., Shaw, Scott R., Souza-Gessner, Carolina Da S., Cerântola, Paula De C. M. & Penteado-Dias, Angélica M., 2019, Revision of the New World genera Adelius Haliday and Paradelius de Saeger (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Cheloninae: Adeliini), Zootaxa 4571 (2), pp. 151-200 : 194-196

Paradelius rubra Whitfield, 1988

( Figs 129–138 )

Paradelius rubra, Whitfield 1988: 313

Type material examined. Holotype , ♀: U.S.A.: California: Alameda County, Del Valle Lake Rec. Area ,

11.II.1984 / JBW no. 84B21, ex Stigmella on Quercus agrifolia , emerged 8.III.1984, J.B. Whitfield col. ( USNM). Type in excellent condition. Non-type material examined. U.S.A.: Wyoming: 1♀, Albany County, Medicine Bow Nat. Forest , 1 mi. N Lincoln Monument, mixed forest nr sagebrush , 13–24.IX.1990, Malaise trap, M. Inayatullah col.; 1♀ and 1♂, Teton County, Grand Teton Nat. Park, UW-NPS Research St , 13–14.VIII.2002, Malaise trap, S.R. Shaw coll. ( UWIM)

Description (features not described by Whitfield (1988), or differently interpreted sculpturing—original states are in parentheses).

Head. Finely areolate-rugose (not granulate), frons excavated behind torulli, with short median carina extending to between antennae (not bulging medially).

Mesosoma. Mesoscutum finely areolate-rugulose. Mesoscutellar trough rugose. Metanoum rugose-costate. Mesopleuron rugulose antero-dorsally; sparsely setose anteriorly, mostly bare medially. Metapleuron costate.

Legs. Hind coxa smooth, polished and devoid of setae laterally. The small black spines described by Whitfield, are probably dark regions on the base of each seta, at their insertion in the skeleton.

Metasoma. The basal half of T3 is transversely striate (not longitudinally striate).

Variation. The specimens from Wyoming are very similar to the holotype, differing only the much darker color of mesosoma varying from entirely dark reddish brown to black.

Comments. Paradelius rubra is the most distinctive adeliine species known from New World. This is the only species having the vein RS directly connected with the stigma: vein 2RS and vein 3RS are distinctly separated, vein r thus absent. It also has three distinct infuscate bands on fore wing, with the most basal one being hyaline and the most apical band fuscous. Additionally, P. rubra can be readily distinguished from other species by the mesopleuron being striate postero-dorsally, as compared with mostly smooth or weakly punctate in P. nigra and P. neotropicalis sp. n.

Distribution. U.S.A.: California and Wyoming. The genus was first reported from Wyoming by Haimowitz and Shaw (2012). This is the first record of the species for Wyoming.

Biology. Paradelius rubra has been reared from the nepticulid leaf-miner Stigmella variella (Braun, 1910) on leaves of an oak, Quercus agrifolia , as well as Stigmella species found mining leaves of Lithocarpus densiflora and Rhamnus crocea ( Whitfield 1988) . Adults emerge from host’s cocoon ( Whitfield 1988; Gates et al. 2002). Whitfield (1988) also observed that the adult wasps resemble ants as they move about rapidly on oak foliage, and speculated that they might be ant mimics. When aspirated, the wasps emitted a choking, formic acid-like chemical.

Figures

FIGURES 129–134. Paradelius rubra Whitfield, holotype, ♀. 129, habitus, lateral; 130, head, dorsal; 131, mesosoma, lateral; 132, propodeum; 133, mesonotum; 134, metasoma, dorsal.

FIGURES 135–138. Paradelius rubra Whitfield. 135–136, non-type ♂: 135, habitus, lateral; 136, habitus, dorsal. 137–138, wings, non-type ♀.