Microplitis chacoensis (Cameron, 1908)

Fernandez-Triana, Jose L., Whitfield, James B., Smith, M. Alex, Kula, Robert R., Winnie Hallwachs, & Janzen, Daniel H., 2015, Revision of the genera Microplitis and Snellenius (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Microgastrinae) from Area de Conservacion Guanacaste, Costa Rica, with a key to all species previously described from Mesoamerica, Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift 62 (2), pp. 137-201 : 143

Taxon classification Animalia Hymenoptera Braconidae

Microplitis chacoensis (Cameron, 1908)

Microgaster chacoensis Cameron, 1908: 686. Original description.

Microplitis chacoensis (Cameron, 1908). De Santis & Esquivel, 1966: 49. Transfer to genus Microplitis .

Microplitis ayerzai Brethes, 1910. Janzen et al. 2003: 57. Junior synonym.

Holotype.

Female (NHM) (examined). PARAGUAY, Chaco.

Specimens examined.

In addition to the specimens from Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, Trinidad and Venezuela mentioned in Janzen et al. (2003), we have also examined over 500 specimens from 2 localities of Argentina deposited in the CNC.

Diagnosis.

This is the only Microplitis in Mesoamerica with the meso- and metasoma entirely orange yellow.

Distribution.

South America: Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, Trinidad, Venezuela. See comments below for further discussion.

Hosts.

Sphingidae : Agrius cingulata , Erinnyis ello , Manduca rustica , Manduca sexta . Janzen et al. (2003) stated that the main hosts are Manduca sexta and Manduca rustica , with the other two host species being isolated records. Gregarious parasitoid.

Molecular data.

One haplotype, two sequences (none barcode-compliant) in BOLD.

Comments.

Janzen et al. (2003) provided an extensive description of this species and drawings of the wings, as well as parts of meso- and metasoma. They also mentioned that "It is not yet known how far north the distribution of Microplitis chacoensis extends; the known distribution suggests it could be present in the eastern (wetter) portions of Panama and Costa Rica. So far our rearings of the known hosts that far north have produced only the other species covered here". Additional rearings done in ACG have failed to recover Microplitis chacoensis . Based on all available information, we now consider that the distribution of the species is actually restricted to South America. Nevertheless, we decided to include the species in this paper because Trinidad is technically a Caribbean island, although it has more biogeographical affinities with South America than with Mesoamerica.