Illidops doreenae Höcherl & Fernandez-Triana, 2025

Höcherl, Amelie, 2025, Revision of Holarctic Illidops Mason (Hymenoptera, Braconidae): A first step towards resolving a dark taxon and descriptions of three new species, European Journal of Taxonomy 1031, pp. 1-121 : 36-37

Illidops doreenae Höcherl & Fernandez-Triana sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:

Figs 2F, 18–21; Table 3

Diagnosis

This species resembles I. urgo and I. urgens in the lighter coloration of the clypeus and smooth propodeum. It differs in its elongate glossa, the eyes barely converging towards the lower margin of the face, clypeus light brown, and scape and pedicel dark brown to black. It also resembles I. kostylevi based on the smooth propodeum and r1 longer than 0.5 of the pterostigma length. The new species differs in the following characters: clypeus coloration light and contrasting with the remaining face, glossa rather elongate, T2 shiny and with straight margin (compared to slightly sculptured with a sinuate margin in I. kostylevi ), and smooth band posterior to the mesoscutellar disc invaded anteriorly by punctures (compared to much stronger sculpture in I. kostylevi ). The species can readily be distinguished from the other Nearctic species ( I. scutellaris and I. terrestris ) by its entirely smooth propodeum.

Etymology

This species is named to honour Doreen Watler, who has supported not only AH, but also countless other visiting students and researchers over the past> 20 years during research stays at the CNC. By this, she has contributed significantly to advancements in entomology, and specifically in microgastrine taxonomy. We are very grateful to her.

Type material

Holotype

CANADA – Yukon Territory • ♀; Champagne ; 60.790° N, 136.437° W; 733 m a.s.l.; 8 Jul. 2006; H. Goulet and C. Boudreault leg.; sweeping; plants along road; CNC, HYM00000599 .

Paratypes

CANADA – Yukon Territory • 6 ♀♀; same data as for holotype; CNC, HYM00000583 , HYM00000584 , HYM00000587 , HYM00000599 , HYM00000628 , HYM00000629 • 1 ♀; same data as for holotype; SNSB-ZSM, HYM00000579 • 3 ♀♀; same data as for holotype; 10 Jul. 2006; CNC, HYM00001685 , HYM00001693 , HYM00001696 .

Other material examined

CANADA – Alberta • 1 ♀; Saskatoon Mountains, Beaverlodge vicinity, natural meadow; 55.22005° N, 119.282° W; 962 m a.s.l.; 27 Jul. 2007; J. Otani leg.; sweeping; natural meadow; CNC, MIC 000696 . – Ontario • 1 ♀; Leeds and Grenville, Elizabethtown-Kitley , 4452 Rowsome Rd. , Elizabethtown ; 44.621° N, 75.773° E; 112 m a.s.l.; 7 Sep. 2010; James Sones leg.; Malaise Trap; CNC, BIOUG01284 - D11 • 2 ♀♀; Toronto, Rouge National Urban Park, Sector 10; 43.8157° N, 79.207° E; 151 m a.s.l.; 15 Sep. 2013; BIO Team leg.; Pan traps; CNC, BIOUG08036 - D11 , BIOUG08036 - F09 . – Yukon Territory • 5 ♀♀; same data as for holotype; 10 Jul. 2006; CNC, HYM00001722 , HYM00001688 , HYM00001691 , HYM00001692 , HYM00001724 .

Description

Female

MEASUREMENTS. Body length: 2.8 (2.95) mm. Fore wing length: 2.5 (2.45) mm. Antenna shorter than body.

HEAD. Face: eyes very slightly converging below, inner margin of eyes almost straight. Minimum face width/maximum face width: 0.94 (0.93). Malar distance/mandible width: 0.85 (0.73). Face densely punctate, punctures on lower half of the face elongate through fusion with adjacent ones, appearing to form striae on lower half of face. Ocelli in high triangle, posterior tangent to anterior ocellus not touching posterior pair. OOL/POD: 2.64 (2.50). POL/POD: 2.50 (2.13). F2 length/width: 2.78 (2.78). F15 length/ width: 1.16 (1.22). F2 length/F15 length: 2.27 (2.27).

MESOSOMA. Anteromesoscutum with: dense shallow punctures. Mesoscutellar disc punctate. Posterior bar of mesoscutellum polished, median area with some punctures anteriorly. Propodeum entirely polished with some small rugosities radiating posterior centrally from nucha.

METASOMA. T1 shape: anterior 0.6 almost parallel-sided, narrowing in posterior 0.4. T1 sculpture: anterior 0.6 and posterior tip polished, band of weak sculpture and setosity at posterior 0.1–0.3. T1 width (anterior, maximum, posterior): 0.22, 0.24, 0.17 (0.19, 0.21, 0.17) mm. T1 central length/ posterior width: 2.00 (1.75). T2 trapezoideal, very short, posterior margin sinuate. T2 polished or very lightly sculptured, shiny. T2 width at posterior margin/central length: 3.0 (3.40). Posterior margin of T3–T7 slightly desclerotized but mediotergites not appearing to be pushed forward. Hypopygium not enlarged, its posterior end about in line with end of apical tergites. Ventral margin of hypopygium with desclerotized area showing several pleats. Ovipositor sheaths broad and setose over most of their length. Ovipositor distinctly downcurved at apical 0.3. Ovipositor sheaths length/metatibial length: 0.81 (0.95). Metafemur length/width: 0.33 (0.30). Tarsal claws: simple.

WINGS. Length of fore wing veins r/2 RS: 1.86 (1.28). Pterostigma length/width: 2.05 (2.38). Point of insertion of vein r in pterostigma: clearly beyond half length of pterostigma. Angle of vein r with fore wing anterior margin: slightly outwards, inclined towards fore wing apex. Length of vein R1/distance of distal end of R1 to distal end of vein 3 RS: 1.64 (1.80).

COLORATION. Body color: mostly dark brown to black, some specimens (including some males and a female paratype) show a broad stripe of lighter coloration lateroventrally on mesosoma (see Fig. 21G). Head color: head including face dark brown to black, clypeus and labrum contrasting lighter brown, palpi pale except for slightly darker base. Antenna completely dark brown to black. Legs: all coxae brown to black. Femora: pro- and mesofemur with paler coloration apically, metafemur entirely dark brown. Tibiae varying between specimens: protibia from yellow to light brown ( holotype); mesotibia lighter basally, darker brown apically; metatibia completely brown ( holotype, paratype: metatibia yellow on basal 0.7, darker apically). Tarsi brown. Tegula and humeral complex dark brown to black. Fore wing: pterostigma brown, some specimens with slightly lighter area at basal 0.1, wing veins in basal third brown (YT, type series), transparent (variation A), or a combination of brown and transparent (variation B).

Male

Unknown.

Biology/ ecology

Host unknown.

Distribution

NEA: Canada (AB, BC, NB, ON, YT), USA (AK).

Molecular data

Molecular data: BOLD:AAB5165 and BOLD:ACL9543, details in Table 3 and Fig. 18.

Remarks

We found molecular and morphological variation within this species; however, we interpret the differences in DNA barcodes and morphology as rather minor and inconsistent with distribution. The species is represented in two BINs, BOLD:AAB5165 and BOLD:ACL9543. The maximum pairwise distance within the species (including both BINs) is 3.27%. Variation A is represented by two specimens from the same BIN as the holotype (BOLD:AAB5165) but the specimens were collected farther south in Canada (AB, ON). They differ from the Yukon specimens by having the veins in the basal third of the fore wing transparent except for the anterior margin of the wing (C+SC+R). Variation B clusters in BIN BOLD:ACL9543 and mainly differs by the specimens being much smaller than the type series and variation A. For now, we consider all three to be part of the same species. However, we excluded the two variations from the type series as they may in the future prove to represent separate species. This species challenges our concept of Illidops , because it also partially fits the concept of Dolichogenidea . Based on the sculptured area interrupting the posterior smooth band of the scutellum centrally (which in this case consists of punctures), the short R1, and the COI sequences which match most closely other sequences associated with Illidops , we place it in Illidops for now. There are no morphologically similar species of Dolichogenidea found in the Nearctic.