Meteorus lucianae, Ventura de Almeida & Penteado-Dias, 2022

Ventura de Almeida, Luis Felipe & Penteado-Dias, Angelica Maria, 2022, Meteorus lucianae sp. nov. (Hymenoptera, Braconidae), a new parasitoid of the bud borer Crocidosema aporema (Lepidoptera, Tortricidae), Journal of Hymenoptera Research 93, pp. 43-51 : 43

Meteorus lucianae sp. nov.

Figs 1-7

Diagnosis.

Dorsope absent; mandibles twisted; occipital carina complete; eyes large and convergent; head height 1.35-1.65 × eye height; face maximum width 1.24-1.55 × its minimum width; malar space length 0.40-0.62 × mandible width basally; ovipositor length 1.93-2.53 × first tergite length; ventral borders of T1 touching for a short distance or almost touching.

Description.

Body length: 3.36 (2.93-4.05) mm.

Color: Antenna dark brown with scape and pedicel yellow; head mostly yellow, frons and vertex medially black (sometimes frons mostly black, except by yellow patches around eyes); propleuron yellow; pronotum yellow ventrally, black dorsally; mesonotum black; mesopleuron dark brown-black with a yellow area on posterior margin (Fig. 1 ); metanotum dark brown; metapleuron dorsally dark brown, ventrally yellowish; propodeum black, with posterior margin yellow; prothoracic and mesothoracic legs yellow with telotarsus brown; metathoracic legs yellow with tibia and tarsus brown; T1 basal half brown, apical half black (T1 basally yellow, apically light brown); T2 and T7-T8 yellow, T3-T6 dark brown (Fig. 6 ); sterna yellow; wings hyaline.

Head: Antenna with 28 (27-29) flagellomeres; mandibles twisted; eyes not protuberant; occipital carina complete; vertex in dorsal view descending vertically behind the lateral ocelli; frons smooth, with a protuberance medially; face smooth, with a rugose area below the insertion of the antenna; clypeus rugulose with long hairs (Fig. 3 ); head width 1.27 (1.17-1.27) × its height; head height 1.35 (1.35-1.65) × eye height; face maximum width 1.44 (1.24-1.55) × its minimum width; face minimum width 1.25 (0.95-1.25) × clypeus width; minimum face width 1.04 (0.95-1.18) × face height; malar space length 0.60 (0.40-0.62) × mandible width basally; gena length 0.53 (0.40-0.59) × eye length in dorsal view; ocellus-ocular distance 1.37 (1.33-1.68) × ocellar diameter; ocellar diameter 0.67 (0.54-0.73) × posterior ocellar line (Fig. 4 ).

Wings: Fore wing: length 2.93 (2.93-3.75) mm; vein m-cu postfurcal; length of vein r 0.42 (0.33-0.64) × vein 3Rsa; vein 3Rsa 0.67 (0.67-1.00) × length of vein r-m. Hind wing: vein 1M 1.51 (1.26-2.00) × length of vein cu-a; length of vein 1M 1.00 (1.00-1.78) × length of vein r-m.

Mesosoma: Height 0.68 (0.65-0.68) × its length; propleuron smooth; pronotum mostly rugulose, carinate medially; central lobe of mesoscutum smooth; notauli distinctive and rugose, mesonotal lobes well defined (Fig. 4 ); scutelar sulcus with five (or three) carinae; mesopleuron smooth with a rugose area near tegula; precoxal sulcus long, carinate-rugose; metapleuron rugose; propodeum areolate-rugose without longitudinal or transversal carinae (longitudinal carinae visible in some specimens).

Legs: Tarsal claw simple; hind coxa rugulose.

Metasoma: Dorsope absent; first tergite with basal half smooth, apical half rugulose medially and costate laterally; remaining tergites smooth and shining; ventral borders of first tergite touching for a short distance distally (or almost touching); ovipositor length 2.53 (1.93-2.53) × first tergite length (Fig. 1 ).

Cocoon: Length 4.25 mm; width 1.53 mm; mostly honey-brown, translucent, and slightly covered by loose silk; apex cap protruding, whitish, and bordered by a dark ring (Fig. 7 ).

Examined material.

Holotype Brazil • Female; Paraná, Lapa, Fazenda experimental IAPAR; 03 Feb.2016; A. C. Dudczak & A.M. Borba leg; DCBU 478005.

Paratypes Brazil • 1 Female; Idem holotype, except; 25 Feb. 2016 .• 3 Females; Minas Gerais, Poços de Caldas, Sitio da Ferradura ; 21°47'03"S, 46°37'23"W; 19 Apr. 2007; A. E. de Carvalho leg. ; Malaise Trap; DCBU 09311, DCBU 09298 and DCBU 09294. • 1 Female; Idem previous, except, 13 Dec.2007 ; DCBU 09899.• 1 Female; Rio de Janeiro, Itatiaia, Parque Nacional do Itatiaia ; 22°26'01"S, 44°36'49"W; 30 May. 2014; R.F. Monteiro leg. ; Malaise Trap; DCBU 78978.• 1 Female; São Paulo, Campos do Jordão, Parque estadual de Campos do Jordao ; 22°39'43"S, 45°27'2.8"W; 06 Nov. 2010; A. S. Soares leg. ; Malaise Trap; DCBU 09112. • 1 Female; Sao Paulo, São Carlos, Fazenda Canchim ; 31 Aug. 1983; A.S. Soares leg. ; DCBU 478004 • 1 Female; São Paulo, Ribeirão Grande, Parque Estadual Intervales ; 24°16'28"S, 48°25'19"W; 22 Nov. 2010; N.W. Perioto leg. ; DCBU06906.• 1 Female; Minas Gerais, Bom Repouso, Serra dos Garcias ; 22°29'25"S, 46°11'25"W; 17 Oct. 2009; I. F. Melo leg. ; DCBU39826.

Additionally to the type series 87 specimens are deposited at DCBU (See Suppl. material 1 for detailed records).

Biology.

The holotype of Meteorus lucianae sp. nov. was reared as a solitary parasitoid of Crocidosema aporema ( Lepidoptera : Tortricidae ) collected in soybean.

Distribution.

Brazil ( Paraná, Minas Gerais, São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro).

Etymology.

Meteorus lucianae sp. nov. is named in honor of Luciana Bueno dos Reis Fernandes, recognizing the extensive technical support provided to the INCT Hympar Lab at the Federal University of São Carlos.

Figures

Figures 1 - 7. Meteorus lucianae sp. nov. 1 Lateral habitus 2 head, frontal view 3 head, lateral view 4 head and mesonotum, dorsal view 5 propodeum, dorsal view 6 metasoma, dorsal view 7 cocoon. Scale bar: 2 mm (1).