Apanteles huberi Fernandez-Triana

Fernandez-Triana, Jose L., 2010, Eight new species and an annotated checklist of Microgastrinae (Hymenoptera, Braconidae) from Canada and Alaska, ZooKeys 63, pp. 1-53 : 6-7

Apanteles huberi Fernandez-Triana sp. n. Figs 36

Apanteles sp. 2. Fernández-Triana and Huber, 2010: 316. [Examined].

Type locality.

Canada, British Columbia, Kispiox, 55°21'0"N, 127°40'58.8"W.

Type material.

Holotype. Female (CNC), with first label: Choristoneura biennis , Kispiox, BC, T. G. Gray; second label with date as follows: 6.vii.1983; third label with Specimen ID: MIC 000108. CNC TYPE 23935.

Paratypes (CNC): 8 ♀ and 2 ♂ same data as holotype for the first two labels; 4 of those specimens with a third label with Specimen IDs: MIC 000106 and MIC 000107 (2 ♀), MIC 000109 (1 ♂), and CNCI JDR-specm 2009-470 (1 ♀).

Diagnosis.

This species will run to Apanteles fumiferanae in both the keys of Muesebeck (1922) and Mason (1974); and will run to Apanteles sp. 2 in the key of Fernández-Triana and Huber (2010). It is related to and morphologically very similar to Apanteles fumiferanae . It differs in the propodeal areola shape (elongated coffin-shaped or ovoid, and weakly defined anteriorly in Apanteles huberi ; less elongated and well defined diamond-shaped in Apanteles fumiferanae ), length of flagellomeres 2 and 14 (longer in Apanteles huberi ) and medio tergite 1 (in Apanteles huberi almost parallel-sided, with greatest width 1.1 × the shortest width; while in Apanteles fumiferanae the medio tergite is widening apically, with the greatest width 1.2 –1.5× the shortest width). The two species also have different host species and differ in 1-4 base pairs within the barcoding region (more details below under the sections Molecular data, Distribution and biology and Comments).

Description.

Female

Antenna length 2-2.2 mm (missing in holotype), body length 2.7 mm (2.3-2.8 mm), forewing 2.8 mm (2.6-3.0 mm). Head with glossa truncate and short. Face with shallow, sparse punctures; and sparse, uniformly distributed setae. Face width at antennal base/face width at clypeus edge: 1.1 ×; intertentorial pit distance/face width at clypeus edge: 0.6 ×; compound eye height/head height: 0.8 ×; head height/width: 0.8 ×; face width at antennal base/head maximum width: 0.7 ×; malar space/basal width of mandible 1.1 ×. Clypeus transversely narrow, its width/height: 3.7 ×. Length/width of flagellomeres: 1st (3.5 ×), 2nd (4.0 ×), 8th (2.9 ×), 14th (1.2 ×), 15th (1.1 ×). Length of flagellomere 2/flagellomere 14: 3.0 ×. Ocello-ocular distance/posterior ocelli diameter: 2.3 ×; distance betwen posterior ocelli/ocelli diameter: 2.3 ×.

Mesosoma. Pronotum laterally with dorsal and ventral grooves well defined. Mesoscutum with sparse and shallow punctures (distance between punctures about 1.0 × its diameter), punctures sparser centrally. Mesoscutum 1.4 × wider than long. Mesoscutum and scutellum uniformly covered by dense, silvered-coloured pilosity. Scutellum almost smooth, with very sparse and shallow punctures. Scutellum length/width at base 1.1 ×. Scutellar suture thin and shallow, with 12-14 costulae. Posterior band of scutellum polished. Scutellar lateral face with polished area semicircular and about 1/2 the face height. Mesopleuron setose and with punctures on the anterior margin and upper corner, rest smooth and glabrous; centrally with small depressed area with shallow transverse striae. Thin, crenulate sulcus separating meso and metapleura. Metapleuron mostly smooth and polished, with setae and punctures only dorsally and ventrally along margins; metapleuron with a short, crenulate, longitudinal sulcus running from lower margin near metacoxa through spiracle. Metapleural carina with a short lamella. Propodeum with an ovoid or coffin-shaped areola, with anterior carinae less defined; propodeum sparsely punctured in the anterior half, with transverse striation in the apical half.

Metasoma. Mediotergite 1 almost parallel sided, just slightly widening posteriorly; basal width/apical width 1.1 ×; length/apical width 1.4 ×; mediotergite 1 with smooth, basal depression; apical 2/3 sculptured with longitudinal striae, except for a median, sub-apical depressed area which is mostly smooth and a polished knob centrally in the apical margin. Mediotergite 2 transverse, trapezoidal in shape; basal width/apical width 0.7 ×; length/apical width 0.3 ×; with longitudinal striae covering most of the surface. Mediotergite 3 twice the length of mediotergite 2. Mediotergite 3 and following unsculptured, polished and uniformly covered by sparse setae. Hypopygium striate, with acute tip slightly protruding beyond apical tergites. Ovipositor sheaths fully setose, 0.9 –1.0× as long as metatibia length.

Legs. Metatibial inner spur 1.3 × (1.2 –1.5×) the length of outer spur, and 0.6 × (0.5 –0.6×) the length of metatarsomere 1. Metafemur 3.0 × (3.0 –3.1×) as long as wide.

Wings. Forewing vein R1a 1.1 × as long as stigma length; length of R1a about 2.0 × as long as the distance between its end and the end of 3RSb. Vein r 0.8 × the maximum width of stigma. Join of veins r and 2RS angulated, sometimes with small knob at their junction; vein 2M 1.0 –1.1× as long as vein (RS+M)b. Edge of vannal lobe of hindwing medially straight to slightly convex and with setae of uniform length which are shorter than those at base and apex of lobe.

Colour: Maxillary and labial palps, and two first pairs of legs (except for coxae), yellow; head, meso and metasoma, and all coxae dark-brown or black; apex of metatibia and part (sometimes most) of the metafemur and metatarsus orange-red or light brown. Most of veins light brown, stigma borders light brown, centrally pale.

Male

As females, except for slightly smaller size (2.3-2.4 mm), legs with brighter yellow coloration, and width of mediotergite 1 slightly less than in females.

Molecular data.

Partial barcodes (144 bp) from the holotype and three paratypes of Apanteles huberi were obtained and compared with two paratypes of Apanteles fumiferanae with a similar sequence length (Fig. 21). In spite of the relatively short sequences available for analysis (about one fifth of the barcoding region) the two species consistently differed between 1-4 base pairs (0.8-2.8%).

Distribution and biology.

Only known from the type locality in BC. All studied specimens were reared from Choristoneura biennis -it is the only braconid species reliably reared from that lepidopteran ( Fernández-Triana and Huber 2010).

Comments.

The related species Apanteles fumiferanae has a relatively wide range of hosts ( Mason 1974; Fernández-Triana and Huber 2010), but has never been recorded parasitizing Choristoneura biennis . The different host species and slight but consistent morphological and barcoding differences provide sufficient evidence to consider Apanteles huberi as a separate and distinct species.

Etymology.

I dedicate this species to John Huber (CNC) as an appreciation for the many things I have learned from him during the last four years (his knowledge of Hymenoptera and kindness are both extraordinary); and also for all the shared chocolate!