Habrobracon brevicornis (Wesmael, 1838)

Gadallah, Neveen S., Edmardash, Yusuf A., Mansour, Amany N. & Imam, Ahmed I., 2023, Parasitoid wasps (Ichneumonoidea) collected from faba bean fields, Kharga Oasis, New Valley, Egypt, with new records and the description of a new species, Zootaxa 5389 (5), pp. 501-544 : 514

Habrobracon brevicornis (Wesmael, 1838)

Fig. 8A

Material examined: 1♀, Kharga Oasis (New Valley) [25°14’02.8”N 30°31’32.2”E], May, 2022, yellow pan trap in V. faba .

Diagnosis. Female head mainly shiny orange with black on: ocellar triangle, middle area of upper face extending to between antennal bases then a small marking on middle of lower face and base of clypeus; antenna dark brown with paler scape and pedicel; pronotum pale brown to orange; mesoscutum with large U-shaped orange marking extending from posterior margin; scutellum orange, with small rounded black marking baso-medially; mesopleuron almost orange; metasoma with T 1 orange, black postero-medially, rest of tergites honey brownish, T 2 narrowly orange laterally; legs predominantly yellowish with black based femora and tarsi; ovipositor yellowish, ovipositor sheath dark brown. Fore wing with pterostigma bicolored, bright yellowish at basal half and dark brown at apical half.

Characterized by the following:antenna with 15 antennomeres, slightly longer than length of head and mesosoma combined; setae on vertex short and adpressed, not reaching posterior ocellus; T 3-5 distinctly finely punctate; length of vein 3-SR of fore wing 1.1× length of vein r.

Distribution in the MENA: Algeria, Cyprus, Egypt, Iran, Israel, Syria, Turkey.

Comments: Characters of this species completely agree with those of Kittel & Maeto (2019, pp. 2, 3). They also agree with those of van Achterberg & Polaszek (1996, couplet 2, p. 27), but differs in having fore wing vein 3-SR 1.1× length of vein r (in van Achterberg & Polaszek 1996: 3 -SR 1.2–1.8× vein r). van Achterberg & Polaszek (1996) also found this character overlaps with H. hebetor (Say) in which 3-SR vein 0.9–1.2×, and rarely up to 1.4× length of vein r, this character was neglected by Kittel & Maeto (2019).

Habrobracon brevicornis is an extremely polyphagous ectoparasitoid, attacking Crambidae and Pyralidae in stored products and in the field, and other lepidopterous families may also be attacked in the field ( van Achterberg & Polaszek 1996). In Egypt, it has been reported as a larval parasitoid of Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner) ( Noctuidae ) ( Tawfik, 1977 as Bracon brevicornis ), as well as a larval parasitoid of Sesamia cretica Lederer ( Noctuidae ) attacking sorghum in Assiut Governorate ( Temerak 1982; Lutfallah & Esmat 1988). It was also recorded as an efficient parasitoid of the hibernating larvae of the maize borer Ostrinia nubilalis Hübner ( El-Sherif et al. 1987; Lutfallah & Esmat 1988; Abd El-Gawad 2000). Hafez et al. (1969) recorded H. brevicornis as one of the effective parasitoids of the bollworms Pectinophora gossypiella (Saunders) ( Gelechiidae ) and Earias insulana (Boisduval) ( Nolidae ) attacking cotton fields; as well as an efficient parasitoid of pupa of pomegranate pests Deudorix livia Klug ( Lycaenidae ) ( Hosny et al. 1966). Imam (2013) reported it as an efficient biocontrol agent against the greater wax moth Gallaria mellonella L., the almond moth, Cadra cautella Walker [= Ephestia cautella (Walker) ] ( Pyralidae ), and the olive leaf moth, Palpita vitrealis (Rossi) [= P. unionalis (Hübner) ] ( Crambidae ). This is the first record of H. brevicornis in association with faba bean . This association may be attributed to the control of Spodoptera litura (Fabricius) one of the main pests affecting leaves of the plant.

Figures

FIGURE 8. A, Habrobracon brevicornis (Wesmael, 1838) (♀), habitus, dorso-lateral aspect; B, Habrobracon hebetor Say, 1836 (♀), habitus, lateral aspects.