Illidops stefanschmidti 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 : 79-82

Illidops stefanschmidti Höcherl & Fernandez-Triana sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:

Figs 45–46

Diagnosis

This species resembles I. kostjuki , but differs in its distinctly elongate glossa, its light/brown clypeus which distinctly contrasts with the entirely black face, its narrowing T1, anteromesoscutum with deep, dense punctures, and fore wing vein 1M entirely pale. The species can be distinguished from I. scutellaris by its dark brown profemur except for the apical 0.2 or less (compared to the entirely pale profemur in I. scutellaris ), entirely dark metafemur (compared to the metafemur with lighter coloration in I. scutellaris ), metatibia light with apical 0.3 dark/brown (compared to apical 0.1 dark in I. scutellaris ), C+SC-R entirely dark (compared to light in I. scutellaris ), maxillary palps dark (compared to light in I. scutellaris ), and the labrum rather elongate with a width/length ratio of <1.40 (compared to> 1.45 in I. scutellaris ).

Etymology

This species is named to honor Dr Stefan Schmidt (1962–2024), who brought the authors together for this project by selecting Microgastrinae as a taxon to be treated as part of the GBOLIII: Dark Taxa project. Stefan was our teacher and friend and he is being missed profusely.

Type material

Holotype

CANADA – Yukon Territory • ♀; Kluane National Park ; 60.683° N, 138.005° W; 625 m a.s.l.; 13 Jul. 2006; H. Goulet and C. Boudreault leg.; CNC, HYM00001781 .

Paratype

CANADA – Yukon Territory • 1 ♀; same data as for holotype; CNC, HYM00001782 .

Description

Female

MEASUREMENTS. Body length: 2.63 (2.33) mm. Fore wing length: 2.15 (2.30) mm. Antenna shorter than body (head to apex of metasoma).

HEAD. Face: eyes not converging below, inner margins of eyes almost straight. Minimum face width/ maximum face width: 0.97 (0.97). Malar distance/mandible width: 1.00 (0.94). Glossa and labrum elongated. Face softly punctate. Ocelli in high triangle, posterior tangent to anterior ocellus not touching posterior pair. OOD/POD: 2.85 (2.57). POL/POD: 2.92 (2.5). F2 length/width: 2.27 (2.42). F15 length/ width: 1.10 (1.05). F2 length/F15 length: 2.27 (2.30).

MESOSOMA. Anteromesoscutum: densely punctate. Mesoscutellar disc: punctate. Posterior smooth band of the scutellum interrupted centrally by a sculptured area (rugose) and also with a thin, rugose area on the entire posterior margin (of the posterior smooth band of the mesoscutellum) ( Fig. 45D). Propodeum sculpture completely irregularly rugose.

METASOMA. T1 shape: posterior half parallel-sided then slightly narrowing posteriorly with straight posterior margin. T1 sculpture: mostly sculptured. T1 width (anterior, maximum, posterior): 0.21, 0.27, 0.23 (0.19, 0.28, 0.23) mm. T1 central length: 0.31 (0.27) mm. T1 length/width at posterior margin: 1.36 (1.16). T2 shape: more or less rectangular, very short, posterior margin sinuate. Mediotergite 2 sculpture: mostly sculptured. T2 width at posterior margin/length: 3.78 (3.88). Posterior margins 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 sheaths length/metatibial length: 0.76 (0.74). Metafemur length/width: 0.28 (0.27). Tarsal claws: simple.

WINGS. Length of fore wing veins r/2 RS: 1.22 (1.17). Pterostigma length/width: 2.55 (2.41). Point of insertion of vein r in pterostigma: clearly beyond half length of pterostigma. Angle of vein r with fore wing anterior margin: clearly outwards, inclined towards fore wing apex. Length of vein R1/length of pterostigma: 0.82 (1.00). Length of vein R1/distance of distal end of R1 to distal end of vein 3 RS: 1.33 (1.37).

COLORATION. Body color: mostly dark brown to black. Head color: head dark brown to black, clypeus and labrum lighter brown contrasting with almost black face, palpi brown. Antenna completely dark brown to black. All coxae and femora dark brown to black, pro- and mesofemora with slightly paler apical tips. All tibiae and tarsi orange-brownish. Tegula and humeral complex dark brown. Fore wing: pterostigma brown, holotype with lighter area on basal third of pterostigma, barely visible in paratype. Wing veins in basal third dark brown (C+SC+R), brown (M+CU) to light brown (1A).

Male

Unknown.

Biology/ecology

Host unknown.

Distribution

NEA: Canada (YT).

Molecular data

This species clusters in BIN BOLD:AAC7888, the Nearest Neighbor (NN) is BOLD:AET9368, with one publicly available sequence, BIOUG85322-C11. The minimum p-distance between both BINs is 1.45%. In our NJ-analyses, the species clusters close to I. scutellaris , which clusters in BIN BOLD:AAA8769. The NN of this BIN is BOLD:AFQ9589 and the distance between both BINs is 1.44%. Illidops stefanschmidti sp. nov. and I. scutellaris sequences differ by a minimum p-distance of 3.01%. Both species can be distinguished morphologically by the combination of several characters (see diagnosis).