Meteorus bustamanteorum Jones

Jones, Guinevere Z. & Shaw, Scott R., 2012, Ten new species of Meteorus (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) from Ecuador reared at the Yanayacu Biological Center for Creative Studies, Zootaxa 3547, pp. 1-23 : 4-6

Meteorus bustamanteorum Jones , new species

( Figs 3–7 )

Holotype Female. Body length 4.5 mm; fore wing length 3.5 mm.

Body color: Head dark yellow, ocellar patch dark brown, antennae brown; body ventrally cream, laterally yellow, dark yellow to brown dorsally; dorsal mesonotum dark yellow medially, brown anteriorly and laterally; propodeum brown dorsally, yellow laterally; mesopleuron and sternaulus dark yellow with brown coloration on the anterior and ventral perimeter; mandibles light yellow; palpi cream; coxae yellow, tibia light yellow, tarsi brown. Wings transparent brown with brown venation. First tergite anteriorly white, transitioning to brown posteriorly; second tergite dark yellow. Ovipositor light yellow with a brown sheath.

Head: Antenna with 29 flagellomeres; flagellar length/width ratios as follows: F1 = 2.6, F2 = 3.0, F3 = 2.6, F27 = 1.8, F28 = 1.7, F29 = 3.3; ocelli small with an OCOD to OCD ratio of 1.7; eyes nearly parallel and small with a head height to eye height ratio 1.6 and a face maximum width to minimum width ratio 1.1; minimum face width to clypeus width ratio 1.28 and malar space length to mandible width ratio 2.8; mandibles strongly twisted; clypeus, face and frons all smooth; occipital carina complete ( Fig. 6 ).

Mesosoma: Notauli shallowly rugose with defined mesonotal lobes; pronotum lightly foveolate; mesopleuron smooth, sternaulus foveoate; metapleuron lightly rugose; propodeum areolate-rugose.

Legs: Finely rugose hind coxa; simple tarsal claw.

Wings: Vein r 1.25 X 3 RSa vein length; lacking (RS + M)b vein at 2RS insertion point

Metasoma: Ovipositor long, 2.0 times longer than first tergite; first tergite longitudinally costate, lines mostly parallel, lateral posterior corners diverge ( Fig. 7 ).

Variation of paratype females. Twelve female paratypes; body length 4.8–5.2 mm. Antennal flagellomeres 28–30 on unbroken antennae.

Variation of paratype males. Twenty-three male paratypes. Body length is 5 mm; antennal flagellomeres 28–29.

Cocoon. Brown; ovoid; cap 1.5 mm in length, nipple darker than corpus and cap; corpus around 5 mm long; densely covered with coarse, twisted brown threads of silk; cocoons in loose heaps without observable suspending threads.

Material examined.

Holotype female: Ecuador: Napo Province, reared at Yanayacu Biological Station with data number YY #16823, S 00°35.9’ W 77°53.4’, 2163 m, collected 4 July 2006, Narupa forest, km 24 via al Tena 00°43.583S, 077°45.796W; elevation 1038 m, parasitoids pupated 2 August 2006, adult parasitoids emerged 11 August 2006. Deposited in University of Wyoming Insect Museum ( UWIM).

Paratypes: Ecuador: Napo Province, reared at Yanayacu Biological Station with data number YY #16823, 12 females, 23 males, S 00°35.9’ W 77°53.4’, 2163 m, collected 4 July 2006, Narupa forest, km 24 via al Tena 00°43.583S, 077°45.796W; elevation 1038 m, parasitoids pupated 2 August 2006, adult parasitoids emerged 11 August 2006. Deposited in UWIM.

Distribution. Known only from the type localities in Napo Province, Ecuador.

Biology. Meteorus bustamanteorum is an extremely gregarious species reared from an apatelodid Olceclostera species larvae ( Fig. 5 ). A large number (60) of wasp larvae emerge from a single host caterpillar, but only 40 adult wasps emerged from their cocoons. Meteorus bustamanteorum was reared from a apatelodid found feeding on an undetermined species of Polygalaceae on the road to Tena; it is the only Meteorus in this treatment that was collected from a lower elevation than the range of Yanayacu. The collection area of M. bustamanteorum, Narupa forest, is at an elevation of 1100 m above sea level. Familiarly, the caterpillar was named “headlight cabeza roja y punto anal amarillo” by the gusaneros (Yanayacu caterpillar collectors).

Etymology. This species is named after the Bustamante family, who are integral to the continued success of the Yanayacu Center. Forty years ago, the Bustamante family purchased over 1300 hectares of land on the northeastern slopes of the Andes (http://cabanasanisidro.com/pages/history.htm). Resisting the pressure to clear-cut his land in the name of “land improvement”, Simon Bustamante managed to leave the majority of his property untouched, and that legacy is shared with the Yanayacu Center along with his family’s lodge that is focused on birding and the preservation of that region.

Comments. This species was the only Meteorus collected from below 1500 m above sea level and the only Ecuadorian record of wasps of the genus from an apatelodid. This was also the largest gregarious rearing, at 60 wasp larvae emerging from a single host caterpillar.

Meteorus bustamanteorum is morphologically most similar to M. horologium , both species have small eyes and ocelli and are lacking vein (RS + M)b at the 2RS insertion point on the fore wing. Meteorus bustamanteorum can be differentiated by its areolate-rugose propodeum and long ovipositor. Additionally, the head is dark yellow compared with the orange head of M. horologium .

Figures

FIGURES 3 – 5. 3. — Lateral habitus of Meteorus bustamanteorum, new species: holotype female; 4. — Face of Meteorus bustamanteorum, new species: holotype female; 5. — Host caterpillar of Meteorus bustamanteorum, new species: Olceclostera (Lepidoptera: Apatelodidae).

FIGURES 6, 7. 6. — Scanning electron micrograph of Meteorus bustamanteorum, new species: head, mesosoma (120 x), showing occipital carina; 7. — Scanning electron micrograph of Meteorus bustamanteorum, new species: tergite one (250 x), showing sculpturing.