First record of the genus Aspilota Foerster, 1863 in Argentina (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Alysiinae), with the description of the new species Aspilota murieli sp. nov. and a key to the Neotropical taxaAuthorPeris-Felipo, Francisco Javier0000-0001-9929-3277Bleichestrasse 15, CH- 4058 Basel, Switzerland & Syngenta Crop Protection AG, Rosentalstrasse 67, CH- 4058 Basel, SwitzerlandAuthorVillar, Camila Noemíhttps://orcid.org/0009-0008-2756-4670Universidad de Buenos Aires, Facultad de Agronomía, Cátedra de Botánica General, C. A. de Buenos Aires, ArgentinaAuthorForte, Sofía Belénhttps://orcid.org/0009-0004-7551-2120Universidad de Buenos Aires, Facultad de Agronomía, Cátedra de Botánica General, C. A. de Buenos Aires, ArgentinaAuthorLentini, Joel Nazarenohttps://orcid.org/0009-0002-7901-0633Universidad de Buenos Aires, Facultad de Agronomía, Cátedra de Botánica General, C. A. de Buenos Aires, ArgentinaAuthordel Pilar Medialdea, Maríahttps://orcid.org/0009-0008-6214-9472Universidad de Buenos Aires, Facultad de Agronomía, Cátedra de Botánica General, C. A. de Buenos Aires, ArgentinaAuthorBustos, AnalíUniversidad de Buenos Aires, Facultad de Agronomía, Cátedra de Botánica General, C. A. de Buenos Aires, ArgentinaAuthorPandol-Avalos, Federicohttps://orcid.org/0009-0005-0458-4837Syngenta Agro S. A., Av. del Libertador 1638, B 1638 BGQ, Vicente Lopez, Buenos Aires, ArgentinaAuthorGayan-Quijano, Ana Liahttps://orcid.org/0009-0001-1457-3788Syngenta Crop Protection AG, Rosentalstrasse 67, CH- 4058 Basel, SwitzerlandAuthorPoggio, Santiago L.0000-0001-9949-9240Instituto de Investigaciones Fisiológicas y Ecológicas Vinculadas a la Agricultura (IFEVA), Facultad de Agronomía, C. A. de Buenos Aires, Argentina & Universidad de Buenos Aires, Facultad de Agronomía, Cátedra de Producción Vegetal, C. A. de Buenos Aires, ArgentinaAuthorBelokobylskij, Sergey0000-0002-3646-3459Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, St. Petersburg, 199034, RussiaAuthorDevoto, Mariano0000-0003-3098-236XUniversidad de Buenos Aires, Facultad de Agronomía, Cátedra de Botánica General, C. A. de Buenos Aires, Argentina & Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET), Buenos Aires, ArgentinatextZooKeys20252025-04-2412364150journal article30944310.3897/zookeys.1236.1506051ab3a26b-18c3-4572-a6a8-34d6e3f3585bPMC1204633840322616A2E3BCAB-D01A-4DCC-9497-512BE5950BA0Aspilota murieli
Peris-Felipo
sp. nov.Figs 2
,
3Type material.Holotype
:
Argentina
•
♀
;
Buenos Aires Province
,
Partido de Baradero
;
33°55'13"S
,
59°37'26"W
;
24 m
;
10.xi.2022
;
Malaise trap
(
Peris-Felipo
leg.) (
MACN
-En
)
.
Paratypes
:
Argentina
•
7 ♀♀
; same location than holotype but:
2 ♀♀
;
8.ix.2022
;
33°56'16"S
,
59°37'4"W
;
16 m
(
MACN
-En
;
ZISP
)
;
1 ♀
;
5.x.2022
;
33°55'16"S59°37'42"W
;
16 m
(
MACN
-En
)
•
1 ♀
;
24.x.2022
;
33°55'13"S
,
59°37'26"W
;
99 m
(
NMB
)
•
1 ♀
;
23.xi.2022
;
33°56'15"S
,
59°36'40"W
;
19 m
(
NMB
)
•
2 ♀♀
;
3.x.2023
;
33°55'16"S
,
59°37'42"W
;
18 m
(
PFEC
)
•
1 ♀
;
Buenos Aires Province
,
Partido de Solis
;
5.x.2022
;
34°12'10"S
,
59°13'22"W
;
31 m
;
Malaise trap
(
Peris-Felipo
leg.) (
MACN
-En
)
•
1 ♀
;
Buenos Aires Province
,
Partido de Solis
;
7.ii.2024
;
34°11'29"S
,
59°13'44"W
;
29 m
;
Malaise trap
(
Peris-Felipo
leg.) (
PFEC
)
•
2 ♀♀
;
Santa Fé Province
,
Partido de
Teodelina
;
13.x.2022
;
34°06'18"S
,
61°27'25"W
;
97 m
;
Malaise trap
(
Peris-Felipo
leg.) (
PFEC
;
ZISP
)
•
1 ♀
;
Buenos Aires Province
,
Partido de Vedia
;
12.x.2022
;
34°27'35"S
,
61°48'46"W
;
99 m
;
Malaise trap
(
Peris-Felipo
leg.) (
MACN
-En
)
•
1 ♀
;
Buenos Aires Province
,
Partido de Vedia
;
31.x.2022
;
34°29'10"S
,
61°47'12"W
;
99 m
;
Malaise trap
(
Peris-Felipo
leg.) (
MACN
-En
)
•
1 ♀
,
1 ♂
,
Buenos Aires Province
,
Partido de Vedia
;
10.i.2024
;
34°29'10"S
,
61°47'12"W
;
99 m
;
Malaise trap
(
Peris-Felipo
leg.) (
PFEC
)
•
1 ♀
,
Buenos Aires Province
,
Partido de Vedia
,
18.vii.2024
;
34°29'25"S
,
61°47'45"W
;
99 m
;
Malaise trap
(
Peris-Felipo
leg.) (
NMB
)
.
Description.Female
(
holotype
).
Length
.
Body
1.4 mm
; fore wing
1.6 mm
; hind wing
1.2 mm
.
Head
.
In dorsal view, 1.85 × as wide as its median long, 1.5 × as wide as mesoscutum, smooth, with temple rounded behind eyes (Fig.
3 B
). Eye in lateral view 1.6 × as high as wide and 0.9 × as wide as temple medially (Fig.
2 C
).
POL
1.6 ×
OD
;
OOL
~ 3.0 ×
OD
(Fig.
3 B
). Face 1.7 × as wide as high; inner margins of eyes subparallel (Fig.
3 A
). Clypeus 2.3 × as wide as high, slightly curved ventrally (Fig.
3 A
). Paraclypeal fovea reaching inner margin of eye (Fig.
3 A
). Mandible tridentate, weakly widened towards apex, 1.3 × as long as its maximum width (Fig.
2 D
). Upper tooth distinctly shorter than lower tooth, small and rounded; middle tooth rather long and narrow, longer than lower tooth, acuminate apically; lower tooth widest, obtuse, subrounded distally, weakly curved downwards (Fig.
2 D
). Antenna (Fig.
2 E
) 15 - segmented, 0.8 × as long as body. Scape 2.0 × longer than pedicel. First flagellar segment 3.7 × as long as its maximum width, 1.2 × as long as second segment. Second flagellar segment 2.6 × as long as its maximum width; third to eleventh segments 1.7–1.8 × as long as their maximum width, 12
th
segment 1.45 ×, and 15
th
(apical) segment 2.0 × as long as their wide accordingly (Fig.
2 E
).
Aspilota murielisp. nov.A, C – E
female, holotype
B, F
male, paratype
A, B
habitus, lateral view
C
head and mesosoma, lateral view
D
mandible
D, E
antenna.
Mesosoma
.
In lateral view, 1.2 × as long as high (Fig.
2 C
). Mesoscutum (dorsal view) 0.75 × as long as its maximum width, smooth, without setae along tracks of notauli (Fig.
3 B
). Notauli mainly absent on horizontal surface of mesoscutum (Fig.
3 B
). Mesoscutal pit absent (Fig.
3 B
). Prescutellar depression smooth, with three carinae (Fig.
3 B
). Precoxal sulcus present, crenulate, short, not reaching anterior and posterior margins of mesopleuron (Fig.
2 C
). Posterior mesopleural furrow crenulate in upper half, smooth in lower half (Fig.
2 C
). Propodeum largely smooth, with pentagonal areola delineated by distinct carinae (Fig.
3 C
). Propodeal spiracles weakly enlarged, its diameter 0.5 × distance from spiracle to anterior margin of propodeum. (Fig.
3 C
).
Aspilota murielisp. nov.A – F
female, holotype
A
head, front view
B
head, dorsal view
C
propodeum, dorsal view
D
hind leg, metasoma and ovipositor, lateral view
E
first metasomal tergite
F
wings.
Wings
(Fig.
3 F
). Length of fore wing 2.5 × as long as its maximum width. Radial (marginal) cell ending at apex of wing, 3.7 × as long as its maximum width. Vein r 2 (3 - SR) 2.3 × as long as vein cuqu 1 (2 - SR); vein r 3 (SR 1) 3.1 × as long as vein r 2 (3 - SR). Nervulus (cu-a) distinctly postfurcal. Brachial (first subdiscal) cell closed distally, 2.6 × as long as its maximum width. Hind wing 6.7 × as long as its maximum width.
Legs
(Fig.
3 D
). Hind femur subclaviform, 3.8 × as long as its maximum width. Hind tibia weakly widened towards apex, 9.2 × as long as its maximum subapical width, 1.05 × as long as its hind tarsus. First segment of hind tarsus 2.4 × as long as second segment.
Metasoma
.
First tergite long, slightly widened towards apex, 2.0 × as long as its apical width, completely smooth (Fig.
3 E
). Ovipositor sheath (Fig.
3 D
) 1.3 × as long as first tergite, 0.4 × as long as metasoma, 0.5 × as long as hind femur, 0.3 × as long as fore wing.
Colour
.
Body and antenna dark brown. Mandibles, palpi, pterostigma and legs yellowish brown. First metasomal tergite paler than second and third tergites. Wings hyaline.
Variation
.
Body length
1.3–1.7 mm
; fore wing length
1.5–1.9 mm
; hind wing length
1.1–1.5 mm
. Face 1.60–1.75 × as wide as high. Mandible 1.3–1.4 × as long as its maximum width. Antenna 14–16 - segmented. First flagellar segment 3.6–3.7 × as long as its maximum width. Sixth flagellar segment 1.6–1.8 × as long as its maximum width. Vein r 3 (SR 1) 2.9–3.2 × as long as vein r 2 (3 - SR). Hind femur 3.65–3.80 × as long as its maximum width.
Male
(Fig.
2 B, F
). Body length
1.2 mm
; fore wing length
1.9 mm
; hind wing length
1.2 mm
. Antenna slender, 18 - segmented, about as long as body. First flagellar segment 3.8 × as long as its maximum width. Second flagellar segment 2.6 × as long as its maximum width. Third and fourth segments 3.15 ×, 5
th
– 11
th
segments 2.8 ×, 12
th
– 14
th
segments 2.5 ×, and 15
th
segment 3.0 × as long as its maximum width. Vein r 3 (SR 1) 3.0 × as long as vein r 2 (3 - SR). Otherwise similar to female.
DNA sequence data.
Sequences obtained as part of this study are deposited in GenBank, accession numbers
PV 097239
and
PV 097240
.
Etymology.This species is named in honour of Julio Muriel, for his motivational influence, visionary inspiration and his key role as the driving force behind the success of this project.Comparative diagnosis.
This new species is similar to
A. stigmalis
from
Colombia
(
Papp 2012
) (Neotropical) and
A. spiracularis
from
Mexico
(Nearctic) (Fischer 1970).
Aspilota murielisp. nov.
differs from
A. stigmalis
on having the eye in dorsal view as wide as temple medially (0.8 × as wide as in
A. stigmalis
) and in lateral view 0.9 × as wide as temple medially (1.1 × in
A. stigmalis
), mandible 1.3–1.4 × as long as its maximum width (1.6 × in
A. stigmalis
), scape 2.0 × longer than pedicel (2.5 × in
A. stigmalis
), and vein r 3 (SR 1) 2.9–3.2 × as long as vein r 2 (3 - SR) (2.3 × in
A. stigmalis
). On the other hand, this new species differs from
A. spiracularis
on having the head in dorsal view 1.85 × as wide as its median long (1.33 × in
A. spiracularis
), first flagellar segment 3.6–3.7 × as long as its maximum width (5.0 × in
A. spiracularis
), vein r 2 (3 - SR) 2.3 × as long as vein cuqu 1 (2 - SR) (1.4 × in
A. spiracularis
), hind femur 3.65–3.80 × as long as its maximum width (4.0 × in
A. spiracularis
), and first metasomal tergite 2.0 × as long as its apical width (1.7 × in
A. spiracularis
).