Description of Brachymeria philornisae sp. n. (Hymenoptera: Chalcididae), a parasitoid of the bird parasite Philornis trinitensis (Diptera: Muscidae) in Tobago, with a review of the sibling species
Author
Delvare, Gérard
Author
Heimpel Hannes Baur, George E.
Author
Chadee, Dave D.
Author
Martinez, Raymond
Author
Knutie, Sarah A.
text
Zootaxa
2017
4242
1
journal volume
36319
10.11646/zootaxa.4242.1.2
cf19530c-aa2b-4d9e-ac15-d7fa20324c4c
1175-5326
375990
598A02E5-BFCC-4882-9E49-B0BE9D16E5E9
Brachymeria subrugosa
Blanchard, 1942
(
Fig. 8
A −E)
Brachymeria subrugosa
Blanchard, 1942
: 116
−117. Original description
♀
.
ARGENTINA
: Charata.
Brachymeria subrugosa
;
De Santis 1967
: 209
[host
Pectinophora gossypiella
and
Patelloa
(Tachinidae)
];
De Santis 1979
: 63
[host
Eucelatoriopsis
sp. (
Tachinidae
)];
Aquino
et al
. 2015
: 297
[
lectotype
designation].
Material examined
.
PARAGUAY
.
Colonel Delgado
, ex
Alabama
argillacea
[
Lepidoptera
:
Noctuidae
]
on
Gossypium hirsutum
,
30.v.1985
, adult emergence
06.vii.1985
,
Michel B.
leg. (
1 ♀
) [Ref. Cirad 5246] (in
CIRAD
).
Diagnosis
. Mandibles brown subapically (
Fig. 8
B). Epicnemium and prepectus black, only ventral prepectus on sides of medioventral projection dark brownish. Black ring on mesofemur complete. Head about as broad as mesosoma. Gena, lower face and supracoxal stripe of metepimeron moderately setose (
Fig. 8
A, B).
Clypeus with irregularly distributed points
(
Fig. 8
B).
Adtorular carinae thin, appearing as irregular rugae
(
Fig. 8
A, B).
Antennal scrobes
reaching lower margin of median ocellus,
virtually as high as eye (0.97×) their upper edge at level with upper ocular line
(
Fig. 8
A).
Eyes separated by 0.9× their own height
(
Fig. 8
A). Ocellar ocular distance much shorter than median ocellus diameter (as in
Fig. 5
A). Clava tapering with small area of micropilosity (
Fig. 8
E). Mesosoma 1.35−1.4× as long as broad. Basal fold of fore wing with 12 or 13 setae. Metasoma 2.01−2.26× as long as broad. Apex of hypopygium emarginate mesally (as in
Fig. 5
J).
Recognition
. This species is easily separated from
B. subconica
and
Brachymeria
'Brassolis' by the smaller number of setae on the basal fold. It is distinguished from
B. philornisae
and
B. costalimai
by the antennal scrobes being virtually as high as the eye such that the upper edge is about level with the upper ocular line.
The ratios provided by the LDA extractor are also useful (Tab. 4 and Fig. 4). The ratios of
head breath
:
frontovertex breath
and
mesoscutellum breath
:
median ocellus diameter
readily separate it from
B. subrugosa
while the ratios of
metasoma length
:
mesosoma length
and
head breath
:
eye height
distinguish it from most specimens of
B. costalimai
.
Hosts
. The
type
series and the female examined were both from
Alabama
argillacea
(Hübner) (
Lepidoptera
:
Noctuidae
). The tachinid hosts quoted by
De Santis (1967
,
1979
) must be checked because of the past confusion concerning the identity of the species. This species was erroneously quoted as
B. subconica
by
Silvie
et al.
(2014)
and at least some of the hosts cited by the authors are probably erroneous because the species was mixed with
B. costalimai
as noted above.
Distribution
.
Argentina
and
Paraguay
.