A revision of the parasitoid wasp genus Alphomelon Mason with the description of 30 new species (Hymenoptera, Braconidae) Author Fernandez-Triana, Jose L. https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0425-0309 Canadian National Collection of Insects, Arachnids and Nematodes, 960 Carling Ave., Ottawa, K 1 A 0 C 6, Canada cnc.braconidae@gmail.com Author Shimbori, Eduardo M. https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4655-2591 Coleccion Nacional de Insectos, Instituto de Biologia, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico, Tercer Circuito, S / N, Ciudad Universitaria, Coyoacan, C. P. 04510, Ciudad de Mexico, Mexico Author Whitfield, James B. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3031-9106 University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, USA Author Penteado-Dias, Angelica M. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8371-5591 Universidade Federal de Sao Carlos, Sao Carlos, Brazil Author Shaw, Scott R. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5024-4594 College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, University of Wyoming, Laramie, USA Author Boudreault, Caroline https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4511-2626 Canadian National Collection of Insects, Arachnids and Nematodes, 960 Carling Ave., Ottawa, K 1 A 0 C 6, Canada Author Sones, Jayme Canadian Centre for DNA Barcoding, University of Guelph, Guelph, Canada Author Perez, Kate Canadian Centre for DNA Barcoding, University of Guelph, Guelph, Canada Author Brown, Allison Canadian Centre for DNA Barcoding, University of Guelph, Guelph, Canada Author Manjunath, Ramya Canadian Centre for DNA Barcoding, University of Guelph, Guelph, Canada Author Burns, John M. Department of Entomology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington D. C., USA Author Hebert, P. D. N. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3081-6700 Canadian Centre for DNA Barcoding, University of Guelph, Guelph, Canada Author Smith, M. Alex https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8650-2575 Canadian Centre for DNA Barcoding, University of Guelph, Guelph, Canada Author Hallwachs, Winnifred University of Guelph, Guelph, Canada Author Janzen, Daniel H. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7335-5107 University of Guelph, Guelph, Canada text ZooKeys 2023 2023-08-16 1175 5 162 http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1175.105068 journal article http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1175.105068 1313-2970-1175-5 D7BCD6CE4E8C4664BBB9F0D6CEB60FB4 5DFB56AFD476555B982D868A74D00E17 Alphomelon crocostethus Deans, 2003 Figs 22A-F , 23A-F , 24A-D Distribution. Argentina*, Bolivia, Brazil (DF*, ES, MG, PE*, RJ, RN*, SP*), Colombia, Dominican Republic*, Jamaica, Peru*, Puerto Rico. Biology. Solitary, reared from unidentified hesperiid on sugar cane Saccharum officinarum ( Deans et al. 2003 ). DNA barcoding. BINBOLD:AAZ9859. Notes. The specimens we examined are very variable and it is likely that there are several species within what is currently considered A. crocostethus . The Caribbean specimens have darker legs, mesosoma and metasoma; T1 with stronger sculpture (near posterior margins); and T1 petiolar ridge tends to be larger and wider. The South American specimens vary considerably, but usually have paler colored legs, mesosoma, and metasoma; T1 with weaker sculpture; and T1 petiolar ridge shorter, narrower, and usually less well defined. However, there are exceptions, sometimes from the same locality (such as in Brazil, where most of the material we have examined was collected). Besides morphology, DNA barcoding supports more than one species, although only four specimens (three with partial barcodes) are available. Until more specimens and sequences from South America are available for study, we think is best to keep a single species, but future work will certainly reveal more within what appears to be a species complex. Figure 22. Alphomelon crocostethus Deans female CNC704257 A habitus, lateral B head, frontal C antenna, lateral D wings E propodeum and metasoma, dorsal F mesosoma, dorsal. Figure 23. Alphomelon crocostethus Deans female CNC1065929 A habitus, lateral B head, frontal C propodeum, dorso-lateral D wings E head and mesosoma, dorsal F metasoma, dorso-lateral. Figure 24. Alphomelon crocostethus Deans holotype female USNMENT00828299 A habitus, dorsal B close-up of habitus, dorsal C habitus, lateral D close-up of habitus, lateral. Other specimens examined. ( 13 females ): CNC280516, CNCHYM 00021, CNCHYM 00022, CNCHYM 00023, CNCHYM 00020, CNC704254, CNC704255, CNC704256, CNC704257, CNC704258, CNC1065929, CNC1179774, CNC1179953.