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 subconica
Bouček, 1992
(
Fig. 9
A −G)
Pseudochalcis conica
Ashmead, 1904
: 407
. Original description
♀
.
BRAZIL
: Santarem.
Brachymeria
(
Pseudobrachymeria
)
conica
(Ashmead)
;
Burks, 1960
: 270
−271 [redescription].
Brachymeria subconica
Bouček, 1992: 92
[replacement name for
B. conica
(
Ashmead, 1904
)
nec
B. conica
(Fabricius, 1798)
];
Aquino
et al
., 2015
: 298−299.
Material
examined
.
Type
material.
Holotype
♀
(
USNM
type
#8061, examined).
Other
material.
VENEZUELA
.
Aragua
,
Chroni
,
La Sabaneta
,
120 m
, ex pupae of
Carmenta
sp. [
Lepidoptera
:
Sesiidae
]
on
Theobroma cacao
,
10.i.1999
,
Garcia J.
-L. &
Montilla R.
leg. (
2 ♀
) (in
CIRAD
).
Diagnosis
. Mandibles brown subapically (
Fig. 9
B). Prepectus and upper half of epicnemium, black. Black ring on mesotibia complete.
Head 1.07× as broad as mesosoma
. Gena, lower face and supracoxal stripe of metepimeron moderately setose (
Fig. 8
B). Clypeus with 4 large punctures on either side mostly arranged in one dorsal row (
Fig. 8
C).
Adtorular carinae and subtorular swellings well visible but incomplete
(
Fig. 8
C).
Antennal scrobes not reaching lower margin of median ocellus
(
Fig. 8
A).
Lateral ocellus bordered with large fovea on outer side
(
Fig. 8
A).
Ocellar ocular distance nearly as great as median ocellus diameter
(
Fig. 8
A). Clava tapering with small area of micropilosity.
Mesosoma more slender than in alternate species, 1.45−1.55× as long as broad
.
Edge of frenal carina distinctly emarginate mesally
(
Fig. 8
D).
Basal fold of fore wing with 28−34 setae
arranged
in several rows at base
(
Fig. 8
E, F). Metasoma 2.09−2.16× as long as broad.
Apex of hypopygium hardly emarginate mesally
(
Fig. 8
G).
Recognition
. This species is easily recognizable through a number of characters.
Aquino
et al
. (2015)
noted the upper edge of the antennal scrobes not reaching the base of the median ocellus and the hardly emarginate hypopygium. One can also add the less transverse head, figured in the quantitative analysis as the ratio
head breath
:
head height
. Also, the ocellar-ocular distance is hardly less than the diameter of the median ocellus versus much more reduced in the rest of the species (Tab. 4 and Fig. 4). The dense setation of the basal fold is shared with
Brachymeria
'Brassolis'.
Host
. The series examined was most probably reared from
Carmenta theobromae
(Busck)
(
Lepidoptera
:
Sesiidae
) because this species was quoted as a pest of cocoa in
Venezuela
by
Franklin
et al
. (2009)
. The parasitoid record was quoted by
Garcia & Montilla (2010)
.
Distribution
.
Brazil
and
Venezuela
.