Revision of the New World genera Adelius Haliday and Paradelius de Saeger (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Cheloninae: Adeliini)
Author
Shimbori, Eduardo M.
Author
Bortoni, Marco A.
Author
Shaw, Scott R.
Author
Souza-Gessner, Carolina Da S.
Author
Cerântola, Paula De C. M.
Author
Penteado-Dias, Angélica M.
text
Zootaxa
2019
2019-03-26
4571
2
151
200
journal article
28003
10.11646/zootaxa.4571.2.1
2ecdbe19-cc16-45c9-894d-18a4d10d4bf6
1175-5326
2608186
EEF7A7F9-CDB3-4664-95FC-17AE60463A60
Paradelius rubra
Whitfield, 1988
(
Figs 129–138
)
Paradelius rubra,
Whitfield 1988
: 313
Type material examined.
Holotype
,
♀
:
U.S.A
.
:
California
:
Alameda County
,
Del Valle Lake Rec. Area
,
11.II.1984
/ JBW no. 84B21, ex
Stigmella
on
Quercus agrifolia
, emerged
8.III.1984
,
J.B. Whitfield
col. (
USNM
).
Type
in excellent condition.
Non-type material examined.
U.S.A
.:
Wyoming
:
1♀
,
Albany County
,
Medicine Bow Nat. Forest
,
1 mi.
N Lincoln Monument
, mixed forest nr sagebrush
,
13–24.IX.1990
, Malaise trap, M. Inayatullah col.;
1♀
and
1♂
,
Teton County
,
Grand Teton Nat. Park
, UW-NPS
Research St
,
13–14.VIII.2002
,
Malaise trap
,
S.R. Shaw
coll. (
UWIM
)
Description
(features not described by
Whitfield (1988)
, or differently interpreted sculpturing—original states are in parentheses).
Head
. Finely areolate-rugose (not granulate), frons excavated behind torulli, with short median carina extending to between antennae (not bulging medially).
FIGURES 129–134
.
Paradelius rubra
Whitfield
, holotype, ♀. 129, habitus, lateral; 130, head, dorsal; 131, mesosoma, lateral; 132, propodeum; 133, mesonotum; 134, metasoma, dorsal.
FIGURES 135–138
.
Paradelius rubra
Whitfield.
135–136, non-type ♂: 135, habitus, lateral; 136, habitus, dorsal. 137–138, wings, non-type ♀.
Mesosoma
. Mesoscutum finely areolate-rugulose. Mesoscutellar trough rugose. Metanoum rugose-costate. Mesopleuron rugulose antero-dorsally; sparsely setose anteriorly, mostly bare medially. Metapleuron costate.
Legs
. Hind coxa smooth, polished and devoid of setae laterally. The small black spines described by Whitfield, are probably dark regions on the base of each seta, at their insertion in the skeleton.
Metasoma
. The basal half of T3 is transversely striate (not longitudinally striate).
Variation
. The specimens from
Wyoming
are very similar to the
holotype
, differing only the much darker color of mesosoma varying from entirely dark reddish brown to black.
Comments
.
Paradelius rubra
is the most distinctive adeliine species known from New World. This is the only species having the vein RS directly connected with the stigma: vein 2RS and vein 3RS are distinctly separated, vein r thus absent. It also has three distinct infuscate bands on fore wing, with the most basal one being hyaline and the most apical band fuscous. Additionally,
P. rubra
can be readily distinguished from other species by the mesopleuron being striate postero-dorsally, as compared with mostly smooth or weakly punctate in
P. nigra
and
P. neotropicalis
sp. n.
Distribution
.
U.S.A.
:
California
and
Wyoming
. The genus was first reported from
Wyoming
by
Haimowitz and Shaw (2012)
. This is the first record of the species for
Wyoming
.
Biology
.
Paradelius rubra
has been reared from the nepticulid leaf-miner
Stigmella variella
(Braun, 1910) on leaves of an oak,
Quercus agrifolia
, as well as
Stigmella
species found mining leaves of
Lithocarpus densiflora
and
Rhamnus crocea
(
Whitfield 1988
)
. Adults emerge from host’s cocoon (
Whitfield 1988
;
Gates
et al.
2002
).
Whitfield (1988)
also observed that the adult wasps resemble ants as they move about rapidly on oak foliage, and speculated that they might be ant mimics. When aspirated, the wasps emitted a choking, formic acid-like chemical.