Aleiodes xanthoclypeus Shaw and Marsh

Shaw, Scott R., Marsh, Paul M. & Talluto, Miranda A., 2013, Revision of North American Aleiodes (Part 9): the pallidator (Thunberg) species-group with description of two new species (Hymenoptera: Braconidae, Rogadinae), Zootaxa 3608 (3), pp. 204-214 : 211-213

Aleiodes xanthoclypeus Shaw and Marsh , sp.nov.

( Figs 17–22 , 28 )

Female.— Body color: bicolored ( Figs 19, 20, 22 ), head including antenna black, clypeus and mouthparts yellow ( Fig. 17 ), scape and margins around eyes occasionally light brown; mesosoma black, pronotum, scutellum and propodeum occasionally brown; metasoma ( Fig. 22 ) and legs yellow to light brown; wings hyaline, veins including pterostigma brown ( Fig. 21 ), tegula yellow. Body length, 7.0–8.0 mm; fore wing length, 6.0–7.0 mm. Head: eyes and ocelli large; 54–55 antennomeres, all flagellomeres longer than wide, first and second equal in length; malar space short, equal to basal width of mandible and about 1/4 eye height; temple narrow, about 1/3 eye width; occipital carina reaching hypostomal carina; oral space small and circular, width equal to malar space and about 1/2 face height; clypeus swollen; ocelli large ( Fig. 18 ), ocell-ocular distance less than 1/2 diameter of lateral ocellus; face, frons and vertex rugose coriaceous, temple coriaceous; occiput weakly coriaceous and shining; maxillary palpus not swollen; mandibles small, tips not crossing when closed. Mesosoma: pronotum rugose; mesonotum and scutellum coriaceous, notauli weakly scrobiculate, meeting in triangular rugose area before scutellum; mesopleuron coriaceous, smooth above episternal scrobe, subalar sulcus rugose, sternaulus represented by wide, shallow, weakly impressed rugose area; propodeum rugulose coriaceous dorsally, coriaceous laterally, median carina complete. Metasoma: First tergum rugose striate, length longer than apical width, median carina complete; second tergum rugulo-striate, median carina complete; third tergum rugulo striate on basal 1/2, coriaceous on apical 1/2, median carina distinct on basal 4/5; remainder of terga coriaceous; ovipositor equal to 1/2 length of hind basitarsus. Legs: tarsal claws not completely pectinate but with several long spines on basal 1/2; hind coxa weakly coriaceous dorsally. Wings: fore wing with vein r 1/2 length of 3RSa and about 2/3 length of mcu, vein 1cu-a beyond 1M by distance slightly greater than length of 1cu-a. vein 1CUa about 1/3 length of 1CUb; hind wing with vein RS slightly arched medially, marginal cell narrowest in middle, vein r-m shorter than 1M, vein M+CU longer than 1M, vein m-cu represented by infuscated short line.

Male.—Essentially as in female.

Holotype.—Female: SASKATCHEWAN, Henribourg, Weyerhauser Seeds, June 19, 1989, Dasychira plagiata on w. spruce. Deposited in CNC.

Paratypes.—BRITISH COLUMBIA: 1 female, Boston Bar, July 29, 1950, ex. Olene grisefacta ; 1 female, Davie Lake, July 29, 1950, Olene sp.; 1 male, Radium Hot Springs, July 12, 1948, Olene sp.; 1 female, Invermere, August 27, 1948, Olene sp. MANITOBA: 2 males, Sipwisk Lake, July 12, 1963, Paragia plagiata ; 1 female, The Pas., July 14, 1956. WISCONSIN: 2 females, 1 male, Douglas Co., Gordon Nursery, August 25, 1948, July 13- August 25, 1951, R. D. Shenefelt; 1 male, Sawyer Co., Hayward Nursery, July 14, 1951, R. D. Shenefelt. Deposited in USNM, RMSEL, CNC, BMNH, AEI.

Distribution.—Occurs throughout Canada and into Wisconsin.

Biology.—Specimens have been reared from the lymantrids Dasychira plagiata (Walker) , Olene sp. and O. grisefacta Dyar.

Comments.—This species is similar to A. indiscretus but is distinguished by its weakly pectinate claws, with spines restricted to the basal ½ of the claw, and by its distinctly bi-colored body. The bright yellow clypeus contrasting with the dark face ( Fig. 17 ) is distinctive of A. xanthoclypeus .

Etymology.—The specific name is from the Greek xanthos meaning yellow in reference to the yellow clypeus.

Figures

FIGURES 17 – 22. Aleiodes xanthoclypeus Shaw & Marsh, sp. nov. Figure 17. Head and clypeus, anterior view. Figure 18. Head and ocelli, dorsal view. Figure 19. Habitus, lateral view. Figure 20. Head and mesosoma, lateral view. Figure 21. Pterostigma and fore wing venation. Figure 22. Metasoma, dorsal view.

FIGURES 23 – 28. Mummified host caterpillar remains. Figure 23. Dasychira sp. parasitized by A. indiscretus. Figure 24. Lymantria dispar (gypsy moth caterpillar) parasitized by A. lymantriae. Figure 25. Dasychira sp. parasitized by A. pallidator. Figure 26. Leucoma salicis (satin moth caterpillar) parasitized by A. pallidator. Figure 27. Orgyia leucostigma parasitized by A. pallidator. Figure 28. Olene grisefacta parasitized by A. xanthoclypeus.