Aleiodes itamevorus Shaw and Marsh

Shaw, Scott R. & Marsh, Paul M., 2004, Two new Eastern North American species of the Aleiodes coxalis (Spinola) species­group (Hymenoptera: Braconidae, Rogadinae) reared from Geometridae, Zootaxa 656, pp. 1-10 : 4-5

Aleiodes itamevorus Shaw and Marsh , NEW SPECIES

Female.— Body color: head including antennae, mesosoma and metasoma dark brown or black, occasionally with yellow markings on face, inner eye orbits, pronotum and mesonotum; legs honey yellow, hind tarsi light brown; wings hyaline, veins brown, tegula yellow. Body length, 3.5–4.5 mm; fore wing length, 3.5–4.5 mm. Head: eyes and ocelli small, not covering most of head; 41–44 antennomeres, all flagellomeres longer than wide; mallar space moderate, very slightly longer than basal width of mandible and about 2/3 eye height; occipital carina reaching hypostomal carina; oral space small and circular, diameter about 3/4 basal width of mandible and 2/3 face height; clypeus weakly swollen; ocelli small, ocellocular distance slightly greater than twice diameter of lateral ocellus; head entirely rugulo­coriaceous; maxillary palpus not swollen; mandibles small, tips not crossing when closed. Mesosoma: pronotum porcate laterally; mesonotum and scutellum coriaceous, notauli weakly scrobiculate, meeting posteriorly in traingular rugose ares; mesopleuron coriaceous, smooth above episternal scrobe, subalar sulcus rugulose, sternaulus absent; propodeum rugose coriaceous, median carina complete. Legs: tarsal claws not pectinate; hind coxa coriaceous dorsally. Wings: fore wing with vein r 1/2 to 2/3 length of 3RSa and m­cu, second submarginal cell often nearly square, vein r­m curiously absent on some specimens and often only on one wing, vein 1cu­a beyond 1M by distance equal to or less than length of 1cu­a, vein 1CUa 1/3 or less length of 1CUb; hind wing with vein RS slightly arched in middle, marginal cell narrowest in middle, vein 1r­m about 3/4 length of 1M, vein 1M about 2/3 length of M+CU, vein m­cu a distinct tubular vein for most of its length, about 2/3 length of 1r­m. Metasoma: appearing carapace­like, terga 1–4 often concealing following terga, terga 1–4 all rugose coriaceous, remainder of visible terga smooth, median carina complete on terga 1–3, groove between terga 2 and 3 deep and scrobiculate; ovipositor less than 1/2 length of hind basitarsus.

Male.—Essentially as in female except all coxae dark brown or black.

Holotype.—Female: ONTARIO, Gogama, 1 km SE Jct. Hwys. 144 & 560, June 15– 18, 1988, reared, K. Barber & D. Hamilton, jack pine plantation, Vaccinium angustifolium ; host, Itame brunneata (Thunb.) . Deposited in CNC.

Paratypes.—ONTARIO, 13 females, 12 males, same data as holotype with additional dates of June 2–7, 1988. WISCONSIN: 1 female, 1 male, Jackson Co., T21N, R4W, S27, May 14–27, 1975, Gypsy moth m.t.; 14 males, Bayfield Co., T46N, R9W, S16, May 12– June 3, 1975, Gypsy moth m.t.; 1 female, Oneida Co., T35N, R11E, S17, May 20–28, 1975, Gypsy moth m.t.; 3 males, Fond du Lac Co., T31N, R19E, S23, July 29–August 5, 1975, Gypsy moth m.t. Deposited in CNC, RMSEL, USNM, AEI.

Distribution.—Known only from the type localities in Ontario and Wisconsin.

Biology.—Reared from the geometrid Itame brunneata (Thunberg) .

Comments.—This species is similar to maritimus new species but is easily distinguished from this and most other species by the distinct tubular vein m­cu in the hind wing. Both itamevorus and maritimus are morphologically similar to the Tetrasphaeropyx group of species but, although itamevorus has a carapace­like metasoma and relative long vein r in the fore wing, it does not have a complete carapace as in the type species, Tetraspheropyx pilosus . In this species we also see an example of the variability in wing venation that sometime occurs in Braconidae . In some specimens vein r­m of the fore wing is missing or only partially present. This variation may occur in only one wing or in both.

Etymology.—The specific name is from the name of the host, Itame , and the Latin voro meaning to eat, devour.