Aleiodes okanoganensis Fortier, 2021

Fortier, Joseph, 2021, Aleiodes (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Rogadinae) diversity in Washington U. S. A including three new species, Zootaxa 4999 (2), pp. 132-142 : 136-139

Aleiodes okanoganensis Fortier , NEW SPECIES

( Figures 2, 3 , 9, 10 )

Holotype. ♀ WASHINGTON, Okanogan County, west side of Omak Lake , 48 O 18’07”N; 119 O 26’41”W, June 1-10, 2020, J. Fortier. Deposited in NMNH.

Female. Body color: Body nearly entirely orange except black ocellar triangle, black on apex of clypeus and areas of face lateral to clypeus, black maxillary and labial palps and tips of mandibles, antennae orange basally grading to black apically, black dorso-posterior area of mesopleuron just below subalar sulcus, black mesosomal venter, propodeum, and black patch on medial area of first metasomal tergite, ovipositor sheaths and hypopygium black, wings slightly infumate, fore wing veins brown, stigma bicolored, black except orange on basal tip, hind wing veins brown. Body length: 6.0 mm; Forewing length: 5.0 mm. Head: ocelli smaller than ocell- ocular distance; 45 flagellomeres, flagellomeres all slightly longer than wide; malar space over twice as long as base of mandible; face rugose-areolate; frons and vertex rugose. Legs: Dorsal side of hind coxa coriaceous basally, with transverse carinae dorsally, tarsal claws not pectinate, inner tibial spur of hind leg about 1/3 length of basal tarsomere. Wings: fore wing vein r 0.6 length of 3RSa, second submarginal cell trapezoidal, 3RSa 1.2 length of 2M, vein 1cu-a distal of 1M by a distance greater than length of 1cu-a, hind wing RS recurved, marginal cell narrowest in middle, m-cu pigmented, about 0.5 length of 2r-m. Mesosoma: pronotum rugose; mesonotum coriaceous, notauli scrobiculate, complete to postero-medial rugulose area; mesopleuron rugulose, swollen shiny area postero-medially with carinae running antero-posteriorly across dorsal half of shiny area; propodeum rugose, median carina complete. Metasoma: first and second metasomal tergites rugocostate, median carina complete on both tergites, apical width of first tergite slightly greater than tergite length; third metasomal tergite rugulocostulate, median carina on basal 2/3 of tergite; fourth metasomal tergite finely rugulose-areolate basally becoming coriaceous apically.

Male. Unknown.

Biology. Host unknown

Distribution. known only from type locality in Okanogan County, Washington.

Comments. Aleiodes okanoganensis is similar to A. wyomingensis , A. shenefelti , A. khalafi , and A. cultrarius . A. okanoganensis can be distinguished from all of these species by its orange coloration, in contrast to honey yellow in the others. It can be distinguished from A. wyomingensis by median carina entire on second metasomal tergite and present basally on third metasomal tergite, in contrast to median carina incomplete on second metasomal tergite and absent on third metasomal tergite in A. wyomingensis . In A. okananoganensis , the fourth metasomal tergite has rugulose areolate sculpturing, in contrast to coriaceous sculpturing on fourth metasomal tergite in A. wyomingensis . A. okanoganensis can be distinguished from A. shenefelti and A. khalafi by first metasomal tergite length shorter than apical width, in contrast to first metasomal tergite length longer than apical width in A. shenefelti and in A. khalafi females. Rugulose-areolate sculpturing of fourth metasomal tergite in A. okanoganensis contrasts with rugulose sculpturing in A. khalafi and coriaceous sculpturing in A. shenefelti . A. okanoganensis can be distinguished from A. cultrarius by mesosternum black in contrast to yellow in A. cultrarius , and by fourth metasomal tergite sculpturing finely rugulose-areolate in contrast to coriaceous in A. cultrarius .

Etymology. This species is named after the Washington county in which the holotype specimen was found.

states are most useful for distinguishing species with those characters from other closely similar species.

Figures

FIGURES 2 & 3. Characteristics of genus Aleiodes. Figure 2. First and second metasomal tergites of A. okanoganensis. a. basal triangle. b. median carina. Note the costate carinae on the second metasomal tergite. MT I: first metasomal tergite; MT II: second metasomal tergite. Figure 3. Female genitalia of Aleiodes okanoganensis. a. ovipositor. b. ovipositor sheath. Compared to many other parasitoid wasps, these structures are short in Aleiodes, adapted for attacking surface feeding Lepidoptera larvae.

FIGURES 9, 10. Aleiodes okanoganensis (female) NEW SPECIES. Figure 9. Habitus. Note dark pigmentation on propodeum and venter of mesothorax. Figure 10. Fourth metasomal tergite. Note that it is sculptured and much larger than succeeding tergites. These character states together are unique to species in the Aleiodes coxalis (Spinola) species-group. Punctations in apical half are setal pits.