Acanthocaudus

Kula, Robert R., Johnson, Paul J., Heidel-Baker, Thelma T. & Boe, Arvid, 2017, A new species of Acanthocaudus Smith (Braconidae: Aphidiinae), with a key to species and new host and distribution records for aphidiines associated with Silphium perfoliatum L. (Asterales: Asteraceae), Zootaxa 4236 (3), pp. 543-552 : 550

Key to the species of Acanthocaudus (based on females)

1. Mesosoma and metasoma entirely yellow ( Figs 2, 5 )............................ Acanthocaudus caudacanthus (Smith)

- Mesosoma and metasoma with at least some brown coloration ( Figs 1 , 3–4, 6–7 )...................................2

2. Mesosoma yellow except mesonotum brown ( Fig. 1 ); head either yellow with ocellar triangle entirely brown to black (50%) or yellow with brown to black markings around periphery of each ocellus (50%)..... Acanthocaudus bicolor Kula , new species

- Mesosoma mottled yellow and brown ( Fig. 6 ) or entirely brown ( Fig. 7 ), propleuron, pronotum, mesoscutum peripherally, mesopleuron peripherally, metapleuron, and propodeum with varying extent of yellow when mesosoma is mottled; head entirely brown or brown dorsally and gradually transitioning to yellow ventrally.............. Acanthocaudus tissoti Smith

Figures

FIGURE 1. Lateral habitus, Acanthocaudus bicolor Kula, new species, based on type series.

FIGURES 2 – 6. Species of Acanthocaudus. 2, Lateral habitus, A. caudacanthus; 3, Lateral habitus, A. tissoti; 4, Lateral habitus, A. schlingeri (junior synonym of A. tissoti); 5, Head and mesosoma, lateral view, A. caudacanthus; 6, Head and mesosoma, lateral view, A. tissoti. Scale bars: Figs 2 – 4 = 1.0 mm, Figs 5 – 6 = 0.5 mm.

FIGURES 7 – 9. 7, Head and mesosoma, lateral view, A. schlingeri (junior synonym of A. tissoti); 8, Lateral habitus, Aphidius (Aphidius) ohioensis; 9, Head and mesosoma, lateral view, A. (A.) ohioensis. Scale bars: Fig. 7 = 0.5 mm, Fig. 8 = 1.0 mm, Fig. 9 = 0.25 mm.