Meteorus orocrambivorus Aguirre & Shaw, 2014

Aguirre, Helmuth, Shaw, Scott R., Berry, Jocelyn A. & de Sassi, Claudio, 2014, Description and natural history of the first micropterous Meteorus species: M. orocrambivorus sp. n. (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Euphorinae), endemic to New Zealand, Journal of Hymenoptera Research 38, pp. 45-57 : 47-51

Meteorus orocrambivorus Aguirre & Shaw sp. n.

Diagnosis.

Occipital carina complete; ocelli small (ocelli-ocular distance 2.0-2.3 × ocellar diameter in females, 1.7 × in males); mandible stout and twisted; notauli smooth and not distinct in females, but deeply impressed, narrow, distinct and rugose in males; female micropterous, male macropterous; propodeum smooth in females, but rugulose-lacunose in males; tarsal claw without lobe; dorsope and laterope absent; ventral borders of first tergite almost touching distally; ovipositor 1.9-2.3 × longer than first tergite).

Description of holotype female.

Body color. Dark brown-ferruginous

Body length. 3.5 mm.

Head. ( Fig. 3 ). Antenna with 16 flagellomeres; flagellar length/width ratios as follows: F1 = 2.6, F2 = 2.2, F3 = 1.9, F 14 = 1, F 15 = 0.9, F 16 = 2.0; head 1.1 × wider than high; occipital carina complete; ocelli ocular distance 2.0 × ocellar diameter; head height 1.4 × eye height; temple length 0.7 × eyes length in dorsal view; vertex in dorsal view not descending vertically behind the lateral ocelli; frons smooth and polished; maximum face width 1.4 × minimum face width; face finely rugulose; minimum face width 0.7 × clypeus width; clypeus punctate; malar space length 0.4 × mandible width basally; mandible stout and twisted.

Mesosoma. ( Figs 2 , 4 , 7 and 9 ). Pronotum in lateral view dorsally rugose; propleuron smooth and polished; notauli smooth and not distinct; mesonotal lobes not defined; mesoscutum smooth and polished; scutellar furrow with one carina; mesopleuron smooth but rugulose close to tegula; sternaulus long, wide and rugose; metapleuron mostly smooth, rugose close to the coxa; suture between propodeum and metapleuron foveate; propodeum smooth; absence of longitudinal and transversal carinae on propodeum; median depression on propodeum weakly present.

Wings. Very reduced, at most reaching the scutellum apex ( Fig. 2 ).

Legs. Hind coxa slightly strigose dorsally; the remaining surface irregular and punticulate; hind femur 4.8 × longer than it is wide; tarsal claw without lobe.

Metasoma. ( Figs 1 and 4 ). Dorsope and laterope absent; ventral borders of first tergite almost touching distally; first tergite smooth and polished except the apical border with short and convergent costae; ovipositor 2.0 × longer than first tergite; ovipositor both not thickened basally and straight.

Female variation based on paratypes.

Body length 3.0-3.1 mm; head with long and scattered setae; head 1.2 × wider than high; ocelli ocular distance 2.3 × ocellar diameter; head height 1.3 × eye height; temples length 0.6 × eyes length in dorsal view; maximum face width 1.3 × minimum face width; face strigulate; minimum face width 0.8 × clypeus width; malar space length 0.3-0.6 × mandible width basally; pronotum in lateral view dorsally lacunose-foveate, faintly costate ventrally; sternaulus carinate-foveate; propodeum smooth except a small, punctate patch dorsally; hind coxa either strigate-punctate, strigate, or with very small and disperse punctures; hind femur 4.6-5.2 × longer than it is wide; ventral borders of first tergite touching for a short distance; first tergite with costae convergent, faintly demarcated; T2 and T3 slightly coriaceous; ovipositor 1.9-2.3 × longer than first tergite; ovipositor neither thickened basally nor curved.

Male variation based on paratypes.

( Figs 5 , 6 , 8 and 10 ). Body black except the head with a small testaceous patch on the temple behind the eye; wings hyaline; body length 3.7 mm; antenna with 27 flagellomeres; ocelli ocular distance 1.7 × ocellar diameter; head height 1.6 × eye height; temples length 0.8-0.9 × eyes length in dorsal view; vertex in dorsal view not descending vertically behind the lateral ocelli; maximum face width 1.2 × minimum face width; minimum face width equal to clypeus width; malar space length 0.7-0.9 × mandible width basally; propleuron puncticulate and shiny; notauli deeply impressed, narrow, distinctive and rugose, with pronounced longitudinal carina; mesoscutal lobes well defined; central lobe of mesoscutum punctate; scutellar furrow with seven carinae; mesopleuron smooth and polished; sternaulus rugose; propodeum rugulose-lacunose; longitudinal and transversal carinae on propodeum absent; median depression on propodeum absent; hind coxa with very small and dispersed punctures; wing length 3.6-3.7 mm; second submarginal cell of fore wing not strongly narrowed anteriorly; vein r 0.5 × length of 3Rsa (fore wing); vein 3RSa 0.8 × length of r-m (fore wing); vein m-cu of fore wing postfurcal; vein 1M 0.8-1 × length of cu-a (HW); vein 1M 0.8 × length of 1r-m (hind wing); dorsope and laterope absent; apparent dorsopes as deep grooves in the common dorsopes location; first tergite with faintly demarcated and parallel costae, which become more obvious on the apical border.

Comments.

The micropterous condition of Meteorus orocrambivorus females is unique among all known Meteorus . However if the males are compared with the rest of the New Zealand fauna, Meteorus orocrambivorus seems closest to Meteorus cobbus Huddleston ( Huddleston 1986; p. 256, numeral 6 in the key). Males of both species share the following character states: body mostly black except a small, lighter patch (yellow or testaceous) on the temple behind the eyes; small ocelli (ocelli ocular distance ≥ 1.5 × ocellar diameter); eyes almost parallel (maximum face width ≤ 1.2 × minimum face width); mandibles stout and twisted; propodeum rugulose; dorsopes and lateropes absent, and ventral borders of first tergite touching for a short distance. Meteorus orocrambivorus can be separated from Meteorus cobbus by having antennae with 27 flagellomeres (30-33 in Meteorus cobbus ), notauli narrow, carinate and distinct (broad and reticulated in Meteorus cobbus ), and first tergite costate (strigose in Meteorus cobbus ).

Holotype. Female (point-mounted). NEW ZEALAND, South Island, Lewis Pass, Hope River Valley, Glynn Wye Station, 42°36.73'S, 172°27.78'E, 650 m; host plant Poa cita Edgar (silver tussock), host caterpillar Orocrambus ramosellus Doubleday ( Crambidae ); collected as solitary parasitoid during the period November 2008 to January 2009; Claudio de Sassi, collector.

Paratypes. Two females and seven males same data as the holotype; one female same data as holotype except collected at 42°36.88'S, 172°27.62'E, 800 m; two females and two males same data as holotype except collected at 42°36.72'S, 172°26.58'E; three females and two males same data as holotype except the host caterpillar collected feeding on Festuca novae-zelandiae (Hack.) Cockayne at 1000 m; one female same data as holotype except the host caterpillar collected feeding on Festuca novae-zelandiae at 42°36.88'S, 172°26.58'E; one female same data as holotype except the host caterpillar collected feeding on Festuca novae-zelandiae at 42°36.88'S, 172°26.58'E, 650 m; six females and four males same data as holotype except the host caterpillar collected feeding on Festuca novae-zelandiae at 42°36.88'S, 172°26.58'E, 1000 m; one female and one male same data as holotype except the host caterpillar collected feeding on Festuca novae-zelandiae at 42°38.83'S, 172°22.17'E, 650 m.

Distribution.

NEW ZEALAND, South Island, Lewis Pass, Hope River Valley, Glynn Wye Station.

Cocoon.

( Fig. 11 ). Length 4.4 mm; width 1.6 mm; honey-brown translucent except apex cap golden, posteriorly bordered by a dark ring; oval-shaped, densely wrapped by silk, irregular cap border, anterior end (cap) nipple-like. The cocoon was found unattached inside a structure built by the caterpillar using grass leaves and silk ( Fig. 12 ). No trace of a suspending thread was detected.

Biology.

( Figs 12 and 13 ). The information gathered from the type series and additional rearings indicates that Meteorus orocrambivorus is a solitary parasitoid of larval Orocrambus ramosellus , Orocrambus simplex and Merophyas leucaniana . Parasitized Orocrambus have been collected feeding on Festuca novae-zelandiae , Poa cita . Holcus lanatum L., Anthoxantum odoratum L., Agrotis capillaris L., Festuca rubra L. and Rytidosperma setifolium (Hook. f.) Connor & Edgar. Merophyas leucaniana was collected on Festuca novae-zelandiae .

Etymology.

The species name orocrambivorus is a reference to its feeding habit. The stem of the specific epithet refers to the genus name of the host caterpillar, Orocrambus , and the suffix comes from the Latin - vorare meaning “devour.”

Figures

Figures 1 - 6. Meteorus orocrambivorus sp. n. 1 Female lateral habitus 2 Female head and mesonotum dorsal view. The arrow indicates the reduced wing 3 Female head frontal view 4 Female propodeum and first metasomal tergite dorsal view 5 Male lateral habitus 6 Male frontal view.

Figures 7 - 10. Contrasting differences between males and females. 7 female head and mesonotum dorsal view 8 male head and mesonotum dorsal view 9 female propodeum dorsal view 10 male propodeum dorsal view.

Figures 11 - 14. 11 Meteorus orocrambivorus sp. n. cocoon 12 Orocrambus ramosellus caterpillar 13 Orocrambus ramosellus adult 14 Lewis Pass, the type-locality.