Braunsia hodorii Kang, 2024

Kim, Soohyun, Choi, Jong Bong, Hwang, Hwal-Su, Kenis, Marc, Seehausen, M. Lukas, Park, Ikju, Choi, Jin-Kyung, Lee, Kyeong-Yeoll, Sharkey, Michael J. & Kang, Ilgoo, 2024, A new species of Braunsia (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Agathidinae), a natural enemy of Cydalima perspectalis (Lepidoptera, Crambidae) from South Korea: species description and notes on its biology, Journal of Hymenoptera Research 97, pp. 915-936 : 915-936

Braunsia hodorii Kang sp. nov.

Material examined.

Holotype: Korea • ♀; Gangwon-do, Yeongwol-gun, Munsan-ri, near Jatbong (peak) ; 37°15.81'N, 128°31.23'E, 229 m a. s. l.; 6 May. 2022 (host caterpillar collection date); S. Kim, I. Park, S. Hong leg.; reared from C. perspectalis ; host plant: Buxus sp. ; det. Ilgoo Kang . Paratypes: • 1 ♀, 2 ♂, same as holotype. • 1 ♂, same as holotype except the host caterpillar collection date, collector and parasitoid eclosion date: 26 May. 2023; S. Kim leg., 1 June. 2023 • 2 ♂, Gangwon-do, Yeongwol-gun, Bangjeol-ri, near Seondol ; 37°12.35'N, 128°26.02'E, 296 m a. s. l.; 10 May 2024 (host caterpillar collection date); I. Kang & S. Kim leg.; reared from C. perspectalis ; host plant: Buxus sp. ; det. Ilgoo Kang . Holotype and paratypes will be deposited at NIBR, two paratypes will be deposited at KNUS.

Diagnosis.

Members of Braunsia hodorii sp. nov. are most similar to those of B. matsumurai (Fig. 6 ) and can be distinguished from them by the characters in the key and from all other members of Braunsia by the combination of the following characters: Forewing yellow with two melanic bands (Fig. 2 B ). Hind wing Cub vein partially present, neither reaching cu-a nor posterior margin; distance between cu-a to Cub closer than the space of B. matsumurai (Fig. 2 B ). Hind coxa and femur mostly melanic. Hind tibia with 7‒8 spines apically (Fig. 3 B ). Median areola of propodeum mostly black, open posteriorly (Fig. 2 E ). T 1 1.4 × longer than apical width, bi-colored, anteriorly pale posteriorly black, with longitudinal carinae in posterior 2 / 3 (Fig. 2 F ). T 2 ‒ T 4 1.6 × longer than apical width. T 5 striate on anterior third. T 6 to remaining tergites yellowish-orange (Fig. 2 F ).

Description.

Holotype. Body 12.6 mm. Forewing length: 11.3 mm. Hind wing length: 8.6 mm.

Head. Antenna with 44 flagellomeres. Interantennal space with weak median carina. POL 1.3 × longer than diameter of anterior ocellus (0.18: 0.14). Eye without setae; length of eye 2.3 × longer than median width of gena in lateral view (0.60: 0.26). Frontoclypeal suture absent. Malar space 2.8 × longer than basal width of mandible (0.36: 0.13). Mandible bidentate; lower tooth acute; upper tooth obtuse. Maxillary palpus five-segmented; apical maxillary palpomere 1.2 × longer than penultimate maxillary palpomere (0.28: 0.23). Labial palpus four-segmented. Posterolateral corner of gena sharp.

Mesosoma. Pronotum mostly smooth, anteriorly carinate with crenulate posterior margin. Notauli present, deep and smooth. Scutellar sulcus with round anterior margin, weekly crenulate. Postscutellar depression absent. Propodeum mostly smooth; median areola of propodeum present, closed anteriorly, opened posteriorly; anterior transverse carina of the propodeum reaching lateral margin. Mesopleuron mostly smooth, 1.6 × longer than median width (2.15: 1.31), dorsally and posteriorly with crenulate margin; precoxal sulcus present at posterior 3 / 4. Metapleuron dorsally smooth and posteroventrally strongly sculptured.

Legs. Combined length of foretrochanter and trochantellus 0.5 × longer than foretibia (0.58: 1.15). Combined length of mid trochanter and trochantellus 0.3 × longer than basitarsus (0.56: 1.86). Mid tibia with 1‒2 spines medially and 1‒2 spines apically (variation among females). Hind tibia 1.6 × longer than hind femur (3.63: 2.29), with 7‒8 spines apically (variation among females); basal spur on hind tibia 0.3 × longer than basitarsus (0.64: 1.88). Claws simple and with a basal lobe.

Wings. Forewing second submarginal cell trapezoidal, 1.1 × longer than width (0.40: 0.36); RS + M vein of forewing absent; pterostigma 3.5 × longer than medial width (2.14: 0.62); spurious vein, RS 2 b present, as long as 2 RS; 2 cu-a absent. Hind wing Cub vein partially present, neither reaching cu-a nor posterior margin; subbasal cell not angled distally.

Metasoma. Metasoma length: 7.4 mm. T 1 entirely striate, with horizontal striae at anterior third and longitudinal striae at posterior 2 / 3; pair of carinae strong, reaching posterior margin; median length of T 1 1.4 × longer than apical width (2.22: 1.60). T 2 1.6 × longer than T 3 (0.90: 0.58). T 2 – T 4 entirely striate, with longitudinal striae. T 5 mostly smooth, with weak longitudinal striae anteriorly. Remaining tergites entirely smooth. Protruded ovipositor as long as metasoma (7.4: 7.6), 2.1 × longer than hind tibia (7.6: 3.63). Ovipositor length: 7.6 mm.

Male. Similar to female except the following: Body slightly shorter than female, 11.5 mm. Antenna with 42 flagellomeres. Mid tibia with 3 spines medially and 3 spines apically (Fig. 4 ).

Color.

Mostly pale orange and yellow except the following which are brown to black: antenna, mesopleuron, metapleuron, mid coxa, hind coxa, hind femur, hind tibia posteriorly, hind tarsus, hind claw, propodeum, T 1 posteriorly, T 2 medially, T 3 posteriorly, T 4, T 5 anteriorly. Forewing yellow with two melanic bands. Hind wing yellow basally brown apically.

Distribution.

Yeongwol-gun, Gangwon-do, South Korea.

Etymology.

The species is named after “ Hodori ”, the male tiger mascot of the Seoul Olympic games in 1988 due to similarity in the color patterns (orange and with black stripes) (Fig. 5 ). Additionally, the long antennae resemble Hodori’s distinctive hat streamer.

Notes.

Korean common name: 호돌이구멍줄고치벌 (신칭). “ 호돌이 ” means the male tiger mascot of the Seoul Olympic Games in Korean and “ 구멍줄고치벌 ” is the Korean common name of Braunsia spp.

Molecular data.

NCBI Accession Numbers: PP 437200, PP 441967 (COI); PP 464023, PP 464024 (28 S).

Host.

Cydalima perspectalis ( Walker, 1859) ( Lepidoptera , Crambidae ).

Biology.

Larvae of Cydalima perspectalis are leaf-webbers, loosely weaving leaves together with silken threads (Fig. 7 ). Unparasitized, last-instar larvae (6 th or 7 th instar) typically build a dense shelter with their silk, in which they pupate. Parasitized C. perspectalis larvae build highly similar shelters, although somewhat less dense, prematurely, in their 5 th instar. They cease movement, and their bodies gradually become shorter and fatter within the shelter before the egression of the parasitoid larva.

Like most other Agathidinae, members of Braunsia hodorii sp. nov. are solitary koinobiont endoparasitoids. Upon the egression of parasitoid larvae from the host caterpillars, the parasitoid larvae are greenish-yellow, while the host caterpillars retain their original color. The parasitoid larvae then enter an external feeding phase (Suppl. material 4). The host caterpillars gradually shrink, leaving only their skin and head capsule. Among agathidine braconids, this external feeding phase was only reported for Therophilus dimidiator (Nees, 1834) (as Agathis laticinctus ) ( Dondale 1954) before the present study. The external feeding phase takes a little more than 8 hours, with the parasitoid larvae completing their feeding during this period (Fig. 8 ). Parasitoid larvae then spin a semi-translucent cocoon in the silk web of C. perspectalis , where they pupate (Figs 7 , 9 and Suppl. material 5). Pupal development lasts about ten days at 25 ± 1 ° C.

Figures

Figure 2. Braunsia hodorii sp. nov., holotype, ♀: A lateral habitus B wings C anterior head D mesopleuron and metapleuron E head and mesosoma, and F metasoma. Scale bar: 5 mm (A).

Figure 3. Mid tibia and hind tibia of B. hodorii sp. nov., holotype, ♀): A spines on mid tibia, and B spines on hind tibia.

Figure 4. Braunsia hodorii sp. nov., paratype, ♂: A lateral habitus B anterior head C head and mesoscutum, and D propodeum and metasoma.

Figure 5. Lateral view B. hodorii sp. nov. female that was preserved in ethanol.

Figure 6. Braunsia matsumurai female: A lateral habitus B lateral head to mesosoma C propodeum D forewing E hind wing, and F metasoma.

Figure 7. A Woven leaves with silken threads spun by Cydalima perspectalis larvae B parasitoid cocoon within the web of C. perspectalis.

Figure 8. A Parasitized host caterpillar in an inner space made of silk B, C, D B. hodorii sp. nov. larva consumes the host caterpillar during an external feeding phase.

Figure 9. Semi-translucent cocoon of B. hodorii sp. nov.: A parasitoid larva spinning the cocoon during the first day of cocoon formation B parasitoid pupa in the cocoon after six days, and C melanizing parasitoid pupa in the cocoon after eight days.