Neothlipsis parysae Sharkey, 2011

Sharkey, Michael J., Parys, Katherine A. & Clutts, Stephanie, 2011, A new genus of Agathidinae with the description of a new species parasitic on Samea multiplicalis (Guenee), Journal of Hymenoptera Research 23, pp. 43-53 : 46-48

Neothlipsis parysae Sharkey sp. n. Figs 2 3

Diagnosis.

Similar to Neothlipsis agathoides (Newton and Sharkey, 2000) in that both species share the same host and both are unique amongst members of the genus in possessing simple tarsal claws. The two species can be differentiated as follows:

Neothlipsis parysae : 1. Hind femur melanic in apical third ( Fig. 2a ). 2. Head always mostly melanic ( Figs 2a , 3a ). 3. Ovipositor distinctly shorter than body ( Fig. 2a ). 4. Body length less than 3.6 mm. 5. Second submarginal cell of fore wing usually present (80%) ( Fig. 3d ).

Neothlipsis agathoides . 1. Hind femur entirely pale or melanic in less than apical fifth ( Fig. 4a, b ). 2. Head color usually pale at least in ventral half ( Fig. 4b ), rarely mostly melanic ( Fig. 4a ). 3. Ovipositor as long as body ( Fig. 4a, b ). 4. Body length more than 3.6 mm. 5. Second submarginal cell of fore wing usually absent (95%) ( Fig. 4d ).

Description.

Holotype female: Length: 3.4 mm (3.2-3.5 mm).

Color: ( Figs 2, 3 ). Flagellomeres (with antennae directed anteriorly) dark brown dorsally, fading to dark orange ventrally (ventrally ranging from entirely black to yellow, rarely flagellum pale in basal third); anterior orbit of eye black, the posterior orbit orange (ranging to entirely black); mouthparts pale yellow with black highlights, remainder of head black dorsally with orange patches laterally (ranging from entirely black to mostly orange with dark highlights); fore leg orange with tarsus darkened distally; middle leg orange with tibia darkened distally, tarsomeres mostly dark; hind coxa dark orange (ranging to nearly black, especially in males); hind femur dark orange (ranging to black with some orange, especially in males); basal black band present on hind tibia; hind tibia black in distal half, otherwise orange; wings hyaline; mesosoma black with orange tegula (ranging from black with black tegula to black with orange highlights, often with an orange spot on the mesopleuron); metasoma pale yellow ventrally (ranging to dark orange); with tergum 1 entirely black, tergum 2 black in the posterior half and orange anteriorly (or black with only the anterior margin orange), tergum 3 black with orange posterior margin, remaining terga orange with dark highlights. Head: Number of flagellomeres = 26; ratio, distance between ocellus and compound eye to distance between lateral ocelli = 1.7; temple not bulging as viewed dorsally; ratio, malar space to eye height = 0.53. Legs: Midtibia with eight spines; hind tibia with eight spines (6-10); tarsal claws simple, basal lobe absent. Wings: Second submarginal cell of fore wing absent ( Fig. 3d ) (or rarely very small). Metasoma: ( Figs 2b , 3c ). Ratio, length of median tergum 1 to apical width of median tergum 1 = 1.13; median terga 1, 2, and 3 granulate; ovipositor slightly shorter than body.

Hosts and biology.

Samea multiplicalis ( Guenée) ( Lepidoptera : Crambidae ) occurs in the southeastern United States and south to Argentina ( Knopf and Habeck 1976). Large populations of the adult moth are often found at lights in Louisiana and are one of the most common species observed ( Landau and Prowell 1999). The larva is a natural control agent and generalist herbivore that feeds on a variety of aquatic plants including salvinia ( Salvinia minima Baker, Samea molesta Mitchell, and Samea auriculata Aublet), water hyacinth ( Eichornia crassipes (Mart.) Solms), waterlettuce ( Pistastratiotes L.), water fern ( Azolla caroliniana Willd., and Azolla pinnata R. Brown) ( Knopf and Habeck 1976, Sands and Kassulke 1984, Tewari and Johnson 2011).

Groups of approximately 50 Samea multiplicalis larvae were collected by hand from mats of common salvinia ( Salvinia minima Baker) at four field locations across southern Louisiana several times during 2006 and brought back to the lab (for a total of 13 sampling points). Individuals were reared individually in diet cups and provided with fresh vegetation until pupation. Parasitism rates of Neothlipsis parysae varied between sites, ranging from 0% to 38% with an average parasitism rate of 9.9% for all larvae reared (S. Tewari, unpublished data). Several other hymenopteran parasitoids have been described from Samea multiplicalis populations in Florida , but we have only reared Neothlipsis parysae . First instar caterpillars of Samea multiplicalis are attacked, and the parasitoid pre-pupa emerges from the last larval instar of the host (G.S. Wheeler, unpublished data). Individual wasps are frequently observed in Louisiana on aquatic vegetation during the late spring and early summer. Collections of insects associated with Samea minima were taken from May to November 2009 in Gramercy, Louisiana, and individuals of Neothlipsis parysae were most abundant from May to July but persisted in low numbers until September.

Etymology.

The species is named after Katherine Parys in recognition of her discovery of the species.

Material examined.

HOLOTYPE: Female, USA: Louisiana: Ascension Parish, 30°09.804N, 90°48.643W, swamp, 9.vi.2010 (HIC). PARATYPES: 88 males, 37 females, same locality data as holotype with dates from June to September of 2009 and June 2010. 10 females, Kentucky, Hopkins Co. Thomas Farm, 37°20.36N, 087°41.26W, Malaise trap, swamp, viii-ix.2010. Paratypes are deposited in the USNM (9 ♀, 15 ♂), FSCA (9 ♀, 15 ♂), LSAM (15 ♀, 39 ♂) and HIC (14 ♀, 19 ♂).

Neothlipsis parysae USA: KY, 13-29.viii.2010, HIC. GenBank accession number JF297971 and Neothlipsis parysae USA: LA, 9.vi.2009, HIC. GenBank accession number JF297972 ( Fig. 1 ).

Figures

Figure 1. Semistrict consensus tree of two trees inferred from 28 SrDNA sequence data aligned by secondary structure, one the majority rule tree using Bayesian methods and the other the unique tree produced using maximum parsimony. Bayesian analysis runtime = 2 million generations (25 % burnin). Branch support: Bayesian posterior probabilities / symmetric resampling (1,000 replicates). (-) indicates branch support below 0.5 / 50.

Figure 2. Neothlipsis parysae a Lateral habitus b Dorsal habitus.

Figure 3. Neothlipsis parysae a Lateral head and mesosoma b Dorsal head and thorax c Dorsal propodeum and metasomal terga 1 - 3 d Wings.

Figure 4. Neothlipsis agathoides a Lateral habitus of a melanic specimen b Lateral habitus of a pale specimen c Dorsal habitus d Fore wing, arrow pointing to second submarginal vein.