Parapanteles thrix Valerio and Whitfield

Valerio, A. A., Whitfield, J. B. & Janzen, D. H., 2009, Review of world Parapanteles Ashmead (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Microgastrinae), with description of fourteen new Neotropical species and the first description of the final instar larvae, Zootaxa 2084 (1), pp. 1-49 : 42-44

Parapanteles thrix Valerio and Whitfield , n. sp.

Figs. 7D , 8A , 9A , 12C

Female. Body length = 2.70–3.01 mm.

Body color: Palpi yellow as basal edge of hind femur and internal area of mid tibia, fore tibia, hind femur distal tip; basal 1/3 of hind basitarsus whitish yellow as hind tibial spurs; compound eyes silver; ocelli yellow; remainder of body dark brown. Wings hyaline; forewing veins whitish yellow except distal 1/3 of C+SC+R and all the pterostigma brown; hind wing veins whitish yellow.

Head. Head height/width = 1.23–1.26; compound eye height/width = 1.66–1.72; intertentorial pit distance = 0.19 mm; tentorial pit distance/distance tentorial pit to compound eye = 3.00; width of face at dorsal clypeal edge = 0.32–0.36 mm; clypeus width/height = 2.66–3.00; vertex width/distance between anterior ocelli and edge of torulus = 2.25–2.28; length of first flagellomere = 0.22 mm; first flagellomere length/width = 2.57–3.00; length of first flagellomere/length of second flagellomere = 1.00–1.06; length of first flagellomere/ length of third flagellomere = 1.00–1.06; terminal flagellomere length = 0.12–0.13 mm; terminal flagellomere length/penultimate flagellomere length = 1.42–1.57; terminal flagellomere length/width = 1.83–2.00; malar space height/basal width of mandible = 0.80; ocell-ocular distance/lateral ocelli distance = 1.00–1.10. Clypeus and face at area surrounding compound eyes with shallow and big punctate sculpture, remainder of face with less defined and shallower punctate sculpture except mid face area almost nitid; frons with scrobal areas nitid, lateral areas with 2 fine and narrow long ridges at junction area with scrobal area, distal area almost nitid except for few punctulate sculpture and vertex; temple (except a nitid ocular ring) with confused punctate sculpture; junction area between gena and postgena with more evident and better defined punctate sculpture almost forming a transversal lineate sculpture at gena-postgena junction area; remainder of postgena nitid; remainder of gena with accentuate punctate sculpture.

Mesosoma. Mesosoma length = 1.15–1.20 mm; mesosoma length/width = 1.31–1.41; mesosoma height = 0.78–0.81 mm. Propleuron with dense and small punctate sculpture but posterior 1/3 with confused and shallow punctate sculpture; pronotum lateral area with both upper and ventral groove with few narrow and confused transversal ridges (less evident and fewer at upper groove) which are also present at anterior 1/2 of pronotum, dorsal edge 1/5 and ventral edge 0.35 of posterior edge height, dorsal edge with distal 1/4 covered with dense and confused punctate sculpture; mesonotum with dense and well defined punctate sculpture which becomes slightly bigger and scattered at mid area, posterior 1/3 with confused and shallower punctate sculpture not reaching scutellar groove; scutellar groove with 9 well defined costula of equal width, medial ones 3 times bigger than lateral ones; scutellum with longitudinal mid area almost nitid, remainder with shallow and confused punctate sculpture which is more evident on lateral areas, lateral areas with costulate sculpture of equal width except distal one slightly larger; axilla through mesonotum with thick transversal ridges crossing mainly until mid width and obscuring the anterior edge of lunulae, few of the ridges go across its total width, remainder of anterior 1/2 mainly nitid; metanotum with rectangular shape and nitid; axilla through metanotum with 3 thick and short ridges across its width, remainder nitid; propodeum with midlongitudinal carina only present anteriorly and well cristate and transversal, spiracular and areolar carinae, anterolateral areas with fine and confused rugulose sculpture mixed with confused colliculate sculpture, costula completely present and spiracular area with few rugose sculpture present, posterior lateral areas and inside of areola (mainly present next to carinae) with rugulose sculpture which is contrastingly less dense and smoother than anterolateral areas, areolar medial area almost nitid; mesopleuron with anterior 1/3 with dense and confused punctate sculpture, sternauli demarked with transversal lineate sculpture throughout its length, dorsal edge with few, thick and scattered transversal ridges across its length, posterior edge nitid, epistomal scrobe with big and narrow scrobiculate sculpture, sternauli as a shallow longitudinal depression, remainder of mesopleuron nitid; metapleuron with mid pit present, pleural suture present with few transversal ridges throughout its length, dorsal and posterior edge with transversal ridges (less evident but more numerous at dorsal edge), area next to dorsal edge with confused punctate sculpture which becomes more foveate like towards posterior edge, remainder of posterior 1/2 of metapleuron with confused colliculate like sculpture scattered at this area.

Legs. Hind femur length = 0.68 mm; hind femur length/width = 2.84–3.00; hind tibia length/hind femur length = 1.19–1.26. Fore telotarsus normal but with two thick and long setae at internolateral area, shorter than basitarsus; hind telotarsus normal in shape but with thick setae at distal 1/4 of its length.

Wings. Forewing length = 2.95–3.38 mm; 1RS length = 0.10–0.12 mm; 1CUa length/1CUb length = 0.88–0.94; length RS+Ma = 0.40–0.44 mm; length M+CU = 0.91–0.94 mm; 1M length/ m-cu length = 2.13–2.28; pterostigma length/height = 1.00–1.26. Hind wing: 1M length = 0.38–0.42 mm; 1M length/2M length = 1.87–1.88; 1M length/M+CU length = 1.25–1.42; length r-m/length cu-a = 0.77–0.84; 1RSa length/ 2r-m = 1.00–1.25; 1A length = 0.18–0.20 mm.

Metasoma. First tergum basal width = 0.26–0.30 mm; first tergum length/distal width = 0.86–0.87; second tergum length/distal width = 0.38–0.42; third tergum length/distal width = 0.32–0.35; hypopygium length = 0.48–0.51 mm.

First metasomal tergum with middistal 1/3 of its length with an irregular depressed area which is almost nitid, remainder of tergum with areolate rugulose sculpture except mid area of anterior 1/3 which is almost nitid; second metasomal tergum with sinuate lineate longitudinal sculpture mixed with confused colliculate sculpture; remainder of terga nitid; ovipositor elongated but thick in lateral view and almost as long as hind tibial length; ovipositor sheaths elongated and almost totally covered by setae.

Male. Similar to female, but in males the sternauli’s transversal lineate sculpture is almost absent and very weak, and the number of costulae at the scutellar groove is seven instead of nine.

Material examined. Holotype, female, “[ USA], MO [Missouri], Shannon Co., Carr Creek, S[tate].F.[orest], [Col.] R.J. Marquis, 25/Jun/1990, site CCU12, ID# C202, em. 29/vi/1999, Quercus alva [ Fagaceae ].” Paratypes, one female: [ USA], MO [Missouri]. Carter Co., Peck Ranch, Big Spring Wildlife area, 28/viii/1994, (Col.) R.J. Marquis, site PR4142B6, ID#2026424, emerged 16/x/1994, on Q. vetulina (Fagaceae) , #166; one male, with same data as female paratype except: 25/vi/1995, site PRV142, ID#202K343, emerged 10/viii/1995, #578. Holotype and paratype deposited at INHS.

Comments. This is the second new recorded U.S. species (apart from the previously described P. aletiae (Riley)) and is easily separated from that species by the length of the setose area on the ovipositor sheaths; in P. aletiae is restricted to the distal tip of it, while in P. thrix setation is present almost throughout its exposed length.

Rearing records. Both specimens reared from Meganola minuscula (Noctuidae) feeding on Quercus vetulina (Fagaceae) according to Whitfield et al. (1999). Voucher numbers: MW#578 & MW#166.

Etymology. Gender, feminine. This species is named after the extended set of setae on their ovipositor sheaths; the term “qrivx” (=thrix) in Greek means hair, to make reference to the extended “hairy area” of the ovipositor sheaths.

Figures

FIGURE 7. Propodeum of Parapanteles lincolnii n. sp. (A), P. polus n. sp. (B), P. noae n. sp. (C), P.thrix n. sp. (D), P. paradoxus (Muesebeck) (E) and P. rarus n. sp. (F).

FIGURES 8. First metasomal tergum in dorsal view for Parapanteles thrix n. sp. (A), P. rarus n. sp. (B), P. scotti n. sp. (C), P. noae n. sp. (D), P.tessares n. sp. (E), and P.polus n. sp. (F).

FIGURE 9. Female genitalia of Parapanteles thrix n. sp. (A), P. rarus n. sp. (B), P. em n. sp. (C), P. paradoxus (Muesebeck) (D), P. continua n. sp. (E), and P. tessares n. sp. (F).

FIGURE 12. Wing venation of Parapanteles polus n. sp. (A), P. mariae n. sp. (B), P.thrix n. sp. (C), P. continua n. sp. (D), P. paradoxus (Muesebeck) (E), and P. noae n. sp. (F).