Alphomelon nigriceps (Ashmead, 1900)

Fernandez-Triana, Jose L., Shimbori, Eduardo M., Whitfield, James B., Penteado-Dias, Angelica M., Shaw, Scott R., Boudreault, Caroline, Sones, Jayme, Perez, Kate, Brown, Allison, Manjunath, Ramya, Burns, John M., Hebert, P. D. N., Smith, M. Alex, Hallwachs, Winnifred & Janzen, Daniel H., 2023, A revision of the parasitoid wasp genus Alphomelon Mason with the description of 30 new species (Hymenoptera, Braconidae), ZooKeys 1175, pp. 5-162 : 5

Alphomelon nigriceps (Ashmead, 1900)

Fig. 57A-F

Other specimens examined.

(4 females, 2 sex unknown): CNC721046, CNCHYM 00046, CNCHYM 00044, CNCHYM 00043, CNC721045, CNC734964.

Distribution.

Argentina, Belize, Brazil (RO), Colombia, Cuba, Curacao*, Dominica, Grenada, Netherlands Antilles, Peru, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent, Trinidad & Tobago, Venezuela.

Biology.

Solitary, reared from Calpodes ethlius and unidentified hesperiid on corn Zea mays ( Deans et al. 2003).

DNA barcoding.

Two partial barcodes (234 and 458 bp).

Notes.

Based on CNC specimens we have studied, the Southern American specimens are darker than the ones from Central America and could represent a different species. In fact, and based on the sequences available to us, one Caribbean specimen (voucher code CNCHYM 00044, from Curacao, and with a partial barcode of 458 bp) is different from a South American specimen (voucher code CNCHYM 00045, from Argentina and with partial barcode of 573 bp). That information seems to indicate that at least two (and possibly three) different species are currently mixed within the name A. nigriceps ; however, in this paper we prefer to keep all specimens as one species until additional material and sequences become available for study.

Figures

Figure 57. Alphomelon nigriceps (Ashmead) female CNC 721046 A habitus, lateral B head, frontal C antennae, lateral D wings E propodeum and metasoma, dorsal F mesosoma, dorsal.