Meteorus gigas Aguirre, Shaw and Jones

Fernández, Helmuth Aguirre, Shaw, Scott R. & Jones, Guinevere Z., 2010, A new Meteorus Haliday species from Colombia and Ecuador (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), Zootaxa 2453, pp. 55-61 : 56-60

Meteorus gigas Aguirre, Shaw and Jones , sp.nov.

( Figs 1–9 )

Description. Holotype female. Body length 8.3 mm. Mostly black, except antenna brown with white annulus comprising F11–F21; mandibles yellow basally, testaceous medially; palpi yellow; fore coxa testaceous posterodorsally; fore tibia dark brown; wing membrane slightly infused; wing venation, pterostigma dark brown; first tergite yellow basally, apically; second tergite yellow near spiracle; ovipositor, sheath dark brown.

Head. Antenna with 33 flagellomeres; flagellar length/width ratios as follows: F1 = 5.37, F2 = 5.25, F3 = 3.78, F21 = 1.67, F22 = 1.56, F23 = 1.65, F24 = 1.65, F2 5 = 1.65, F33 (apical flagellomere) = 2.62; head 1.25 x wider than height; eye large and protuberant, nearly parallel in anterior view; head height 1.44 x eye height; temples length 0.46 x eye length in dorsal view; maximum face width 1.31 x minimum face width; minimum face width 0.57 x clypeus width; malar space length 0.22 x mandible width basally; ocelli small, ocello-ocular distance 1.96 x ocellar diameter; mandibles not twisted; clypeus punctate; face rugulose; frons with shallow strigate depressions behind the scape; vertex smooth; occipital carina complete.

Mesosoma. Notauli distinct, foveate converging in rugose area, mesonotal lobes well defined; scutellar furrow with three distinct carinae; pronotum foveate-rugose; propleuron puncticulate; mesopleuron smooth, polished; sternaulus foveate; metapleuron rugose; propodeum carinate-rugose, distinct median, transverse carinae creating very large, defined areolae; median depression absent. Legs: hind coxa rugulose-punctate; tarsal claw simple.

Wings. Forewing length 6.41 mm.; vein m-cu antefurcal; second submarginal cell of forewing strongly narrowed anteriorly; vein r 0.81 x length of 3 RSa; 3 RSa length 0.82 x r-m length; 1M length 1.29 x cu-a length of hindwing; 1M length 0.81 x 1 r-m length.

Metasoma. First metasomal tergite without dorsopes; ventral borders of first tergite separated basally, joined apically; first tergite dorsally smooth; ovipositor long, thick at base, 3.33 x longer than first tergite.

Variation, female paratypes. Body length 8.0– 9.76 mm.; antenna with 30–34 flagellomeres; white annulus sometimes comprising F11–F20; F21 color varying from white to brownish-white to brown; head 1.21–1.3 x wider than height; head height 1.37–1.45 x eye height; temple length 0.46–0.53 x eye length in dorsal view; maximum face width 1.27–1.37 x minimum face width; minimum face width 0.53–0.61 x clypeus width; malar space length 0.21–0.31 x mandible width basally; ocello-ocular distance 1.96–2.5 x ocellar diameter. Forewing length 6.42–7.36 mm; vein r 0.7–1.12 x length of 3 RSa; 3 RSa length 0.57–0.83 x r-m length; 1M length 1.17–1.53 x cu-a length of hindwing; 1M length 0.82–0.9 x 1 r-m length; ovipositor 2.61–3.81 x longer than first tergite.

Variation, male paratypes. Body length 6.43–7.0 mm.; antenna black, without pale annulus; antenna with 30–36 flagellomeres; head 1.17–1.19 x wider than height; head height 1.63–1.72 x eye height; temples length 0.74–0.82 x eye length in dorsal view; maximum face width 1.07–1.12 x minimum face width; minimum face width 0.82–0.86 x clypeus width; malar space length 0.44–0.62 x mandible width basally; ocello-ocular distance 2.33–2.86 x ocellar diameter. Trochanter, along with fore and middle coxae, yellow. Forewing length 5.9–6.25 mm.; vein r 0.97–1.33 x length of 3 RSa; 3 RSa length 0.43–0.77 x r-m length; 1M length 1.21–1.57 x cu-a length of hindwing; 1M length 0.8–1.02 x 1 r-m length. Metasomal tergum 1 yellowish-brown; T2 and T3 basally varying from yellowish brown to black.

Holotype data. Female (point mounted), COLOMBIA, Huila, Cueva de los Guacharos National Park, Cabaña Cedros, 1°37´N 76°6´W, 2100 m., Malaise trap, 4–18.ii.2002, C. Cortés leg, deposited in Instituto de Ciencias Naturales ( ICN) Entomological Collection, Universidad Nacional de Colombia.

Paratype data. 13 females and 19 males. COLOMBIA, Huila, same data as holotype except collected on the following elevations and dates: 2 females, 1950 m., 28.xi–2.xii.2001, D. Campos leg; 2 females, 2100 m., 6–27.iv.2002,. J. Fonseca leg; 1 male, 2100 m., 4–18.ii.2002; 2 females, 1 male, 2100 m., 27.iv–5.v.2002, J. Fonseca leg; 1 male, 2100 m., 27.xi–2.xii.2001, D. Campos leg; 1 male, 2100 m., 18.ii–7.iii.2002; 1 male, 2100 m., 20.iii–6.iv.2002, J. Fonseca leg; same date except collected by red traps on the following elevations and dates: 1 female, 1950 m., 30.xi.2001, D. Campos leg. COLOMBIA, Santander, 1 female, Tamá National Park, Municipio Toledo, Vda. La Camacha, Pozo Negro, 7º21'N 72º28'W, 2213 m., Malaise trap, 23.x–2.xi.2003, C. Leal leg, deposited in ICN. ECUADOR, Napo, 1 male, Yanayacu Biological Station, S 00°35.9’ W 77°53.4’, 2163 m, 1–8.ii.2008, J. Simbaña Macucoloma trail, Malaise trap, NSF-BSI-07–17458; same data except collected on the following dates: 1 female, 1–8.vi.2007; 2 females, 1–8.viii.2007; 1 male, 5–12.xi.2007; 1 male, 3–10.xii.2007; 4 males, 1–10.ii.2008; 1 male, 2–9.iv.2008; 1 female, 2 males, 1–10.vi.2008; same date except collected by yellow pans on the following dates: 2 males, 1–10.vii.2007; 1 female, 1–8.i.2008; 1 male, same data except collected by maxi net, 31.vii.2006, Andrew Townsend. Ecuador paratypes deposited in UWIM and MECN.

Etymology. The specific epithet is from the Latin gigas , meaning “giant” or “large,” in reference to the very large body size of this Meteorus species.

Comments. In the key to Costa Rican Meteorus species by Zitani et al. (1998) M. gigas keys to couplet 17 (near M. megalops Zitani ). This new species is most similar to M. megalops , sharing the following: mandibles not twisted, eyes large and protuberant ( Fig. 2–3 ), ocelli small, flagellum with white annulus medially ( Fig. 1 ), occipital carina complete, ventral borders of first tergite joined medially, separated basally and apically, and ovipositor long (2.61–3.81 x longer than first tergite) and thick at base ( Fig. 1 ). M. gigas differs in being strikingly larger (8.0 to 9.76 mm vs. 5.4 mm or less), having more flagellomeres (30–36 vs. 24–25), female eyes less convergent ventrally than M. megalops , in which these are strongly convergent in anterior view ( Figs 2–3 ). The notauli of M. gigas are strongly foveate ( Fig. 4 ) while in M. megalops the notauli are more finely foveolate ( Fig. 5 ). The propodeal sculpture is carinate-rugose in M. gigas ( Fig. 6 ) while carinate in M. megalops ( Fig. 7 ). The mesopleuron is more rugose in M. gigas ( Fig. 1 ) while smoother in M. megalops . The first metasomal tergite is dorsally smooth in M. gigas ( Fig. 8 ) while finely longitudinally costate in M. megalops ( Fig. 9 ). Additionally there are some obvious color differences: M. gigas body color is mostly black ( Fig. 1 ) while the M. megalops body color is dark brown. The fore and middle coxae of M. gigas are mostly black ( Fig. 1 ) while the fore and middle coxae of M. megalops are entirely yellow.

It is interesting to note that while more than 30,000 individual caterpillars have been reared so far in the Ecuador CAPEA project, including numerous examples of Geometridae and Noctuidae (known hosts for other Meteorus species), M. gigas has not yet been reared from a host caterpillar. On the other hand, sampling by Malaise traps (both in Ecuador and Colombia) has shown M. gigas to be a species that is active as flying adults during all months except August and September. The species has also been collected using yellow pans and by maxi-net, but not yet collected at black lights. This gap between sampling methods shows the importance of using diverse sampling methods for assessing biodiversity of Braconidae in an area, and provides clues about possible hosts. Since the common and apparent caterpillars of the low vegetation at Yanayacu have now been well-sampled, the absence of M. gigas reared from these hosts suggests that the species may selectively parasitize either very cryptic caterpillars, nocturnal caterpillars, caterpillars that feed high in the forest canopy, or the species may parasitize beetle hosts that are not yet being sampled in the Ecuador CAPEA project.

Figures

FIGURE 1. Lateral habitus of Meteorus gigas sp. nov.

FIGURES 2 – 5. Figure 2. Head of Meteorus gigas sp. nov., female, anterior view, 120 x. Figure 3. Head of Meteorus megalops Zitani, female, anterior view, 120 x. Figure 4. Anterior mesosoma of Meteorus gigas sp. nov., female, dorsal view, 100 x. Figure 5. Anterior mesosoma of Meteorus megalops Zitani, female, dorsal view, 150 x.

FIGURES 6 – 9. Figure 6. Propodeum of Meteorus gigas sp. nov., female, dorsal view, 120 x. Figure 7. Propodeum of Meteorus megalops Zitani, female, dorsal view, 180 x. Figure 8. First metasomal tergum of Meteorus gigas sp. nov., female, dorsal view, 100 x. Figure 9. First metasomal tergum of Meteorus megalops Zitani, female, dorsal view, 150 x.