New species of the genus Gnamptodon Haliday (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) from Neotropical region

Nova espécie do gênero Gnamptodon Haliday (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) da região Neotropical

Abstract

A new species of the genus Gnamptodon Haliday (Hymenoptera: Braconidae, Telengaiinae) from Brazil is described and illustrated. The new data now presented extend the geographical distribution and the number of species to this genus in neotropical region.

Keywords:
biodiversity; Brazil; taxonomy; Telengaiinae; parasitoid

Resumo

Uma nova espécie do gênero Gnamptodon Haliday (Hymenoptera: Braconidae, Telengaiinae) do Brasil é descrita e ilustrada. Os novos dados aqui apresentados ampliam a distribuição geográfica e o número de espécies para esse gênero na região neotropical.

Palavras-chave:
biodiversidade; Brasil; taxonomia; Telengaiinae; parasitoide

1. Introduction

Telengaiinae Tobias, 1962 are apparently koinobiont parasitoids of leaf-mining Nepticulidae (Lepidoptera) (Yu et al., 2016; van Achterberg, 1983a, b; Whitfield and Wagner, 1991; Shaw and Huddleston, 1991), Gracillariidae (Balevski and Tomov, 1997) and Heliozelidae (Williams, 2004). It is not yet known whether they are endo- or ectoparasitoids (Sharkey and Wharton, 1997). There are three New World genera including Exodontiella Wharton, 1978, Gnamptodon Haliday, 1837 and Pseudognaptodon Fischer, 1977. Species of Gnamptodon occur worldwide, including seven and one described Nearctic and Neotropical species, respectively (Fischer, 1977). Several records for the Neotropical Region are included in the Bold System particularly from Costa Rica. Jasso-Martinez et al. (2022, 2023) presented changes in classification of the Braconidae based on genomic data. Given the results of their phylogenomic analyses, and morphological similarities between Telegaia and gnamptodontines, they treated Gnamptodontini as a tribe within Telengaiinae.

Telengaiinae, formerly Gnamptodontinae (Sharkey et al., 2023), are recognized by the presence of a smooth, raised area at the base of the second tergite, of small body size, tipically less than 3 mm long, and absence of the epicnemial carina and, usually, the occipital carina (Sharkey and Wharton, 1997). The genus Gnamptodon can be recognized by having forewing vein RS of forewing ending far from the apex of the stigma and forewing vein r-m present.

2. Material and Methods

The material was collected by survey with Malaise traps in two different Brazilian biomes (Cerrado and Atlantic Forest). The studied material is deposited at “Coleção Taxonômica do Departamento de Ecologia e Biologia Evolutiva da UFSCar” (DCBU). Each examined specimen was given one unique collection catalog number (e.g. DCBU00000). Descriptions are based on females. Morphological terminology follows Sharkey and Wharton (1997) and Sharkey et al. (2023). Microsculpture terminology follows Harris (1979). Images were obtained using a Leica DFC295 camera attached to a Leica M165C stereomicroscope and stacked with the Leica Application suite software v3.7.0. Digital scanning electronic microscope (SEM) photographs of uncoated specimens were taken with a FEI Quanta 250 SEM in a low vacuum mode. Color digital photographs and measurements were taken with a Leica M250C stereomicroscope, using a Leica MC170 HD camera, LEICA APPLICATION SUITE software v. 4.12. ADOBE PHOTOSHOP CS5 Extended v. 12.1. was used for minor corrections of images and for the preparation of the plates. Unfortunately, our material did yield publishable results from COI barcode data.

3. Results

Gnamptodon ayri sp. nov. Penteado-Dias & Dias

(Figures 1 and 2)

Figure 1
Gnamptodon ayri sp. nov. 1, habitus, holotype female; 2, head frontal, holotype female; 3, propodeum and metasoma dorsal, holotype, female.

Figure 2
Gnamptodon ayri sp. nov. 4, head, mesoscutum and scutellum dorsal, paratype female; 5, head and mesosoma lateral, paratype, female; 6, part of mesosoma and tergite I, lateral, paratype female; 7, propodeum and metasoma dorsal, paratype, female.

Material—Holotype, female (Figure 1 (1)) (DCBU531662) “Brasil, São Carlos, SP. Parque Ecológico – Mata de Galeria; S21^o58’22” W47^o52’12”. Armadilha Malaise, 878m; 01.v.2022.R.C. Damasceno col”. Paratypes: 5 females (DCBU 18 315) “Brasil, Assis, SP. Estação Ecológica de Assis. S22^o36’42” W 50^o22’49,4”. 21.X.2009. Armadilha Malaise II, Soares, A.S. col.”; (DCBU 13 408) “Brasil, Assis, SP. Estação Ecológica de Assis. S22^o36’34,2” W 50^o22’54,9”. 21.X.2009. Armadilha Malaise IV Soares, A.S. col.”; (DCBU 53126) “Brasil, Jacutinga, MG, Morro da Forquilha, 22^o21’40,5”W 46^o 35’28,2”17.IX.2010, Armadilha Malaise V, I.F. de Melo col.”; (DCBU04228) “Brasil, Ribeirão Grande, SP., S14 ^o16’27,7”W48^o25’19,3”.Armadilha Malaise III. 23.VIII.2010; N.W. Perioto e eq.”; (DCBU100357) ”Brasil, Itatiaia, SP S22^o26’16,8”W44^o 36’41,4”(987m), 30.I.2012, R. F. Monteiro col.”

Female: Body length 1.3 mm, fore wing 1.5 mm

Head (Figure 1 (2), Figure 2 (4-5)). Antenna as long as body with 19-20 flagellomeres. Flagellomeres distinctly longer than wide. Head transverse; ocelli medium-sized, arranged in equilateral triangle; face laterally coriaceous (Figure 1 (2); occipital carina absent; malar space without malar suture; maxillary palp with five segments; labial palp with four segments, its third segment shorter. Eyes glabrous, face wider than long; weakly convex in lateral view; clypeus short and convex.

Pronotum with fine, incomplete pronotal carina, without pronope. Mesoscutum (Figure 2 (4)) smooth, polished, setose, as long as wide at the level of tegula; notauli crenulate with only anterior part distinct at anterior margin of mesoscutum; mesopleuron and metapleuron smooth (Figure 2 (5)), with scattered setae; precoxal sulcus, pleural sulcus and epicnemial area smooth (Figure 2 (5)). Prescutellar sulcus uniformily areolate. Scutellum and metanotum smooth, sparsely setiferous laterally; propodeum (Figure 1 (3), Figure 2 (7)) with short median carina and pentagonal posterior areola.

Wings. Wings entirely setiferous; vein r arising almost from middle of pterostigma. Marginal cell weakly narrowed, ending at apex of wing. Second submarginal cell present. Vein 2RS postfurcal. Vein r shorter than 2RS and r-m; 1cu-a slightly antefurcal or almost interstitial. Veins M and RS+M slightly evenly curved. Second subdiscal cell narrowing towards apex, closed apically. Vein 2CUb long, arising slightly posterior to level of vein 1CUb. Vein 2cu-a present. Hind wing with vein 1r-m straight and long. Basal cell wide. Vein M+CU shorter than vein 1-M. Vein m-cu rather long, distinctly oblique.

Legs. Hind femur long. Inner spur of hind tibia short. Basitarsus of hind leg as long as second to fifth segments combined

Metasoma (Figure 1 (3), Figure 2 (7)) mainly sculptured. Tergite I 1.2x longer than wide at widest point. Tergites I-II entirely sculptured; costate, with longitudinal carinae subparallel. Tergite II with median basal area smooth and polished, 0.3x as long as tergite; suture between second and third tergites distinct and crenulate; third tergite smooth, polished, with scattered setae and with two lateral crenulate lines; following tergites smooth and polished. Ovipositor as long as hind femur, weakly widened towards apex. Bristles distributed evenly across the ovipositor sheaths, longer than width of sheaths.

Color: Blackish, except maxillary palps and labial palps white, mandible yellow with blackish tip. Antennae brown with yellowish scape. Legs light yellow except apex of hind tibia and hind tarsus infuscate. Wings hyaline, venation of forewing and stigma evenly brownish. Metasoma blackish, sternites and ovipositor yellowish, sheaths blackish.

Male unknown.

Etymology: The name of species refers to very small size of specimens, in Tupy language.

Gnamptodon ayri sp. nov. differs mainly from G. novateutonicus Fischer, 1977, the only Neotropical described species, in that tergum 2 is striated; in G. novateutonicus tergum 2 is smooth.

Acknowledgements

We are thankfull to CNPq (Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico), FAPESP (Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo) and INCT–HYMPAR (Instituto Nacional de Ciência e Tecnologia dos Hymenoptera Parasitoides) for financial support. We are grateful to Luciana Bueno dos Reis Fernandes for taking the MEV images.

References

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Publication Dates

• Publication in this collection
  25 Oct 2024
• Date of issue
  2024

History

• Received
  10 Mar 2024
• Accepted
  11 July 2024