Occurrence of the genus Caingangia Marsh (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) in Argentina, with the description of a new species

Ocorrencia del género Caingangia Marsh (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) para la Argentina, con la descripción de una nueva especie

SYSTEMATCS, MORPHOLOGY AND PHYSIOLOGY

Occurrence of the genus Caingangia Marsh (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) in Argentina, with the description of a new species

Ocorrencia del género Caingangia Marsh (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) para la Argentina, con la descripción de una nueva especie

Juan J. Martinez

Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de La Pampa, Avda. Uruguay 151, L6300CLB Santa Rosa, La Pampa, Argentina, [e-mail]

ABSTRACT

The doryctine braconid wasp genus Caingangia Marsh is recorded for the first time from Argentina, based on specimens of C. wesa sp. nov. which is described and illustrated. A key to known species of the genus is provided.

Key words: Doryctinae, systematics, new species, new record

RESUMEN

El género Caingangia Marsh se cita por primera vez para la Argentina en base a especímenes de C. wesa sp. nov. que se describe e ilustra. Se brinda una clave para identificar las especies del género.

Palabras clave: Doryctinae, sistemática, nueva especie, nuevo registro

The Doryctinae is one of the most diverse subfamilies in the family Braconidae with an unusually large number of genera, specially in the tropics (Marsh 1997). There are about 140 described genera (Braet et al. 2003), although many of them are known from a single or a few species and their biology is poorly understood compared to the diversity of this subfamily (Marsh 1997).

The genus Caingangia Marsh was established to include a single species, C. flavokolos Marsh, from Santa Catarina, Brazil (Marsh 1993). Recently Braet & van Achterberg (2001) described the second species of the genus, C. delicata Braet & van Achterberg, from French Guyana, and Marsh (2002) reports, but does not describe, an additional species from Costa Rica. The aim of this work is to describe C. wesa sp. nov., from La Pampa province, which represents the first record of the genus in Argentina.

Material and Methods

The specimens were collected with a net on grasses associated with forests dominated by Prosopis caldenia Burkart (Fabaceae), at the southern most district of the espinal biogeographical province (Cabrera & Willink 1973).

The specimens examined are housed at Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales "Bernardino Rivadavia" (MACN).

Results and Discussion

Caingangia Marsh

Caingangia Marsh, 1993: 9. Type species: Caingangia flavokolos Marsh, 1993: 10 (by original designation)

Distribution. Known only from type localities of C. delicata (French Guyana), C. flavokolos (Brazil) and C. wesa sp. nov (Argentina), but also apparently present in Costa Rica.

Caingangia wesa sp. nov.

(Figs. 1, 2, 3)

Etymology. The specific name derives from Ranquel, a dialect of Mapuche from La Pampa, and means beautiful, in reference to the appearance of this wasp.

Diagnosis. Second metasomal suture and transverse groove of third tergite widely scrobiculate; basal half of third tergite finely reticulate rugose; ovipositor sheath about 0.9 times body length; scutellum weakly coriaceous; 22 antennomeres; legs yellow with tarsi and mid coxae brown, and hind coxa black; triangular area on metasomal tergite II delimited by two converging yellowish lines.

Female. Body length: 2.82 mm, ovipositor: 2.52 mm, fore wing 2.04 mm.

Colour – Body black; scape, mandibles, mid coxae and tarsi brown; remainder of legs brownish yellow, except hind coxae which are black; wings hyaline; veins brown, lighter basally; metasomal tergite II with two converging yellowish lines that enclose a triangular area pointing to metasomal apex; tergite III with a median yellowish line on basal half (Fig. 1).

Head – Oral opening oval, diameter greater than length of malar space; face strigate except a thin, smooth median line from toruli to clypeus, vertex and temples strigate, frons smooth medially and finely strigate near orbits; eyes large, malar space 0.28 times eye height, temples 0.45 times eye width; ocellocular distance about twice diameter of lateral ocellus; occipital carina meeting hypostomal carina; 22 antennomeres.

Mesosoma – Length of mesosoma 1.87 times its maximun height; pronotum smooth with a transverse groove; propleuron convex and smooth; mesopleuron mostly smooth and glabrous, sternaulus distinct, deep in middle; mesonotum strigate-rugose, notauli scrobiculate anteriorly, obscured near scutelum by rugose-costate area; scutelum weakly coriaceus; propodeum rugose areolate, without conspicuous carinae, only median carina weakly defined on basal half.

Wings – Hyaline, membrane completely setose, forewing with vein r-m absent, cell 2CU open at apex, vein 2cu-a absent; hindwing vein CU present (Fig. 2)

Metasoma – Length of first tergite 0.88 times its apical width, rugose areolate, with two strong lateral carinae on basal half; second metasomal tergum rugose-areolate, triangular area poorly defined by two short scrobiculate grooves on basal 1/5 and by coarser sculpture, third metasomal tergite alveolate basally and smooth apically, with scrobiculate groove across basal 1/3; remainder of terga coriaceous basally, smooth apically.

Male. Essentially as in female, body length: 3.21 mm, fore wing: 2.16 mm, hind wing with a stigma like swelling at junction of veins R1 and Rs (Fig. 3).

Biology. Unknown

Remarks.C. wesa sp. nov. represents the southern most record of the genus (Central Argentina) and is the first species known to occur in a semiarid environment.

Material examined. Holotype female. ARGENTINA, La Pampa, Reserva Provincial "Parque Luro" (Departamento Toay), 15-III-03, Martinez col. (MACN). Allotype. 1 male, same data as holotype (MACN).

Key to Known Species of Caingangia

The key provided by Braet & van Achterberg (2001) should be modified as follows:

1 - Second metasomal suture and transverse groove of third tergite narrowly and finely crenulate; basal two thirds of third tergite smooth and strongly shiny; ovipositor sheath slightly longer than body, scutellum largely smooth and sparsely punctate; French Guyana ......................C. delicata Braet & van Achterberg, 2001

1' - Second metasomal suture and transverse groove of third tergite widely crenulate; basal two thirds of third tergite finely reticulate rugose; ovipositor sheath about 0.9 times body length; scutellum weakly coriaceous ................ .2 2 - 24 or 25 antennomeres, triangular area on metasomal tergite II clearly defined by sculpture; metasoma black; legs entirely yellow, except hind coxae which are black; Brazil .......................................................C. flavokolos Marsh, 1993 2' - 22 antennomeres, triangular area on metasomal tergite II poorly defined by sculpture but instead delimited by two converging yellowish lines that continue as a single median line on basal half of tergite III (Fig. 1); legs yellowish, except tarsi and mid coxae which are brown and hind coxae which are black; Argentina ......................................................................C. wesa sp. nov.

Acknowledgments

I thank Dr. Edsel Brussa and Dr. Aníbal Prina for their help. Grateful thanks are extended to Dirección Provincial de Fauna and Dirección Provincial de Turismo, Gobierno de la Provoncia de La Pampa, for allowing me to collect specimens in a protected area. I also thank two anonymous reviewers for helpful suggestions to improve the manuscript.

Literature Cited

Received 22/IV/04. Accepted 22/IX/04.

• Braet, Y. & C. Van Achterberg. 2001. New taxa of the subfamily Doryctinae Foerster (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) from French Guiana and Brazil. Zool. Med. Leiden. 75: 119-136
• Braet, Y., S.M. Barbalho & C. Van Achterberg. 2003. Description of four new genera and nine new species of Doryctinae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) from French Guyana. Zool. Med. Leiden. 77: 93-125
• Cabrera, A.L. & A. Willink. 1973. Biogeografía de América Latina. Monografía 13, Serie de Biología, OEA, Washington, D.C. 122p.
• Marsh, P.M. 1993. Descriptions of new western hemisphere genera of the subfamily Doryctinae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae). Contr. Am. Entomol. Inst. 28: 1-58.
• Marsh, P.M. 1997. Subfamily Doryctinae. In R.A. Wharton, P.M. Marsh & M.J. Sharkey (eds), Manual of the new world genera of the family Braconidae (Hymenoptera). Spec. Publ. Int. Soc. Hym. 1: 206-233.
• Marsh, P.M. 2002. The Doryctinae of Costa Rica (excluding the genus Heterospilus). Mem. Amer. Entomol. Inst. 70: 1-319.

Publication Dates

• Publication in this collection
  22 Mar 2005
• Date of issue
  Feb 2005

History

• Received
  22 Apr 2004
• Accepted
  22 Sept 2004