Pholetesor pinifoliellae

Whitfield, James B., 2006, Revision of the Nearctic species of the genus Pholetesor Mason (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), Zootaxa 1144 (1), pp. 1-94 : 32-33

The pinifoliellae ­group

I have included three species, all new, in this group, based on the following shared character states: 1) metanotum weakly retracted from scutellum, not or only barely exposing mesothoracic postphragma; 2) propodeal areola and transverse carinae weakly indicated (in P. dixianus ) or absent; 3) metasomal tergite 1 broad, coarsely sculptured; 4) tergite II broad, subquadrate, heavily sculptured and as long as III down midline; 5) tergite III strongly sculptured throughout, more or less rounded posterolaterally; 6) tergite IV unmodified, partially overlapped by III and similar in appearance to succeeding terga; 7) sternites 3–6 of female of uncertain condition (few specimens available for dissection); 8) hypopygium weakly creased submedially, setting off narrow, more translucent and flexible medial fold, usually produced at tip; 9) ovipositor sheaths arising below midheight of valvifers; 10–14) male genitalia not dissected and examined, larvae and cocoons not available; and 15) hosts (at least for P. pinifoliellae ) are needleminers on Pinus spp.

Phenetically the pinifoliellae ­group seems intermediate between the bucculatricis ­ and zelleriae ­groups, on the one hand, and the bedelliae ­group, on the other. The superficial resemblance to P. zelleriae in particular is quite strong, but the pinifoliellae ­group can be recognized by the medially weakly desclerotized, translucent hypopygial fold. It would be useful to obtain more material of these three species, particularly with associated host data, to allow dissection and examination of the sternites and male genitalia, as well as to determine the biological cohesiveness of the group. I expect that morphologically the unknown features will be found to resemble the bedelliae ­group.

The bedelliae ­group differs in having narrower first metasomal tergites, shorter second metasomal tergites, third tergites that are not posterolaterally rounded, and in attacking leafminers on broadleaf plants rather than on conifers.