Adelius coloradensis Muesebeck, 1922

Shimbori, Eduardo M., Bortoni, Marco A., Shaw, Scott R., Souza-Gessner, Carolina Da S., Cerântola, Paula De C. M. & Penteado-Dias, Angélica M., 2019, Revision of the New World genera Adelius Haliday and Paradelius de Saeger (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Cheloninae: Adeliini), Zootaxa 4571 (2), pp. 151-200 : 165-168

Adelius coloradensis Muesebeck, 1922

( Figs 28–38 )

Adelius coloradensis, Muesebeck 1922: 14

Type material examined. Holotype, ♂; labels, top to bottom: 1. “ Ft. Collins, Col”; 2. “Type”; 3. “Collection Ashmead”; 4. “ Acoelius coloradensis Ashm ♂ ”; 5. Acoelius coloradensis Mues Type ♂, 6. “Type No. 23982 U.S.N.M.”; 7. “USNM-ENT (BARCODE) 00831965”. Type is in fairly good condition, except both antennae missing tips. Color, as compared with the description and more recently collected specimens, noticeably faded. Other material examined. U.S.A.: Arizona: 4♀ and 2♂, Cochise Co., Copper canyon, 1850m, 31°21’45”N 110°18’01”W, 29.VII.2002, D. Yanega; 1♀, Pima Co. Kitt Peak Rd. , Coyote Mts , 5km S Jet, Hwys 86 & 386, 31°59.32’N 111°33.79’W, 1300m, Malaise in wash, 2–12.V.2006, M.E. Irwin; 1♀ and 2♂, Gila Co. , 2km S Globe, malaise in Oak / Juniper hillside thicket, 33°14.12’N 110°46.92’W, 1480m, 15–20.V.2013 (UKHI); Mohave County , Hualapai Mountain Park , 11/ 12.IV.1986, host: Stigmella sp. on Rhamnus sp., D.L. Wagner: 1♀, emerged 18.V.1986; 1♀ and 2♂, emerged 21.V.1986; 1♀, emerged 22.V.1986; 2♀, emerged 24.V.1986 (INHS). California: 1♀, Morgan Hill , 7.IX.1939, C.E. Mickel col. (UMSP); 1♀, Napa / Lake Co. , Mc Laughlin Res., 04.VII.2015, emergence 25.VII.2015, ex. leafminer on Rhamnus californica , #1858, E. LoPrestit & C.S. Eiseman; 1♀, Tehama County , South Fork Battle Creek , 1000’, 5.V.1984, D.S. Chandler col., sweep willows (UWIM); 1♀ San Bernardino County , Granite Mt Res., 1350m, 34°41’N 115°39’W, MV, 18.V.2001, D. Yanega (UKHI); 1♀ Mendocino County , Van Damme State Park , Pygmy Forest , 23.IV.1983, emerged 20.V.1983, host: Stigmella sp. ( Nepticulidae ) on Ceanothus sp. ( Rhamnaceae ), D.L. Wagner; 1♀, Tuolumne County , nr. Kennedy Meadows , 29.VIII.1983, emerged 26.IX. 1 983, ex. Stigmella sp. on Rhamnus sp., D.L. Wagner; 1♀, Alameda County , East Bay Regional Park , H.Q. Oakland Hills, 11.VI.1983, emerged 11.VI.1983, ex Stigmella sp. on Rhamnus californica, D.L. Wagner ; 1♀, El Dorado County , 2.5 mi E. Kyburz, 9.VII.1983, emerged 28.VII.1983, ex Apophthisis sp. ( Gracillariidae ) on Rhamnus sp, J.B. Whitfield & D.L. Wagner; San Mateo County , San Bruno Mt. : 1♂, Radio tower Road , 18.I.1983, emerged 3.III.1983, host: Stigmella sp. on Rhamnus californica, D.L. Wagner ; 1♀, Radio tower Road , 1.II.1983, emerged 6.III.1983, ex. Stigmella sp. on Rhamnus sp., D.L. Wagner; 1♀, 27.IV.1986, emerged 7.VI.1986, host:? Coleophora sp. ( Coleophoridae ) on Lotus scoparius (Fabaceae), D.L. Wagner (INHS). New Mexico: 1♀, Taos County , Carson National Forest , 34 km S. Tres Piedras, Malaise in juniper/pinon, 36°20.61’N 105°53.59’W, 2210 m, 6–12.VII.2011, M.E. Irwin (UKHI). Oregon: 2♀, Lane Co. , Blue River , 9.III.2016, emergency 11–15.IV.2016, ex nepticulid on Frangula purshiana, M.W. Palmert & C.S. Eiseman #CSE 2357 (UWIM). Texas: 1♂, Dolan Falls Ranch, 5/ 7.V.1995, Malaise trap, J. O’Hara (UKHI); Travis County , Austin, Oak Hills, 27.XII.1987, host: Stigmella sp. on Quercus virginiana (Fagaceae), D.L. Wagner: 1♀, emerged 12.IV.1988; 1♀, emerged 21.IV.1988; 2♀, emerged 5.VIII.1988 (INHS). Wyoming: 1♀ and 1♂, Albany Co. , Pole Mt, Ungrazed Short Grass Prairie/ Limber Pine Forest Malaise Trap, Adjacent to active mtn pine beetle, 1–16.IX.2013, L. Haimowitz col.; 1♂, same data but, 41°13.143’N 105°26.983’W, 8640’, 14–18.VII.2014; 1♀ ,, Albany Co. , 434 Roger Canyon Rd, 9th St Near NE fence-line corner, 26.VII–2.VIII.2015 Malaise trap, L. Haimowitz, R. Lentsch, J. McFall col.; 1♀, same data but 11–18.VII.2014, L. Haimowitz col.; 1♂, Carbon County , Medicine Bow Natl. Forest , ¾ mi NE Hwy. 130 between miles 55 and 56, mixed forest near water 14–27.VII.1991 Malaise trap, M. Inayatullah; 1♂, same data but, 2 mi N on Rd 705, willow bog, 25.VI–1.VII.1991 (UWIM).

Description of female. Body length: 1.57–1.85 mm; fore wing length: 1.24–1.56 mm.

Color. The color of this species varies from completely dark brown to almost completely yellow; hind tarsi, propodeum medially, metanotum, apex of metasoma and most of flagellum dark brown; maxillary palpi vary from entirely pale brown to mostly whitish yellow with apical segment pale brown. Wings hyaline with two median faint bands separated by thin hyaline stripe.

Head. Length of head in dorsal view 0.59–0.60× longer than wide in dorsal view. Face mostly transversely rugose-striate, sometimes weakly so; clypeus superficially rugose to polished; eyes surrounded by short longitudinal striation or not; vertex rugose-striate, sculpturing concentric and covering all vertex to present only posteriorly; frons striated or smooth, distinctly excavated; temples weakly to strongly areolate-rugulose. Antenna with 18 flagellomeres, about as long as body; scape 2.0–2.2× longer than wide, slightly shorter than pedicel and first flagellomere combined; subapical flagellomeres expanded ventrally. Eye height 3.7–4.3× longer than malar space.

Mesosoma. Mesoscutum and scutellum punctate or finely imbricate-punctate, densely covered with short white setae. Scutellar sulcus deeply crenulate, with 9–11 divisions. Mesoscutellar trough with two crenulate tracks. Metanotum costate laterally and rugulose medially. Propodeum mostly polished with irregular surface; with transverse carina separating dorsal and posterior aspects; dorsal aspect with two pairs of longitudinal carinae, rugose medially; posterior aspect with three irregular lateral carinae and a v-shaped median carina. Notauli absent. Pronotum with ventral groove crenulate, remaining pronotum coriaceous. Mesopleuron mostly smooth, punctate anteriorly. Sternaulus extending over most of mesopleuron, sinuate and crenulate, region near sternaulus more or less striate. Metapleuron mostly smooth and posteriorly rugose to mostly costate.

Wings. Fore wing vein r absent, 2RS and 3RS apart, both veins merging into stigma, vein R1 0.15–0.25× stigma length; stigma 2.6–2.8× longer than high.

Legs. Hind tibial inner spur 0.15–0.18× the hind tibia length. All legs smooth. Mid coxa with transverse sulcus dorsally. Hind tibia enlarged apically, slightly narrower than hind femur, about 5× longer than maximum width

Metasoma. All terga smooth, except mid-longitudinal furrow at base of T1 sometimes weakly rugulose.

Variation. Most specimens from Wyoming are nearly completely dark brown, and also have stronger sculpturing on the head resembling concentric striation on the vertex and frons. The face is sometimes transversely rugose-striate and the clypeus sometimes rugose. Specimens from Arizona are mostly yellow with the metanotum and parts of the propodeum and metasoma brown or dark brown.

Male. Essentially as female. Eyes relatively smaller and wing infuscation usually weaker.

Diagnosis. Body color extremely variable, from mostly dark brown to mostly yellow. Fore wing vein r absent. Wings faintly to distinctly banded. Mesopleuron mostly smooth. Propodeum with one transverse and two pairs of longitudinal carinae, otherwise mostly polished except medially on dorsal aspect. Mid-basal sulcus of T1 deep and defined, sometimes areolate-rugolose.

Comments. Adelius coloradensis is the most common and widespread species in western North America. It presents considerable morphological variation; possibly some of the local variations constitute different cryptic species. Here we chose a broad inclusive sense of the species, with high color variation, usually with lighter specimens occurring in warmer regions. Compared with A. fasciipennis , A. coloradensis is a smaller, usually darker or smoother species. The hind tarsi of A. coloradensis are entirely brown and the antenna has the first one or two flagellomeres yellow, as compared with A. fasciipennis having the hind tarsi light yellow with tarsomere 5 brown and the flagellum with four basal flagellomeres yellow. The maxillary palpi in A. coloradensis have at least the apical segment pale brown, while the palpi are entirely whitish yellow in A. fasciipennis . Additionally, the ovipositor sheaths are slightly expanded and rounded apically in A. coloradensis , but narrow and acute apically in A. fasciipennis . The apical flagellomere is very short and rounded in A. fasciipennis , but longer and shortly pointed in A. coloradensis . This species is also similar to A. nigripectus . Comparison between those two species is made under the comments section for A. nigripectus .

Biology. Most of the specimens with host records were reared from mines of Stigmella sp. ( Nepticulidae ) on leaves of Rhamnaceae (i.e. Frangula sp., Frangula californica , Frangula purshiana and Ceanothus sp.), in Arizona, California and Oregon. A series of specimens from Texas were also reared from Stigmella sp. but in Quercus virginiana Mill. (Fagaceae) . There is one doubtful host record from Coleophora sp. ( Coleophoridae ) on Acmispon glaber (Fabaceae) , and one specimen reared from Apophthisis sp. ( Gracillariidae ) on Rhamnus sp.

Distribution. Adelius coloradensis is widespread throughout western U.S.A., in the states of Arizona, California, Colorado, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas and Wyoming. Muesebeck & Walkley (1951) recorded this species from Illinois and Louisiana, but these records need verification.

Figures

FIGURES 28–33. Adelius coloradensis Muesebeck. 28–29, ♀ holotype; 28, habitus, lateral; 29, mesosoma and base of metasoma, dorsal. 30–33, non type ♀; 30, habitus, lateral; 31, head and mesonotum, dorsal; 32, mesosoma, lateral; 33, propodeum and metasoma, dorsal.

FIGURES 34–38. Adelius coloradensis Muesebeck, non-type ♀s. 34, habitus of lighter colored ♀ from Arizona; 35–38, darker colored ♀ from Wyoming: 35, habitus; 36, head, frontal; 37, head, dorsal; 38, head, lateral.