Aleiodes arnoldii (Tobias, 1976)

van Achterberg, Cornelis, Shaw, Mark R. & Quicke, Donald L. J., 2020, Revision of the western Palaearctic species of Aleiodes Wesmael (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Rogadinae). Part 2: Revision of the A. apicalis group, ZooKeys 919, pp. 1-259 : 1

Aleiodes arnoldii (Tobias, 1976) Figs 72-73 , 74-79 , 80 , 81-92

Rogas (Rogas) arnoldii Tobias, 1976: 84, 222, 1986: 78 (transl.: 128).

Aleiodes (Neorhogas) arnoldi [sic!]; Papp 1985a: 152.

Aleiodes (Neorhogas) arnoldii ; Papp 1991a: 87.

Type material.

Holotype, ♀ (ZISP) "[Azerbaijan], Kosmoljan, Zuvan, 19.v.[1]936, Arnoldi", "Holotypus Rogas arnoldii Tobias".

Additional material.

1 ♂ (RMNH), " Turkey, Hakkâri, Tanin Tanin Pass, 25.vi.1985, 2200 m, C.J. Zwakhals". Male is provisionally associated with this species; it may belong to a related species.

Molecular data.

None.

Biology.

Unknown. The holotype was collected in May.

Diagnosis.

Maximum width of hypoclypeal depression 0.4-0.5 × minimum width of face (Fig. 78 ); clypeus obtuse apically and not protruding in lateral view (Fig. 77 ); length of malar space of ♀ 0.5-0.6 × height of eye in lateral view; antennal segments of ♀ 35-37 and length of antenna of ♀ 0.8-0.9 × fore wing; OOL sparsely punctate; lateral lobes of mesoscutum largely smooth; posterior half of notauli shallow; precoxal area coarsely vermiculate-rugose medially; head, palpi and part of mesosoma of ♀ yellowish brown; pterostigma dark brown; apex of hind tibia of ♀ yellowish; hind tarsal claws yellowish or brownish setose (Fig. 72 ); 4th-6th tergites of ♂ flat and normally setose, but setae slightly longer than on basal tergites (Fig. 92 ).

Description.

Holotype, ♀, length of fore wing 4.4 mm, of body 5.7 mm.

Head. Antennal segments of ♀ 37, length of antenna 0.85 × fore wing, its subapical segments quadrate; frons with rather coarse curved rugae, shiny, and rugose behind antennal sockets; OOL 2.0 × diameter of posterior ocellus, and finely remotely punctate, interspaces much larger than diameter of punctures; vertex spaced punctate, shiny; face transversely rugose; clypeus finely rugulose and with long setae; ventral margin of clypeus thick and not protruding forwards; width of hypoclypeal depression 0.45 × minimum width of face; length of eye 1.1 × temple in dorsal view (Fig. 79 ); vertex behind stemmaticum rugulose; clypeus near lower level of eyes; length of malar space 0.55 × length of eye in lateral view.

Mesosoma. Mesoscutal lobes largely smooth, shiny, sparsely and finely punctate; precoxal area of mesopleuron coarsely rugose, but absent posteriorly; metapleuron remotely punctate, interspaces much wider than diameter of punctures, shiny; mesopleuron above precoxal area (except speculum) punctate and dorsally rugose; scutellum sparsely punctate or punctulate, medio-posteriorly rugulose and with some striae laterally, no carina; propodeum evenly convex and coarsely vermiculate-rugose, medio-longitudinal carina strong in basal 0.6, and without tubercles.

Wings. Fore wing: just reaching apex of metasoma; r 0.35 × 3-SR (Fig. 74 ); 1-CU1 horizontal, 0.45 × 2-CU1; r-m unsclerotized; 2nd submarginal cell medium-sized (Fig. 74 ); cu-a vertical, straight; 1-M nearly straight posteriorly; 1-SR wide. Hind wing: marginal cell linearly widened, its apical width 2.2 × width at level of hamuli (Fig. 72 ); 2-SC+R subquadrate; m-cu distinct, but unsclerotized and as long as cu-a; M+CU:1-M = 15:9; 1r-m 0.7 × 1-M.

Legs. Tarsal claws subpectinate, with six yellowish medium-sized pectinal bristles; hind coxa obliquely striated dorsally, punctulate laterally; hind trochantellus robust; length of hind femur and basitarsus 3.6 and 4.6 × their width, respectively; length of inner hind spur 0.5 × hind basitarsus.

Metasoma. First tergite rather flattened, as long as wide apically; 1st and 2nd tergites coarsely longitudinally and densely rugose, robust and posterior corners of 1st protruding outside base of 2nd tergite, with distinct median carina; medio-basal area of 2nd tergite wide and short; 2nd suture moderately deep and crenulate; basal half of 3rd tergite longitudinally striate, remainder of metasoma largely smooth, punctulate; 4th and apical half of 3rd tergite without sharp lateral crease; ovipositor sheath wide, setose and apically truncate (Fig. 73 ).

Colour. Yellowish brown; mesosoma (except mesoscutum, scutellum medially, pronotum anteriorly and dorsally), ovipositor sheath, 3rd tergite (except antero-lateral corners) and following segments black; apical half of antenna, pedicellus, palpi, hind femur apico-dorsally, telotarsi, veins, parastigma basally and pterostigma dark brown; wing membrane rather brownish infuscate.

Variation. Antennal segments of ♀ 37(1). Male is largely black, except for 2nd tergite and anterior half of 3rd tergite (Fig. 80 ).

Distribution.

Azerbaijan, *Turkey.

Notes.

Easily confused with A. ruficornis ( Herrich-Schäffer); the relative size of the clypeus (wider and somewhat shorter in A. arnoldii than in A. ruficornis ) seems to be the main difference in both sexes. In addition, the female of A. arnoldii has the temple ventrally and the malar space yellowish brown (dark brown in A. ruficornis ). The male has darker legs and 1st metasomal tergite than the female (the sexes more similar in A. ruficornis ). Also reported from Uzbekistan (Yuldashev, 2006); the record from Poland (Huflejt, 1997) most likely concerns A. ruficornis ( Herrich-Schäffer). Aleiodes arnoldii sensu Farahani et al. (2015) concerns a species closely related to A. gasterator (Jurine) but has basal half of 3rd tergite coarsely longitudinally rugose, antenna of ♀ with 30-35 segments (of ♂ 36), head linearly narrowed ventrally and subbasal antennal segments of ♀ slightly slenderer.

Figures

Figure 80. Aleiodes arnoldii (Tobias), ♂, Turkey, Tanin Pass, habitus lateral.

Figures 72, 73. Aleiodes arnoldii (Tobias), ♀, holotype 72 habitus lateral 73 ovipositor sheath lateral. Photographs: K. Samartsev.

Figures 74 - 79. Aleiodes arnoldii (Tobias), ♀, holotype 74 wings 75 mesosoma lateral 76 antenna 77 head lateral 78 head anterior 79 head dorsal. Photographs: K. Samartsev.

Figures 81 - 92. Aleiodes arnoldii (Tobias), ♂, Turkey, Tanin Pass 81 wings 82 mesosoma lateral 83 mesosoma dorsal 84 metasoma dorsal 85 fore femur lateral 86 hind femur lateral 87 inner hind tarsal claw 88 head anterior 89 head dorsal 90 head lateral 91 base of antenna 92 apex of metasoma lateral.