Aleiodes nebulosus Townsend, 2009

Shimbori, Eduardo Mitio & Shaw, Scott Richard, 2014, Twenty-four new species of Aleiodes Wesmael from the eastern Andes of Ecuador with associated biological information (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Rogadinae), ZooKeys 405, pp. 1-81 : 54-55

Aleiodes nebulosus Townsend, 2009 Figures 82, 83

Diagnosis.

Body length 6.1 mm; antenna with 47 segments; head color honey brown with black ocellar triangle; malar space 1.2 × basal width of mandible; ocell–ocular distance 1.25 × width of lateral ocellus; occipital carina complete; mesopleuron granulate; apex of hind tibia with comb of flattened setae; propodeum granulate anteriorly and rugose posteriorlly, longitudinal carina complete; metasomal terga mostly dark brown–black, tergite 1 with antero-median off-white marking; ovipositor sheaths length about half of hind basitarsus length.

Additional characters.

Last flagellomere with short pointed tip; mesoscutum with complete and well defined carina bordering posterior margin; scutellar sulcus with seven carina; fore wing vein 1M slightly curved at base; hind wing vein 2-1A absent, vein m-cu present, distinctly antefurcal to vein r-m; ovipositor sheaths about as long as hind tarsomere II, 0.5 × hind basitarsus. Different than originally described, the sternaulus is absent.

Type material examined. (UWIM)

Biology.

Aleiodes nebulosus has been reared from unidentified Noctuidae caterpillar feeding on Acalypha platyphylla ( Euphorbiaceae ). One hyperparasitoid, Mesochorus sp. ( Ichneumonidae ), was reared from a similar mummy.

Distribution.

Known only from the type locality, Isla de Las Palmas, Napo province, ECUADOR, at 1,885 meters elevation.

Discussion.

Aleiodes nebulosus is known only by the holotype. In the Aleiodes seriatus species-group, Aleiodes nebulosus is similar to Aleiodes elleni sp. n. in having the occipital carina complete at vertex. These two species are also similar in color pattern because of the most yellowish head and mesoscutum, and the mostly dark brown to black metasoma with a whitish mark antero-medially. Distinguishing features between Aleiodes nebulosus and Aleiodes elleni sp. n. are presented in the discussion section for Aleiodes elleni sp. n.