Alitha Cameron, 1906

Peris-Felipo, Francisco Javier, Santa, Fernando, van Achterberg, Cornelis & Belokobylskij, Sergey A., 2025, Review of the genera and subgenera of the subtribe Aspilotina (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Alysiinae), with a new illustrated key, ZooKeys 1229, pp. 133-200 : 133-200

publication ID	https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.1229.142489
publication LSID	lsid:zoobank.org:pub:9EE07D11-A890-4009-BDA7-92ABF8540512
persistent identifier	https://treatment.plazi.org/id/67364353-1597-50F9-9EC5-DAC33FF9535F
treatment provided by	ZooKeys by Pensoft (2025-02-26 15:25:51, last updated 2025-02-26 15:27:30)
scientific name	Alitha Cameron, 1906
status	stat. nov.

Treatment

Subgenus Alitha Cameron, 1906 , stat. nov.

Alitha Cameron, 1906: 28; van Achterberg 1988: 9. View in CoL

Carinthilota Fischer, 1975 View in CoL , syn. nov.

Type species.

Alitha longipennis Cameron, 1906 , by monotypy (lost).

Material examined.

Holotype ( Carinthilota parapsidalis ) (Figs 12 View Figure 12 , 13 View Figure 13 ) Austria: • ♀, Kärnten (88), 1 km O. Heft b (ei) Hüttenberg , 1000–1100 m, 25. viii. 1973 (Fischer leg.) ( NHMW) . Holotype ( Carinthilota vechti ) The Netherlands: • ♀, Putten (Gld.), Malaise trap, 24–28. ix. 1970 (J. v. d. Vecht leg.) ( RMNH) .

Diagnosis.

This subgenus has all main characters of Dinotrema sensu stricto but differs from it by having the notauli more or less complete posteriorly, reaching or almost reaching the mesoscutal pit.

Remarks.

Despite the loss of the type material of Alitha Cameron, 1906 described from South Africa ( van Achterberg 1988) and thanks to the relative complete description of this genus given by Cameron (1906) and the additional comments by van Achterberg (1988), Alitha is considered a subgenus of Dinotrema (stat. nov.). Moreover, the genus Carinthilota Fischer, 1975 is considered a junior synonym of the subgenus Alitha (syn. nov.) because both share identical diagnostic characters. Unfortunately, so far only four Palaearctic and Oriental species are known and no studied specimens from the Afrotropical region.

The development of the notauli in Alitha species is highly variable: usually they are developed as rows of closely circular grooves more or less reaching the medio-posterior mesoscutal pit [ Dinotrema (A.) longipennis ( Cameron, 1906) , comb. nov., D. (A.) parapsidalis ( Fischer, 1975) , comb. nov. and D. (A.) vechti ( van Achterberg, 1988) , comb. nov.] while the distal part of the notauli is more or less reduced in the two Eastern Palaearctic species [ D. (A.) lada (Belokobylskij, 1998) , comb. nov. and D. (A.) mavka (Belokobylskij, 1998) , comb. nov.]. The variable development of the notauli supports our opinion that the presence of nearly complete notauli in several genera of Aspilota group ( Dinotrema and Orthostigma ) is an unsuitable generic character; at most it may be used provisionally at subgeneric level.

References

Cameron P (1906) Descriptions of new species of parasitic Hymenoptera chiefly in the collection of the South African Museum, Cape Town. Annals of the South African Museum 5: 17-186.

Cameron P (1906) Descriptions of new species of parasitic Hymenoptera chiefly in the collection of the South African Museum, Cape Town. Annals of the South African Museum 5: 17–186.

Fischer M (1975) Alysiinen - Wespen aus der Umgebung von Huttenberg in Karnten (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Alysiinae). Carinthia 2: 303-342.

van Achterberg C (1988) The genera of the Aspilota - group and some descriptions of fungicolous Alysiini from the Netherlands (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Alysiinae). Zoologische Verhandelingen Leiden 247: 1–88.

Figures

Figure 12. Dinotrema (Alitha) parapsidalis (Fischer, 1975), comb. nov. (holotype, female) A habitus, lateral view B head and mesosoma, lateral view C mandible D antenna E head, front view F head and mesonotum, dorsal view.

Figure 13. Dinotrema (Alitha) parapsidalis (Fischer, 1975), comb. nov. (holotype, female) A propodeum B first metasomal tergite, dorsal view C fore and hind wings.