Bracon laurae Rodríguez-Sánchez et Zaldívar-Riverón, 2022

Rodríguez-Sánchez, Edna, Giraldo-Kalil, Laura J., Quicke, Donald L. J. & Zaldívar-Riverón, Alejandro, 2022, Two new species of the braconid wasp genus Bracon (Braconinae) from Los Tuxtlas region in Veracruz, Mexico, reared from fruits of three species of Lauraceae, Zootaxa 5162 (1), pp. 67-77 : 70-72

Bracon laurae Rodríguez-Sánchez et Zaldívar-Riverón , sp. nov.

Diagnosis. Bracon laurae sp. nov. can be distinguished from the second species described here, B. rosamondae sp. nov., by having: 1) face smooth ( Figure 2B ) (coriaceous in B. rosamondae sp. nov.), 2) face without anterior longitudinal median carina ( Figure 2B ) (present in B. rosamondae sp. nov.), and 3) first metasomal tergum with an oval-like area ( Figure 2E ) (quadrangular in B. rosamondae sp. nov.). It can also be distinguished from the remaining two described species of the phytophagus species-group (see discussion) by having: 1) head and most part of mesosoma black, metasoma orange to honey yellow (body light brown with dark brown areas in head and mesosoma in B. zuleideae ; head black, mesosoma and metasoma largely yellow in B. phytophagus ); 2) notauli wide and distinct, almost reaching the end of mesoscutum (obsolescent, only indicated on anterior part of mesoscutum in B. zuleideae and B. phytophagus ); 3) antennae with 37–41 flagellomeres (45–49 in B. zuleideae ; 58 in B. phytophagus ); and 4) third tergum with a mid-longitudinal carina that extends on basal third of tergum (absent in B. zuleideae and B. phytophagus ).

Description. Female holotype. Body length 5.2 mm; fore wing 5.9 mm ( Figure 2A ). Ovipositor 4.0 mm. Colour. Head black, with a honey yellow stripe surrounding the anterior part of eye; mandibles dark brown; antennae black; maxillary and labial palps dark brown; mesosoma mostly black, metanotum and median area of propodeum honey yellow; metasomal terga orange to honey yellow; legs black, trochanter and trochantellus honey yellow. Wings infuscate, stigma and veins dark brown to brown. Ovipositor sheaths broken, ovipositor light yellow, honey yellow apically.

Head. Width 1.35 times its median length. Vertex, frons and temple smooth and polished, frons slightly excavated; face smooth, without anterior longitudinal median carina, with dense, long setae laterally and posteriorly ( Figure 2B ). Clypeus transversally rugulose, with long, dense setae at the base. Transverse diameter of eye 1.1 times wider than temple. Eye 1.36 times higher than wide. Malar space 0.3 times height of eye. Antennae shorter than length of body, with 39 flagellomeres (one antenna broken); radicule punctate, scape and pedicel smooth and densely pilose; flagellomeres short and broad, cylindrical; first and second flagellomeres 1.6 and 1.5 times longer than wide, respectively; first flagellomere 1.1 times longer than second; terminal flagellomere acuminate.

Mesosoma. Length 1.7 times than its maximum height, mostly smooth and polished. Pronotal groove wide, deep and smooth. Notauli distinct, wide and smooth, not joining, almost reaching the end of mesoscutum ( Figure 2D ). Scutellar disc smooth, with long, dense setae. Scutellar sulcus narrow, with 12 transversal carinae. Mesopleuron smooth, with a dense transversal row of setae ( Figure 2C ). Metapleuron smooth and densely pilose. Propodeum smooth and polished, with a complete median longitudinal carina.

Wings. Fore wing length 3.4 times its maximum width ( Figure 2F ). Pterostigma 3.2 times longer than width. Vein R1 1.4 times longer than pterostigma. Vein 3RSa 2.6 times longer than vein r, 0.5 times as long as vein 3RSb, 1.3 times longer than vein 2RS. First submarginal cell 1.8 times longer than wide, as long as first discal cell. Hind wing length 4.3 times longer than wide. Vein M+CU 0.5 times as long as vein 1M.

Legs. Coxae, femora and tibiae smooth, with long, dense setae. Tarsal claws with basal lobe. Basitarsus of fore tarsus 0.6 times as long as second to fifth segments combined. Hind coxa 1.5 times longer than its maximum width.

Metasoma. Metasoma 0.9 times as long as head and mesosoma combined. First tergum short, 0.4 times as long as its maximum width, with an oval-like shaped area surrounded by four lateral carinae, dorsolateral carinae very strong ( Figure 2E ). Second tergum mostly smooth, 0.4 times as long as its maximum width, with a medium-sized, nearly quadrangular area formed posteriorly into a mid-longitudinal carina that extends almost at the end of tergum ( Figure 2E ). Third tergum smooth, 0.4 times as long as its maximum width, with weak but distinct anterolateral triangular areas and a mid-longitudinal carina that extends on basal third of tergum. Second tergum with a pair of dorsolateral grooves. Remaining terga smooth. Hypopygium sharply pointed. Ovipositor 1.7 times longer than metasoma, slender; dorsal valve with a single nodus, ventral valves apically with five serrations.

Variation. Body length 5.0– 7.5 mm. Mandible, maxillary and labial palps, mesopleuron, metapleuron and legs dark brown to black; notauli, scutellar disc and propodeum honey yellow to black; metasoma orange to honey yellow. Antennae with 37–41 flagellomeres. Eye 1.4–1.8 times as high as broad. Head and mesosoma dull to polished. Second metasomal tergite with a quadrangular or drop-like median basal area.

Males. Unknown.

Type locality. Los Tuxtlas Biosphere Reserve, Veracruz, Mexico.

Etymology. This species was named after the family of the plant species from which this species was reared ( Lauraceae ).

Type material. Holotype ( CNIN IBUNAM): Female. México: Veracruz, San Andrés Tuxtla , 18.50769 N – 95.169064 W, 2-L, Giraldo-Kalil.

Paratypes ( CNIN IBUNAM) : 4 females. México: Veracruz, San Andrés Tuxtla , 18.468164 N – 95.169924 W, 7,384- L. Giraldo-Kalil; 18.50769 N – 95.169064 W, CNIN-3312 [GenBank accession nos ON324506 ( COI), ON332040 (28S)] ; 18.508141 N – 95.170142 W, CNIN-3311 [GenBank accession no. ON332039 (28S)] .

Figures

FIGURE 2. Bracon laurae sp. nov. (female, holotype) reared from Damburneya salicifolia fruits.A) habitus in lateral view; B) head, frontal view; C) head and mesosoma, lateral view; D) head and mesosoma, dorsal view; E) first metasomal tergum, dorsal view (paratype); F) fore and hind wings.