Meteorus oreo Jones

Jones, Guinevere Z. & Shaw, Scott R., 2012, Ten new species of Meteorus (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) from Ecuador reared at the Yanayacu Biological Center for Creative Studies, Zootaxa 3547, pp. 1-23 : 14-16

Meteorus oreo Jones , new species

( Figs 34–37 )

Holotype Female. Body length 5.0 mm; fore wing length 5.0 mm.

Body color: Face cream, head black; mandibles white with brown teeth; palpi white; forecoxae white; fore tibia light brown; wings transparent dark brown with dark brown venation; mesonotum black; posterior face of propodeum white, dorsal surface black; first metasomal segment white; tergum two black; ovipositor cream with brown sheath.

Head: Holotype has both antennae broken, right antenna broken at F9, left antenna broken at F15; ocelli small with OCOD /OCD ratio 1.5; eyes large, head height 1.4 X eye height; eyes nearly parallel with the face maximum width/minimum width 1.1; malar space 3.4 X the mandible width; mandibles strongly twisted; clypeus sculpture not visible due to debris on holotype; face and frons smooth; complete occipital carina.

Mesosoma: Notauli heavily foveately sculptured, mesonotal lobes well defined; broad scutellar furrow with one median cross-carina; pronotum smooth; mesopleuron smooth and finely punctate, sternaulus shallowly foveate and slightly oblique; metapleuron and propodeum rugose.

Legs: Smooth hind coxae; tarsal claw simple.

Wings: Vein r 1.1 X longer than vein 3 RSa; at 2RS insertion point presence of (RS + M)b, vein r 4 X longer than (RS + M)b.

Metasoma: Ovipositor long, twice as long as tergite one; tergite one smooth ( Fig. 34 ).

Variation of paratype males. Body length 4.5 mm; face yellow; clypeus smooth with large punctuations; 30 antennal flagellomeres.

Cocoon ( Fig. 36 ). Light brown; heavily baled in silk; no cap; corpus 5.0 mm long.

Material examined.

Holotype female: Ecuador: Napo Province, reared at Yanayacu Biological Station with database number YY #13588, S 00°35.9’ W 77°53.4’, 2163 m, collected 6 April 2006, Plot 201, parasitoid pupated 19 April 2006, adult wasp emerged 16 May 2006, host caterpillar Dysschema palmeri (Arctiidae) , associated plant Psychotria ferreyrae (Rubiaceae) . Deposited in UWIM.

Paratype: Ecuador: Napo Province, one male, reared at Yanayacu Biological Station with database number YY #13560, S 00°35.9’ W 77°53.4’, 2163 m, collected 6 April 2006, Plot 200, parasitoid pupated 19 April 2006, adult wasp emerged 9 May 2006, host caterpillar Dysschema palmeri (Arctiidae) , associated plant Psychotria ferreyrae (Rubiaceae) . Deposited in UWIM.

Distribution. Known only from the type localities in Napo Province, Ecuador.

Biology. Meteorus oreo is a solitary species reared from an arctiid larvae, Dysschema palmeri Druce ( Fig. 37 ), which were found feeding on Psychotria ferreyrae (Rubiaceae) .

Etymology. With the majority of the body dark in color, with a white middle, this species resembles an Oreo cookie ( Fig. 34 ).

Comments. There are many features about this species that makes it unique: the host plant, host caterpillar, coloration, and morphological characteristics. Other families of Lepidoptera ( Geometridae , Limacodidae , Pyralidae ) have been found feeding on this or similar host plants, but none of those caterpillars have yielded any parasitoids. Only this arctiid feeding on this plant results in a parasitoid emergence.

Additionally, the stark white and black coloration is unusual within Meteorus and is distinctive. Morphologically, having both a smooth clypeus and a smooth first tergite are remarkable as well. M. oreo is most similar to M. luteus , but can be distinguished by its stark black and white coloration and rugose metapleuron and propodeum. In contrast, M. luteus has an orange head and yellow body, smooth metapleuron, and areolate-rugose propodeum.

Figures

FIGURES 34 – 37. 34. — Lateral habitus of Meteorus oreo, new species: holotype female; 35. — Face of Meteorus oreo, new species: holotype female; 36. — Cocoon of Meteorus oreo, new species; 37. — Host of Meteorus oreo, new species: Dysschema palmeri Druce (Lepidoptera: Arctiidae).