Cremnops meabilis (Cresson)

Tucker, Erika M., Chapman, Eric G. & Sharkey, Michael J., 2015, A revision of the New World species of Cremnops Förster (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Agathidinae), Zootaxa 3916 (1), pp. 1-83 : 59-60

Cremnops meabilis (Cresson)

[ Plate 17 , Figs A–I]

Agathis meabilis Cresson, 1872 .

Diagnosis. This is one of the more variable species, however, typically it can be distinguished by a malar space shorter or equal to eye height, a 3–6 (usually strongly) pitted sternaulus, and usually two hind tibial spines (80% of specimens).

Description. Holotype: female. Body length 7 mm (6–8 mm).

Head (Figs C & F). Antennae broken on type specimen (35–41 flagellomeres). Acute dorsoapical projection on scape absent. Lateral carina of frons weak, ending immediately anteriad lateral ocellus. Interocellar space not elevated, level with lateral ocelli. Malar space 0.8x (0.7–1.0x) eye height. Apical tooth of mandible not extending past margin of basal lobe.

Mesosoma (Figs D, E & H). Subpronopes adjacent, separated by a partition wider than the longitudinal length of the dorsomedial portion of pronotum. Median mesonotal lobe weakly depressed medially. Notaulus foveolate (to smooth). Scutellar sulcus with 1 (1–3) longitudinal carina. Hind margin of posterolateral scutal flange not prominent; rather: 90° to obtuse (to lobed). Mesoscutellar trough with (to without) longitudinal carinae laterally. Metanotal trough without extensive longitudinal carinae laterally. Sternaulus with 4 (3–6) pits (sometimes weak); about 1/ 2x (1/3–1/ 2x) length of mesopleuron. Discrimen smooth. Medial propodeal areola with 4 (3–5) transverse carinae. Metapleuron rugose on ventral 1/3.

Hind leg (Fig. I). Femur length about 3x width. Trochantellar carina absent. Distal tibia with 2 (or 3, or 20% of specimens 4–8) spines. Claw missing on type specimen, inner tooth of inner and outer claws symmetrical (to asymmetrical), broad, angled quadrangular-shaped.

Fore wing (Fig. G). Melanic, or hyaline with melanic tint; veins melanic; stigma melanic. 2nd submarginal cell slightly higher than wide (to as high as wide). Hyaline spot in anterior part of 1st submarginal cell and basal part of 2nd discal cell.

Metasoma (Figs A & B). 1st median tergite length about 1.5x apical width, apical width about 2x basal width.

Body Color Orange, except black as follows: tibia and tarsus (to black: head, ventral half pronotum and mesopleuron, legs).

Biology. Host —According to label data, this species has been reared on Loxostege similalis (Guen.) , the Garden Webworm, which is a pest of alfalfa and corn ( Smith & Franklin 1954).

Adults Collected —March to December. It appears that during the colder seasons C. meabilis is primarily found in southern states (e.g. FL, SC, southern CA, etc.), although this could simply be a collecting bias.

Geographic Range —Pennsylvania west to Oregon, south to the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. See map in Appendix II.

Comments. Cremnops meabilis was previously synonymized with C. haematodes , however, upon examining the type specimens of both C. meabilis and C. haematodes (which was previously thought to be lost—see Marsh 1961), it is clear that the two holotypes are not the same species. In comparison, C. meabilis has a distinctly shorter malar space and usually only 2 hind tibial spines instead of 4–12.

Cremnops meabilis is difficult to distinguish from C. cameronii , with the best determinant being the collection locale. From molecular analyses that used samples of specimens with numerous morphological variations and collection localities, the distribution of C. meabilis appears to be restricted to Nearctic regions ( Canada south to the Isthmus of Tehuantepec), whereas the distribution of C. cameronii is Neotropical (the Isthmus of Tehuantepec into South America).

Material examined. HOLOTYPE: Agathis meabilis , female, Texas, type no. 1739.1, ( ANSP) (H3454); Agathis haematodes , male, Philadelphia, PA, Coll. M. Serville, ( MNHN) (H3446). Non-Types: 305 ( FSCA), 15 ( CAS), 12 ( ESSIG), 15 ( MCZ), 21 ( INHS), 6 ( MNNH), 12 ( UCFC), 26 ( CNC), 28 ( HIC), 11 ( UAIC). For holotype and additional images see Appendix VIII.

Figures

PLATE 17. Cremnops meabilis. A. lateral habitus; B. dorsal habitus; C. lateral head; D. mesopleuron; E. mesoscutum; F. face; G. wings; H. propodeum; I. hind leg.