Simulatus parasitoid wasp (Doryctobracon simulatus) described based on specimens previously as Doryctobracon fluminensis

NEWS - Simulatus parasitoid wasp (Doryctobracon simulatus Marinho sp. nov.) ditegakkan sebagai species baru bagi sains berdasarkan spesimen yang sebelumnya diidentifikasi sebagai Doryctobracon fluminensis (Lima). Deskripsikan ulang D. fluminensis dan definisi ulang batas-batas Doryctobracon maculatus Marinho menunjukkan pentingnya melestarikan spesimen voucher dalam koleksi untuk penelitian.

Doryctobracon Enderlein adalah parasitoid larva Tephritidae (Diptera) yang hidup di wilayah Nearktik dan Neotropis. Dari 16 spesies yang diketahui, 13 adalah parasitoid lalat pemakan buah, satu spesies berasosiasi dengan tephritid pada bunga dan 2 spesies yang tersisa tidak diketahui jenis inangnya.

Tujuh spesies tercatat di Brazil, semuanya parasitoid lalat buah: Doryctobracon areolatus (Szépligeti), Doryctobracon adaimei Marinho & Penteado-Dias, Doryctobracon brasiliensis (Szépligeti), Doryctobracon crawfordi (Viereck), Doryctobracon fluminensis (Lima), Doryctobracon maculatus Marinho dan Doryctobracon whartoni Marinho & Penteado-Dias.

Doryctobracon simulatus is braconid parasitoid wasp dalam Opiinae (Braconidae) dengan male body length 5.4 mm. Head. 1.3–1.4× wider than high; 1.3× wider than width of mesoscutum; face polished and shiny, with smooth, slightly developed median crest that originates between toruli and slightly exceeds mid-length of clypeus; antenna longer than body, 5.8–6.4 mm long, excluding scape and pedicel; with 43 to 45 flagellomeres, first and second flagellomeres of equal length and width.

Eyes large, 1.25× higher than wide; in lateral view, eye 1.66× longer than temple length; malar space 0.5× eye height. Malar space approximately equal to basal width of mandible (0.2 mm). Clypeus 2.5–3.0× wider than high, slightly sinuous on ventral margin, with setae two to three times longer than setae on face.

Mesosoma 1.26–1.28× longer than high; 1.9–2.0× longer than wide; 1.5× higher than wide. Pronotum not visible dorsally; mesoscutum polished, shiny, with few bristles; notaulices smooth, complete, deep anteriorly, slightly shallower posteriorly, converging into large impression without midpoint; scutellar groove divided into two large pits by median longitudinal carina; scutellum smooth with small punctures; mesopleuron shiny, smooth, with slight longitudinal impression.

Propodeum with short anterior mid-longitudinal carina (0.1 mm long) with long setae, followed by posterior areola, this carina having inconspicuous striae laterally. Pentagonal propodeal areola imperfectly closed by anterior transverse carinae and median longitudinal carina of areola, which appear to be separate but are closed by narrow carina.

Sinuate carina present in center of areola and similar to continuation of anterior median longitudinal carina, which may be quite distinct. Anterior transverse carina of areola disappears toward lateral longitudinal carina.

Median longitudinal carina of areola and lateral longitudinal carina are united by posterior transverse carina, forming two posterolateral loops that may have a very noticeable carina or protuberance in the center of each loop.

Metasoma 2.0–2.4× longer than wide and 1.3–1.5× wider than high; T1 length 1.0–1.1× greater than width at apex; T1 apex about 1.5× wide at base; T1 with two parallel dorsal carinae, just above spiracles, well developed at base but indistinct posteriorly; T1 smooth and polished, but with small punctures of varying size that follow inner margins of carinae from posterior half, sitting in very shallow groove; spiracles at midpoint of T1. Remaining terga completely smooth, polished and shiny.

Fore wings 4.3–4.9 mm long; stigma 3.0–3.3× longer than wide, (RS+M)a 1.5–2.0× longer than 3RSa; 2RS 1.2–1.63× longer than 3RSa, 1.6× longer than 1m-cu and 2.5× longer than r-m; 1m-cu directly in line with 2RS; 3RSa 1.9–3.0× longer than r vein; 2M 1.7–2.3× longer than 3RSa; 1cu-a straight line separated from 1M by 0.1 mm. Hind wing 3.4–3.5 mm long, m-cu distinctly pigmented. Fore and hind wings darkened (infumate), stigma and veins brown.

Reddish orange, head and mesosoma darker, lower half of head and metasoma slightly lighter. Scape and pedicel dark brown; flagellomeres brown at base and lighter toward apex; apex of mandible black; vertex, mesoscutum and tegula same reddish orange color as body.

Foreleg completely orange, median leg with orange reddish coxa and trochanter, and other parts orange, hind leg same color as body, completely reddish orange except for orange anterior half of tibia. Metasoma lighter, sometimes with light brown transverse bands; T7 with circular brown dorsal spot.

D. simulatus is similar to D. fluminensis. However, D. simulatus does not have any black spots on the body, except on the mandibular apex (vs. D. fluminensis has black areas on the antennae, mandibular apex, vertex and mesosoma). D. simulatus also differs from D. maculatus in the large number of black spots.

It can be further distinguished from D. fluminensis and D. maculatus by the propodeum, although areolate, having a sinuous longitudinal carina in the middle of the areola, continuing from the anterior mid-longitudinal carina, which may be more or less strongly impressed. In comparison, the middle of the areola is smooth in D. fluminensis, D. maculatus within the areola there are two very weak longitudinal carinae that curve posteriorly and another transverse carina at the base.

D. simulatus is also distinguished from D. fluminensis and D. maculatus by the dorsal surface of the petiole (T1). D. simulatus has small punctures of varying sizes on the inner edge of the dorsal carina, which are located subapically in a very shallow groove.

The new species gets its name from the Latin, simulatus, meaning false, imitation, referring to the morphological similarity to D. fluminensis. Both specimens were raised from Anastrepha pickeli Lima larvae in Manihot esculenta Crantz (Euphorbiaceae) fruit.

The majority of specimens identified as D. fluminensis have the tritrophic Manihot/Anastrepha/Doryctobracon association. With the description of D. simulatus this brings the total to 14 species, 8 of which are found in Brazil, known to parasitize fruit-eating tephritids.

Original research

Cláudia F. Marinho, Eduardo M. Shimbori, Clarice D. Alvarenga & Roberto A. Zucchi (2024). Hidden under darkened wings: the identity of Doryctobracon fluminensis (Lima, 1938) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) and a new species of the genus from Brazil. Zootaxa 5538 (4): 357–370, DOI:10.11646/zootaxa.5538.4.4

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