New neotropical species of Opiinae (Hymenoptera, Braconidae) reared from fruit-infesting and leaf-mining Tephritidae (Diptera) with comments on the Diachasmimorpha mexicana species group and the genera Lorenzopius and Tubiformopius

Abstract

Four new species of opiine Braconidae are described from Mexico. These are Diachasmimorpha martinalujai Wharton reared from Rhagoletis infesting fruits of Crataegus spp., Diachasmimorpha norrbomi Wharton reared from Euphranta mexicana infesting fruits of Ribes pringlei, Eurytenes (Stigmatopoea) norrbomi Wharton reared from Trypeta concolor mining leaves of Barkleyanthus salicifolia and Eurytenes (Stigmatopoea) maya Wharton reared from Rhagoletis pomonella infesting apples and fruits of Crataegus spp. Morphological features of the first metasomal segment and occipital carina, useful for placement of these species, are discussed relative to the genera Diachasmimorpha, Eurytenes, Lorenzopius, Tubiformopius, and Opius s.l. Descriptions and diagnoses are referenced to the Hymenoptera Anatomy Ontology. The following represent new combinations: Diachasmimorpha hildagensis, Lorenzopius euryteniformis, and Tubiformopius tubibasis. Revised diagnoses are provided for Diachasmimorpha hildagensis, Diachasmimorpha mexicana, Diachasmimorpha sanguinea, Eurytenes (Stigmatopoea), Lorenzopius, Lorenzopius euryteniformis, Tubiformopius, Tubiformopius tubigaster, Tubiformopius tubibasis, Opius incoligma, and Opius rugicoxis. Two species groups are delineated within Lorenzopius and a key to species of Diachasmimorpha occurring in the New World is provided.

New species and host records of New World, mostly Neotropical, opiine Braconidae (Hymenoptera) reared from flower-infesting, stem-galling, and stem-mining Tephritidae (Diptera)

“…Identifiers (URIs) in the format http://purl.obolibrary.org/obo/HAO_XXXXXXX represent anatomical concepts in HAO version http://purl.obolibrary.org/obo/hao/2011-05-18/hao.owl, as used by Wharton et al (2012, appendix). The URIs are provided to enable readers to confirm their understanding of the anatomical structures being referenced.…”

“…To find out more about a given structure, including images, references, and other metadata, use the identifier as a web-link, or use the HAO:XXXXXXX (note colon replaces underscore) as a search term at http://glossary.hymao.org. Terminology as linked through the HAO (Wharton et al 2012, appendix) largely follows Sharkey and Wharton (1997), with a few additions from Walker and Wharton (2011) and Wharton et al (2012). See also the useful paper on skeletal morphology of two species of Opiinae by Karlsson and Ronquist (2012) for some alternative terminology.…”

“…The best known and most thoroughly studied species are parasitoids of fruit-infesting Tephritidae, leaf-mining Agromyzidae, and leaf-mining Anthomyiidae (as summarized by Fischer 1971, 1972, 1977, Wharton 1997a, b, 2009, Wharton et al 2012, Wharton and Yoder 2012, Yu et al 2012). The species of Opiinae that attack flower-infesting and gall-making tephritids are relatively poorly known, with several published records from the Old World (reviewed by Wharton 2009), including adventive species of fruit-fly parasitoids that occasionally attack gall-formers purposefully introduced for weed biocontrol in Hawaii (Clancy 1950, Duan et al 1997, Duan and Messing 1999).…”

“…Opius has been subsequently reduced by removal of putatively monophyletic taxa such as Utetes Foerster and Psyttalia Walker (Wharton 1987, 1988), and by an attempt to restrict the definition of Opius to species with a basal lobe on the mandible (van Achterberg and Salvo 1997, Li et al 2013). Fischer (1999), Tobias (1977, 1998), Wharton (1983, 1987, 1988, 1997a, 2006), van Achterberg (1997, 2004), Belokobylskij et al (2003), and Wharton et al (2012) continue to modify the classification proposed by Fischer (1972, 1977, 1987), resulting in some instability in the usage of several of the genus group names. Further delimitation of monophyletic groups is essential for progress in understanding the relationships and evolutionary biology of this large and important group of dipteran endoparasitoids.…”

“…Further delimitation of monophyletic groups is essential for progress in understanding the relationships and evolutionary biology of this large and important group of dipteran endoparasitoids. The approach taken here is that followed by Wharton (1997a, b, 2006) and Wharton et al (2012), as modified from Fischer (1972, 1999). Thus, the species treated below are placed in Opius s.l.…”