Meteorus luteus Jones, new species
Creators: name: Jones, Guinevere Z.
name: Shaw, Scott R.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2012
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Braconidae
Meteorus
Meteorus luteus

description: Meteorus luteus Jones, new species
(Figs 23–27)
Holotype Female. Body length 5.0 mm; fore wing length 4.5 mm.
Body color: Head orange with dark yellow face; body yellow, becoming darker yellow dorsally; mandibles yellow with dark orange teeth; light yellow palpi; fore coxae cream; light yellow fore tibia; wings transparent light brown with brown venation; tergum one dark yellow; tergite two yellow; ovipositor yellow with brown sheath.
Head: Antenna with 29 flagellomeres; flagellar length/width ratios as follows: F1 = 2.3, F2 = 3.5, F3 = 3.3, F27 = 1.6, F28 = 1.1, F29 = 3.0; ocelli small, OCOD 1.5 X OCD; eyes nearly parallel and large, head height to eye height ratio 1.4, face maximum width to minimum width ratio 1.1; minimum face width to clypeus width ratio 1.2; malar space 3.7 X mandible width; mandibles strongly twisted; clypeus and face finely rugose; frons smooth; occipital carina complete.
Mesosoma: Lightly defined mesonotal lobes, notauli rugose; longitudinally rugose pronotum; mesopleuron smooth with foveolate sternaulus; metapleuron smooth; propodeum areolate-rugose (Fig. 26).
Legs: Hind coxae rugose; tarsal claws simple.
Wings: Veins r and 3 RSa equal in length; r vein 3.3 X longer than (RS + M)b at 2RS insertion (Fig. 27).
Metasoma: Ovipositor long, 2 times longer than first tergite; first tergite longitudinally costate.
Variation of paratype females. Body length 5.0–6.0 mm; 29 flagellomeres on unbroken antennae.
Variation of paratype males. Body length 4.8–5.0 mm; antennae with 29 flagellomeres.
Cocoon. Light brown; ovoid; moderately baled with silk; corpus 4.5 mm in length; cap 2.0 mm long, nipple paler than corpus and cap; suspension thread attached to posterior end of corpus.
Material examined.
Holotype female: Ecuador: Napo Province, reared at Yanayacu Biological Station with database number YY #20652, S 00°35.9’ W 77°53.4’, 2163 m, collected 12 February 2007, Isla de las Palmas, parasitoid pupated 10 March 2007, adult wasp emerged 28 March 2007, host caterpillar Nymphalidae: Acraeinae: Actinote species, associated plant is an unknown species of Tessaria (Asteraceae). Deposited in UWIM.
Paratypes: Ecuador: Napo Province, reared at Yanayacu Biological Station, S 00°35.9’ W 77°53.4’, 2163 m, collected Isla de las Palmas. One female, YY #20563 collected 12 February 2007, parasitoid pupated 23 February 2007, adult wasp emerged 16 March 2007. One female, YY #20568 collected 12 February 2007, parasitoid pupated 10 March 2007, adult wasp emerged 28 March 2007. One female, YY #20569 collected 12 February 2007, parasitoid pupated 10 March 2007, adult wasp emerged 28 March 2007. One female, YY #20657 collected 12 February 2007, parasitoid pupated 20 March 2007, adult wasp emerged 10 April 2007. One female, YY #20659 collected 12 February 2007, parasitoid pupated 20 March 2007, adult wasp emerged 5 April 2007. One male, YY #19748 collected 14 December 2006, parasitoid pupated 16 January 2007, adult wasp emerged 7 February 2007. One male, YY #20570 collected 12 February 2007, parasitoid pupated 10 March 2007, adult wasp emerged 28 March 2007. One male, YY #20600 collected 12 February 2007, parasitoid pupated 23 February 2007, adult wasp emerged 10 March 2007. One male, YY #20603 collected 12 February 2007, parasitoid pupated 20 March 2007, adult wasp emerged 5 April 2007. One male, YY #20651 collected 12 February 2007, parasitoid pupated 10 March 2007, adult wasp emerged 28 March 2007. One male, YY #20658 collected 12 February 2007, parasitoid pupated 20 March 2007, adult wasp emerged 12 April 2007. Host caterpillar Nymphalidae: Acraeinae: Actinote species, associated plant is an unknown species of Tessaria (Asteraceae). Deposited in UWIM.
Distribution. Known only from the type localities in Napo Province, Ecuador.
Biology. Meteorus luteus is a solitary species reared from larvae of Nymphalidae: Acraeinae: Actinote species (species undetermined). Known familiarly as “olivio”, these host caterpillars were found feeding on Tessaria (Asteraceae).
Etymology. From Latin for “yellow”, named for their mostly yellow coloration.
Comments. Meteorus luteus shares the following characteristics: long ovipositor, large eyes, small ocelli, vein (RS + M)b present with M. oreo, but M. luteus is easily distinguished by its yellow coloration and finely rugose face (M. oreo face is black and white).
description: Published as part of 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, pp. 1-23 in Zootaxa 3547 on pages 11-12, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.210884