Bracon (Glabrobracon) caudiger Nees 1834
Creators: name: Papp, Jenő
name: Xviii, Budapest
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2012
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Braconidae
Bracon
Bracon caudiger

description: Bracon (Glabrobracon) caudiger Nees, 1834
Figs 52 A-K; 53E
Bracon caudiger Nees, 1834: 77 and 103 (described twice, the two descriptions are identical) ♀ (type material: one ♀, destroyed), type locality: “Silesiae quercu...prope Skarsin” (Poland).
Bracon (Lucobracon) scythus Greese, 1928: 155 ♀ (one ♀ syntype), type locality: “Mirgorod” (Ukraine), ♀ syntype in?Saint Petersburg (Zoological Institute), in? Kiev (Zoological Institute) or in?; supposed synonymy considering its original description.
Braco caudiger – Wesmael 1838: 47 (first reviser), one ♀ (neotype: “J’ai pris une seule femelle de cette espèce,...” Wesmael l.c.), neotype locality: “environs de Bruxelles ” (Belgique), ♀ neotype (present designation) in the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Brussels; examined.
Bracon caudiger – Szépligeti 1901: 267 (in key, in Hungarian); 1904 (1901): 186 (in key, in German) ♀. Bracon (Glabrobracon) caudiger – Fahringer 1927: (♀) 286, 287, (♁) 301 (in key), 1928: 443 (redescription), assigned to “Section Glabrobracon ”. — Telenga 1936: 149 (♀), 156 (♁) (in key), 205 (redescription) (in Russian) and 351 (♀), 358 (♁) (in key, in German). — Shenefelt l978: 1560 (literature up to 1970).
Designation of the ♀ neotype of Bracon caudiger
(First label, printed) “ Coll. Wesmael ”; (second label, printed) “2061”; (third label) “ Braco caudiger Nees ♀ ” (handwritten) “dét. Wesmael ” (printed); fourth label with the inventory number “3.317”; (fifth label, with my handwriting) “ Belgique / Bruxelles / VIII, leg. Wesmael ” (above on label) “teste J. Papp 1987” (reverse on label); sixth label is the neotype card attached by me. Neotype is in good condition: (1) pinned by mesosoma (mesoscutum / prosternum); (2) right antenna damaged, with 27 antennomeres; (3) right hind leg (except coxa + trochanters) missing; (4) pair of ovipositor sheath damaged, present its proximal half.
Material examined
5 ♀♀ + 9 ♁♁ from six countries: FRANCE: 1 ♀. GERMANY: 1 ♀ + 1 ♁ from one localty. AUSTRIA: 1 ♁. ITALY: 1 ♀ + 1 ♁ from one locality. HUNGARY: 6 ♁♁ from two localities. TURKEY: 1 ♀.
Description of the ♀ neotype of Bracon caudiger (Fig. 52 A-G)
LENGTH. Body 3.9 mm long.
ANTENNAE. Left antenna as long as body and with 31 antennomeres. First flagellomere 1.7 times, second flagellomere 1.6 times and penultimate flagellomere 1.3 times as long as broad.
HEAD. In dorsal view (Fig. 52A) subcubic, 1.6 times as broad as long, eye slightly longer than temple, temple moderately rounded, occiput excavated. OOL twice longer than POL. Oral opening: its horizontal diameter 1.5 times longer than shortest distance between opening and compound eye (Fig. 52B). Head polished, face below antennal socket finely granulose.
MESOSOMA. Elongated, in lateral view 1.5 times as long as high, polished. Notaulix weak.
LEGS. Hind femur 3.1 times as long as broad medially (Fig. 52C). Hind claw downcurved and with fairly short basal lobe (Fig. 52D).
WINGS. Forewing as long as body. Pterostigma (Fig. 52E) 2.8 times as long as wide and issuing r proximally from its middle; r almost 0.8 times as long as width of pterostigma; second submarginal cell fairly long, 3-SR almost 1.6 times as long as 2-SR, SR1 straight, 1.5 times as long as 3-SR and reaching tip of wing. First discal cell fairly high, 1-M 1.75 times as long as m-cu, 1-SR-M weakly bent and 1.25 times as long as 1-M (Fig. 52F).
TERGITES. First tergite (Fig. 52G) 1.25 times as long as broad behind, beyond pair of spiracles parallelsided; margin of scutum finely crenulated, lateral part of tergite narrow, together with further tergites polished. Second tergite transverse, 3.5 times as broad behind as long laterally; suture between tergites 2-3 bisinuate, deep, smooth; tergites 2-3 of equal length. Hypopygium pointed, ovipositor sheath long, as long as meta- and mesosoma combined (after Wesmael l.c.).
COLOUR. Body bicoloured. Antenna dark brown. Head black, orbit and cheek testaceous, mandible yelow, palpi dark brown. Mesosoma and legs black. Metasoma yellow, first tergite brown, median streak of tergites 3-6 brown to blackish. Wings brown fumous, pterostigma and veins brown.
Variable features of the ♀ (4 ♀♀) (Fig. 52 H-K)
Body 2.8-3.9 mm long. Antenna with 25 (1 ♀) and 30 (2 ♀♀) antennomeres. Head in dorsal view 1.65-1.75 times as broad as long (Fig. 52H). Hind femur 2.9-3.3 times as long as broad medially (Fig. 52 I-J). Lateral part of first tergite (i.e. laterally from scutum) less narrow (Fig. 52K). Ovipositor sheath somewhat shorter to somewhat longer than body.
Description of the ³ (9 ³³)
Similar to the ♀. Body 3-3.6 mm long. Antenna with 27-30 antennomeres. Head in dorsal view 1.6-1.7 times as broad as long. Second tergite either a bit longer than third tergite or tergites 2-3 of equal length. Yellow colour of metasoma usually more extended.
Hosts
COL. Curculionidae: Rhabdorhynchus varius Herbst. — LEP. Coleophoridae: Coleophora virgaureae Stainton; Tortricidae: Cydia amplana Hübner, C. splendana Hübner, C. strobilella Linnaeus, Pamene splendidulana; Noctuidae: Hadena perplexa Denis et Schiffermüller.
Distribution
Belgium, France, Germany, Austria, Italy, Hungary, Turkey.
Taxonomic position
Bracon caudiger is nearest to B. pineti and B. xanthogaster, within the subgenus Glabrobracon the three species (completed with further two species: B. longulus Thomson and B. strobilorum Ratzeburg here not discussed, cf. Papp 1992) forming a species-group viewing their common features: long ovipositor apparatus, dark coloured body and wings; the three species are distinguished by rather subtle features:
1 (2) Scutum of first tergite relatively short, i.e. at most reaching imaginary transverse line between spiracles; tergites 2-3 equal in length, suture between them clearly bisinuate (Fig. 53A). Eye in dorsal view 1.6-1.7 times longer than temple, head in dorsal view 1.75-1.8 times as broad as long (Fig. 53B). Eye in lateral view 1.3-1.4 times wider than temple (Fig. 53C, see arrows). Lobe of claw fairly wide as in Fig. 53D. Metasoma yellow, first tergite black, exceptionally tergites with narrow brown(ish) streak. ♀: 3.5-4 mm. (?= B. caudatus Ratzeburg, 1848 ........................ B. (Gl.) xanthogaster Nees, 1834
2 (1) Scutum of first tergite not short, i.e. more or less exceeding above imaginary transverse line between spiracles; tergites 2-3 unequal in length, suture between them bisinuate (Figs 52G; 53F). Eye in dorsal view 1.2-1.3 times longer than temple, head in dorsal view 1.65-1.75 times as broad as long (Figs 52A; 53G). Eye in lateral view slightly wider than temple (Fig. 53E, see arrows).
3 (4) Temple in dorsal view somewhat more rounded (Figs 53H). Tergites 2-3 less transverse, i.e. second tergite 2.3-2.6 times as broad behind as long laterally; suture between them more bisinuate; first tergite 1.3-1.4 times as long as broad behind (Fig. 53F). Lobe of claw long (Fig. 53I). Metasoma yellow to brownish yellow, usually with a wide dark streak. ♀: 3.5-4 mm ............. ............................................................................................................... B. (Gl.) pineti Thomson, 1892
4 (3) Temple in dorsal view somewhat less rounded (Fig. 52A, H). Tergites 2-3 more transverse, i.e. second tergite 3.2-3.5 times as broad behind as long laterally; suture between them less bisinuate, first tergite 1.25-1.3 times as long as broad behind (Fig. 52G). Lobe of claw finger-like(Fig. 52D). Metasoma lemon yellow, usually with narrow dark streak. ♀: 3.5-4.2 mm ......... B. (Gl.) caudiger Nees, 1834
Description of the new subgenus Palpibracon
Genus Bracon Fabricius, 1804 Subgenus Palpibracon subgen. nov. Figs 54E, H, K; 55J; 56B, E-F
Type species: Bracon delibator Haliday, 1833.
Diagnosis
Nearest to the subgenus Glabrobracon (Fahringer) Tobias considering the polished tergites of the species assigned to this subgenus. Maxillary palpi are unusually long, at least as long as height of head or (usually) longer (Figs 54E, K; 55J; 56F). SR1 of fore wing more or less approaching (Figs 54H; 55I; 56B, E) (and not reaching) tip of wing. Rarely first tergite (scutum!) or, exceptionally, tergites 1-2 with weak sculpture.
Five Bracon species are assigned to the new subgenus Palpibracon:
B. (P.) atrator Nees, 1834 – Palaearctic Region.
B. (P.) delibator Haliday, 1833 (= B. anthracinus Nees, 1834) – Holarctic Region.
B. (P.) megapalpus Quicke et Jervis, 2005 – Ethiopian Region (South Africa).
B. (P.) mongolicus Telenga, 1936 – Palaearctic Region (Moldavia, European Russia, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, China).
B. (P.) tenuiceps (Muesebeck, 1925) (Microbracon) – Nearctic Region.
description: Published as part of Papp, Jenő & Xviii, Budapest, 2012, A revision of the Bracon Fabricius species in Wesmael's collection deposited in Brussels (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Braconinae), pp. 1-154 in European Journal of Taxonomy 21 on pages 108-112, DOI: 10.5852/ejt.2012.21, http://zenodo.org/record/3858161