Chelonus (Areselonus) Braet 1999
Creators: name: Ranjith, A. P.
name: Priyadarsanan, Dharma Rajan
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2023
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Braconidae
Chelonus

description: Subgenus Areselonus Braet, 1999
(Figures 1–2)
Diagnosis. Head transverse (Figs 1B–E); apical antennomeres shorter than basal (Fig. 1A); female with 16 antennomeres (Fig. 1A) (except in C. (A.) caeruleus Ahmad & Pandey which has 18 antennomeres) and male with 18 antennomeres; face rugose, rugulose, striate (Figs 1B, D); clypeus rugose or punctate (Fig. 1D); frons with a complete midlongitudinal carina (Fig. 1C); frons and vertex with transverse rugae (Figs 1C, E); mesoscutum reticulate-rugose (Fig. 2A); notauli impressed as large pits (Fig. 2A); scutellum coarsely rugose, slightly elevated over metanotum (Figs 2A, B); propodeum rugose with tubercles (Fig. 2B); fore wing vein SR1 often incomplete (Fig. 2F); metasomal carapace with apical spine like protuberance (Figs 2C–E).
Biology. Parasitoids of Gracillariidae.
Distribution. Australian and Oriental regions.
Key to the species of the subgenus Areselonus Braet
1. Apical spine of metasomal carapace large, setose basally with pores apically...................................... 2
- Apical spine of carapace small, setose entirely without pores apically (Figs 2C–E).................................. 3
2. Mesopleuron densely and finely punctate posteriorly; ovipositor sheath less than 0.1 × as long as fore wing............................................................................................. C. (A.) minutissimus Braet
- Mesopleuron smooth and sparsely punctate posteriorly; ovipositor sheath more than 0.1 × as long as fore wing................................................................................................ C. (A.) missai Braet
3. Metasoma angled with apical spine, hardly or not declivous below spine......................................... 4
- Metasoma strongly declivous below apical spine (Figs 1A, 2D)................................................. 5
4. Mesoscutum reticulate-rugose; fore wing vein 3-SR longer than r; scape 2.3 × as long as wide............................................................................................. C. (A.) chailini Walker & Huddleston
- Mesoscutum punctate-reticulate; fore wing vein 3-SR as long as r; scape 2.0 × as long as wide........................................................................................... C. (A.) lithocolletiscus Ahmad & Pandey
5 Female antenna with 18 antennomeres........................................ C. (A.) caeruleus Ahmad & Pandey
- Female antenna with 16 antennomeres (Fig. 1A)............................................................. 4
4. Metasomal carapace with a pair of longitudinal carina basally; clypeus rugose; fore wing vein 3-SR 1.6 × as long as r; third antennomere 3.0 × as long as wide......................................... C. (A.) spinigaster Ahmad & Ghramh
- Metasomal carapace without a pair of longitudinal carina basally (Fig. 2C); clypeus moderately punctate, raised medially (Fig. 1D); fore wing vein 3-SR as long as r (Fig. 2F); third antennomere 3.7 × as long as wide....... C. (A.) sigiriyansis sp. nov.
description: Published as part of Ranjith, A. P. & Priyadarsanan, Dharma Rajan, 2023, New subgeneric reports of the genus Chelonus (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) from India and Sri Lanka with description of nine species, pp. 461-492 in Zootaxa 5278 (3) on page 463, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.5278.3.3, http://zenodo.org/record/7906532