Lytopylus rufipes
Creators: name: Stevens, Nicholas B.
name: Austin, Andrew D.
name: Jennings, John T.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2011
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Braconidae
Lytopylus
Lytopylus rufipes

description: Lytopylus rufipes (Nees von Esenbeck, 1812)   
(Figs 3A, 5A, 9A, 10B, D, 15D, 16B, D, 18A)  
 Microdus rufipes Nees von Esenbeck, 1812: 189. Holotype destroyed, syntypes lost, neotype MNHN ♀; Type locality: Germany.   
 Braunsia rufipes (Nees von Esenbeck); Telenga, 1955: 277 [generic transfer]; Shenefelt, 1970b: 375 [catalogue].   
 Bassus rufipes (Nees von Esenbeck); Simbolotti and van Achterberg, 1992: 35 [key, description, neotype designation, generic transfer]; Sharkey, 1996: 48 [key, description]; Yu et al., 2005 [catalogue].   
 Lytopylus rufipes (Nees von Esenbeck); Stevens et al. 2010: 19 [generic transfer].   
 Braunsia germanica Enderlein, 1904: 436. Holotype DEI ♀; Type locality: Rügen, Germany. Enderlein 1908: 128 [synonymy]; Yu et al., 2005 [catalogue].   
 Bassus diversus Muesebeck, 1933: 48 [examined]. Holotype USNM ♀; Type locality: Mitsuoka, Nagano, Japan. Sharkey, 1996: 48 [synonymy]; Yu et al., 2005 [catalogue].   
 Diagnosis. Fore wing cell 1-Rs petiolate and triangular; metasomal foramen ventral margin ending dorsal to dorsal margin of hind coxal cavities; metasomal tergites T1–T3 with prominent striate sculpturing throughout; fused plate of T2+3 dominates dorsal surface of metasoma.   
 Description (female). Body length 4.6 (4.5–4.7) mm; ovipositor 3.7 (3.7–3.8) mm; head including antenna, mesosoma, coxa and metasoma dark brown to black (mesosoma sometimes entirely orange; ventro-anterior metasoma lighter in colour); palps and remainder of legs light brown.   
Head width 1.0 mm, length 0.5 mm, height 0.8 mm; eye width 0.2 mm, length 0.3 mm, height 0.4 mm; head triangular in anterior view; inter-orbital distance 0.6 mm; median ocellus diameter 0.08 mm; distance between lateral ocelli and median ocellus 0.06 mm; distance between lateral ocelli 0.14 mm; single, broad carina between antennae; ante-ocular pit distinct and triangular; antenna with 30 flagellomeres; clypeus width 0.4 mm, height 0.2 mm; malar space height 0.18 mm; ventral eye margin 0.24 mm from margin of latero-ventral mouth; labial palpomere 3 length 0.25x of labial palpomere 4 length (length 0.02 and 0.08 mm, respectively); posterior margin of head when viewed dorsally excavated (incursion 0.04 mm); posterior genal margin distinctly carinate with no expansion ventro-posteriorly.  
Mesosomal width 0.9 mm, length 1.9 mm, height 1.2 mm; mesosoma extensively pilose, setae of uniform density and length (approximately 0.06 mm); setal field absent from metapleuron and mesepimeron; antescutal depression indistinct, opening not particularly broad or extensive laterally, anterior margin not carinate but with setal fringe; subpronope bordered posteriorly by extensive scrobiculate groove that curves towards, but does not reach, anterior margin; notauli distinct, deeply impressed and scrobiculate; scutellar sulcus scrobiculate, divided into 6 pits by 5 longitudinal carinae, medial carina of similar prominence as lateral carinae, anterior margin convex, posterior margin concave, anterior wall steep, posterior wall nearly vertical; propodeum coarsely rugose-carinate; in lateral view, dorsal surface not evenly curved or bulbous, appearing divided into distinct dorsal and posterior sections, with prominent rugose-carina delimiting posterior surface from dorsal surface; propodeal spiracle round (diameter 0.03 mm); suture line between metapleuron and propodeum delineated by distinctly scrobiculate groove; hind coxal cavities closed to metasomal foramen by wide hind coxal bridge (minimum width 0.09 mm) with carinate margins; metasomal foramen ventral margin ending dorsal to dorsal margin of hind coxal cavities; sternalus distinctly scrobiculate, relatively straight; metapleural setal field absent; surface sculpturing extensively rugosepunctate.  
Legs with basal lobe of all claws well developed, more triangular than quadrate; mid tibia with 3 apical and 10 preapical spines; 7 preapical spines clumped in rows just basal to apical spines, remaining 3 spines spaced out at intervals on anterior surface in distal half of tibia; hind tibia with 4 apical and 13 preapical spines; preapical spines clumped close together just basal to apical spines.  
Fore and hind wings clear to lightly infuscate; fore wing maximum width 1.3 mm, length 3.4 mm; cell 1-Rs petiolate and triangular, not reduced in size, with maximum distance across cell (0.1 mm) much greater than width of petiolate vein (0.04 mm), petiole of cell 0.06 mm long; basal third of M+Cu less pigmented than distal twothirds; hind wing maximum width 0.8 mm, length 3.2 mm.  
Metasomal length 2.3 mm, maximum width 0.8 mm; T1 and T2+3 with prominent uniform striate sculpturing; 3 transverse grooves on T2+3, one occurring on medial T2, another marking T2–T3 margin, and the third on medial T3; T1 with prominent paired carinae latero-medially in anterior two-thirds; T1 rectangular in dorsal view, length 0.8 mm, anterior width 0.5 mm, posterior (maximum) width 0.7 mm.  
 Male. Unknown in Australia but otherwise same as female except for genitalia.   
 Holotype (Bassus diversus Muesebeck): ♀, ‘reared from C. molesta. #6001 T’ ‘Col. 28.VI.1932, Mitsuoka, Nagano-ken, Japan.’ (USNM).[examined].   
 Other material examined. Victoria: 9 ♀, Mooroopna, XI.1937, G.A.H. Helson (ANIC).   
 Comments. Lytopylus rufipes occurs naturally in the Palaearctic and has been introduced into the Neartic, Neotropical and Australian regions (Yu et al. 2005). It has been recorded from more than 30 host species, many of which are tortricids (Shenefelt 1970b; Simbolotti and van Achterberg 1992; Sharkey 1996; Yu et al. 2005). However, the nature of its introduction and hosts in Australia are unknown. Lytopylus rufipes has only been recorded from the southern Kosciuskan region (Fig. 18A). The neotype of Microdus rufipes Nees von Esenbeck (MNHN) was unavailable for loan and so the above description is based on the holotype of the junior synonym Bassus diversus Muesebeck and the material recorded from Australia. This holotype is in relatively good condition except the left antenna has become detached and is glued onto the specimen card.
description: Published as part of Stevens, Nicholas B., Austin, Andrew D. & Jennings, John T., 2011, Diversity, distribution and taxonomy of the Australian agathidine genera Camptothlipsis Enderlein, Lytopylus Foerster and Therophilus Wesmael (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Agathidinae), pp. 1-49 in Zootaxa 2887 (1) on pages 6-7, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.2887.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/5285497