ZooKeys 639: Revision of the Western Palaearctic Species of Aleiodes Wesmael (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Rogadinae), Part 1 Introduction, Key to Species Groups, Outlying Distinctive Species, and Revisionary Notes on Some Further Species

About this book

The large parasitoid wasp genus Aleiodes Wesmael, 1838, (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Rogadinae) has a world-wide distribution and in the western Palaearctic region it forms a moderately prominent element of the braconid fauna. Despite the relatively large size and/or abundance of several species, and the frequency with which they are reared by lepidopterists, there are no reliable identification keys to the western Palaearctic species. The authors assembled specimens from many collections and all available biological data for this revision during more than 35 years. The second author has reared many western European species of Aleiodes from their Lepidoptera hosts, and also received donations of specimens reared by a large number of lepidopterists. Investigation of Aleiodes host ranges has also involved some experimentation using short-term cultures by the second author, and in some cases this has been motivated by, and crucial for, elucidating species-level taxonomy. In this first paper the authors give a key to the species groups that will be dealt with in further parts, and to some of the more distinctive species which are then dealt with in full here. The biology, host associations and phenology are discussed for the keyed species and, in total, seven new species are described and one species is renamed.

Contents

Introduction   3
Specimens, methods and presentation of records   4
Taxonomy   8
Aleiodes Wesmael, 1838   8
Key to West Palaearctic species groups, and outlying distinctive species, of the genus Aleiodes Wesmael   11
Biology and descriptions   34
      Aleiodes abraxanae sp. n.   34
      Aleiodes albitibia (Herrich-Schäffer, 1838)   39
      Aleiodes angustipterus sp. n.   44
      Aleiodes apiculatus (Fahringer, 1932)   48
      Aleiodes arcticus (Thomson, 1892)   54
      Aleiodes artesiariae sp. n.   58
      Aleiodes bistrigatus Roman, 1917, stat. rev.   62
      Aleiodes cantherius (Lyle, 1919)   65
      Aleiodes carminatus sp. n.   69
      Aleiodes circumscriptus (Nees, 1834)   74
      Aleiodes curticornis nom. n. & stat. rev.   78
      Aleiodes diarsianae sp. n.   82
      Aleiodes esenbeckii (Hartig, 1838)   88
      Aleiodes jakowlewi (Kokujev, 1898)   94
      Aleiodes leptofemur sp. n.   98
      Aleiodes modestus (Reinhard, 1863)   105
      Aleiodes nigriceps Wesmael, 1838   110
      Aleiodes nigricornis Wesmael, 1838   115
      Aleiodes pallidator (Thunberg, 1822)   120
      Aleiodes pictus (Herrich-Schäffer, 1838)   125
      Aleiodes praetor (Reinhard, 1863)   130
      Aleiodes reticulatus (Noskiewicz, 1956), stat. rev.   135
      Aleiodes ryrholmi sp. n.   140
      “Aleiodes seriatus (Herrich-Schäffer, 1838)” sensu lato   143
      Aleiodes testaceus (Telenga, 1941)   146
      Aleiodes ungularis (Thomson, 1892)   152
      Aleiodes varius (Herrich-Schäffer, 1838)   156
Acknowledgements    159
References   160

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