Partial revision of the Indo-Australian braconine wasp genus Gammabracon Quicke (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) with descriptions of new species from Indonesia (Mollucas), Malaysia, Philippines and Thailand
Citation
Quicke, D.L.J., Hogan, J.E., Bennett, A.M.R., Broad, G.R., Butcher, B.A. (2017). Partial revision of the Indo-Australian braconine wasp genus Gammabracon Quicke (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) with descriptions of new species from Indonesia (Mollucas), Malaysia, Philippines and Thailand. Journal of Natural History, [online] 51(21-22), 1249-1294. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00222933.2017.1324055
Plain language summary
The parasitic wasp genus Gammabracon was revised with ten new species described. Identification keys with images to the species from southeast Asia was provided. Wasps in this family (Braconidae) are important biological control agents against pests in Canada. Knowledge of the world fauna is important due to the increasing number of invasive pests entering Canada as a result of global trade and climate change.
Abstract
Ten distinctive new species of the taxonomically difficult braconine wasp genus Gammabracon Quicke, 1984 are described: G. apicoluteus sp. nov. from Malaysia (Negri); G. curticornis sp. nov. from Malaysia (Negri); G. philippinensis sp. nov. from the Philippines; G. siamensis sp. nov. from Thailand; G. striatus sp. nov. from West Malaysia; G. strandorum sp. nov. from Indonesia (Java), G. subvena sp. nov. from Malaysia (Negri and Sabah); G. townesorum sp. nov. from the Philippines; G. variipennis sp. nov. from Thailand; and G. wegeneri sp. nov. from Indonesia. Myosoma forticarinata Cameron, 1902 is transferred to Gammabracon, hence Gammabracon forticarinata comb. nov. A lectotype is designated for Gammabracon erythroura (Cameron). The status of Cratobracon strandiellus (Cameron) is discussed and a new combination proposed, Shelfordia strandiellus Cameron, 1910 comb. nov. (=Bracon strandiellus Cameron). Paucity of discrete morphological variation makes separation of most of the species with orange-red mesosoma, black metasoma and conspicuous back setae currently unrealistic and it may be that there is a single widespread and morphologically variable species. http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:56B8884E-99C8-4B53-9747-D011....