Therophilus
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Ordo: Hymenoptera
Familia: Braconidae
Name
Therophilus Wesmael, 1837 – Wikispecies link – Pensoft Profile
Type species
Microdus (Therophilus) conspicuous [Lectotype ♀ IRSNB, examined]
Diagnosis
There is neither one character nor a specific combination of characters that distinguishes members of Therophilus from all other agathidines. It is easily separated from members of Cremnoptini and Disophrini by the shape of the tarsal claws, i.e., simple with a basal lobe in Therophilus, versus cleft claws in members of the two aforementioned tribes. Most members of Therophilus have the following combination of diagnostic characters: Apical abscissa of R of fore wing weak at midlength and bent towards apex of wing; interantennal space with two (usually weak and short) longitudinal ridges or with a median keel; postscutellar depression present; cubitus of hind wing strong and tubular, at least basally; subbasal cell of hind wing angled apically at the point from which the cubitus emanates; sclerite between hind coxal cavities and metasomal foramen incomplete or narrow. A combination of characters that distinguishes almost all species of Oriental Therophilus is: Interantennal space with longitudinal groove (Figs. 3c, 6c), sometimes weak (Fig. 8c); posteroscutellar depression present (Fig. 8f); notauli sculptured with pits (Fig. 3f).
Description
Head. Lateral carina on frons absent (Fig. 3c); interantennal space with longitudinal groove (Fig. 3c, 6c); gena not extended ventroposteriorly into sharp prominence (Fig. 5e); gena lacking sharp angle posteriad eye; labial palpus with three or four segments, third segment much reduced or absent; apical antennomere acute but lacking nipple-like process.
Mesosoma. Propleuron lacking a projection at mid height; notauli impressed and pitted, at least in part (Fig. 3f); posteroscutellar depression present (Fig. 8f) (rarely absent); propodeum from rugose to areolate-rugose (Fig. 7g); sclerite between hind coxal cavities and metasomal foramen narrow, sometimes incomplete.
Legs.Fore tibia lacking pegs, fore tarsal claws with basal lobe; mid tibia with apical and medial pegs; hind tibia with apical pegs.
Wings (Figs. 3b, 4b). Fore wing RS + M vein incomplete; second submarginal cell triangular; fore wing 3RSb decurved, weak at midlength; hind wing r and r-m crossveins absent; hind wing CUb present and strong, tubular at least basally.
Metasoma. MT1 with longitudinal striations, lacking dominant pair of longitudinal carinae (Fig. 4f); MT2 from smooth to striate, usually with some longitudinal striae and weak transverse striae in first transverse depression; MT3 smooth (Fig. 4f); ovipositor as long as or longer than metasoma (Fig. 4a).
Species diversity
Including the twelve described here, there are 44 described species known to the senior author. The following 13 species were included in Therophilus at the time of this publication: Therophilus antipoda Ashmead, 1900, Therophilus arcuatus Reinhard, 1867, Therophilus cattienensis van Achterberg & Long, 2010, Therophilus cingulipes Nees, 1812, Therophilus clausthalianus Ratzeburg, 1844, Therophilus conspicuus Wesmael, 1837, Therophilus crenulisulcatus van Achterberg & Long, 2010, Therophilus levisoma van Achterberg & Long, 2010, Therophilus planifrons van Achterberg & Long, 2010, Therophilus rugosiferus van Achterberg & Long,2010, Therophilus similis (Bhat & Gupta, 1977), Therophilus stephensae Stevens, 2011, Therophilus tumidulus (Nees, 1812).
The remainder are here transferred to Therophilus: Bassus arthurellus Sharkey 1985[1] = Therophilus arthurelluscomb. n., Bassus belokobylskiji Sharkey, 1998 = Therophilus belokobylskiji comb. n., Agathis bruesi Shenefelt, 1970 = Therophilus bruesi comb. n., Agathis curvabilis Bhat & Gupta, 1977 = Therophilus curvabiliscomb. n., Agathis cymocles Nixon, 1950 = Therophilus cymoclescomb. n., Agathis flava Bhat & Gupta, 1977 = Therophilus'flavuscomb. n., Bassus graecus Simbolotti & van Achterberg, 1992 = Therophilus'graecuscomb. n., Agathis hyalinis Bhat & Gupta, 1977 = Therophilus hyaliniscomb. n., Microdus infumatus Granger, 1949= Therophilus'infumatuscomb. n., Microdus insularis Ashmead = Therophilus insularis comb. n., Bassus lanyuensis Chou & Sharkey, 1989 = Therophilus lanyuensis comb. n., Microdus nugax Reinhart, 1867 = Therophilus nugax comb. n., Microdus simillimus Cresson, 1873 = Therophilus simillimus comb. n., Microdus tautirae Cheeseman, 1928 = Therophilus'tautiraecomb. n., Bassus tegularis Thompson, 1895 = Therophilus'tegulariscomb. n., Bassus tobiasi Sharkey, 1998 = Therophilus'tobiasicomb. n., Agathis triangularis Szépligeti= Therophilus'triangulariscomb. n., Bassus triangulus Chou & Sharkey, 1989 = Therophilus triangulus comb. n., Microdus postfurcalis Szépligeti, 1914= Therophilus postfurcaliscomb. n., Microdus zaykovi Nixon = Therophilus zaykovi comb. n.There are many species of Agathidinae currently placed in Therophilus and Bassus Fabricius which belong to other genera, and many more that are yet to be described.
Biology
According to Nixon (1986)[2], Therophilus conspicuus attacks larval Tortricidae. Janzen has reared three species of Therophilus s.s. in Costa Rica; they are parasitoids of Tortricidae and Elachistidae. See parasitoid DHJPAR voucher numbers 0039084, 0038338, and 0040068 in the “caterpillars of Guanacaste” database at http://janzen.sas.upenn.edu/caterpillars/database.lasso
Distribution
Worldwide, with more diversity in subtropical and tropical areas.
Taxon Treatment
- Sharkey, M; Stoelb, S; 2012: Revision of Therophilus s.s. (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Agathidinae) from Thailand Journal of Hymenoptera Research, 27: 1-36. doi
Other References
- ↑ Sharkey M (1985) Notes on the genera Bassus Fabricius and Agathis Latreille, with a description of Bassus arthurellus sp. n. (Hymenoptera: Braconidae). Canadian Entomologist. 117: 1497-1502. doi: 10.4039/Ent1171497-12
- ↑ Nixon G (1986) A revision of the European Agathidinae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae). Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History), Entomology series 52 (3): 183-242.
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