LIFE HISTORY DATA

Diagnostic features of adults

Body length 6.1 mm; antenna with 42 flagellomeres; head with vertex black, occiput light orangish brown; ocelli large, ocell-ocular distance less than width of lateral ocellus; occipital carina broken at vertex; mesosoma mostly light orangish brown, except propodeum black; wings slightly darkened; mesopleuron granulate; apex of hind tibia with setae normal, not flattened; propodeum granulate-rugose, with median propodeal carina absent; tarsal claw simple; metasomal terga entirely black; metasomal tergum 3 costate on anterior 2/3, median carina incomplete; ovipositor short, about 0.25 x length of hind basitarsus.

Biology and rearing records

Aleiodes aclydis has been reared from the mummified caterpillar of an unidentified Geometridae found on Ocotea (Lauraceae). It is a solitary koinobiont endoparasitoid.

Distribution

This species is known only from the holotype specimen, which was collected at Isla de las Palmas, Napo Province, Ecuador, at 1883 meters elevation.

Similar species

Aleiodes aclydis is similar to Aleiodes speciosus (Townsend), which also has large ocelli, but A. aclydis can be distinguished by its lacking a median carina on the propodeum. Other characteristics separating these two species are given by Townsend and Shaw (2009).

Comments

The species name aclydis means "small javelin" or "spear" in Latin, referring to the short, sharp ovipositor of this species.

Reference

Townsend, A. and S.R. Shaw. 2009. Nine new species of Aleiodes reared from caterpillars in the northeastern Andes of Ecuador (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Rogadinae). Journal of Insect Science 9, Article 33, pages 1-21. Available online: insectscience.org/9.33