Resurrection of Neocardiochiles Szépligeti, 1908 (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Cardiochilinae) with descriptions of five new species from the Neotropical region

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Abstract

Neocardiochiles Szépligeti, 1908, is a rare Neotropical genus of the subfamily Cardiochilinae Ashmead, 1900. The genus was previously synonymized with Heteropteron Brullé, 1846 by Dangerfield et al. (1999). In this study, we examined multiple specimens of Heteropteron-related genera: Heteropteron, Neocardiochiles, and Wesmaelella Spinola, 1851, and resurrect Neocardiochiles as a valid genus based on morphological data. As a result, five new species, N. alexeyi Kang, sp. nov. from Ecuador, N. franki Kang, sp. nov. from Costa Rica, N. braeti Kang, sp. nov., N. chriscarltoni Kang, sp. nov., and N. victoriae Kang, sp. nov., from French Guiana are included as members of Neocardiochiles and described based on morphological and molecular data. Additionally, four species previously included in Heteropteron are transferred to Neocardiochiles: Neocardiochiles fasciipennis Szépligeti, 1908, comb. nov., Neocardiochiles hasegawai (Dabek & Whitfield, 2020) comb. nov., Neocardiochiles kidonoi (Dabek & Whitfield, 2020), comb. nov., and Neocardiochiles whitfieldi (Mercado, 2003), comb. nov.. Diagnosis of each taxon and both traditional and interactive identification keys to Neocardiochiles species are included. Molecular data of N. alexeyi sp. nov., N. chriscarltoni sp. nov., N. victoriae sp. nov., and N. hasegawaii (Dabek & Whitfield, 2020), are also provided.

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Most cited references 3

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A molecular phylogeny of the Aphidiinae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae).

R Belshaw, D Quicke (1997)

Phylogenetic relationships within the Aphidiinae, and between this and other subfamilies of Braconidae (Hymenoptera), were investigated using sequence data from three genes: elongation factor-1alpha, cytochrome b, and the second expansion segment of the 28S ribosomal subunit. Variation in both protein-coding genes was characterized by a high level of homoplasy, but analysis of the expansion segment--robust over a range of alignment methods and parameters-resolved some of the older divergences. Parsimony analysis of the combined data suggests the following tribal relationships: (Ephedrini + (Praini + (Aphidiini + Trioxini))). In addition, the cyclostome subfamilies were found to form a clade separate from the Aphidiinae, but relationships between the Aphidiinae and the noncyclostome braconids could not be resolved. The inferred phylogeny also supported a secondary loss of internal pupation within the Praini and a polyphyletic origin of endoparasitism within the Braconidae.