A new species of Pseudophanerotoma (Hymenoptera, Braconidae) from Nayarit, Mexico

Abstract

Parasitoid wasps are known to be among the most abundant and species-rich on Earth and thus considered an ecologically important group of arthropods. Braconid wasps play a key role in regulating the popula-tions of Lepidoptera, Coleoptera, and Diptera. However, the biology and taxonomy of numerous parasi-toid species remain poorly known. In Mexico, only 17 species of the subfamily Cheloninae have been de-scribed. A new species of Pseudophanerotoma Zettel, 1990 (Hymenoptera, Braconidae), P. huichol sp. nov., is described from Nayarit, Mexico. The tortricid moth Cryptaspasma perseana Gilligan & Brown, 2011 is reported as the host of this parasitoid wasp. Detailed taxonomic and barcoding information are provided.