Four New Species of Pseudephedrus (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Aphidiinae) from Chile with a Key to Species Identification

The following work consists of the description of four new species of the genus Pseudephedrus StarATIN SMALL LETTER Y WITH ACUTE (Aphidiinae), endemic to South America, associated with endemic callaphidid aphid hosts. The descriptions of the new species are based on new samples from Chile and Argentina. The new species described here are as follows: Pseudephedrus staryi sp.n., which is morphologically very close to the already described P. chilensis StarATIN SMALL LETTER Y WITH ACUTE, with clear apomorphies; P. pubescens sp.n., which presents a setose scutellum, P. flava sp.n. and P. patagonicus sp.n. which have distinct, very elongated, and crenulated petioles representing synapomorphies and probably form separate phylogenetic lineages within Pseudephedrus. All hosts are aphids from the genus Neuquenaphis Blanchard, with varying degrees of diet specialization. From our field and laboratory observations, we hypothesize that, since attempts to sample parasitoids using sweep nets were much more successful than sampling from collected aphids, and since we found mummified aphids only on the ground among the fallen leaves under the trees, Neuquenaphis aphids fall to the ground showing a dropping behaviour as a defence against natural enemies after being stung by parasitoids. This makes rearing from live aphids very unsuccessful and could help explain why it has been difficult to collect and describe species. We supplement the distribution of Pseudephedrus from South America and present a key for the identification of all species based on their morphology.

Automated summary

This study describes four new species endemic to South America, belonging to the genus Pseudephedrus. The discovery of these new species provides insights into the phylogeny and morphological characteristics of Pseudephedrus. The study also suggests that the aphid hosts of these new species exhibit a dropping behavior as a defense mechanism against parasitoids.