First records of Phaenocarpa Foerster, 1862 (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Alysiinae) from brazilian Atlantic forest.

Raquel Gonçalves Arouca, Angélica Maria Penteado-Dias

Universidade Federal de São Carlos, Departamento de Ecologia e Biologia Evolutiva, São Paulo, Brasil.

Abstract

Gonçalves Arouca R, Penteado-Dias AM. 2004. First records of Phaenocarpa Foerster, 1862 (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Alysiinae) from brazilian Atlantic forest. Entomotropica 18(3): xxxxxx.

Three species of Phaenocarpa Foerster were collected in Brazilian Atlantic forest: P. hyalina is recorded for the first time for São Paulo state; P. cratomorpha and P. pericarpa are new records to Brazil.

Additional key words: Alysiini, Neotropical fauna, new records, parasitoid wasp.

Resumo

Gonçalves Arouca R, Penteado-Dias AM. 2004. Primeiros registros de Phaenocarpa Foerster, 1862 (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Alysiinae) da floresta Atlântica brasileira. Entomotropica 18(3): xxxxxx.

Três espécies de Phaenocarpa Foerster foram coletadas na Mata Atlântica: P. hyalina é nova ocorrência para o estado de São Paulo; P. cratomorpha e P. pericarpa são registradas pela primeira vez para o Brasil.

Palavras chaves adicionais: Alysiini, fauna Neotropical, novas ocorrências, vespa parasitóide.

Introduction

Phaenocarpa Foerster (1862) is a large cosmopolitan genus, which is most diverse in the Holartic region. Members have been reared from nine different families of cyclorrhaphous Diptera, most frequently from Anthomyiidae and Scathophagidae, often associated with decaying organic matter (e.g., dung or fungi; Wharton, 1997). According to Braet & van Achterberg (2003), eleven species are recognized in the Neotropical region; in Brazil (Santa Catarina state) only one species has been reported, P. hyalina Trostle, 1999.

This study is part of the “Richness and Diversity of Hymenoptera from Atlantic forest” project of the Biota/FAPESP program, which is surveying the biodiversity of the Brazilian Atlantic forest.

Materials and Methods

The Alysiinae fauna was surveyed in nine fragments of Atlantic forest at five Brazilian states. The sampling was made during the rain season of 2000 (December), 2001 (October) and 2002 (January and March); and during the dry season of 2001 (April, July and August) and 2002 (April and May).

The specimens were collected using Malaise trap, yellow pan-trap and sweeping the vegetation. All the specimens were deposited in the collection (DCBU) of Universidade Federal de São Carlos, Departamento de Ecologia e Biologia Evolutiva, São Carlos, São Paulo, Brazil and and Museu de Zoologia da Universidade de São Paulo (MZUSP), São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.

Results and Discusion

Three species of the genus Phaenocarpa Foerster were collected during this study: P. hyalina Trostle, 1999; P. cratomorpha Wharton, 1999 and P. pericarpa, Wharton & Carrejo, 1999. Phaenocarpa hyalina is recorded for the first time for São Paulo state, P. cratomorpha and P. pericarpa are new records for Brazil (Table I).

P. cratomorpha (Table 1) showed the largest distribution area to north from 24°31’06”S (Estação Ecológica da Juréia, Peruíbe, SP) to 11°21’03”S (Reserva Ecológica Crasto, Santa Luzia do Itanhy, SE). The others two species are distributed only in Santa Catarina and São Paulo states up the 23°20’10”S (Parque Estadual Serra do Mar, Ubatuba, SP). The species were collected during most time of the year, in the dry and rain seasons.

Table 1. Distribution of Phaenocarpa Foerster (Braconidae: Alysiinae) in Atlantic forest, Brazil.

*Low = 0-200 meters; High = more 200 meters.

The biology of P. hyalina and P. cratomorpha are unknown (Trostle et al., 1999; Wharton, 1994); P. pericarpa has been reared from puparia of Anastrepha disticta Greene in pods of guama (Inga sp.: Fabaceae) (Wharton, 1994).

Acknowledgements

We thank to FAPESP (Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo-BIOTA Project) and CNPq (Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico) for their financial support.

References

Braet Y, van Achterberg C 2003. New species of Pambolus Haliday and Phaenocarpa Foerster (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Pambolinae, Alysiinae) from French Guyana, Suriname and Panama. Zool Meded Leiden 77:153-179, figs 1-62.

Trostle M, Carrero NS, Mercado I, Wharton RA. 1999. Two new species of Phaenocarpa Foerster (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Alysiinae) from South America. Proc Entomol Soc Washington. 101(1): 197-207.

Wharton RA. 1994. New genera, species and records of new world Alysiinae (Hymenoptera: Braconidae). Proc Entomol Soc Washington. 96(4):630-664.

Wharton RA. 1997. Subfamily Alysiinae, p. 84-116, figs 1-88. In: Wharton, R.A., P.M. Marsh & M.J. Sharkey (eds). Manual of the New World genera of the family Braconidae (Hymenoptera). Spec Publs Int Soc Hym 1:1-439.