Morphological Delimitation between Chelonus insularis and Chelonus sonorensis in the Corn Region of Durango, Mexico

Abstract

The taxonomy of Hymenoptera parasitoids is essential for understanding their biodiversity, conservation, and reproduction. The morphological identity of three Chelonus species reported as parasitoids of the fall armyworm in maize in Durango, Mexico (Chelonus cautus, C. sonorensis, and C. insularis) was corroborated, at the same time eight morphotypes with morphological characters similar to these species were analyzed, but have different coloration patterns in the metasome, non-distinctive or unique character for identification. Taxonomic keys, PCR tests, and bibliographic searches indicate that C. insularis and C. sonorensis, as well as the eight morphospecies morphologically and genetically belong to the same species (C. insularis). Chelonus cautus was different from C. insularis, and C. sonorensis, belonging to another genus different from the nominal one (Microchelonus cautus). These results allowed us to know about the origin of these parasitoids (initial diagnosis), and to recognize that they have inaccurate names, which will allow their future re-description.