Research Article |
Corresponding author: Buntika A. Butcher ( buntika.a@chula.ac.th ) Academic editor: Jose Fernandez-Triana
© 2025 Donald L.J. Quicke, Michael J. Sharkey, Daniel H. Janzen, Winnie Hallwachs, Buntika A. Butcher.
This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Citation:
Quicke DLJ, Sharkey MJ, Janzen DH, Hallwachs W, Butcher BA (2025) Discovery of the Old World genus Rogas Nees (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Rogadinae) in the New World by DNA barcoding. Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift 72(1): 1-7. https://doi.org/10.3897/dez.72.142960
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Morphological taxonomy and a molecular phylogenetic analysis led to the recognition of a new species of Rogas Nees from Costa Rica, R. shimborii Quicke & Sharkey, sp. nov. This represents the first discovery of the genus from the Americas; all previous records being the results of misidentifications and alternative interpretations. The new species is illustrated photographically, a minimalist diagnosis based on the COI DNA barcode is provided, supplemented by morphological and color diagnostic features.
Distribution, Malaise traps, new species, parasitoid wasps, systematics, Triraphis
Historically there has been much confusion about the identity of the rogadine braconid genus Rogas Nees, 1819 and several authors (e.g.
During preparation of a new key to a New World genera of Rogadinae, (
Morphological terminology follows
We conducted a phylogenetic analysis with the barcoding region of cytochrome oxidase c subunit 1 (COI;
Alignment of COI was trivial as there were no indels. The length-variable 28S sequences were aligned according to the secondary structure model of
Rogas
Nees, 1818: 306 (type species: (designated by
Pelecystoma
Wesmael, 1838: 91;
Rhogas Agassiz, 1846: 325 (invalid emendation).
Antenna with more than 50 flagellomeres. Maxillary palpus segment 3 strongly enlarged and laterally flattened in both sexes (Fig.
Rogas shimborii Quicke & Sharkey, sp. nov., holotype, female, specimen voucher BIOUG58035-F04 A. Habitus, lateral view; B. Habitus oblique dorsal view; C. Head, postero-ventral view showing connection between occipital and hypostomal carinae; D. Head and anterior mesosoma, lateral view; E. Head, anterior view; F. Labial palps, anterior view.
Rogas was redescribed and illustrated by
Rogas may be distinguished from both Old and New World Triraphis by its maxillary palpi having the third segment swollen and laterally flattened having the swollen third segment (Fig.
All reliable host records for Rogas are from Limacodidae caterpillars (
Holotype. Costa Rica • ♀; Area de Conservación Guanacaste, Guanacaste Province, Sector Pailas, Pailas Dos, 10.76°N, 85.334°W, 809 m, 2.viii.2018, leg. D. Janzen, W. Hallwachs, ecotone between lowland tropical dry forest and intermediate elevation rain forest, Malaise trap PL12-9);
BOLD:AEF7075. Consensus barcode:
TTTATATTTTTTATTTGGTATTTGAGCGGGGCTTTTAGGGCTATCTATAAGGTTAATTATTCGGTTAGA
ATTAAGTATACCTGGGAGGTTATTAGGTAATGATCAGATTTATAATGGAATAGTAACTGCACATGC
ATTTATCATAATTTTTTTTATAGTAATACCTATTATAATTGGGGGGTTTGGTAATTGATTAATTCC
TTTAATATTAGGGGCTCCTGATATGGCTTTCCCTCGTATAAATAATATAAGATTTTGATTGTTAATT
CCGTCATTAATTTTATTATTATTAAGAGCTATTGTAAATGTAGGGGTTGGTACAGGTTGAACAATTT
ATCCTCCTTTATCTTCTTTAATAGGGCATGGAGGGATATCTGTTGATTTAGCTATTTTTTCTTTACA
TTTAGCAGGTATCTCTTCTATTATAGGGGTTGTAAATTTTATTTCTACAATTTTTAATATAAAGTTAA
TTTCTATTAGTCTAGATCAGATTAATTTATTTGTATGGTCTGTTTTAATTACTGCTATTTTATTATTA
TTATCTTTACCTGTATTAGCGGGGGCCATTACAATATTATTAACAGATCGTAATTTAAATACAACTTT
TTTTGATTTTTCAGGGGGGGGGGATCCTGTTTTATTTCAACATTTATTT
The new species may be distinguished from all other described species by its bicolorous (black and ivory-white metasoma (Fig.
Named in honor of Eduardo Mitio Shimbori in recognition of his contributions to Neotropical Rogadinae systematics.
Analysis of the concatenated two gene data set recovers the new species nested within the Old World Rogas representatives, and as sister group to R. roxana from the Russian Far East, though with low support (Fig.
Superficially, R. shimborii sp. nov. quite closely resembles New World Triraphis whose members quite frequently have the veins and adjacent wing membrane in the middle part of the forewing, black or darkened (
We are grateful to parataxonomist Guillermo Pereira for weekly servicing these PL-12 Malaise traps for seven years, and Scott R. Shaw (Wyoming) for helpful comments. All specimens were collected, exported and DNA barcoded under Costa Rican government permits issued to BioAlfa (Janzen and Hallwachs 2019) (R-054-2022-OT-CONAGEBIO; R-019-2019-CONAGEBIO; National Published Decree #41767), JICA-SAPI #0328497 (2014) and D.H.J. and W.H. (ACG-PI-036-2013; R-SINAC-ACG-PI-061-2021; Resolución Nº001-2004 SINAC; PI-028-2021). D.L.J. Quicke was supported by the Rachadaphisek Somphot Fund for postdoctoral fellowship, Graduate School, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand. This research is supported by Thailand Science Research and Innovation Fund Chulalongkorn University and Chulalongkorn University, Rachadaphiseksomphot Fund (BCG_FF_68_178_2300_039) to BAB.