projects->Braconidae->Ademon

Ademon has been one of the primary guinea pigs for developing our montage capabilities.  It has provided numerous challenges because the species are small in size (1-3 mm), heavily sculptured, and have contrasting light and dark body parts.  REU undergraduate students Hee Kim and Lucille Benavides have been working on this project.

    Ademon has been considered by some as the basal-most taxon within the Opiinae because of the presence of both a complete occipital carina  (Figure 1, arrow) and an epicnemial carina (Figure 2, arrow). Loss of these features is considered a derived trait, but is homoplastic as evidenced by repeated loss of one or both features throughout the family Braconidae.  A rigorous phylogenetic analysis of the Opiinae has never been attempted, and thus the hypothesis of a basal position for Ademon has not been adequately tested.  Our work suggests that these features may be associated, at least in Ademon, with an aquatic existence, and that the evidence for a basal position for Ademon is slim at best.

Figure 1

Figure 2

    The Nearctic species of Ademon have not been adequately differentiated.  Females of one species, Ademon satanus Fischer, 1965, are readily distinguished by the distinctly longer ovipositor.  Though not noted in previous studies, the pronotal collar in dorsal view also lacks the deep, rectangular pits seen in the other two previously described species.  Figure 3 illustrates the deep pits for Ademon ovalis Fischer, 1965. Ademon ovalis and Ademon niger (Ashmead, 1895) have been differentiated largely by color and by the sculpture and shape of abdominal terga (Figures 4 and 5).  Unfortunately, we have discovered that all three characters are variable.  Our initial assessment suggests that there is sufficient variation between sexes of the same species to preclude unequivocal use of these characters.

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5