New records of Microgaster deductor Nixon, 1968 (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Microgastrinae) for the Holarctic region, with comments on its historical distribution

Abstract

Four new localities for the species Microgaster deductor Nixon (1968) are recorded from the Nearctic (Canada and the United States) and the Palaearctic (Sweden), expanding significantly the range of the species. M. deductor seems to be widely distributed in boreal areas of the Holarctic, and it is characterized by unique morphological (tarsal claw structure) and molecular (COI) traits. Preliminary evidence, to be corroborated when more data is available, suggests that the species might have shifted northwards between 1950 and the present day.

Keywords

• Microgastrinae
• Nearctic
• Palaearctic
• Holarctic distribution
• COI gene
• morphology
• species distribution