Diversity and differentiation of the Chelonus (Microchelonus) species of the Galapagos archipelago (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Cheloninae)

Abstract

Despite the significance of the Galapagos archipelago, the richness of diverse groups such as braconid wasps remains poorly studied. Seven species of chelonine Braconidae are recorded for the Galapagos islands for the first time: Chelonus buscki Viereck, 1912, Chelonus carinatus Provancher, 1881, Chelonus johni Marsh, 1979, Chelonus refluus (Papp, 2010), Chelonus sulcifera (Papp, 2016), Chelonus topali (Papp, 1999), and Chelonus turgoclarus (Papp, 2010). No endemic species were identified for the islands. We also explore island population differences with respect to island area, age, and distance between islands. The populations of C. buscki and C. carinatus were statistically differentiated between islands. Morphological differences were associated with island area only for C. buscki while no relationship was found between differentiation and age or geographic distance between islands for any species. These results could be a consequence of recent colonization events.