Analysis of the spatial distribution of Meteorus laphygmae Viereck, 1913 (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) in Mexico

For the state of Durango, Mexico, parasitoids of the orders Hymenoptera and Diptera have been reported, which contribute to the biological control of economically important pests such as the fall armyworm Spodoptera frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), among others; The genus Meteorus is naturally distributed in some municipalities of the State; however, although morphologically the characters coincide with Meterorus laphygmae and M. arizonensis, the morphometric analysis only allowed to form two groups: males and females, and an overlap in the measurements of their proportions was observed, but without separating both species. Genetically, M. laphygmae reported in Genbank® for Mexico is distant from Meteorus spp. (M. laphygmae and M. arizonensis) from Durango (0.118), where no clear differentiation is observed either. Meteorus laphygmae has a recorded geographic distribution in North America and Latin America. To demonstrate that this species is distributed in several states of Mexico, but not in Durango, the genetic sequences were analyzed, which showed that the group of Meteorus sp. from Durango, Mexico, does not correspond to M. laphygmae recorded in Mexico (center and south) up to Costa Rica, suggesting that it is probably a different species or just M. arizonensis, so its morphological redescription will be essential, which will provide the biological tools necessary to control S. frugiperda and other pests.