Genetic Variability of Species of the Genus Meteorus Haliday, 1835, at Durango, Mexico

Hymenoptera parasitoids Meteorus laphygmae Viereck, 1913 and M. arizonensisMuesebeck, 1923 were analyzed genetically to identify their variability in relation to species similar to them in morphology. Because of complexity in delimitation of the species, they have polymorphisms in color of the body and distinctive color patterns in the mesosome. A fragment of the cytochrome oxidase I (COI) gene was sequenced to learn the genetic distance between individuals. Maximum distribution of variance was found when two groups were formed: Group 1: Meteorus sp. Durango (two species = nine morphotypes) and Group 2: M. laphygmae ("predominant" species in Mexico) compared with external group Homolobus truncator Say, 1829, taxonomically similar to Meteorus (in Durango). The morphotypes of Meteorus sp. at Durango were genetically in a single group (0.0005 genetic distance between them), although taxonomically they belonged to two species (M. laphygmae and M. arizonensis). Group 1 differed from Group 2 of M. laphygmae (0.118) and H. truncator (0.206). This indicated the morphological characters of the two species of Meteorus did not coincide with genetic characters, which resulted in erroneous identification.