Review of the Apanteles species (Hymenoptera : Braconidae) attacking lepidoptera in Bombus (Fervidobombus) (Hymenoptera : Apidae) colonies in the newworld, with description of a new species from South America

Field investigations of the nest architecture of the Amazonian bumble bee, Bombus transversalis (Olivier), revealed the presence of a new species of p arasitoid wasp belonging to the microgastrine braconid genus Apanteles Foer ster, reared from case-bearing tineid moth caterpillars feeding within the nests, The only other two species of Apanteles Foerster known to attack mot h larvae within bumble bee colonies in the New World are here reviewed and compared taxonomically and biologically. An illustrated key to the three sp ecies recognized in this paper [Apanteles galleriae Wilkinson, A. nephopter icis (Packard) and A. nidophilus Whitfield & Cameron, n. sp.] is presented, and the latter two species are fully described and illustrated for the fir st time.