Taxonomy, biology, and efficacy of two Australian parasitoids of the eucalyptus gall wasp, Leptocybe invasa Fisher & La Salle (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae: Tetrastichinae)
Author
Kim, Il-Kwon
Author
Mendel, Zvi
Author
Protasov, Alexey
Author
Blumberg, Daniel
Author
Salle, John La
text
Zootaxa
2008
1910
1
20
journal article
10.5281/zenodo.184546
75dcdb5f-cf5a-4062-aaa5-8e27d46fb289
1175-5326
184546
Selitrichodes
Girault
, stat. rev.
Selitrichodes
Girault, 1913
[145]: 104–105.
Type
species:
Selitrichodes fasciativentris
Girault
, original designation.
Stat.rev.
Epomphaloides
Girault, 1913
[156]: 49–50.
Type
species
Epomphaloides flavus
Girault
, original designation.
Syn. n.
Zagrammosomoides
Girault, 1913
[146]: 177.
Type
species
Zagrammosomoides fasciatus
Girault
, original designation,
Syn.n.
Diagnosis.
SMV usually with 2 or 1 dorsal setae. PMV distinct, usually about 0.4–0.5 the length of STV. Propodeum without a raised lobe of the callus which partially overhangs the outer rim of the spiracle. Cercal setae short and subequal in length. Mesosternum anterior to the trochantinal lobe convex and without a precoxal suture. Malar sulcus generally curved, and the gena may be somewhat swollen. All funicular segments subquadrate or slightly transverse. Postmarginal vein distinctly developed, although shorter than the stigmal vein. Non-metallic (mainly yellow with black markings). Males (of at least some species) with 3 funicular segments.
Discussion.
Graham (1987)
defined the genus
Aprostocetus
mainly on possessing the following characters: propodeum with a raised lobe of the callus which partially overhangs the outer rim of the spiracle, one of the cercal setae distinctly longer than the others and sinuate, submarginal vein with 3 or more setae, mesosternum in front of the trochantinal lobe generally flat and with a preocoxal suture, and malar sulcus generally straight or only slightly curved. This generic concept has been used by subsequent authors (Graham 1991;
La Salle 1994
;
Schauff
et al
. 1997
).
Bouček (1988)
mentioned the presence of a group of species which he placed in
Aprostocetus
which had cercal setae short and the postmarginal vein distinctly developed, although shorter than the stigmal vein. He suggested that some of these groups may need to be treated as separate genera. Several of the forms which are found associated with galls on
Eucalyptus
fall into this category, including the
type
species of
Selitrichodes
,
Zagrammosomoides
and
Epomphaloides
.
Diagnostic characters for
Selitrichodes
have been given above. Differences between
Selitrichodes
and
Aprostocetus
are that
Selitrichodes
: lacks a raised lobe of the callus which partially overhangs the outer rim of the spiracle, has all the cercal setae short and subequal in length, has 2 setae on the submarginal vein, has the mesosternum in front of the trochantinal lobe convex and without a precoxal suture, and the malar sulcus generally curved. These differences are enough to recognize
Selitrichodes
as a valid genus, which is distinct from
Aprostocetus
. Additional characters for
Selitrichodes
are that all funicular segments are subquadrate or slightly transverse, and the postmarginal vein distinctly developed, although shorter than the stigmal vein. Males for
Selitrichodes kryceri
have only 3 funicular segments (most tetrastichine males have 4 funicular segments). Males are unknown for most
Selitrichodes
, and it is not clear how widespread this character is.
Many of the characters which define
Selitrichodes
are similar to those seen in the mainly Holarctic genus
Baryscapus
Förster.
Baryscapus
is largely absent in the Australian fauna (
Bouček 1988
;
Noyes 2003
), with the only recorded species,
B. galactopus
(Ratzeburg)
, almost certainly introduced. The main character by which
Baryscapus
can be separated from
Selitrichodes
is that
Baryscapus
are always metallic in coloration, and
Selitrichodes
are non-metallic (mainly yellow with black markings).
We could find no significant differences between
Selitrichodes
and
Epomphaloides
, and
Epomphaloides
is treated as a synonym with
Selitrichodes
. The only significant difference between
Zagrammosomoides
and
Selitrichodes
is that
Zagrammosomoides
has an elongate mesoscutum, which is fully twice as long as the scutellum. Both
Selitrichodes
and
Zagrammosomoides
have an official publication date of
30 June 1913
(
Dahms 1978
). Acting under the principle of first reviser, we consider
Selitrichodes
to have priority. An additional group of species generally agree with
Selitrichodes
, but differ in having only a single seta on the submarginal vein. Since this is the only difference, these species (
auriflavus
,
consobrinus
,
secus
,
varigatus
) are also placed in
Selitrichodes
.