Two new species of Oobius Trjapitzin (Hymenoptera, Encyrtidae) egg parasitoids of Agrilus spp. (Coleoptera, Buprestidae) from the USA, including a key and taxonomic notes on other congeneric Nearctic taxa
Author
Triapitsyn, Serguei V.
Author
Petrice, Toby R.
Author
Gates, Michael W.
Author
Bauer, Leah S.
text
ZooKeys
2015
498
29
50
http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.498.9357
journal article
http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.498.9357
1313-2970-498-29
480DEF98A22C425384796222FD3E9E2F
480DEF98A22C425384796222FD3E9E2F
Taxon classification Animalia Hymenoptera Encyrtidae
Oobius minusculus Triapitsyn & Petrice
sp. n.
Figures 11a, 12-16, 25, 31, 33-34
Avetianella
sp.:
Petrice et al. 2009
: 179-180 (egg parasitoid of
Agrilus subcinctus
in Livingston Co., Michigan, USA).
Type material.
Holotype female [UCRC] on slide (Fig. 11a) with following four labels: "USA: Michigan, Clinton Co., near Bath,
42.812°N
,
84.410°W
, 255 m, parasitized
Agrilus subcinctus
Gory eggs collected 12.vii.2013, T.R. Petrice, emerged 16-22.vii.2013 in laboratory (Lansing, MI)", "Mounted by V. V. Berezovskiy 2014 in Canada balsam", [magenta] "
Oobius minusculus
Triapitsyn & Petrice HOLOTYPE ♀", [database label] "Univ. Calif. Riverside Ent. Res. Museum UCRC ENT 142420". The holotype is in good condition, complete, dissected under 3 coverslips.
Paratypes: USA, Michigan: Clinton Co. (same data as the holotype), 2 ♀ on points [MSUC, UCRC] and 1 ♀, 1 ♂ on slides [UCRC]. Ingham Co., Michigan State University Tree Research Center,
42°40'12"N
,
84°28'12"W
, 267 m, 14.viii.2014, T. R. Petrice, emerged in laboratory (East Lansing) from parasitized
Agrilus egenus
Gory eggs on black locust,
Robinia pseudoacacia
, twigs: emerged 22.viii.2014 [3 ♀ on points, MSUC, UCRC, USNM]; emerged 29.viii.2014 [3 ♀ on points, MSUC, UCRC, USNM, and 1 ♂ on slide, UCRC]; emerged 6.ix.2014 [1 ♀ on point, UCRC]; emerged 17.ix.2014 [1 ♂ on slide, UCRC].
Description.
FEMALE (holotype). Body dark brown to black except scutellum and propodeum brown; scape and pedicel brown, flagellum light brown; legs whitish or pale yellowish with wide brown bands on coxae, femora, and tibiae.
Frontovertex and mesonotum with faint mesh-like or lineolate sculpture [very difficult to see in dry-mounted specimens, best observed in slide-mounted ones (as in Fig. 25)]. Pronotum, mesoscutum, axillae, and scutellum with short, dusky setae; scutellum also with a pair of long, fine setae near posterior margin.
Head (as in Fig. 15, collapsed when air-dried) with ocelli in an obtuse triangle, posterior ocellus a little less than its diameter away from eye margin. Transfacial and inner orbital sutures present. Mandible 3-dentate, the inner tooth with two denticles; maxillary palpus 4-segmented, labial palpus 1-segmented (i.e., palpal formula 4-1).
Antenna (Fig. 12) inserted below lower eye margin. Radicle about 0.3
x
total scape length, rest of scape slender, 4.5
x
as long as wide, a little wider in the middle, with faint longitudinal sculpture. Pedicel longer than any funicle segment; F1-F5 slightly transverse, F1-F4 subequal in length, F5 a little longer and slightly wider than long; F6 the longest funicle segment, longer than wide; F1-F5 without mps, and F6 with 2 mps. Clava 3-segmented, about 2.3
x
as long as wide and almost as long as funicle; first claval segment with 1 mps, second and third segments each with 3 mps.
Mesosoma a little shorter than gaster (Fig. 13). Mesoscutum about 1.7
x
as wide as long. Scutellum a little wider than long, a little shorter than mesoscutum; scutellar placoid sensilla closer to the posterior margin of scutellum and close to each other.
Wings (Fig. 31) not abbreviated, forewing extending far beyond apex of gaster. Forewing 2.1
x
as long as wide, hyaline; marginal setae very short; disc densely setose, linea calva interrupted posteriorly by an irregular row of setae, filum spinosum present. Hindwing 4.2
x
as long as wide, hyaline; longest marginal seta 0.3
x
maximum wing width.
Mesotibial spur a little longer than mesobasitarsus.
Ovipositor occupying a little more than 0.5
x
length of gaster, exserted markedly beyond gastral apex (by 0.2
x
own length) (Fig. 13); ovipositor length:metatibia length ratio 1.2:1. Outer plate of ovipositor with two subapical setae.
Measurements of the holotype (mm, as length or length:width). Body (of the dry-mounted specimen prior to slide-mounting): 0.462; mesosoma: 0.233; gaster: 0.245; ovipositor: 0.173. Antenna: radicle: 0.03; rest of scape: 0.103; pedicel: 0.045; F1: 0.012; F2: 0.012; F3: 0.011 (0.012); F4: 0.012; F5: 0.015; F6: 0.03; clava: 0.103. Forewing: 0.495:0.234; longest marginal seta: 0.021; hindwing: 0.357:0.085; longest marginal seta: 0.025.
Variation (paratypes). Body length 0.43-0.46 mm (dry-mounted specimens from
Agrilus subcinctus
, Fig. 33) or 0.46-0.53 mm (critical-point dried specimens from
Agrilus egenus
, Fig. 34). In the latter specimens, legs (except tarsi) are somewhat darker (mostly brown), scape (minus radicle) of the female antenna is about 5.0
x
as long as wide, and clava is about 2.5
x
as long as wide. Mandibles are identical for specimens reared from both host species, and there is no doubt that they are conspecific. In all specimens, F6 is sometimes slightly paler than other flagellomeres but not contrastingly, still almost concolorous or often concolorous.
Figures 33-35. 33-34
Oobius minusculus
(paratype females) 33 dorsal habitus (from
Agrilus subcinctus
) 34 lateral habitus (from
Agrilus egenus
) 35
Oobius whiteorum
(paratype female), dorsal habitus.
MALE (paratype from
Agrilus subcinctus
). Head dark brown, mesosoma and gaster dark brown to black except mesoscutum with a brownish tinge, base of gaster whitish; antenna with scape and pedicel brown to dark brown, flagellum light brown. Antenna (Fig. 16) with scape minus radicle 2.9
x
as long as wide; F2-F4 more or less subequal in length, F1 and F5 slightly longer, F6 the longest funicle segment; F2-F4 without mps, F1, F5, F6 and clava with mps; flagellar segments with very long setae (slightly longer than each funicle
segment's
width); clava entire, 2.6
x
as long as wide, a little wider than funicle segments. Mesosoma (Fig. 25) about as long as gaster. Forewing 2.0
x
as long as wide, hyaline. Genitalia (Fig. 14) typical for the genus.
Variation (paratypes from
Agrilus egenus
). Body length 0.4-0.5 mm (critical-point dried specimens).
Diagnosis.
This species is similar to the European
Oobius
zahaikevitshi
Trjapitzin (Figs 19, 30), whose type locality is Zhuravlivka, Vinnytsia Oblast, Ukraine, where it was reared from eggs of
Agrilus viridis
(Linnaeus) on
Carpinus betulus
(
Trjapitzin 1963
).
Oobius zahaikevitshi
was recently well illustrated by
Gumovsky et al. (2013)
. It was recorded from several European countries and
Agrilus
spp. hosts, listed by
Trjapitzin and Volkovitsh (2011)
and
Noyes (2014)
. However, we are not absolutely confident that all these records are correct: it is quite possible that they might represent a complex of more than one cryptic species that are difficult to distinguish without supporting molecular data and thorough morphological studies based on good quality slide-mounted specimens. Proportions of funicle segments of the female antenna seem to be somewhat different between the specimens of
Oobius zahaikevitshi
from Ukraine illustrated by
Trjapitzin (1963)
and
Gumovsky et al. (2013)
, in which F5 is about as long as wide, and the examined specimens from Volgograd Province of Russia, in which F5 is a little wider than long (Fig. 30).
Oobius minusculus
differs from
Oobius zahaikevitshi
in having the palpal formula 4-1, a relatively smaller F5 of the female antenna and also by F6 being longer than wide and almost concolorous or often concolorous with other flagellomeres (Fig. 12). In contrast, the palpal formula for
Oobius zahaikevitshi
is 3-1, F5 is relatively larger, and F6 is about as long as wide and contrastingly lighter than other flagellomeres (Fig. 30), as also described and illustrated in
Trjapitzin (1963)
and
Gumovsky et al. (2013)
.
Oobius minusculus
is the only described native Nearctic species of
Oobius
s. str., as characterised by
Noyes (2010)
in having the outer plate of the ovipositor being relatively short and apically rounded with paired subapical setae (one long and one short), in which this new taxon fits well. In the key by
Trjapitzin and Volkovitsh (2011)
to the world species of
Oobius
(s. str.), it keys to
Oobius zahaikevitshi
. In
Noyes (2010)
,
Oobius minusculus
tentatively keys (although it really does not key to any of the included Neotropical species) to the same couplet with
Oobius xochipili
Noyes and
Oobius zagan
Noyes from Costa Rica, from both of which it differs by F5 of the female antenna being much less transverse, just slightly wider than long (Fig. 12) whereas in
Oobius xochipili
and
Oobius zagan
F5 is anelliform, much wider than long (
Noyes 2010
).
Etymology.
The name of this new taxon is an adjective referring to its small size.
Hosts.
Agrilus subcinctus
on ash (
Fraxinus
spp.) and
Agrilus egenus
on black locust (
Robinia pseudoacacia
).
Notes on biology.
Originally reported by
Petrice et al. (2009)
as
Avetianella
sp. that parasitized
Agrilus subcinctus
eggs. The second author has never found this parasitoid to overwinter in
Agrilus subcinctus
eggs. However, collections of
Agrilus egenus
eggs found overwintering
Oobius minusculus
larvae in eggs. This species likely attacks other
Agrilus
spp. in North America, and has multiple generations per year.
Comments.
The following specimens of
Oobius zahaikevitshi
were examined: Bulgaria, Plovdiv Prov., Klisura, 27.
vi-
8.vii.1975, A. Atanasov, from eggs of
Agrilus cuprescens
(
Menetries
) on
Rosa
sp. [1 ♂, BMNH] (det. V. A.
Trjapitzin 1977
). Russia, Volgograd Prov. (
oblast'
), Krasnoarmeyskiy District (rayon), environs of Volgograd, vi.1971, A. M. Makhmadziyoev (Makhmadzieev), from eggs of
Agrilus viridis
on
Acer tataricum
[1 ♀, BMNH; 5 ♀, UCRC] (det. V. A.
Trjapitzin 1977
and 1975, respectively).