Description of two new Australian genera of Megastigmidae (Hymenoptera, Chalcidoidea) with notes on the biology of the genus Bortesia
Author
Boehmova, Julie
Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, 128 43 Prague, Czech Republic
bohmova.julie42@gmail.com
Author
Rasplus, Jean-Yves
CBGP, INRAE, Univ. Montpellier, CIRAD, IRD, Montpellier SupAgro, Montpellier, France
Author
Taylor, Gary S.
Centre for Evolutionary Biology & Biodiversity, and School of Biological Sciences, University of Adelaide, North Terrace, Adelaide, South Australia 5005, Australia
Author
Jansta, Petr
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6409-3603
Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Charles University, 128 43 Prague, Czech Republic & Department of Entomology, State Museum of Natural History Stuttgart, 70191 Stuttgart, Germany
petr.jansta@natur.cuni.cz
text
Journal of Hymenoptera Research
2022
2022-04-29
90
75
99
http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/jhr.90.82582
journal article
http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/jhr.90.82582
1314-2607-90-75
9B6E1A562D68412BA71CD3C9EF69BA1F
66183FB27E8852ADA59731B16223CC27
6508903
Bortesia similis (Riek, 1966)
Figs 6A-G
, 7A-B
Material.
Australia
•
1 ♀
;
South Australia
,
Mount Lofty
;
34.97539°S
,
138.70528°E
;
21 Jan. 2019
;
P.
Jansta
,
J.
Boehmova
leg.; sweeping
Hakea rostrata
; CUPC (JBOH0032_0101 (CUPC000164))
•
2 ♀♀
; same collection data as for preceding; SAMA (CUPC000198-199)
•
8 ♂♂
; same collection data as for preceding; SAMA (CUPC000200-207)
•
3 ♀♀
; same collection data as for preceding; em. from
Hakea rostrata
twigs (
Jan.-Feb. 2019
); CUPC (CUPC000165-166, 217)
•
3 ♂♂
; same collection data as for preceding; em. from
Hakea rostrata
twigs (
Jan.-Feb. 2019
); CUPC (CUPC000167-168, 218)
•
1 ♀
; same collection data as for preceding; em. from
Hakea rostrata
buds (
Jan.-Feb. 2019
); CUPC (CUPC000208)
•
1 ♂
; same collection data as for preceding; em. from
Hakea rostrata
buds (
Jan.-Feb. 2019
); CUPC (CUPC000209)
•
8 ♀♀
; same collection data as for preceding;
34.97538°S
,
138.71064°E
;
20 Jan. 2019
;
swept from
Hakea rostrata
; CUPC (CUPC000169-176)
•
9 ♂♂
; same collection data as for preceding; CUPC (CUPC000177-185)
•
4 ♀♀
; same collection data as for preceding; SAMA (CUPC000186-189)
•
8 ♂♂
; same collection data as for preceding; SAMA (CUPC000190-197)
•
5 ♀♀
;
South Australia
,
Kangaroo Island
,
Flinders Chase
NP,
Gosse
lands;
35.93625°S
,
136.93204°E
;
12 Jan. 2019
;
P.
Jansta
,
J.
Boehmova
leg.; sweeping; CUPC (CUPC000210, 219-222)
.
Male recognition.
We have reared and swept several males of
B. similis
during our survey in Mt. Lofty which is the first male record for this species. Face and dorsal thorax pilosity, sculpture of dorsal mesosoma and wing venation are similar to those of females (Fig.
6A-C
). Males of
B. similis
can be easily recognized from males of
B. mirostigmus
by their coloration. They have the entire lower face, lower part of upper face, lateral panel of pronotum, prepectus, acropleuron, fore- and midlegs and hind femur, tibia and tarsi yellow. Upper part of upper face, rest of metasoma dorsally and laterally, and hind coxa are metallic green to blue green. Dorsal and lateral metasoma is brown to bright brown with blue green metallic reflections dorsally (Fig.
6D-G
). In contrast, males of
B. mirostigmus
are darker with more extensive coloration (
Riek 1966
).
Figure 6.
Bortesia similis
A
female habitus, lateral view
B
female head, antennae and mesosoma, frontal/dorsal view
C
female fore wing, dorsal view
D
male habitus, dorsal view
E
male habitus, lateral view
F
male head, frontal view
G
male antenna, lateral view. Scale bars: 200
µm
.
Distribution.
Australia: NSW: Strahorn state forest (
Riek 1966
); SA: Adelaide, Mount Lofty; Kangaroo Isl. (
new records
).
Host.
Hakea leucoptera
(
Riek 1966
) and
H. rostrata
(
new record
).
Remarks on the biology of
B. similis
.
While
Riek (1966)
reared
B. similis
from
"pineapple"
(bud) galls on
Hakea leucoptera
, we observed females of this species ovipositing into the buds, but also into the twigs of
Hakea rostrata
. Subsequently, several specimens were reared from the twigs, leaves and slightly enlarged buds of
H. rostrata
(Fig.
7A
) sampled in the same locality. The twigs and the leaves show no sign of swellings, but the leaves from which
Bortesia
emerged appeared to be dry apically (Fig.
7B
).
Figure 7.
Hakea rostrata
with emergence holes of
Bortesia similis
A
enlarged bud (indicated by arrow)
B
leaf (emergence hole indicated by arrow).
Together with
Bortesia
specimens, we also reared several individuals of
Megastigmus
sp. from the sampled organs of
H. rostrata
. Because no native Australian species of
Megastigmus
is known to be a gall-maker or phytophagous on
Hakea
, and because no other insects emerged from our samples, we considered
Megastigmus
sp. to be a parasitoid of
B. similis
.