Research Article |
Corresponding author: Kazunori Matsuo ( matsuosudachi@scs.kyushu-u.ac.jp ) Academic editor: Norman Johnson
© 2016 Kazunori Matsuo, Tomoko Ganaha-Kikumura, Suguru Ohno, Junichi Yukawa.
This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Citation:
Matsuo K, Ganaha-Kikumura T, Ohno S, Yukawa J (2016) Description of a new species of Aphanogmus Thomson (Hymenoptera, Ceraphronidae) that parasitizes acarivorous gall midges of Feltiella (Diptera, Cecidomyiidae) in Japan. ZooKeys 596: 77-85. https://doi.org/10.3897/zookeys.596.8472
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In 2008–2009, we reared small ceraphronids (about 0.5 mm in body length) from cocoons that had been made possibly by two acarivorous species, Feltiella acarisuga (Vallot) and F. acarivora (Zehntner) (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) in Okinawa, Japan. Detailed morphological observation revealed that the ceraphronid was a new species of Aphanogmus Thomson (Hymenoptera: Ceraphronidae). We describe it as Aphanogmus flavigastris Matsuo, sp. n. Identification of the Aphanogmus species is essential to evaluate its possibly negative effects on the predatory activity of Feltiella species that have been used as control agents against tetranychid mites.
Aphanogmus flavigastris , Feltiella acarisuga , Feltiella acarivora , taxonomy
In 2008–2009, small (about 0.5 mm in body length) species of ceraphronids (Hymenoptera) were reared from cocoons that had been made possibly by two acarivorous species, Feltiella acarisuga (Vallot) and F. acarivora (Zehntner) (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) in Okinawa, Japan (
A few taxonomic studies have focused on Japanese species of Aphanogmus.
Larvae of all known Feltiella species feed on tetranychid mites (Acari: Tetranychidae) (
We collected more than one larva or cocoon of Feltiella from each collecting site in Okinawa, Japan in 2008–2009. They were kept in petri-dishes to rear Aphanogmus and Feltiella species. Adults that emerged were preserved in 75% ethanol for morphological observation. If possible, host species of parasitoid wasp should be identified by examining remnants of host insect but the male genitalia of host cecidomyiid, which is important for species identification, would not be included in the remnants. Otherwise, host species should be identified before the attack of parasitoid wasps. However, this is not always applicable under natural conditions. Therefore, we regarded host cecidomyiid to be identical to either F. acarisuga or F. acarivora when A. flavigastris emerged from cocoons that coexisted on the same plant with either F. acarisuga or F. acarivora, respectively because we have seldom seen F. acarisuga and F. acarivora on the same plant.
For microscopic study, the ethanol-stored specimens were dried by the method described in
Ceraphronidae
sp.:
Ceraphronidae
sp.:
The specific name, flavigastris, is Latin meaning yellowish gaster, derived from the color of the female metasoma.
See Table
A list of type specimens of Aphanogmus flavigastris. All specimens are kept in the collection of the Biosystematics Laboratory, Faculty of Social and Cultural Studies, Kyushu University, Japan.
Possible host | Associated plant* | Collecting site (collector**) | Host collecting | No. specimens | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
F. acarisuga | Pueraria montana | Senbaru, Nishihara, Okinawa, Japan (SO) | 22 vii 2008 | 1 female | Holotype |
F. acarisuga | P. montana | Senbaru, Nishihara, Okinawa, Japan (SO) | 22 vii 2008 | 1 male | Paratype |
F. acarisuga | Mallotus japonicus | Uka, Kunigami, Okinawa, Japan (SO, TGK) | 1 viii 2008 | 1 female | Paratype |
F. acarisuga | Ma. japonicus | Uehara, Ogimi, Okinawa, Japan (SO, TGK) | 6 viii 2008 | 1 female | Paratype |
F. acarisuga | Broussonetia papyrifera | Gesashi, Higashi, Okinawa, Japan (SO) | 21 ii 2009 | 1 female | Paratype |
F. acarivora | Bauhinia variegata | Senbaru, Nishihara, Okinawa, Japan (SO) | 18 vii 2008 | 2 females | Paratypes |
F. acarivora | Melanolepis multiglandulosa | Hentona, Kunigami, Okinawa, Japan (SO) | 31 vii 2008 | 2 males | Paratypes |
F. acarivora | Mucuna macrocarpa | Oku, Kunigami, Okinawa, Japan (SO, TGK) | 1 viii 2008 | 2 females | Paratypes |
F. acarivora | P. montana | Iramina, Yomitan, Okinawa, Japan (SO) | 2 x 2008 | 1 female | Paratype |
F. acarivora | Morus australis | Kijoka, Ogimi, Okinawa, Japan (SO) | 16 x 2008 | 1 female | Paratype |
FEMALE. Body length 0.5–0.6 mm (Figs
Head in dorsal view 1.5–1.7 times as wide as long, 1.2–1.4 times as wide as mesosoma; POL: OOL: LOL = 1.8: 1.5: 1.0. Head in frontal view (Fig.
Mesosoma 1.2–1.4 times as long as wide; 1.3–1.5 times as high as wide; ventral pronotal pit distinct; mesoscutum reticulate, sparsely setose (Fig.
Fore wing about 3.0 times as long as wide, with a darkly pigmented band (Fig.
Syntergum with distinct transverse carina anteriorly, smooth, with 2–3 setae anterolaterally, occupying more than half of total length of metasoma; longitudinal striae of syntergum absent.
MALE. Differs from female as follows: Antenna (Fig.
Japan.
Feltiella acarisuga and F. acarivora. Usually one, occasionally two or three adults emerged from a single host cocoon.
clavicornis group: mesoscutal median furrow and metasomal basal carina absent. tenuicornis group: mesoscutal median furrow absent, metasomal basal carina present. fumipennis group: mesoscutal median furrow and metasomal basal carina present.
According to the morphological features of these species groups, the new species belongs to the fumipennis group, while Aphanogmus fulmeki and A. floridanus that have been known as parasitoids of Feltiella species belong to the clavicornis group and tenuicornis group, respectively. Therefore, the new species can be distinguished from Aphanogmus fulmeki and A. floridanus.
Among members of the fumipennis group, the new species shares the following characteristics with species in the Aphanogmus hakonensis complex sensu
The new species is most similar to Aphanogmus inamicus as it shares the following characters: median mesoscutal sulcus present; dorsal axillar area and mesoscutellum with distinct lateral carina; syntergum with distinct transverse carina anteriorly; fore wing with a darkly pigmented band; antenna of female with flagellomere 2–7 not transverse. However, Aphanogmus flavigastris can be distinguished from A. inamicus by the following characters: club of antenna 1 segmented (3 segmented in A. inamicus); lateral carina on dorsal axillar area and mesoscutellum more raised than that of A. inamicus; longitudinal striae of syntergum absent (present in A. inamicus); mesosoma dark brown (reddish yellow in A. inamicus); infuscate area on fore wing smaller (from marginal vein to posterior margin of fore wing in A. inamicus).
According to a key to the Palaearctic species of Aphanogmus (
We need to monitor the seasonal abundance of Aphanogmus flavigastris for the successful application of Feltiella species, because its congener A. floridanus that attacks F. acarivora has been regarded to act as a negative force in controlling Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae) on strawberry in California (
We thank Prof. Y. Abe and Dr. T. Ide for their support in taking SEM images. This study was supported partly by Global COE Program (Center of excellence for Asian conservation ecology as a basis of human-nature mutualism), MEXT, Japan to KM.