Aspicera scutellata ( Villers, 1789 ), 1889

ROS-FARRÉ, P. & PUJADE-VILLAR, J., 2013, <strong> Revision of the genus <em> Aspicera </ em> Dahlbom, 1842 (Hym.: Figitidae: Aspicerinae) </ strong>, Zootaxa 3606 (1), pp. 1-110 : 45-47

Aspicera scutellata ( Villers, 1789)

( Figs 42a & b )

Tenthredo scutellata Villers, 1789: 126

Evania ediogaster Rossi, 1790: 57 , synonymized by Giraud, 1860: 157 & 159

Cynips ediogaster Panzer, 1793: 34–35 , synonymized by Dahlbom, 1842: 9

Ichneumon ediogaster (Rossi) Rossi, 1794: 136

Onychia scutellata (Villers) Giraud, 1856: 186

Aspicera scutellata (Villers) Dalla Torre, 1889: 211

Cynips ediogaster (Rossi) , Panzer, 1805:16

Figites ediogaster (Rossi) Jurine, 1807: 288

Onychia ediogaster (Rossi) Walker, 1835: 162

Aspicera ediogaster (Rossi) , Reinhard 1860: 242

Figites bicolor Boyer de Fonscolombe 1832: 185

Onychia bicolor (Boyer de Fonscolombe) Giraud, 1860: 159

Figites aculeata Boyer de Fonscolombe, 1832: 186

Aspicera scutellata var. ruficollis Kieffer, 1907b: 129

Aspicera scutellata ruficollis Kieffer, Dalla Torre & Kieffer, 1910: 56 n. syn.

Type material of Aspicera scutellata var. ruficollis : 1♀ ( MNCN) with the following labels: 1♀ (MNCN) with the following labels: “Ribas Dusmet” (white label), “ Aspicera scutellata var. ruficollis K.” (white label handwritten), “MNCN_Ent Nº Cat. 69451” (white label), “ lectotype of Aspicera scutellara ruficollis Kieffer, designated JP-V” (red label), “ Aspicera scutellata (Villers) det. Ros-Farré-2011” (white label); “Madrid G. Mercet” (white label), “ Aspicera scutellata var. ruficollis ” (white label hand written), “MNCN_Ent Nº Cat. 69669” (white label), “paralectotype of Aspicera scutellara ruficollis Kieffer” (red label), “ Aspicera scutellata (Villers) det. Ros-Farré-2011” (with label) ;

Type material of Figites aculeata : (1♂). HOLOTYPE male deposited in ( MHNG) with the following labels: “coll. Romand C n de Saussure” (white label), “ Figites aculeata nob. Bréb. sic 2” (white label handwritten), “presque surement originalem. de la coll. Fonscolombe” (white label handwritten), “TYPE” (red label), “ Figites aculeata ” (white label handwritten), “selom D. T. Aspicera scutellata (Vill) ” (white label handwritten), “ Figites Type aculeata Fsc. (= Aspicera scutellata Vill. ) det. Ch. Ferrière” (white label handwritten), “HOLOTYPE of Figites aculeata Boyer de Fonscolombe, 1832 ” (red label), “ Aspicera scutellata (B. de Fonsc.) det Ros-Farré det. 2005” (white label).

Aditional material: (10♂ & 17♀): FRANCE: 1♀ ( CNCI) 19/9/1976, Montpellier , John T.Huber leg. ; 1♀ ( UB) 7–13/IV/1989, Grabels , Hérault , H. Tussac leg. ; 1♀ ( UB) 21/VIII/1961, Croix , Valmer , Sichell leg. HUNGARY: 1♂ ( HNHM) 1931, Budapest, Biró leg. ; 1♀ ( PDL) 4/VIII/1953, Zamárdi, Móczár leg. ; 1♀ ( HNHM) Szalonca , Fekete Gy. Coll. Z. Kiss E .; 1♀ & 1♂ ( HNHM) 4/VI/1939, Kalocsa, Dr. J. Erdös leg. ; 1♂ ( HNHM) 26/VIII/1942, Kalocsa, Dr. J. Erdös leg. 1♂ ( HNHM) 14/VIII/1942, Kalocsa, Dr. J. Erdös leg. ; 1♂ ( UB) 21/VIII/1958, Csömör, Sólymosné .; 1♀ ( UB) 7/VIII/1932, Azskozard, Dr. J. Erdös leg. ; 1♀ ( HNHM) nº 1602, 1933, Pestszentimre .; 1♀ ( UB) VIII/1932, Azekozard .; 1♀ ( HNHM) nº 1203, 18/VII/1933, Paks . MONTENEGRO: 1♀ ( NHM) 18/IX/ 1984, C.Gora , Krasici nr. Kotor , Boucek leg. SPAIN: 1♂ ( UB) 15/VI/1996, La Parroquia , Los Cautivos , Murcia , J. Pujade-Villar leg. ; 1♂ (MNHN-Paris) Pozuelo de Calatrava .; 1♀ ( MNHN-Paris) Lemona , Vizcaya, G. Schramm. Labeled as Parasintype of Onychia .; 1♂ ( CNCI) 27/VII/1960, Sierra Nevada, highway, 1650m, J. R. Vockroth . TURKEY: 1♂ ( UB) 7/IX/1960, Kars, Ararat below Serdarbulak , 5000`, Guichard & Harvey B.M. leg. 1960-364; 1♂ ( NHM) 8/VI/1959, Goynuceck . Alt 1500 ft., K.M. Guichard leg. ; 1♂ ( NHM) 27/VII/1962, Eskisehir, Kaymaz , 800m, Guichard & Harvey B.M. leg. 1962-299 ; 1♀ ( HNHM) without label data .

Other material: (4♀): 1♀ (MNHN-Paris) unknown locality, labeled as Parasintype of A. scutellata; 2♀ (MNHN-Paris) aust Sartoz, labeled as Parasintype of A. scutellata. 1♀ (MNHN-Paris) Arsenal , labeled as Parasintype of A. scutellata.

Diagnosis. Aspicera scutellata belongs to the group of species with occiput and lateral margin of pronotum sharply carinate, scutellar disc convex and notauli sharply carinate. Aspicera scutellata is similar to A. blancae , but in A. scutellata lateral lines almost reach anterior margin of scutum, scutellar pits are deep and scutellum is rugose, while A. blancae lacks scutellar pits, lateral lines are complete and scutellum is longitudinally carinate.

Redescription

Length. Female 4.2–5.6 mm.; male 3.7–4.8 mm.

Coloration. Head, antenna and metasoma black. Pronotum black to medium brown. Scutum medium brown, except scutellar spine dark brown to black. Mesopleuron, metapleura and propodeum dark brown to black. Leg dark to light brown. Coloration may be variable, scutum black in some specimens.

Head. Frons alutaceous, very sharply rugose. Lateral frontal carinae sharp, strongly prominent in some specimens, slightly curved near antennal foramina, divergent. Area between compound eye and lateral frontal carinae with sharp transverse carinae. Gena in lateral view rounded, slightly expanded, coriaceous, with very sharp transverse carinae. Vertex not incised, coriaceous, sharply rugose. Ocelli slightly prominent. Occiput without microsculpture, with very sharp longitudinal carinae on dorsal 1/3, with noticeable transverse carinae on ventral 2/ 3. Occasionally dorsal 1/3 of occiput sharply rugose instead of longitudinally carinate.

Antenna. FEMALE. Filiform. Antennal formula: 13.5(9): 5(7): 12(6.5): 12(6): 12(5.5): 12(5.5): 12(5.5): 12(6): 10(6): 11(6): 10(6): 10(6): 21(6). MALE. Filiform. F1 weakly modified. Antennal formula: 12(6): 4(6): 14(6): 13(5.5): 13(5.5): 12.5(5.5): 12(5.5): 12(5.5): 11(5.5): 11(5.5): 11(5.5): 11(5): 9(5): 16(5).

Mesosoma. FEMALE. Lateral surface of pronotum coriaceous with sharp transverse carinae. Subpronotal plate not projected, dorsal margin pubescent. Scutum coriaceous with sharp transverse carinae, sharply rugose in some specimens. Lateral line conspicuous almost reaching anterior margin of scutum. Antero-admedian lines smooth, polished or coriaceous, reaching 1/3–1/2 scutum length, parallel; median ridge conspicuous, sometimes narrow. Notauli smooth, with many sharp transverse carinae. Median mesoscutal sulcus with more or less abundant transverse carinae, sometimes this sulcus has sharply sinuous margins, sometimes straight. Area between notauli not prominent in lateral view. Parascutal sulcus ending near anterior end of notauli, smooth, pubescent anteriorly. Mesopleuron with sharp punctate sculpture and oblique carinae on ventral area and anterior 1/3, smooth on dorsoposterior area. Scutellum between 0.9–1.0 times scutum length, not emarginate. Scutellar foveae longitudinally carinate, scutellar pits sharply deep. Interfoveal carina conspicuous on scutellar disc and spine. Scutellar disc with sharp longitudinal carinae or sharply rugose, swollen posterior to scutellar foveae, sloping towards basis of scutellar spine in lateral view. Scutellar spine 0.4–0.7 times length of scutellar disc, stout, directed downwards or almost straight in lateral view. MALE. Dorsal margin of pronotum with stronger pubescence. Scutellum 0.8–1.0 times scutum length. Scutellar spine 0.5–0.7 times length of scutellar disc.

Wing. Wing membrane hyaline. Radial cell 2.0–2.5 longer than wide. Wing pubescence reduced. Marginal pubescence present, very short on dorsal margin. R1 long. R2 straight, slightly curved near dorsal margin. Rs+M absent.

Biology. Unknown.

Distribution. Western Palaeartic: Alemania, Algeria, Croatia, France, Hungary, Italy, Sapain and Tunisia ( Dalla Torre & Kieffer, 1910) and United Kingdom ( Fergusson, 1986); here recorded from Montenegro and Turkey.

Comments. Tenthredo scutellata Villers, 1789 was transferred to the genus Onychia by Giraud (1856: 186); in this same work, Giraud also considered that Figites bicolor Boyer de Fonscolombe, 1832 and ‘ Onychia bicolor Dahlbom, 1842 ’ (unavailable name, see comments of A. suecica ) were synonyms of Onychia scutellata (Villers) ; however, later, the same Giraud (1860: 159) mentioned that the species F. bicolor Fonscolombe were unknown to him and took this species out from the synonymy with O. scutellata ; here, after examining the material of Onychia bicolor determined by Dahlbom, we consider that this species does not the belong to Tenthredo scutellata Villers as Giraud mentioned (see the comments of A. suecica ). On the other hand, Dahlbom (1842: 9) considered Cynips ediogaster Panzer, 1793 as a synonym of Evania ediogaster Rossi, 1790 . Giraud (1860: 157 & 159) synonymyzed Evania ediogaster Rossi with Onychya scutellata (Villers) . Last, Dalla Torre (1889: 211) transferred Onychia scutellata (Villers) to the genus Aspicera and considered Figites bicolor Boyer de Fonscolombe, 1832 (not bicolor Dahlbom ) and Figites aculeata Boyer de Fonscolombe, 1832 as synonyms of A. scutellata (Villers) . We have examined the subspecies ‘ ruficollis ’ Kieffer, and the differences from the typical form mentioned by Kieffer fall inside the range of intraspecific variability; thus, we do not consider that A. scutellata has any valid subspecies.

Note 1. Figites aculeata Boyer de Fonscolombe was originaly described as “ Figites aculeata, Bréb. ” in Boyer de Fonscolombe (1832: 186), because this author repeated the label written by Brébisson and respected the name proposed by him. Some authors considered that the descriptor of these species was Brébisson (in Boyer Fonscolombe, 1932) and several nomenclatures appeared as “ aculeata Brébisson ” or “ aculeata Brébisson & Boyer de Fonscolombe ”. Nevertheless, according to the ZNC (art. 50.1) the correct descriptor of Figites aculeata is Boyer de Fonscolombe.

Note 2. In MNHN-Paris there are four specimens labeled as “Parasintype of A. scutellata ”. Nevertheless, until this work, no species has ever been described as “ Aspicera scutellata ” even if different authors mentioned the “ scutellata ” name: Villers, Panzer and Rossi. Claire Villemant (pers. com.) mentions that the collections of these authors have never been deposited in MNHN-Paris. Thus, these four specimens cannot belong to the type material of Tenthredo scutellata Villers neither Evania ediogaster Rossi neither Cynips ediogaster Panzer.

Note 3. The material of Aspicera scutellata ruficollis is presumably composed of 2 specimens deposited in MNCN (M. París pers. comm.). In the original description, Kieffer (1907: 129) only mentions that this material was collected in Madrid, but he did not indicate the collector neither the exact locality nor the number of specimens examined. The specific labels of these specimens are written by the same person according to the graphism. One of these specimens was collected by Mercet in Madrid and has a label with the name " Aspicera " handwritten with upper-case "A", and the second one was collected by Dusmet in Ribas (Madrid) and " A spicera" is handwritten with lower-case " A "; in both specimens the rest of the name "_spicera ruficollis var scutellata " is identical to Kieffer writing, according to our experience, so we can assume both are written by J. J. Kieffer. This author was not very consistent about his graphy (Forshage per. comm.). Nevertheless, the original labels of Aspicera clarimontis Kieffer , A. longispina Kieffer and A. sibirica Kieffer examinated here have “ Aspicera ” handwritten with lowercase " A "; for this reason, the lectotype designated here is the specimen collected by Dusmet because it has the label with the same graphism than these other Kieffer species (lower-case " A ").

Figures

FIGURE 42. Aspicera scutellata (Villers): (a) head and mesosoma in lateral view, (b) mesosoma in dorsal view.