Rhyssella obliterata (Gravenhorst, 1829)

Varga, A., 2014, A Review Of The Subfamily Rhyssinae (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae) From The Ukrainian Carpathians, Vestnik Zoologii 48 (1), pp. 27-34 : 32-34

Rhyssella obliterata (Gravenhorst, 1829)

M a t e r i a l. Ukraine: Transcarpathian Region : Mukachevo District, Ivanivtsi, 48°28ʹ18.07ʹʹ N, 22°38ʹ43.16ʹʹ E, 120 m, 23– 24.09.1957, 1 ♀.

C o l o r a t i o n. This species differs from Rhyssella approximator (Fabricius, 1793) in having yellow pterostigma, scutellum, postscutellum and two stripes on mesoscutum. OTI 5.0

D i s t r i b u t i o n. Palaearctic: Armenia, Austria, Belarus, Croatia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, Latvia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Russia (Primoskiy Kray), Serbia, Sweden; Ukraine.

H i g h - a l t i t u d e z o n e d i s t r i b u t i o n a n d s e a s o n a l d y n a m i c s o f t h e R h y s s i n a e

During the investigations carried out in various locations of the Ukrainian Carpathians between 2009 and 2013 six species of the subfamily Rhyssinae , belonging to three genera, were recorded. One species was recorded for the first time from Ukraine. The most abundant rhyssine between 2009 and 2013 was Rhyssa persuasoria (54.76 % of the total number of specimens).

Rhyssinae species have been recorded in various high-altitude zones of the Ukrainian Carpathians (table 1). All six species are collected in the f o o t h i l l o a k f o r e s t z o n e, reaching up to 150–400 m a. s. l. in Precarpathia and Transcarpathian lowland with mixed forests, where the main tree species are Quercus robur , Q. rubra , Caprinus , Fraxinus , Picea abies, Abies alba, and Pinus sylvestris . No rhyssines were found in monocultural stands of Fagus sylvatica in the beech forest zone (400–1300 m a. s. l.) in Transcarpathia, probably because of the absenсe of conifers here. Despite the fact that Rhyssella species associate with leaf trees there are no data about association of this genus with Fagus sylvatica .

Rhyssines were most abundant in the c o n i f e r o u s b o r e a l f o r e s t z o n e, situated at 900–1600 m a. s. l. in the mountainous part of the Carpathians, where the Piceetaabietis community predominates. Only one species, Rhyssa persuasoria , was found in the subalpine zone, at 1400–2061 m a. s. l., known as polonynys, which are high altitude open grasslands, partly taken over by bush, mainly by Pinus mugo , Dushekia viridis , Juniperus sibirica and only single Picea abies trees, in which this species attacks its hosts.

The flight season of Rhyssinae adults is prolonged, lasting six months, from the last third of April to the last third of September( fig.7 ). Five species (except Rhyssella obliterata ) were collected during the first third of May. Rhyssines were most abundant during the first third of May and June. Thus Rhyssinae species are most common at the end of spring (in the foothill areas) and in the beginning of summer (in the mountainous part of the Carpathians).

Flight periods of Rhyssa persuasoria and Rhyssa amoena are from the end of spring to the end of summer; moreover, the first specimens of Rhyssa persuasoria emerged earlier, at the end of April, while Rhyssa amoena started flying later, in the latter third of May ( fig. 8). Rhyssa kriechbaumeri was collected only in May and the beginning of June. The flight periods of Megarhyssa rixator and Rhyssella approximator were shorter than for the two Rhyssa species, and lasting from May to the middle of July. Rhyssella obliterata was collected only in the end of September.

I wish to thank A. Gumovsky for help in the preparation of the manuscript, the anonymous referee, and two referees, A. Reshchikov and G. Broad for useful comments and correction of the English text.

Figures

Fig. 7. The seasonal dynamics of Rhyssinae flying in Ukrainian Carpathians during 1957–2013. Рис. 7. Сезонная динамика лёта Rhyssinae в Украинских Карпатах в 1957–2013 гг.