Tineobius (Tineobius) tamaricis Ribes & Fusu, 2017

Lucian Fusu & Antoni Ribes, 2017, Description of the first Palaearctic species of Tineobius Ashmead, 1896 with DNA data, a checklist of world species, and nomenclatural changes in Eupelmidae (Hymenoptera, Chalcidoidea), European Journal of Taxonomy 263, pp. 1-19 : 4-9

Tineobius (Tineobius) tamaricis Ribes & Fusu sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:DFECB6FA-96D1-4EDA-B742-85D7DA57E85C

Fig. 1A–H

Etymology

Named from its associated plant, Tamarix canariensis (Willd.) . A noun in the genitive case.

Type material examined

Holotype

SPAIN: ♀, Torres de Segre, Pantà de Camelis (Lleida ), 31T BG 80, 160 m, Leg. A. Ribes , 22576 / Parapodia sinaica galls on Tamarix canariensis , col. 30.i.2013, em. 2013, A. Ribes, 22576 / HOLOTYPUS ♀ Tineobius (Tineobius) tamaricis Ribes & Fusu Det. Fusu L. 2015 . Original label: Tineobius , Tamarix, Torres , ♀, 22576. DNA voucher label: DNA extracted, 15.vii.2015 Fusu, Tt.SP 0 3 (BMNH; BM Hym Type 5.4849, barcode number NHMUK010264039). Condition: entire, uncontorted, glued by right side and wings to a card point.

Paratypes

SPAIN: 4 ♀♀, same data as holotype, except galls collected 17 Oct. 2012, emerged 2013 (no. 22575 ?) (1 ♀ BMNH); galls collected 13 Feb. 2010, emerged 2010 (no. 13940 ?) (1 ♀ MNCN); 31T BF 99, 140 m, galls collected on 20 Oct. 2007, emerged in 2008 (no. 10077 ) (1♀ AICF); galls collected 13 Feb. 2010, emerged 2010 (no. 22662 ) (1 ♀ with gaster missing, RRAC).

Additional material examined

SPAIN: 2 ♀♀, same data as holotype, except galls collected 8 Jan. 2011, emerged 22 Aug. 2011 (no. 22591), and DNA voucher label : DNA extracted, 12.vi.2014 Fusu, Tt.SP 0 1 (1 ♀, damaged, head and metasoma chowed by psocids, ARPC); galls collected 25 Jan. 2012, inside galls 2013 (no. 22592), and DNA voucher label: DNA extracted, 15.vi.2014 Fusu, Tt.SP 0 2 (1 ♀, damaged and slightly mouldy, not emerged, antennae missing, with the head capsule of the host in a gelatine capsule on the same pin, ARPC).

Description

Female ( Fig. 1A, C )

LENGTH. 2.2–3.5 mm (about 3.2–6.3 mm including ovipositor); holotype 3.3 mm (about 6 mm including ovipositor).

COLOUR. Head dark, with faint multicoloured metallic reFections on frontovertex and occiput changing colour and intensity depending on viewing angle and lighting conditions (cf. heads in Figs 1A and 1C ); more conspicuously metallic blue to greenish-blue variably extensively along eye orbit, in front of anterior ocellus and near posterior ocelli; interantennal region, scrobal depression and parascrobal region with green, bronze, coppery and violet reFections; lower face, gena and temple dark blue with some violet, greenish and bronze reFections. Maxillary and labial palps dark brown. Scape pale reddish to orangish brown, pedicel and Fagellum dark brown. Mesosoma including pronotum ( Fig. 1B, G ) mainly similar in colour to frontovertex except as follows. Mesoscutum dark blue to violet with green to coppery lustre more conspicuously on anteromedial convex lobe. Axillae and about anterior half of mesoscutellum reddish to orangish brown with at most with faint metallic lustre, mesoscutellum progressively darker posteriorly with frenal area dark green with multicoloured metallic lustre. Acropleuron ( Fig. 1A–C ) reddish to orangish brown in posterior half to two-thirds and dark, mostly metallic bluish-green, anteriorly. Tegula and prepectus dark reddish-brown, the frontal surface of prepectus dirty yellowish only in inferior third. Metanotum and callar region of propodeum dark with blue reFections. Legs reddish to orangish brown. Front leg almost uniformly reddish-brown beyond coxa, except femur darkened on posterior surface. Middle leg similar in colour to front leg, except femur and tibia somewhat darkened dorsally, anterodorsal angle of femur with a whitish spot, and mesotibial spur brown; mesotarsus with basal two tarsomeres dirty-white except yellowish ventrally and apically and subsequent tarsomeres gradually darker with apical tarsomere distinctly brown. Mesotibial pegs reddish-brown, similar in colour to apex of tibia and mesotarsal pegs pale basally and brownish apically. Hind leg with femur reddish to orangish brown dorsally and metallic brown ventrally to almost uniformly reddish-brown; tibia reddish-brown, with laminated dorsal margin yellowish-white; tarsus reddish-brown. Gaster dark, with faint metallic lustre except basal tergite (Mt2) dorsally with obvious bluish-green to bronze reFections subbasally. Ovipositor sheaths dark brown, ventrally with a narrow, yellowish to orangish band along length, broadening subapically into an indistinctly delimited and dorsally incomplete pale ring.

HEAD. In dorsal view 1.8–1.95 × as wide as long, 1.1–1.15 × as wide as mesoscutum, and temples 0.22–0.35 × eye length; with interocular distance 0.31–0.34 × head width. Ocelli in a right-angled triangle with POL 4.1–4.5 × OOL and OOL 0.4–0.43 × MPOD. Eyes 1.4–1.5 × as long as broad, with short sparse pilosity, inner eye orbits converging upwards. Head in frontal view 1.15–1.2 × as broad as high, with dorsal margin of torulus in line with or slightly above lower orbit. Malar space 0.5–0.55 × eye height, malar sulcus slightly out curved, mouth opening 1.4–1.6 × as broad as malar space. Scrobal depression wide, about as broad as high, extending up to half eye height, carinately margined laterally at least in basal two thirds. Vertex transversely reticulate-imbricate, frons conspicuously reticulate, with mesh size about as large as an ommatidium; scrobal depression including scrobes distinctly reticulate to transversely reticulate-rugulose. Lower face, interantennal region and parascrobal regions with white, slightly lanceolate setae compared to thinner, more hair-like, dark setae on frontovertex. Setae along outer orbit comparatively dense, white, slightly lanceolate and directed toward orbit, those along inner orbit and upper occiput long and semierect ( Fig. 1E, G ). Maxillary palpus enlarged, the last segment slightly curved and nearly as long as ventral length of mandible. Antenna ( Fig. 1D ) with scape 6–6.5 × as long as broad and 0.9–0.95 × eye length, not reaching to anterior ocellus. Pedicel plus Fagellum 1.43–1.5 × head width; pedicel in dorsal view 2.2–2.7 × as long as broad, 1.9–2.1 × as long as F1 (anellus), and 0.45–0.55 × as long as combined length of F1 and F2. Flagellum basally narrower than pedicel, the funiculars shorter and slightly wider distally; F1 elongate, 1.4–1.7 × as long as broad; F2 the longest segment, 4.1–4.6 × as long as broad and 1.15–1.25 × as long as F3; F3 to F8 2.85–3.5, 2.35–2.7, 1.75–2.15, 1.45–1.9, 1.3–1.5, and 1.15–1.25 × as long as broad respectively; clava 2.0–2.35 × as long as broad.

MEsOsOMA (Fig. 1G). Elongate, in dorsal view 2.0–2.05 × as long as broad. Pronotum 0.30–0.35 × as long as mesoscutum, divided medially. Anteromedial mesoscutal lobe 1–1.1 × as long as broad, lateral lobes markedly elevated; mesoscutum imbricate-reticulate with sculpture more superfcial than on head, transversely imbricate-reticulate anteriorly, reticulate on depressed area behind anteromedial lobe, and with effaced sculpture posteriorly in front of mesoscutellum; with comparatively inconspicuous setae anteriorly and on lateral lobes, but with long, white conspicuous setae on bottom of median depressed area. Mesoscutellar-axillar complex 0.9–1.05 × as long as broad, 0.53–0.6 × as long as mesoscutum, with isodiametric reticulate sculpture, coarser than on mesoscutum; frenal area differentiated by smoother, alutaceous-imbricate sculpture and sharply declivitous; mesoscutellum with sparse, erect black setae anterodorsally, and short suberect pale setae near frenal area. Propodeum with deep plical depression with whitish membranous bottom and a differentiated whitish spot ( Fig. 1H ) (exact structure often not visible, being overlaid by metascutellum, Fig. 1G ); callar region convex, outer half covered with dense, long white setae and inner half abruptly sloping from spiracle to plical depression, with a smaller tuft of long white setae; spiracle oval, situated on outer side of callus ( Fig. 1H ). Acropleuron ( Fig. 1B ) reticulate in anterior third and ventrally, and in posterior third reticulate to striate with strongly elongated cells. Mesotibia with 3–6 apical pegs in 1 or 2 rows; basitarsus ventrally with 10–15 pegs in row on each side, second tarsomere with 4–5, third with 3–5, and fourth with 3–4 pegs in row on each side. Metatibia and metabasitarsus compressed, metatibia 4.9–5.7 × as long as broad, with laminate dorsal margin.

Fore wing ( Fig. 1F ) 2.5–2.6 × as long as broad, broadly infuscate medially and very narrowly at extreme base, hyaline below submarginal vein and parastigma and apically beyond venation; with relatively long and thick, dark, hair-like setae in infuscate regions, and with very short and fne but dark setae in apical hyaline portion; basal hyaline region with a band of pale setae behind basal half of parastigma and apex of submarginal vein. Basal cell variably extensively setose with pale setae, sometimes mostly bare but at least bare mesally and with setae sparser than on disk, open posteriorly because mediocubital fold, cubital and vanal areas bare. Costal cell 8.5–9.5 × as long as broad, 1.3–1.35 × as long as marginal vein, dorsally near leading margin with row of dark setae in about basal half but bare in front of parastigma, ventrally with two rows of pale setae along length except more extensively setose basally. Marginal vein 2.9–3.3 × as long as stigmal vein. Stigmal vein nearly straight, stigma broadened with uncus slightly shorter than stigmal vein breadth. Postmarginal vein 2.4–2.55 × as long as stigmal vein, and 0.75–0.85 × as long as marginal vein.

Gaster (excluding ovipositor sheaths) 0.85–0.9 × as long as mesosoma and 1.9–2.15 × as long as broad, with white setae mostly laterally, long and suberect on frst tergite and shorter and more adpressed on rest. Mt2 deeply incised, surface superfcially coriaceous-imbricate to reticulate-imbricate; following tergites with similar but stronger sculpture, posterior margin of Mt3 to Mt5 sinuately emarginate, that of Mt6 straight and Mt7 slightly angulate posteriorly. Mt7 of about same length as Mt6 (concealed in various degrees under Mt 6 in all available specimens). Ovipositor sheaths about 1.9–2 × length of gaster, 0.8–0.9 × body length, and 2.3–2.4 × length of metatibia, the pale portion about 1.5 × as long as the apical dark portion.

Male

Unknown.

Distribution

Spain.

Remarks

Tineobius tamaricis sp. nov. is placed within Tineobius s. str. because the female possess the following combination of characters: head in lateral view comparatively Fat, with a band of differentiated reFective setae along outer orbit; F2 not anelliform, much longer than F1 or pedicel; metascutellum only slightly protuberant over propodeal plical depression; plical depression with a whitish membranous bottom and a differentiated anteromedian whitish spot; metatibia compressed with laminated dorsal margin yellowish-white; Mt6 with posterior margin straight and Mt7 transverse and of about the same length as Mt6. Females of T. ( Duanellus ) share the same presumably derived state of the head, propodeum, metatibia and metasoma, but antennae are inserted near the centre of the face with F2 anelliform and similar to F1 ( Bouček 1988: fgs 1011, 1013) and outer orbit lacks a band of spatulate or lanceolate setae ( Gibson 1995). The three known species of T. ( Progenitobius ) of which one is undescribed ( Gibson 1995; Fusu et al. 2015) all have a subglobose head ( Fusu et al. 2015: fg. 3C), Mt6 with a broadly and deeply emarginate posterior margin similar to other tergites, and Mt7 longer than Mt6 and subtriangular. Also, the two described species, both from Madagascar, do not have a carinately compressed metatibia though basal part of dorsal margin is whitish ( Gibson 1995; Fusu et al. 2015). However, one undescribed species from South Africa is atypical for the subgenus in having a metatibia similar to that found in most species of Tineobius s. str. ( Gibson 1995). The distribution of the character states within the genus and the potential paraphyly of T. ( Progenitobius ) relative to Tineobius s. str. + T. ( Duanellus ) were discussed in detail by Gibson (1995).

Using Ferrière (1938) and Risbec (1952) keys, the holotype of T. tamaricis sp. nov. runs near T. indicus ( Ferrière, 1938) and T. philippinensis ( Ferrière, 1938) comb. nov. because of the following combination of features: ovipositor sheaths with pale subapical band, fore wing with infuscate median area and sparse setation basally, mesosoma with some reddish to orangish brown parts in addition to the acropleuron, and metafemur mostly brown. It differs from these species by a different combination of colour characters, setation of wing disc, and proportion of antennal segments. Tineobius tamaricis sp. nov. differs from T. indicus , a species from Pakistan, in having reduced orangish brown areas (mesoscutum and gaster entirely dark, metallic), metatarsus dark brown, fore wing without spatulate setae, F2 1.35–1.65 × as long as pedicel, and ovipositor sheaths almost as long as gaster plus mesosoma. Tineobius indicus (holotype in BMNH examined) differs by the following: front leg including coxa, as well as prepectus, and acropleuron except anteriorly, brownish-orange; mesoscutum brownish-orange except posterior median depressed area and posterior half of median and lateral lobes dark with some metallic lustre; mesoscutellum and axillae orange; frst and second gastral tergites pale, yellowish-brown; metatarsus with frst and last tarsomeres brown, second paler, and third and fourth pale yellowish; fore wing with short, stout and spatulate setae below parastigma, marginal and stigmal veins; F2 about as long as pedicel and ovipositor sheaths as long as gaster plus half of mesosoma. Tineobius tamaricis sp. nov. differs from T. philippinensis (holotype in BMNH examined), a species from Philippines, in having the pronotum dark metallic, a reddish to orangish brown scape, head without conspicuously modifed setae, reticulate frontovertex, scrobal depression as broad as high, fore wing without lanceolate setae, and ovipositor sheaths 0.8–0.9 × as long as rest of body. Tineobius philippinensis has the following: lateral panel of pronotum anteriorly and posteriorly, prepectus, posterior half of acropleuron, base of mesoscutellum and axillae reddish-brown; scape brown and only slightly paler than Fagellum; head with a tuft of long, black, lanceolate setae at boundary of vertex and occiput and very long erect setae on frontovertex; frontovertex virtually polished, with effaced coriaceous sculpture; scrobal depression strongly transverse, П-shaped and widely separated from anterior ocellus; fore wing with lanceolate to spatulate setae below parastigma and marginal vein; and ovipositor sheaths 0.5 × as long as rest of body.

One paratype of T. tamaricis sp. nov. has all the parts that have a noticeable reddish hue in other specimens ( Fig. 1A–B ) more inconspicuously differentiated in colour, dark reddish-brown ( Fig. 1C, G ), and therefore in available keys runs to the Afrotropical species T. afer ( Ferrière, 1938) comb. nov. and T. montanus ( Ferrière, 1938) comb. nov. (type material in BMNH examined). Specimens of T. tamaricis sp. nov. with this colour pattern differ most conspicuously from T. afer in having a slenderer antenna, with F2 more than 4 × as long as broad and longer than pedicel, fore wing with hair-like setae behind marginal vein, and scrobal depression carinate laterally. In T. afer F2 is 2 × as long as broad and slightly shorter than pedicel, fore wing with spatulate setae behind parastigma and basal ¾ of marginal vein, and scrobal depression only slightly impressed, about as long as wide, and almost touching inner eye orbit. From T. montanus it differs in having a shorter F1 and in the structure of fore wing setation and scrobal depression. In T. montanus F1 is about 2 × longer than broad, and the fore wing and scrobal depression are as described for T. afer .

In having only hair-like setae on fore wing, T. tamaricis sp. nov. is similar to T. lamborni ( Ferrière, 1938) comb. nov. (holotype in BMNH examined) described from sub-Saharan Africa ( Malawi), but this species differs in having the pedicel only 1.3 × as long as F1 and about 0.5 × as long as F2, a brown scape only slightly paler than Fagellum, a narrow Λ-shaped scrobal depression carinately margined laterally along entire length except dorsally below anterior ocellus and separated from anterior ocellus by only about one ocellar diameter; body mostly dull, black with very reduced metallic lustre; fore wing base without band of pale setae behind parastigma, and bare except about basal half of basal cell with scattered dark setae.

DNA barcoding

A complete DNA barcode sequence was obtained from the holotype and was deposited on GenBank under the accession number KT962861 . Because this is the frst DNA barcode of a Tineobius species, a Blast search ( Altschul et al. 1990) in GenBank revealed high similarities with Cecidostiba Thomson, 1878 (Pteromalidae) and Eupelmus Dalman, 1820 (Eupelmidae) sequences, but at least this attests that it is a genuine Chalcidoidea sequence and not one from a contaminant or an endosymbiont.

Ecology

Tineobius tamaricis sp. nov. is a parasitoid of Parapodia sinaica larvae that form galls on Tamarix twigs. These galls are known so far from Egypt ( Houard 1912), Iran ( Rezaei et al. 2007), Israel ( Gerling et al. 1976), and France ( Joannis 1912, as P. tamaricicola Joannis, 1912 ; Dauphin & Aniotsbehere 1994). Parapodia sinaica produces galls on several Tamarix species including T. africana Poir. , T. gallica L., T. tetragyna Ehrenb. , T. nilotica (Ehrenb.) Bunge , and T. jordanis Boiss. To the best of our knowledge, it was not recorded previously from Spain or on T. canariensis (new host record). The galls are similar to those of Amblypalpis olivierella (Ragonot, 1886) reported by Gerling et al. (1976), another Gelechiidae moth galling several Tamarix species, but differ in being smaller in size (12–13 × 6–8 mm), having a fusiform shape, and the cavities inside the gall leaving the central column of the vascular bundles intact. Adult moths have the fore wings pale greyish brown, with a dark and pale spotted pattern. In the survey of parasitoids in Tamarix galls in Lleida, a number of parasitoids were found in the galls, the most common being a species of Apanteles sp. ( Braconidae : Microgastrinae), of which 186 specimens emerged, and occasionally other parasitoids of Braconidae , Ichneumonidae , Eulophidae , Eupelmidae and Pteromalidae (a paper concerning this parasitoid complex is in preparation). A small number of T. tamaricis sp. nov. females emerged from the galls, with a total of six specimens over four years and one specimen (on one occasion two) per year. It therefore is not a common species, but with a stable population in this stand of Tamarix in this locality. Emergence dates of T. tamaricis sp. nov. adult females were not clearly established, but possibly between June and August, as they were found dry in the rearing bags during this period, after the usual emergence dates between May and June of the lepidopteran host and most of their parasitoids. From one sample of galls collected on 25 Jan. 2012, and after the emergence period fnished with no Tineobius emerging, in one of the galls opened on 15 Mar. 2013 an adult female was found inside as it was unable to emerge, and near the wasp there were the remains of a consumed P. sinaica larva, including its cephalic capsule. Parapodia sinaica larvae usually bore an exit hole in the wall of the woody gall before pupation, partly closed by the epidermis of the gall, and some other parasitoid species were also found dead inside galls, unable to complete the hole for exiting. We interpret this fnding as evidence for the P. sinaica larva being the host. In this case, T. tamaricis sp. nov. was either a primary parasitoid or, more likely, a hyperparasitoid via Apanteles sp., because other species of Tineobius with known biology are reported as primary and often as secondary parasitoids of Lepidoptera ( Gahan 1927; Ferrière 1936, 1938). For example, the type series of Tineobius seyrigi (= Anastatoidea seyrigi ) (MNHN) is accompanied by a large moth cocoon of about 33 by 16 mm with the label: “obtenu d’éclosion de Prospilus / cohacarum m. (i. litt.) sur / Borocera sp. – sur 500 cocons, / seuls ceux qui contenaient des / Prospilus, étaient parasités par l’Eupelmid” [obtained by rearing from Prospilus cohacarum mihi (in litteris) on Borocera sp. – out of 500 cocoons only those containing Prospilus were parasitised by the eupelmid] (see also Ferrière 1936).

Figures

Fig. 1. Female of Tineobius (Tineobius) tamaricis Ribes & Fusu sp. nov. A. Habitus of holotype before card mounting. B. Mesosoma (paratype 13940). C – G. Paratype 10077. C. Habitus. D. Antenna. E. Head. F. Fore wing. G. Head and mesosoma, dorsal view. H. Metanotum and propodeum (paratype 13940). Scale bars: A, C = 1 mm; B, D – H = 0.2 mm.