Aphidius persicus Rakhshani and Starý

Rakhshani, Ehsan, Talebi, Ali Asghar, Starý, Petr, Tomanović, Željko, Manzari, Shahab, Kavallieratos, Nickolas G. & Ćetković, Aleksandar, 2006, A new species of Aphidius Nees, 1818 (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Aphidiinae) attacking Uroleucon aphids (Homoptera, Aphididae) from Iran and Iraq, Journal of Natural History 40 (32 - 34), pp. 1923-1929 : 1924-1927

Aphidius persicus Rakhshani and Starý

Type material

Holotype: female, Iran, Tehran, Peykanshahr, 1260 m, ex. Uroleucon chondrillae (Nevsky) on Chondrilla juncea (slide mounted), 29 May 2005, coll. E. Rakhshani. Paratypes: Iran: five females and five males (two females slide mounted), same data as holotype; 13 females, nine males (two females slide mounted), Tehran, 1230 m, ex. Uroleucon sp. on Chondrilla sp. , 28 April 2003, coll. E. Rakhshani; five females, one male, Tehran, 1235 m, ex. Uroleucon sp. on Tragopogon pratensis , 9 June 2004, coll. E. Rakhshani; five females, five males, Karaj, 1280 m, ex. Uroleucon chondrillae (Nevsky) , on Chondrilla juncea , 16 April 2005, coll. E. Rakhshani; three females, two males, Hamadan, Nobaran, 2770 m, ex. Uroleucon chondrillae on Chondrilla juncea , 5 May 2005, coll. E. Rakhshani; eight females, three males (two females slide mounted), Tehran, Peykanshahr, 1260 m, 6 May 2005, coll. E. Rakhshani; four females and four males, Zanjan, Zarin-Abad, 1640 m, ex. Uroleucon chondrillae on Chondrilla juncea , 16 May 2005, coll. E. Rakhshani; one female, Tehran, 6 November 1962, Uroleucon chondrillae on Chondrilla juncea , coll. G. Remaudiére. Iraq: two females and one male, Baghdad, Uroleucon sp. , on Taraxacum officinalis, 1970 , coll. Al- Azawı´; two females and two males, Baghdad, 26 April 1968, Uroleucon sonchi (Geoffr.) on Sonchus oleraceus , sample 68/70, coll. P. Stary´; one female, Baghdad, Botanical garden, 30 April 1968, Uroleucon sonchi on Sonchus oleraceus , sample 68/107, coll. P. Stary´; two females and one male, Baghdad, garden, 17 April 1968, Uroleucon sonchi on Sonchus oleraceus , sample 68/8, coll. P. Stary´.

The material from Iraq identified as ‘‘ Aphidius funebris Mackauer’’ in Starý and Kaddou (1971) and Starý (1979) belongs to Aphidius persicus sp. n.

The holotype and two paratypes from each sample are deposited in the collection of the Institute of Zoology, Faculty of Biology , University of Belgrade ( Serbia); 10 paratypes are deposited in the collection of P. Starý (České Budějovice); and other paratypes are deposited in Tarbiat Modares University Insect Collection Museum, Tehran, Iran .

The following abbreviations are used: F, flagellomere; T, tergum 1 (5petiole); M, median vein; m-cu: median+cubital vein; Rs, radial sector.

Diagnosis

Aphidius persicus sp. n. resembles A. funebris , but is immediately distinguishable from it in having antennae with 16–17 segments instead of 18–19 in A. funebris ; F 1 slightly longer than F 2 ( Figure 2 ), whereas in A. funebris F 1 is equal in length or slightly shorter than F 2; maxillary palpi with three or four segments instead of four in A. funebris ; labial palpi with two segments ( Figure 1 ) instead of three in A. funebris ; a higher malar index (0.30–0.40 in A. persicus sp. n. instead of about 0.25 in A. funebris ); a different ratio between length of the stigma and that of the distal abscissa of R 1 [1.9–2.4 times as long as the distal abscissa of R 1 in A. persicus sp. n. ( Figure 4 ) instead of equal in length to R 1 in A. funebris ]; and a lighter colour of the body than in A. funebris . Aphidius persicus resembles Aphidius uroleuci Mescheloff and Rosen , a congeneric species parasitic on Uroleucon in geographically neighbouring Israel, but is immediately distinguishable from A. uroleuci in having a different flagellomere 1 length-to-width ratio (2.5–3.0 in A. uroleuci , 3.0– 3.6 in A. persicus sp. n.); a higher malar index (0.30–0.40 in A. persicus sp. n., 0.25 in A. uroleuci ); and a different stigma length-to-width ratio (2.8–3.1 in A. persicus instead of 3.5–4.5 in A. uroleuci ).

Description

Female. Head ( Figure 1 ): eyes medium, oval. Malar space 0.30–0.40 times longitudinal eye diameter. Head transverse, tentorial index 0.6–0.7, ocellar triangle obtuse. Face sparsely setose, bare at middle portion, clypeus oval, with 9–13 long setae in two rows. Mandibles bidentate bearing 12–13 setae on outer surface. Maxillary palpi four-segmented or threesegmented. In the case of four-segmented maxillary palpi, the last segment in one palpus bears a trace of two segments or the last segment is very elongate. Labial palpi twosegmented, the second segment rounded at tip, with sparse setae ( Figure 1 ). Antenna 16– 17-segmented, filiform, with semi-erect and adpressed setae which are as long as about half the diameter of the segments. Flagellomere 1 (F 1) ( Figure 2 ) slender, 3.0–3.6 times as long as wide, 1.14–1.18 times as long as F 2 and 1.45 times as long as preapical segment. F 1 with zero to two placodes, F 2 with four to six placodes.

Mesosoma : mesoscutum ( Figure 3 ) with rows of sparse setae along their length, notaulices effaced dorsally, but observable from the top. Scutellum with 11–12 dorso-lateral sparse setae. Propodeum ( Figure 5 ) areolate, with narrow central pentagonal areola (sometimes incomplete), upper and lower areola with three to five setae and two to three setae, respectively, at each side. Transverse carinae divide propodeum into unequal portions, upper 1.35–1.4 times longer than the lower areola. Fore wing ( Figure 4 ): stigma 2.8–3.1 times as long as wide and 1.9–2.4 times as long as distal abscissa of R 1. r-rs vein 1.5–2.1 times as long as 3/Rs. Surface hairs 0.32 times as long as marginal hairs.

Metasoma: tergum I (5petiole) ( Figure 6 ), 2.8–3.3 times its width at spiracle with middorsal longitudinal carinae. Anterolateral area with 10–11 costulae and dorso-lateral area of tergum I with 10–12 setae after spiracle ( Figure 7 ). Ovipositor sheath ( Figure 8 ) prominent, elongate, slightly concave dorsally, with three ventral, two to three lateral and two to three dorsal setae. Length of ovipositor sheath twice its maximum width and three times at the tip. Second valvulae with a linear dorsal outline.

Colour: general colour of body reddish yellow. Eyes and ocelli black, area surrounding the ocelli with grey patches. Dorsal part of scape and pedicel brown with yellow patches at tips. Annellus yellow. F 1 yellow at base, following flagellomeres brown. Mouthparts yellow. Apices of mandibles light brown to black. Mesosoma light brown. Mesoscutum with two lateral patches and a medial dark strip. Propodeum and metanotum dark brown. Ventral part of mesopleuron dark brown. Fore legs light brown, middle and hind legs dark brown on outer surface. Wings infumated, venation greyish brown (yellowish in fresh specimens), M+m-cu light-coloured at base (m-cu). Tergum 1 of metasoma yellowish, other terga with dark brown bands after the spiracles. Ovipositor sheath black.

Length of body: 2.7–3.2 mm.

Male. Antennae 17–18(19)-segmented. Maxillary palpi three to four-segmented (as in the female), second segment thickened. Aedeagus triangular ( Figure 9 ), widening towards the base, with sub-parallel anterolateral margins and relatively long tip. Body darker, sometimes with completely black mesosoma. Face yellow. Mouthparts light brown to yellow. Antennae brown, annellus yellow. Metasoma brown or darker.

Length of body: 2.5–3.0 mm.

Mummy. Yellow-brown, cornicles, antennae and legs except basal femur and coxa dark brown to black. The emergence hole of the adult parasitoid is situated anteriorly between the cornicles, it is rounded and bears a lid at the lower margin.

Distribution

Iran (Tehran, Karaj, Hamadan, Zanjan) , Iraq (Baghdad) .

Figures

Figures 1–9. Aphidius persicus sp. n. (1–8) Paratype female. (1) Head and mouthparts. (2) First and apical antennal flagellomeres. (3) Mesonotum. (4) Fore wing. (5) Propodeum. (6) Tergum 1, dorsal view. (7) Tergum 1, lateral view. (8) Genitalia. (9) Paratype male: aedeagus.