Megabeleses liriodendrovorax G. R. Xiao, 1993

Wei, Meicai, 2010, Revision of Megabeleses Takeuchi (Hymenoptera, Tenthredinidae) with description of two new species from China, Zootaxa 2729, pp. 36-50 : 42-44

Megabeleses liriodendrovorax G. R. Xiao, 1993

( Figs. 12–22 , 40, 45, 48 )

Megabeleses liriodendrovorax G. R. Xiao, 1993: 148 , Ƥ Ə, type locality: China, Jiangxi, Tonggu County. Megabeleses liriodendrocorax: Togashi (2008: 9) , misspelling.

Description. Ƥ.

Body length 10–13 mm ( Fig. 12 ). Abdomen with distinct metallic blue tinge, head, thorax, legs and antenna black, blue tinge absent or extremely faint; outer side of hind coxa with a large white macula, lateral sides of first abdominal terga white; fore and middle tibiae and their tarsi almost entirely pale brown, anterior knees and middle part of palpi dirty white. Wings faintly infuscate at apical 3/7, stigma and veins black. Body hairs silver.

Frontal walls and posterior orbit densely and minutely punctured, inner orbit, temple and postocellar area sparsely punctured, clypeus densely punctured; anterior part of prescutum densely, posterior part of prescutum and scutum sparsely punctured; anterior part of mesoscutellum polished, almost impunctate, lateral and posterior parts very densely punctured; posttergite coarsely reticulate; elevated area behind cenchri in metathorax densely punctured, metascutellum and bottom of each parapsis finely and densely microsculptured; punctures on upper and central part of mesepisternum large and less dense, interspaces distinct, broad, ventral part of mesepisternum evenly punctured; concaved part of mesepimeron densely microsculptured, upper margin densely punctured; ventral side of metepisternum sparsely punctured, strongly shining, upper margin of metepisternum and of metepimeron coarsely punctured; central area of metepimeron weakly microsculptured. Outer side of hind coxa densely punctured, interspaces broad. Abdominal tergites densely punctured, interspaces distinct, glossy, posterior margins polished ( Fig. 16 ); lateral sides of sheath largely polished, shiny.

Anterior margin of clypeus very shallowly and evenly incised for about/18–1/9 clypeus length; mandibles as Figs. 14, 15 ; malar space 0.3× diameter of middle ocellus; closest distance between eyes 1.3× height of eye; distance between antennal sockets 0.87× distance between antennal socket and eye; middle fovea broad and shallow, frontal walls broad, elevated, circular furrow of anterior ocellus and postocellar furrow fine and shallow, distinct, interocellar furrow broad, shallow; postocellar area weakly elevated, 1.25× broader than long, with a shallow middle furrow; lateral furrows very broad, shallow, faintly divergent backwards; lateral margins of head behind eyes in dorsal view about half length of eye, weakly narrowed. Antenna hardly longer than abdomen, third antennomere 1.2× length of fourth antennomere. Mesoscutellum as long as broad, anterior margin triangularly protruding, acute at apex, posterior margin without transversal carina; posterior margin faintly carinate ( Fig. 40 ); distance between cenchri 1.8–2× width of a cenchrus; dorsal lobe of metepimeron short and broad ( Fig. 45 ). Length of inner margin of 1st abdominal tergite about half length of widest lateral length. Apex of hind coxa reaching 5th sternite, outer side of hind tibia with a faint longitudinal furrow; inner spur of hind tibia longer than 1/3 length of hind basitarsus; hind basitarsus slender, 1.14× longer than following 4 tarsomeres together, about 6.7× as long as broad ( Fig. 20 ). Vein cu-a not interstitial to base of 1M, R+M distinct, 2r bent and meeting cell 2Rs at apical 3/7, 2m-cu interstitial to 1r-m; petiole of hind anal cell slightly shorter than half length of cu-a. Ovipositor sheath 1.25× length of middle tibia, apical sheath 1.7× length of basal plate, ventral margin convex in lateral view ( Fig. 19 ); apical sheath in dorsal view not very narrow, basal width 2.3× breadth of cercus; setae on lateral sides of apical sheath shorter than diameter of ocellus ( Fig. 18 ). Lancet with 25–26 serrulae, middle serrulae each with about 43 very minute subbasal teeth ( Fig. 48 ); broadest part of membranous lobe of lance as broad as middle width of lance ( Fig. 22 ).

Male: Body length 9–10 mm ( Fig. 13 ). Colour and structure similar to female, except for: malar space linear, head short and distinctly narrowed behind eyes in dorsal view; subgenital plate slightly longer than broad, apical margin obtusely truncate; harpe about as long as broad, apical margin oblique ( Fig. 17 ); dorsal apical corner of valviceps triangularly protruding ( Fig. 21 ), ventral part of valviceps with some minute spines.

Distribution. China (Anhui, Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Hunan) ( Fig. 51 ).

Specimens examined. 1Ƥ13, Holotype and allotype, Tonggu County, Jiangxi Province, Guiming Ouyang, Caiping Yang (FCAF). 15Ƥ 33, East Suburb, Zhuzhou City, Hunan Province, 15 May, 1995, Meicai Wei, Haiyan Nie; 19 Ƥ 33, Tonggu County, Jiangxi Province, 10 May, 2004, Yan Wan, Wei Wang; 5 Ƥ, Mt. Daweishan, Liuyang, Hunan, no other data; 1Ƥ, Mt. Daweishan, Liuyang, Hunan, alt. 600–1500m, 5 May, 2005, Deming Wang; 2Ƥ 73, Tiantangzhai, Jinzhai County, Anhui Province, 115º47.220´E, 31º08.315´N, alt. 1000m, 2 June, 2006, Zejian Li, Hu Zhou; 1Ƥ83, Tiantangzhai, Jinzhai County, Anhui Province, 115º46.558´E, 31º07.985´N, alt. 945m, 1 June, 2006, Gengyun Niu; 23, Tiantangzhai, Jinzhai County, Anhui Province, 115º47.335´E, 31º08.679´N, alt. 1220m, 2 June, 2006, Gengyun Niu, Hu Zhou; 1Ƥ, Laopenggou, Mt. Mufushan, Hunan Province, 113º49.638´E, 28º58.524´N, alt. 1220m, 28 May, 2007, Zejiang Li; 8Ƥ 2443, Tianmen Temple, Mt. Mufushan, Hunan Province, 113º49.745´E, 28º58.789´N, alt. 1350m, 22~ 23 May, 2008, Fei Liu, Yuan Zhang; 3Ƥ, Gouli, Mt. Mufushan, Hunan Province, 113º49.711´E, 28º57.939´N, alt. 860m, 21 May, 2008, Fei Liu; 1Ƥ53, Yifengjian, Mt. Mufushan, Hunan Province, 113º49.547´E? 28º59.297´N, alt. 1604m, 22 May, 2008, Yuan Zhang; 13, Yutengshanzhuang, Mt. Mufushan, 113º49.129´E, 28º58.236´N; alt. 1100m, 6 May, 2008, Wei Xiao ; 1Ƥ, Limuqiao, Mt. Daweishan, Hunan Province, 114°05.198′ E, 28°25.520′ N, alt. 980 m, 30 Apr., 2010, Zejian Li leg.; 1Ƥ33, Chunqiu’ao, Mt. Daweishan, Hunan Province, 114°06.407′ E, 28°25.734′ N, alt. 1300 m, 3 May, 2010, Zejiang Li, Chaoyang Zhu; 2Ƥ 73, Limuqiao, Mt. Daweishan, Hunan Province, 114°05.198′ E, 28°25.520′ N, alt. 980 m, 7 May, 2010, Zejiang Li, Chaoyang Zhu, Mingcan Yao?3Ƥ 243, Limuqiao, Mt. Daweishan, Hunan Province, 114°05.198′ E, 28°25.520′ N, alt. 980 m, 2 May, 2010, Zejiang Li, Chaoyang Zhu, Mingcan Yao?213, Limuqiao, Mt. Daweishan, Hunan Province, 114°05.198′ E, 28°25.520′ N, alt. 980 m, 3 May, 2010, Zejian Li, Mingcan Yao leg.; 2Ƥ 33, Mt. Daweishan, Liuyang, Hunan Province, May, 2010, Qiong Zhou leg.; 1Ƥ, Mt. Daweishan, Liuyang, Hunan Province, 5 May, 2005, 600– 1500 m, Deming Wang (CSCS); 1Ƥ, Anji, Mt. Longwang, Zheijang Prov., 20.7.1995, 800- 1200 m alt., leg. Hong Wu (DEI); 1Ƥ, Tonggu County, Jiangxi Province, 10 May, 2004, Yan Wan, Wei Wang (DEI); 1 Ƥ13, Tianmen Temple, Mt. Mufushan, Hunan Province, 113º49.745´E, 28º58.789´N, alt. 1350m, 22~ 23 May, 2008, Fei Liu, Yuan Zhang (DEI).

Host plants. Liriodendron chinense (Hemsl.) Sarg. ( Xiao, 1993) .

Biology. This species is an important pest of Liriodendron chinense and only feeds on this plant species. Ouyang & Huang (1993), Chen (1995) and Lin et al. (2009) reported and described some of its biological characteristics of the species. One generation per year occurs. Prepupae and ooverwinter in the soil..The adults emerge during the last ten days of April up to the middle of June. Eggs are laid separately in mesophyll in the upper side of a leaf. The larvae occur from mid May to mid July.

Figures

FIGURE 51. Distribution records of Megabeleses spp.

FIGURES 12 – 22. Megabeleses liriodendrovorax Xiao, 1993. 12. Adult, female; 13. Adult, male; 14. Right mandible; 15. Left mandible; 16. Punctuation of abdominal tergites; 17. Harpe; 18. Apical sheath, dorsal view; 19. Ovipositor sheath, lateral view; 20. Hind tarsus; 21. Penis valve; 22. Lance (arrow indicating membranous lobe of lance).

FIGURES 39 – 50. Megabeleses spp. 39 – 41. Mesoscutellum and posttergite, dorsal view; 42. Mesoscutellum and posttergite, lateral view; 43 – 46. Metepimeron; 47 – 50. 10 th serrula. 39, 43, 49, M. xiaoi; 41, 42, 44, 50, M. magnoliae; 40, 45, 48, M. liriodendrovorax; 46, 47, M. crassitarsis.