Diolcogaster mayae (Shestakov, 1932)

(Figs 7–15, 16B)

Microgaster mayae Shestakov, 1932: 260 .

Microgaster iranensis Hedwig, 1957: 112 [SMNS, Figs 15 A–15D]. Synonymized with D. mayae by van Achterberg (1980). Protomicroplitis mayae; Tobias 1976: 164; van Achterberg 1980: 30.

Diolcogaster mayae; Mason 1981: 114.

Material examined. 154 ♀ and 6 ♂ (DPPZ): 71 ♀ and 4 ♂, IRAN, Sistan-o Baluchestan province, Nikshahr county, Pip village (26°37'48.038"N; 060°07'19.302"E), 1090 m, 01.iv.2014 , light trap mounted in palm orchards, Phoenix sp., M. Danesh; 17 ♀, same label data, but 02.iv.2014; 19 ♀, same label data, but 06.iv.2014; 13 ♀, same label data, but 10.iv.2014 and with swept; 3 ♀, same label data, but 28.vi.2014; 1 ♀, same label data, but 05.ix.2014; 2 ♀, same label data, but 07.iv.2015, and 4 ♀ with swept; 3 ♀, same label data, but 16.iv.2015; 8 ♀, same label data, but 19.iv.2015; 7 ♀, same label data, but 26.iv.2015; 1 ♀, Sistan-o Baluchestan province, Khash county, Darreh’gol (28°36'10.205"N; 061°04'48.789"E) 2533 m, 04.v.2015 , light trap mounted in natural ecosystem, M. Ghafouri Moghaddam; 1 ♀, same label data, but 05.v.2015; 1 ♀, same label data, but 28.vi.2015, Malaise trap; 3 ♀, Sistan-o Baluchestan province, Sarbaz county (26°30'27.143"N; 061°02'56.427"E) 952 m, 16.v.2015 , Malaise trap mounted in orchards, M. Ghafouri Moghaddam; 2 ♂, Sistan-o Baluchestan Province, Khash county, Koosheh village (28°33′53.398″N, 061°00′13.568″E) 2100m, 07.vi.2016 , light trap installed in natural ecosystem, M. Ghafouri Moghaddam.

Additional material. 19 ♀ (HNHM, all determined by J. Papp, otherwise indicated): 1 ♀, SE ALGERIA, Tig’amaiin en tisita (?), 25–30.v.1914 , S. G. Geyr; 9 ♀, IRAN, Shiraz, 28.vii.2010 , swept on Pistacia atlantica Desr., M. Zargar; 1 ♀, ISRAEL, Shezaf nr. Nahal Shahaq (30°45.18'N, 35°15.5'E), 28.vii.1999 , L. Yarom, Malaise trap; 1 ♀, MONGOLIA, Bajanehongor aimak (46°10'N, 100°42'E), Oase Echin gol, 90 NO von Grensposten Caganbulag, Z. Kaszab, Nr. 859. 28.vi.1967 ; 1 ♀, RUSSIA, data label in Cyrillic, 10.xi.1932 , Det.: V. I. Tobias, 1966; 2 ♀, Apm, 18.v.1970 , Det.: V. I. Tobias; 1 ♀, YEMEN, Sana’a (15°22'N, 44°11'E), van Harten, 13.ix.1992; 2 ♀. Qa Al-Boun (15°50'N, 44°06'E), van Harten, 8.vii.1992 ; 1 ♀, Mabar (14°47'N, 44°17'E), van Harten, 8.vii.1992 .

Redescription. FEMALE. 5 ♀ (Iran, form A), length of body 3.3–3.5 mm (Fig. 7A), length of antenna 3.9–4.1 mm (Fig. 7B), length of fore wing 3.2–3.4 mm (Fig. 8F); 5 ♂ (Iran, form A), length of body 3.1–3.3 mm (Fig. 9A), length of antenna 4.0– 4.2 mm (Fig. 9B), length of fore wing 3.2–3.4 mm (Fig. 10F).

Colour. Antenna brownish yellow (Fig. 7B); clypeus reddish yellow, mandible whitish yellow, brown apically (Fig. 7D); mesoscutum and propleuron brownish black (Fig. 8A); T1–T3 completely yellow (Figs 8 C–8D); mediotergite 4 yellow laterally, with brown spot medially (Fig. 8D); medio-tergites 5–8 darker than laterotergites, mostly brown, laterotergites 4–5 yellow and 6–8 brown, sternites 4–8 yellow, hypopygium darker than mediotergites, brownish yellow (Figs 8 D–8E); all coxae yellow (Figs 7A, 8E); only metafemora less dark brown, apically (Fig. 7C); metatibia whitish yellow anteriorly, brownish yellow medially and brown spot apically (Fig. 7C).

Head. Head height 8.8× temple length (Figs 7 E–7F), subapical antennal flagellomeres not moniliform, length of second, 12th,13th, 14th, penultimate and apical flagellomeres 2.6, 3.9, 3.0, 2.9, 2.8 and 3.4× as long as their width, respectively (Fig. 7B), gena in lateral view smaller than eye width (Fig. 7F), malar space very short (Fig. 7D), clypeal maximum width 4.5× oculo-mandibular line (Fig. 7D), inter-ocular line 6.0× oculo-mandibular line (Fig. 7C), eye very large, its height 2.0× its width, 7.2× temple length and 13.5× oculo-mandibular line (Figs 7 D–7F), OD and POL 2.2× and 3.2× OOL, respectively (Fig. 7E), head with some weak rugae (Figs 7 D–7F).

Mesosoma . Propodeum shiny, rugose anteriorly, smooth posteriorly, with an irregular medio-longitudinal carina and sparse long whitish setae antero-laterally, traces of transverse carina defined with rugose pattern (Fig. 8B).

Legs. Metacoxa and metafemora densely punctate, their surface smooth and shiny, covered with dense small whitish setae, metacoxa large, not surpassing posterior margin of T3 (Figs 7A, 8E), metafemora 4.2× as long as wide and 1.9× length of metatibia (Figs 7A, 7C), metatibial inner spur 0.6× as long as basitarsus (Fig. 7C).

Wings (Fig. 8F). Fore wing vein R1 about 0.8× as long as pterostigma length, pterostigma 2.7× as long as wide, vein r of 1.6× as long as vein 2RS and slightly curved, vein r-m 1.7× 3RSa. Hind wing vein cu-a straight.

Metasoma. T1 medial length 2.3× its width anteriorly and 2.0× its width posteriorly (Fig. 8C), anterior half of T1 parallel-sided, then narrowing towards posterior margin, irregularly rounded, T1 with a long median sulcus, anterior half rather concave, smooth and shiny, posterior half with strong rugae and sparse setae except its median prominence apically (Fig. 8C), T2 with a median field, its width 2.1× its medial length at posterior margin, weak rugae medially (Fig. 8C), T3 longer than T2, smooth with a trace from median field (Fig. 8C), T4–T8 smooth, densely setose, T4 with brown medial spot, setose part of ovipositor sheaths 0.2× as long as metatibia (Fig. 8E).

MALE. (Figs 9–10). As female but with minor differences in colour and measurements.

Intraspecific variation. Different ‘forms’ of Diolcogaster mayae in Iran (designated forms A, B and C) was observed. Variations in colour and measurements are shown in Table 4.

Form B (Figs 11–12): 5 ♀, length of body 3.5–3.7 mm (Fig. 11A), length of antenna 4.1–4.3 mm (Fig. 11B), length of fore wing 2.9–3.3 mm (Fig. 12F); 5 ♂, length of body 3.2–3.5 mm, length of antenna 4.2–4.5 mm, length of fore wing 3.1–3.4 mm.

Material examined (form B). 39 ♀ and 5 ♂ (DPPZ): 4 ♀ and 3 ♂, IRAN, Sistan-o Baluchestan province, Nikshahr county, Pip village (26°37'48.038"N; 060°07'19.302"E), 1090 m, 03.iv.2015 , light trap, M. Danesh; 31 ♀, same label data, but 02.iv.2014; 2 ♂, same label data, but 19.iv.2015; 3 ♀, Sistan-o Baluchestan province, Zabol county, Doost Mohammad village (31°09 '57.128"N, 061°43'14.064"E), 470 m, 02.ix.2016 , Malaise trap in orchards, M. Enayatnia; 1 ♀, South Khorasan province, Giyouk (32°47'45"N; 59°07'25"E) 1917 m, 16.vi.2015 , Malaise trap mounted in orchards, B. Motamedinia.

Form C (Figs 13–14): 5 ♀, length of body 3.4–3.6 mm (Fig. 13A), length of antenna 3.9–4.2 mm (Fig. 13B), length of fore wing 3.3–3.6 mm (Fig. 14F); 4 ♂, length of body 3.1–3.3 mm, length of antenna 3.9–4.1 mm, length of fore wing 3.4–3.6 mm.

Material examined (form C). 61 ♀ and 4 ♂ (DPPZ): 46 ♀ and 2 ♂, IRAN, Sistan-o Baluchestan province, Nikshahr county, Pip village (26°37'48.038"N; 060°07'19.302"E), 1090 m, 01.iv.2014, light trap mounted in palm orchards, Phoenix sp., M. Danesh ; 10♀, same label data, but 06.iv.2014, and with swept; 3 ♀, Sistan-o Baluchestan province, Khash county, Darreh’gol (28°36'10.205"N; 061°04'48.789"E) 2533 m, 04.v.2015, light trap mounted in natural ecosystem, M. Ghafouri Moghaddam ; 2 ♀ and 2 ♂, Sistan-o Baluchestan province, Sarbaz county (26°30'27.143"N; 061°02'56.427"E) 952 m, 16.v.2015, Malaise trap mounted in orchards, M. Ghafouri Moghaddam .

Ecological notes. Hosts are unknown. Flight period was April to July, September and November, with peak in April. Collected in April–July and some specimens in September.

Distribution in Iran. West Azarbaijan (Telenga 1955); Sistan-o Baluchestan: Iranshahr (Hedwig 1957), Khash, Nikshahr, Sarbaz and Zabol; Fars (Gadallah et al. 2015) and South Khorasan provinces: Giyouk (new record).

Geographic distribution (Fig. 18A). Palaearctic: Afghanistan, Algeria (new record), Armenia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Israel (new record), Kazakhstan, Mongolia, Romania, Russia (new record), Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan. Afrotropical: Yemen (new record).

Similar species. The most similar species is D. claritibia, and, in colouration, it resembles D. alvearia

(Fabricius, 1798); from both it can be differentiated with the key.