Anastatus (Anastatus) meilingensis Sheng

Chen, Yong-Ming, Gibson, Gary A. P., Peng, Ling-Fei, Iqbal, Asim & Zang, Lian-Sheng, 2019, Anastatus Motschulsky (Hymenoptera, Eupelmidae): egg parasitoids of Caligula japonica Moore (Lepidoptera, Saturniidae) in China, ZooKeys 881, pp. 109-134 : 126-129

Anastatus (Anastatus) meilingensis Sheng Fig. 6 A–H

Anastatus meilingensis Sheng, 1998: 5-6, fig. 1; holotype (JLAU), examined.

Anastaus meilingensis ; Peng et al. 2017: 16-18, figs 34-40.

Diagnosis.

Female. Brachypterous, fore wing extending only to about level of posterior margin of Gt1 when body uncontorted ( Fig. 6A, B ); basal 0.6 × (basal region) hyaline and much more sparsely setose than densely setose apical 0.4 × (discal region) ( Fig. 6C ); basal region with slightly lanceolate dark setae extending from discal region for half-length within slender vanal region and with white or mostly white hair-like setae immediately anterior to venal fold and at least narrowly along base of discal region, though often bare behind submarginal vein; discal region uniformly covered with slightly lanceolate dark setae except for conspicuous region of orangish setae medially and often variably conspicuous but slender, sometimes interrupted remnant of hyaline cross band apically ( Fig. 6 : cbr), with orangish setae extending at least to leading margin, including part of marginal vein, though sometimes not to posterior margin of wing so as to be enclosed by dark setae basally and apically and sometimes posteriorly; submarginal vein, including parastigma, extending slightly beyond basal region and partly orangish marginal vein extending most of length of discal region, without differentiated stigmal or postmarginal veins. Mesosoma (excluding legs) with prosternum dark but pronotum mostly pale except for dark spot anterior to each spiracle ( Fig. 6C ) and posterolateral, vertical surface (panel) often brown to dark ( Fig. 6D ); prepectus ( Fig. 6D ) and tegula ( Fig. 6C ) at least basally pale; mesonotum ( Fig. 6C ) with scutellar-axillar complex and mesoscutum medially dark, but mesoscutal lateral lobes with at least outer, inclined surfaces partly to mostly pale; acropleuron mostly pale except dark anteriorly in region ventral to tegula ( Fig. 6D ); procoxa, except often in part laterally, similarly pale as at least anterolateral surface of pronotum and most of acropleuron ( Fig. 6D ); mesotarsus with all tarsomeres similarly pale yellowish to white ( Fig. 6B ). Mesoscutum with posterior concave part completely setose with white setae ( Fig. 6C ). Antenna with at least apical funicular subquadrate and previous two funiculars only slightly longer than wide.

Male. Structure as well as color, setae and sculptural patterns ( Fig. 6 F–H ) similar to those described for A. gansuensis except about basal half of metatibia pale and apical half lighter brown, lighter in color than respective femur ( Fig. 6F ).

Distribution.

Anastatus meilingensis (Genbank accession no. MK604242) was described originally from Jiangxi Province from three localities (Shangrao, Yushan, and Meiling, Nanchang) as detailed by Peng et al. (2017). We reared A. fulloi in the field from the following new locality: Gansu Province: Kang Co., Longnan City, 23.I.2018, Yong-Ming Chen (2♀, 2♂ AICF; 2♀, 2♂ BMNH; 58♀, 36♂ CNC; 5♀, 3♂ FAFU; 15♀,12♂ IZCAS; 2♀, 2♂ USNM).

Hosts.

Originally described reared from the eggs of the pine moth, Dendrolimus punctatus Walker, and of the Simao pine moth, D. kikuchii Matsumura ( Lepidoptera , Lasiocampidae ) (Sheng and Yu 1988). Here we newly report it as an egg parasitoid of C. japonica and, in the laboratory, of A. pernyi .

Remarks.

Of the species we reared from C. japonica , females of A. meilingensis are readily distinguished because they are the only ones that are brachypterous. The fore wing color pattern, with the discal region having a distinct region of orangish setae behind the venation and often also a slender remnant of a hyaline cross band more apically ( Fig. 6E : cbr), is unique among described Anastatus species with brachypterous females. However, except for the reduced hyaline cross band, the setal pattern is similar to that described for A. gansuensis . Females of one other described Anastatus species from China, those of A. huangi Sheng & Yu (1998), are also brachypterous. However, the reduced fore wings of female A. huangi have a color pattern more similar to macropterous females, having a distinct hyaline cross band with white, hair-like setae behind the marginal vein ( Peng et al. 2017, fig. 32).

Although Sheng and Yu (1998) reared a single male as part of the type series of A. meilingensis this male was not found by Peng et al. (2017). The line drawn figure of the antenna stated as that of a male by Sheng and Yu (1998, fig. 4) is obviously that of a female because of the presence of a visible, anelliform fl1, and a three segmented clava. Of the species treated, males of A. meilingensis are mostly similar to those of A. gansuensis because both have a clava that is distinctly shorter than the combined length of the apical funiculars ( Figs 4H , 6H ). However, based on our reared material males of A. meilingensis have a different metatibial color pattern, the metatibia being more extensively pale basally and lighter brown apically than for males of A. gansuensis (cf. Figs 4B , 6F ).

Figures

Figure 4. Anastatus gansuensis, male A dorsal habitus (17) B lateral habitus (16) C head in frontal view (19) D mesosoma in lateral view (16) E propodeum (17) F fore wing (17) G antenna (18) H pedicel and basal three funiculars (18) (three lower bars indicate length of clava compared to combined length of apical funiculars). Abbreviations: clv = clava, flx = flagellomere number.

Figure 6. Anastatus meilingensis A-E female (2): A dorsal habitus B lateral habitus C dorsal mesosoma D lateral mesosoma E fore wing, dorsal view. F-H male (19): F lateral habitus G antenna H clava and apical three funiculars (three lower bars indicate length of clava compared to combined length of apical funiculars). Abbreviations: cbr = remnant of hyaline cross band, clv = clava, flx = flagellomere number.