Psyttalia carinata (Thomson, 1895) s.l.

Wu, Qiong, Achterberg, Cornelis van, Tan, Jiang-Li & Chen, Xue-Xin, 2016, Review of the East Palaearctic and North Oriental Psyttalia Walker, with the description of three new species (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Opiinae), ZooKeys 629, pp. 103-151 : 107-111

Taxon classification Animalia Hymenoptera Braconidae

Psyttalia carinata (Thomson, 1895) s.l. Figs 1, 2-12

Opius carinatus Thomson, 1895: 2177.

Opius (Psyttalia) carinatus : Fischer 1972: 335-337; Tobias 1998: 613.

Psyttalia carinata : Fischer and Koponen 1999: 144; Belokobylskij et al. 2003: 396; van Achterberg 2004c: FE on-line database.

Opius rhagoleticola Sachtleben, 1934: 76; Fischer 1972: 344-346; Belokobylskij et al. 2003: 396 (as synonym of Psyttalia carinata ).

Psyttalia rhagoleticola : Fischer and Koponen 1999: 144; Tobias 2000: 12.

Opius (Psyttalia) ophthalmicus Tobias, 1977: 425, 430, 1998: 613; Fischer 1984: 114-117. Syn. n. (examined).

Psyttalia ophthalmica : Wharton 1997: 23; Tobias 2000: 12.

Opius (Psyttalia) brevitemporalis Tobias, 1998: 613. Syn. n. (examined).

Psyttalia brevitemporalis : Tobias 2000: 12.

Type material.

Lectotype of Opius carinatus here designated, ♀ (ZIL), “Broa” [= North Gottland, Sweden], 12 –12.vii.[18]50”; 1 paralectotype, ♂ (ZIL) with same label data as lectotype; 1 paralectotype, ♂ (ZIL), “Gott”, " carinatus m. ", " Opius carinatus Th.". Paratypes of Opius rhagoleticola : 3 ♀ (RMNH, ZJUH), “Cotypus”, "[Germany], Naumburg, 1932, aus Rhagoletis cerasi , Thiem", " Opius rhagoleticolus Sachtl." Holotype of Opius ophthalmicus ♀ (ZISP), "[Russia:], Primorskij kraj, okr. Ussurskiska, 13.ix.[1]968, Kandybina", " Rhagoletis alternatum Flln., Kandybina det.", "Litsinka v plodach zhipovnika Rosa ", "Holotypus Opius ophthalmicus Tobias"; 1 paratype, ♀ (ZISP), same data as holotype. Holotype of Opius brevitemporalis , ♀ (ZISP), "[Russia:], Primorskij kraj, Spassk, 21.viii.1987, G. Belokobylskaja", " Opius brevitemporalis sp. n., det. Tobias ‘95”, "Holotypus Opius brevitemporalis Tobias"; 1 paratype, ♀ (ZISP), "Primorskij kraj, zap. Kedrovaja Pad, 25.ix.[1]968, Kandybina", "[ex] Myioleja sinensis Zia, Kandybina det.", "[ex] Chaetostoma continuans Zia & Chen", "Litsinka v plodach shimolosti Lonicera maackii Rupr."; "Paratypus Opius brevitemporalis Tobias".

Additional material.

1 ♂ (ZISP), "[Russia], Ilmenskij zapoved, Tseljainskoj obl., 15.vii.[1]959, Tobias" (det. Tobias as Opius carinatus ); 3 ♀ (ZISP), id., but 18.vii.1958. Additional specimens (ZISP) of Psyttalia carinata with complete yellowish mesoscutum examined from Gravan, Bijsp, Altajskij kraj, Karagand. Obl., Toshska Obl. (Russia) and Kizhinev (Moldova).

Comparative diagnosis.

Psyttalia carinata is a widespread Palaearctic species with the head distinctly narrower behind the eyes in dorsal view (eye 2.5-5 times longer than temple) and medium-sized ocelli (Fig. 8). This species is very similar to SW. Palaearctic and Afrotropical Psyttalia concolor ( Szépligeti, 1910) as indicated by Fischer (1972); Psyttalia carinata differs by having mesosoma dorsally and the first metasomal tergite mainly or entirely black or dark brown (vs brownish or reddish yellow in Psyttalia concolor ), vein cu-a of fore wing about as long as vein 1-CU1 (vs vein cu-a shorter than 1-CU1) and temple slightly less distinctly narrowed behind eyes (vs more directly narrowed) and by largely different spectrum of hosts belonging to Carpomya , Chetostoma , Myoleja and Rhagoletis species (vs Anastrepha , Bactrocera , Capparimyia , Carpomya , Ceratitis , Dacus , Euphranta , Rhagoletis and Synclera spp.).

Description.

Holotype of Opius brevitemporalis , ♀, length of body 2.8 mm, of fore wing 3.3 mm.

Head. Antenna with 40 segments, bristly and erect setose and 1.5 times as long as fore wing; third segment 1.2 times as long as fourth segment, length of third, fourth and penultimate segments 2.6, 2.2 and 2.3 times their width, respectively (Figs 6, 10); length of maxillary palp 0.9 times height of head; length of eye in dorsal view 4.2 times temple (Fig. 8); temple in dorsal view shiny, smooth and with sparse setae; OOL: diameter of ocellus: POL = 10:5:6; area behind stemmaticum reclivous and with minute pit (Fig. 8); face coarsely punctate with interspaces wider than diameter of punctures, shiny, with a smooth medio-longitudinal convexity widened ventrally (Fig. 7); frons slightly depressed behind antennal sockets and with some oblique striae; in front of anterior ocellus with slightly convex ridge, shiny, smooth and glabrous but laterally setose and punctulate (Fig. 8); labrum slightly depressed; clypeus transverse, sparsely punctate, convex, and its ventral margin truncate and narrow (Fig. 7); width of clypeus 4.3 times its maximum height and 0.7 times width of face; hypoclypeal depression wide and deep (Figs 7, 11); malar suture wide and shallow, punctate between malar suture and clypeus; mandible not twisted, apically moderately narrowed and with both teeth wide; mandible normal basally and with narrow ventral carina (Fig. 11); occipital carina remains far removed from hypostomal carina and dorsally largely absent; hypostomal carina narrow ventrally.

Mesosoma. Length of mesosoma 1.2 times its height; dorsal pronope minute, round; pronotal side largely smooth, but posterior groove dorsally crenulate (Fig. 3); propleuron slightly convex; epicnemial area smooth dorsally; precoxal sulcus medially medium-sized and only medially distinctly crenulate, absent anteriorly and posteriorly (Fig. 3); remainder of mesopleuron smooth and shiny; pleural sulcus smooth ventrally; mesosternal sulcus moderately deep, narrow and finely crenulate; postpectal carina absent; mesoscutum very shiny and glabrous (Fig. 4); notauli only anteriorly as pair of finely crenulate impressions and absent on disc; scutellar sulcus deep and with 6 short crenulae, parallel-sided medially; scutellum moderately convex and smooth, but apically sparsely punctate and setose (Fig. 4); metanotum with a protruding medio-longitudinal carina anteriorly and very finely crenulate posteriorly; surface of propodeum smooth and shiny except for rugose area near distinct and reversed Y-shaped median carina (Fig. 5), lateral grooves shallow and sparsely crenulate or smooth and anterior groove parallel-sided medially (Fig. 5).

Wings. Fore wing: 1-SR distinctly longer than wide and linear with 1-M (Fig. 2); pterostigma wide triangular (Fig. 2); 1-R1 ending at wing apex and 1.6 times as long as pterostigma (Fig. 2); r linear with 3-SR and medium-sized; r-m not tubular; r:3-SR:SR1 = 5:33:73; 2-SR:3-SR:r-m = 22:33:11; 1-M straight and SR1 curved; m-cu distinctly antefurcal and slightly curved, 2-M+CU1 moderately widened (as apex of M+CU1: Fig. 2) and 0.4 times as long as m-cu; cu-a distinctly postfurcal and 1-CU1 widened; 1-CU1:2-CU1= 5:23; first subdiscal cell closed; CU1b medium-sized; only apex of M+CU1 sclerotized. Hind wing: 1-M of hind wing straight, resulting in subparallel-sided cell apically; M+CU:1-M:1r-m = 5:5:4; cu-a straight; m-cu absent; SR slightly indicated apically.

Legs. Length of femur, tibia and basitarsus of hind leg 3.4, 8.0 and 4.4 times as long as width, respectively (Fig. 12); hind femur with rather long setae, tarsus and tibia densely setose.

Metasoma. Length of first tergite 1.2 times to its apical width, convex medio-posteriorly, its surface strongly and irregularly rugose-punctate (Fig. 5), dorsal carinae strong in its basal half and area below depressed; second suture slightly indicated; basal depressions of second tergite large and tergite 0.9 times as long as third tergite; second and following tergites smooth, shiny and sparsely setose; combined length of second and third metasomal tergites 0.25 times total length of metasoma; length of setose part of ovipositor sheath 0.52 times fore wing, 3.8 times first tergite, 2.4 times hind femur, 1.6 times hind tibia and 1.2 times metasoma; hypopygium about 0.5 times as long as metasoma, distinctly acute apically and about reaching apex of metasoma (Fig. 12).

Colour. Brownish yellow, but stemmaticum and area behind it, mesoscutum, metanotum, propodeum, first tergite and ovipositor sheath mainly black or blackish brown; antenna (except scapus and apically pedicellus), scutellum, pronotum and meso pleuron dorsally, second third tergites medially, fourth and fifth tergites (except lateral patch), sixth tergite medially, pterostigma and veins dark brown; remainder of sixth tergite yellowish; palpi, mandible (but teeth dark brown), tegulae and legs pale yellow; fore wing membrane subhyaline.

Male. Except for the sexual differences males are (as in other spp.) very similar to females; in general the size is less and more often than in females the metasomal tergites are darkened.

Variation. Length of fore wing 2.9-3.3 mm; antenna of ♀ with 35(1), 38(1), 39(1) and 40(1) segments, of ♂ 39(1); first tergite 1.1-1.2 times as long as its apical width; hind femur 3.4-4.2 times as long as wide; setose part of ovipositor sheath 0.50-0.54 times as long as fore wing, 0.8-1.1 times mesosoma and 1.5-1.7 times hind tibia; middle of mesoscutum black, chestnut brown or brown; area behind stemmaticum and scutellum dark brown to brownish yellow.

Variation of type series. The holotype of Psyttalia ophthalmica differs from typical Psyttalia carinata by having body partly dark brown and remainder yellowish brown, and scutellum with some setae and punctures posteriorly. These punctures are sometimes also present in typical Psyttalia carinata and both have been reared from Rhagoletis alternata ( Fallén) (rose hip fly; Tephritidae ). Psyttalia brevitemporalis has a similar scutellum (Fig. 4), but has the body largely dark brown dorsally and the holotype has the eye in dorsal view 4.2 (paratype 5.2) times as long as temple (4.2 times in holotype of Psyttalia ophthalmica , up to 3.8 times in Psyttalia carinata ). According to Tobias (1998) Psyttalia carinata has the upper half of the mesopleuron granulate and Psyttalia rhagoleticola has it completely smooth, but clean specimens have always the mesopleuron smooth and shiny dorsally. The length of the temple in dorsal view seems to be variable. The W. Palaearctic specimens have the eye in dorsal view 2.5 times as long as temple (see fig. 267 in Fischer 1972) up to 3.8 times. In the East Palaearctic Psyttalia brevitemporalis and Psyttalia ophthalmica it varies between 4.2-5.2 times and because we could not find additional differences (except some variation in colour), we assume the variation is clinal. Therefore, we treat Psyttalia carinata sensu lato in this paper and synonymize both species under Psyttalia carinata .

Distribution.

Armenia; Austria; Bulgaria; Czech Republic; Finland; France; Germany; Hungary; Italy; Kazakhstan; Kyrgyzstan; Lithuania; Moldova; Netherlands (new record); Norway (id.); Poland; Russia (including Far East); Sweden; Switzerland; Uzbekistan and former Yugoslavia; introduced into Canada.

Biology.

Endoparasitoid of Rhagoletis , Myoleja , Chetostoma and Carpomya species ( Tephritidae ) in fruits.

Notes.

In ZJUH there is a similar female from S. China (Yunnan, Simao, 1982, Shiqing Yang, No. 826893) which most likely represents another new species. It has similar small ocelli and smooth frons, but the entirely mesoscutum is yellow, the base of the hind tibia is dark brown, the head is less transverse and vein m-cu of the fore wing is slightly longer than 2-SR+M (as in Psyttalia majocellata sp. n.). Differs from Psyttalia majocellata sp. n. by the largely dark brown second–fifth tergites of ♀ (vs yellow in ♀ of Psyttalia majocellata ), the smaller ocelli, the dark brown middle of the pterostigma of ♀ and the less sculptured frons.