Xyela sinicola Maa, 1947

Blank, Stephan M., Shinohara, Akihiko & Altenhofer, Ewald, 2013, <strong> The Eurasian species of <em> Xyela </ em> (Hymenoptera, Xyelidae): taxonomy, host plants and distribution </ strong>, Zootaxa 3629 (1), pp. 1-106 : 50-52

Xyela sinicola Maa, 1947

Xyela sinicola Maa, 1947: 61–63 , ♀, type locality: China, Fujian Sheng, Chung-An, Bohea Hills , Sing-Yang-Tsuen.

Xyela lii Xiao, 1988: 410–413 , ♂, type locality: China, Jiangsu Sheng, Nanjing [= Nanking], syn. nov.

Description. Female. Color. Head yellow with black pattern (brown is almost absent): stripes along frontal furrows absent or indistinctly pale brown, ocellar and postocellar area black; kidney-shaped spots on vertex separate from black postocellar area ( Fig. 72 ). Antennae pale brown. Thorax dorsally brown with yellow pattern on pronotum, mesonotal lobes and mesoscutellum, tegulae pale, mesepisternum largely pale brown. Abdominal terga brown, lateral parts of terga 8 and 9+10 paler, valvifer 2 pale brown, membrane between valvifer 2 and valvula 3 white, valvula 3 brown ( Fig. 116 ). Legs pale brown, dark pattern of posterior coxae almost absent. Wing membrane almost clear, venation and pterostigma pale brown.

Morphology. Fore wing 3.4–3.9 mm long, 1.45–1.85 times longer than ovipositor sheath, vein Rs+M 200–300 µm long, 2r-m meeting Rs proximal to furcation of Rs1 and Rs2. Synantennomere 3 510–610 µm long, antennomere 4 110–150 µm long and 3.5–5.0 times longer than wide distally. Article 3 of maxillary palp 380–440 µm long, 1.55–1.65 times longer than scape and about as wide as synantennomere 3. OOL: POL = 1.65–2.00: 1. Ovipositor sheath 2.00– 2.60 mm long, valvula 3 2.15–2.25 times longer than valvifer 2 and 7.5–9.0 times longer than wide at base ( Fig. 116 ). Valvula 3 of ovipositor sheath compressed in cross section, pale membranous area about as long as basal width of valvula 3, dorsal edge of valvula 3 sloping down to round tip, distally with sensilla field exposed and directed caudally, bearing 3 setae. Ovipositor almost straight and compressed. Valvula 1 with aulax terminating distally, ventral edge sloping up to tip, with ca 17 oblique closely spaced annuli in distal 0.2, without serrulae, olistether with ca 6 setae. Left and right valvulae 2 fused along dorsal edge in basal half. Valvula 2 with smooth dorsal margin, tapering in distal half, pale and evenly sclerotized, in distal 0.4 with single scattered sensilla campaniformia, in distal 0.05 with 5 indistinct oblique annuli bearing a sensilla field. Posterior tibia 0.85–0.90 µm long, all claws without subapical tooth.

Male. Color. Similar to female (see Fig. 73 for color pattern of head). Supraantennal furrows indistinctly pale brown on the upper quarter close to the ocellar area. Hypopygium pale.

Morphology. Fore wing 2.9–3.4 mm long, Rs+M 160–230 µm long, 2r-m meeting Rs proximal to furcation of Rs1 and Rs2. Synantennomere 3 500–680 µm long, antennomere 4 120–160 µm long and 4.0–4.5 times longer than wide distally. Article 3 of maxillary palp 330–380 µm long, 1.30–1.35 times longer than scape and about as wide as synantennomere 3. OOL: POL = 1.55–1.80: 1. Longitudinal apodeme of basiparamere curved, basal portion in lateral position, harpe about as long as wide in lateral view. Lower ergot on valvular very small and in lateral position (seemingly absent). Valviceps 1.30–1.50 times longer than wide on medial lobe, with distinct oblique lateral lamella, proximal lobe of penis valve small and strikingly sloping down toward the valviceps, 0.18–0.22 times as long as valviceps and 0.60–0.70 times as high as medial lobe, excision on lower edge 0.13–0.17 as deep as width of medial lobe, valviceps on medial lobe 1.75–1.85 times wider than on distal lobe, 2 or sometimes 3 distal flagella present, tip of longer flagellum reaching 0.75–0.90 width of distal lobe (possibly> 0.90 in holotype of X. sinicola , but tips of both flagella missing in this specimen) ( Fig. 149 ). Valviceps with median longitudinal sclerotization present, upper edge of medial lobe round and strikingly protruding, with 7–14 cone-like sensilla along upper edge and scattered on lateral surface, upper edge between medial and distal lobe with few short setae. Posterior tibia 0.70–0.85 mm long, all claws without subapical tooth.

Type material: Xyela sinicola . Holotype ♀: “ Bohea hills 15.iii.1940 T. Maa coll.”; [red:] “ Xyela sinicola Maa ♀ Holotype ”; “ Xyela sinicola Maa, 1947 det. S. M. Blank 2001”. In good condition, one antenna glued to piece of cardboard, other antenna missing. TARI.

Xyela lii . Holotype ♀: “ Jiangsu Province ( Nanking ), 18.3.1984 [date correct?—see paratypes], Li Shangshu lg.” (unavailable for this study, labeling cited after Xiao 1988) . Paratypes: 3♀ 4♂ with same data , 1♀ 1♂ of this series here studied: “[ Chinese characters for: China Forestry Science Research Institute {= CFRB}, Nanjing City, 28.3.1984 {sic!}]”; “[Chinese characters for: host Salix babylonica ] No. 610”; “ Paratype ”; “ Xylex [sic!] lii Xiao ”; “ Xyela lii Xiao [♀ / ♂] [Chinese characters for:] M. C. Wei ”; “ China: Nanjing 28.3.1984, host: Salix babylonica L. (translation of Chinese label to English by Mei-cai Wei)”. CSFU .

Host plant. Ο Pinus massoniana Lamb.

Geographic distribution. China (Fujian Province, Jiangsu Province, Xianggang) ( Fig. 12 ).

Remarks. Xyela sinicola is unique within the X. julii group due to the very long ovipositor and the valviceps bearing a distinct longitudinal sclerotization, a short proximal lobe and being shallowly excised on the lower edge. The morphological variability of X. sinicola is large, and the studied types exhibit almost the extremes. The ovipositor sheath is shorter in the females from Jiangsu Sheng and Nanjing (ca 2.0 mm long, fore wing ca 1.80 times longer than ovipositor, valvula 3 7.5–8.0 times longer than wide) than in females from Fujian Sheng and Hong Kong (ca 2.3–2.6 mm / 1.45–1.55 / 8.5–9.0). The valviceps is shorter and has a shorter proximal lobe in the males from Hangzhou, Hong Kong and Jiangsu Sheng (1.30–1.40 times longer than wide, length of proximal lobe: length of valviceps 0.18–0.19) than in the paratype from Nanjing (1.50 / 0.22). Despite the observed variability X. lii and X. sinicola are considered to be conspecific, since the available material including the type specimens displays no apparent character pattern to segregate two unambiguous groups for each sex with respect to the geographical origin of the material. The measured morphological values may be apparently discontinuous since only limited material collected over a large distance of more than 1,300 km has been available.

The original description of Xyela sinicola in the rare Biological Bulletin of Fukien Christian University is cited with the year 1943 by Smith (1978, p. 17). Maa (1949) himself cited his work as being published in 1944. The publication date and publication locality of each volume of the journal is printed on its front page in Chinese. The imprinted Chinese year has to be added to 1911 to obtain the corresponding year of the Gregorian calendar (translation and information on Chinese calendar by courtesy of Mei-ling Chan; see Tab. 1 ).

Each volume is exactly dated (at least the month is denoted), thus the successive volumes seem not to have been published in chronological order. The specimens in the BMNH library are stamped with later dates (vols. 2–5 with 29 May 1948 and vol. 6 with 8 April 1948; S. Lewis, personal communication), which possibly are the dates of receipt at this library. They are dated later and do not contradict the imprinted publication dates. We accept 1947 as the year of publication for all volumes published in Foochow, including Maa’s original description of X. sinicola . The volumes published in Shaowu, a different locality in Fujian province, are all dated earlier. The reason for the disarranged publication dates and localities is unknown.

Maa (1947) gave more detailed collection data “Sin-Yang-Tsuen, ca 250 m, Bohea Hills, Chung-An Hsien, Fukien NW., 15-III-1940, T. Maa leg.” than can be read from the type label, and the geographical coordinates 27.333°N 117.482°E. Maa (1949) published faunistic data of further material identified as X. sinicola , and he associated the sexes on the basis of a couple of X. sinicola from Hangchow (= Hangzhou). He featured this male as “ allotype ”, but this does not represent a paratype because it has been added subsequently (Art. 72.4.1. ICZN 1999).

We studied this male and additional material from Hong Kong, Jiangsu Sheng and Nanjing, where males and females were collected together. Both sexes of X. sinicola agree in the strikingly pale color of the face with the stripes along the supraantennal furrows being absent or at least indistinct.

The name of the type locality “Nanking” in Jiangsu Sheng cited by Xiao (1988) for X. lii is a synonymous transliteration of Nanjing (Mei-ling Chan, personal communication). The collection date 18.3.1984 given by Xiao is regarded as a type error for 28.3.1984 as it can be read from the labels of both paratypes. These were collected from Salix babylonica as has been mentioned in the original description. Willows are a common collection place for Xyela , since the male catkins are a rich pollen source and imagines may gather there in large numbers.

Xiao’s (1988) detailed illustrations of antenna, fore wing, penis valve, ovipositor and its sheath agree with the corresponding organs in the studied paratypes. The position of X. lii in the X. julii group is immediately obvious from the figures. Nevertheless, the figure of the maxillary palp is inaccurate. It has been depicted as consisting of a small basal and three elongate distal articles. The maxillary palps of the paratypes are typically shaped as in the majority of Xyela species with an elongate article 3 and a modified distal part bearing long curved setae.

Pinus massoniana is the only pine species present on all collection localities of X. sinicola . This is a common pine, which covers a vast area of central and southeastern China and northern Vietnam, and which crosses the sea to Hainan and Taiwan, growing from 0–2,000 m ( Wu 1947, Mirov 1967). Pinus hwangshanensis Hsia occurs on scattered places within this area. It can be excluded as the host plant with high probability, because it is everywhere confined to elevations above 900 m ( Mirov 1967, Richardson & Rundel 1998), whereas the holotype was collected at ca 250 m ( Maa 1947), and this pine is absent from the collection sites Hong Kong, Kanton and Nanjing, which are (almost) at sea level. In Hong Kong X. sinicola was collected together with X. exilicornis during the same period, which indicates a common host plant.

Figures

FIGURE 12. Records of Chinese and Taiwanese Xyela species, X. exilicornis (5 specimens from 2 collection sites), X. meridionalis (4 specimens from 1 collection site) and X. sinicola (10 specimens from 4 collection sites), and natural distribution of their supposed host plants, Pinus massoniana (solid line, according to Kindel (1995) and P. morrisonicola (dashed line, according to Mirov 1967).

FIGURES 66–85. Color pattern of head of Xyela species: X. julii group (part). Legend: HT—holotype; PT—paratype.

FIGURES 105–120. Ovipositor sheaths of Xyela species. All figures at same scale. Legend: HT—holotype; NT—neotype; PT—paratype.

FIGURES 146–156. Penis valves of Xyela species (X. julii group, part), and male external copulatory apparatus of Xyela in ventral and lateral view. 153–154, X. longula (penis valves removed). 155–156, X. curva (penis valves and volsellae removed). Legend: bpa—basiparamere, br—basal ring, gon—gonomacula, har—harpe, lap—lateral apodeme, vol—volsella. Figs 147, 150 and 152 reproduced from Blank et al. (2005).