Calymmochilus dispar Boucek & Andriescu, 1967

Korenko, Stanislav, Schmidt, Stefan, Schwarz, Martin, Gibson, Gary A. P. & Pekar, Stano, 2013, Hymenopteran parasitoids of the ant-eating spider Zodarion styliferum (Simon) (Araneae, Zodariidae), ZooKeys 262, pp. 1-15 : 4-5

Calymmochilus dispar Boucek & Andriescu, 1967 Figures 3 A–D4A–J

Calymmochilus dispar Bouček & Andriescu (1967): 233-238. Holotype female, Romania, Agigea, 28.vii.1964, A. Andriescu (not examined).

Recognition.

Calymmochilus dispar is the only one of four European species of Calymmochilus ( Noyes 2012) with brachypterous females. Bouček and Andriescu (1967) provided a detailed description of both sexes of Calymmochilus dispar in German, which are summarized below. The descriptions of the larval and pupal stages are new.

Description.

Female (Fig. 3 A, C). Length 3.0-4.6 mm. Body mostly brown to black, but partly with greenish or bluish metallic lustre, particularly frontovertex; antenna brown, clava yellowish-brown; legs brown with apices of tibiae and tarsi except for apices yellowish-brown. Head (Fig. 3C) slightly broader than mesosoma. Supraclypeal area (Fig. 3C: Sa) with about five transverse carinae and glabrous interspaces, strongly inclined from clypeus, hence clypeus below face level. Clypeus (Fig. 3 C: Cl) protruding over the mandibles, with a strongly elevated carina and a serrate margin. Lower face with a blunt crest extending from clypeus almost to ventral margin of eye (Fig. 3C: Cr). Mandible (Fig. 3C: Md) very slender, sickle-shaped. Antenna long and slender, all funicular segments longer than broad, anellus about 1.3 × as long as broad, clava as long as 3.5 apical funicular segments. Mesonotum dorsoventrally compressed, with alutaceous surface sculpture. Mesoscutum flat, on same level as scutellar-axillar complex. Axillae distinguished from scutellum by only slightly finer surface sculpture. Propodeum transverse, anteriorly with a distinct transverse carina connecting propodeal spiracles, with indistinct plicae and median carina; callar region strongly declining posteriorly. Prepectus slightly larger than tegula. Wings reduced, infuscate fore wing barely extending to base of metasoma (Fig. 3 A). Metasoma evenly tapered posteriorly, syntergum tapered with rounded apex, laterally curved over to conceal very slightly exserted ovipositor sheaths.

Male (Fig. 3B, D). Length 1.4-2.3 mm. Head and body very dark brown to black with blue metallic lustre, metasoma brown (Fig. 3B). Antenna brown. Legs brown with knees and tarsi except for apices yellowish-brown. Head (Fig. 3D) slightly broader than thorax, nearly triangular in frontal view. Structure of lower face, clypeus (Fig. 3: Cl), and mandibles (Fig. 3: Md) similar to female except crest extending from clypeus to compound eye indicated only by slight elevation. Antenna (Fig. 3B) long, each funicular segment at least twice as long as broad, anellus indistinct and hardly discernible, claval segments fused. Mesoscutum convex with distinct notauli. Wings fully developed. Scutellum strongly convex, almost parallel-sided, with strongly inclined sides. Metanotum almost vertical, dorsellum almost triangular with surrounding furrow, dorsally with sharp carina. Propodeum with distinct median carina.

Larva (Fig. 4A, B, F). Brownish-yellow, female length about 2.5 mm (N = 1) and male length = 1.6 mm (N = 1). Mature larva with one pair of long, strong, dorsal setae (0.25 –0.3× maximal diameter of larva) on each body segment plus two pairs of smaller dorsal setae (0.8 × length of longer setae), one pair between long dorsal setae of first and second segment and second pair between those of second and third segment; laterally with one pair of smaller lateral setae (0.5 –0.6× length of dorsal setae) on each body segment and irregularly placed short setae. Larval head very weakly sclerotized (not easily discernible in photographs).

Pupa (Fig. 4 C–E, G–J). Pupa brown, about 3 mm length for female (Fig. 4C) and 2.2 mm for male (Fig. 4G). Eyes and mandibles becoming dark brown (Fig. 4C, H) as part of sclerotization process after 3 days. Eyes and mandibles dark brownish-black and first dark spots appearing inside pupa (Fig. 4D, I) seven days after pupation; pupa completely dark brown (Fig. 4E, J) after nine days.

Material.

PORTUGAL, Faro district: 1 ♂ and 1 ♀ Moncarapacho; rocky slope near road, in spider igloos under rocks (37°05'N, 7°47'W, Fig. 2, locality 7), penultimate larvae attached to spider abdomen, 31.iii.2009, S. Korenko leg., larvae pupated 7.iv.2009 (male) and 8.iv.2009 (female), adults emerged 22.iv.2009, (1 ♂, CNCI; 1 ♀, ZSM).

Distribution.

Armenia, Bulgaria, Croatia, France, Germany, Italy, Serbia, Spain, Yugoslavia ( Noyes 2012) and Portugal (new record).

Host.

Juvenile Zodarion styliferum with prosoma length of 0.4-0.5 mm (N = 2) (new host record).

Biology.

The two Zodarion styliferum igloos from which Calymmochilus dispar were reared were collected in an open, rocky habitat with sparse vegetation. When collected, a larva was attached to the abdomen of an immobilised juvenile inside the igloo. Exuviae of the previous moults were attached to the apex of the abdomen of the last instar. The larvae did not build any cocoon inside the igloo, being protected only by their long setae. The final instar and prepupal stage combined lasted 7 days for the male and 8 days for the female, after which the larvae pupated. The female emerged 15 days and the male 16 days after pupation at 23°C ( ± 1.5°C).

Remarks.

Little is known about the biology and host associations of Calymmochilus wasps. Previously, Calymmochilus russoi Gibson, 1995 was reared from olive branches infested with Pheloeotribus scarabaeoides (Bernard, 1788) ( Coleoptera , Scolytidae ) ( Russo 1938) and Calymmochilus longbottomi Gibson, 1998 was reared from Synsphyronus lathrius Harvey, 1987 ( Pseudoscorpionidae , Garypidae ) ( Austin et al. 1998). The Zodarion styliferum host was of a similar body size and created structurally similar igloos as the pseudoscorpion documented by Austin et al. (1998). Larvae of Calymmochilus dispar do not create a cocoon for pupation; rather they use the already built spider igloo to help protect the bare larvae, which is isolated from the inner surface of the igloo by their long dorsal setae. The larvae we reared from the two Zodarion styliferum igloos were on the underside of a rock approximately 5 cm apart from each other. The parasitized pseudoscorpions reared by Austin et al. (1998) were also located under rocks, whereas the beetle larvae associated with Calymmochilus russoi were under tree bark ( Russo 1938). These concealed habitats presumably provide additional shelter for the Calymmochilus larvae and support Bouček (1988), who suggested that Calymmochilus species are primarily associated with hosts in sheltered places, e.g. under bark or rocks. The unusual, protuberant clypeus that characterizes adults may be a structural adaptation to help the adults emerge and the female to access restricted spaces to parasitize new hosts. However, it remains to be shown whether Calymmochilus dispar is narrowly associated with Zodarion species or parasitizes taxonomically more diverse hosts in similar niches.