Fumariphilus hypecoi ( Trotter, 1913 ) Nieves-Aldrey, 2022

Nieves-Aldrey, José Luis, 2022, Description of Fumariphilus Nieves-Aldrey, gen. nov., a new genus of herb gall wasps, with a key to genera of the tribe Aulacideini (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae), Zootaxa 5155 (3), pp. 393-413 : 405-406

Fumariphilus hypecoi ( Trotter, 1913) n. comb.

( Figs. 4 , 5A, 5C, 5E , 6E, 6F , 8 )

Aulax Hypecoi Trotter, 1913 . Marcellia, 11: 214

Aylax spirorhynchussi Diakontshuk, 1990 . News of faunistics and systematics Kiew, p 126

Aylax hypecoi Trotter. Nieves-Aldrey & Melika, 2005 . Journ. Nat. Hist., 39(27): 2526

Material examined: Bulgaria, Plovdic, Dzhendem tepe, 165 m, five females reared from galls collected V.19.2001 on Hypecoum imberbe (Papaveraceae) , A. Stojanova leg. Held at the MNCN, Madrid, Spain.

Nieves-Aldrey & Melika (2005) thoroughly re-described and illustrated the adult wasps; therefore, they will not be further discussed here. With regard to the immature stages, Stojanova & Draganov (2008) previously provided notes on the life cycle of A. hypecoi Trotter , including data on the morphology and development of the egg, larva and pupa. Here, a more detailed morphological description of the terminal instar larva is provided, along with some SEM images.

Description of the terminal instar larva. Material examined: Bulgaria, Plovdiv, Dzhendem tepe, 165 m, larvae extracted from galls found in Hypecoum imberbe ; galls collected 19 May 2001. A Sojanova leg. (n=4)

Description: length 2.7 mm (range 2.3 – 3 mm; n=4).

Body in ventral view fusiform, segments of larval body widest approximately around the middle, tapering towards the anterior and posterior ends ( Fig. 8A ); in lateral view more clearly tapering towards the posterior end ( Fig. 8B ). Integument smooth, almost bare and with a yellowish orange coloration ( Fig. 5E ). Body composed of head and 13 segments: three thoracic, nine abdominal and one anal. First thoracic segment appears, in ventral view, divided into three parts, one anterior and one posterior that is further sub-divided into two lateral and one medial; first abdominal segment slightly constricted and narrower than the third thoracic segment; abdominal segments 2–5 similar in length and progressively narrower towards the anal segment; anal segment short, truncated at the apex and wider than long.

Head ( Fig. 8C ) more or less triangular, medial area of vertex slightly sunken. Antennal areas and antennae not visible. Antennal setae absent. A pair of very short and inconspicuous genal setae present.

Mouthparts. Clypeus ( Fig. 8D ) well marked with its ventral margin straight and clearly prolonged ventrally into a sub-rectangular piece above the labrum; pair of supraclypeal setae present. Labrum sub-trapezoidal with slightly convergent sides; apical margin straight, pairs of ventrolateral and medioapical short setae present. Mandibles covered by the labrum but apex visible. Maxillae triangular with its apex pointed and with two pairs of maxillary palps and two pairs of maxillary setae present. Labium large, diamond shaped or rhomboidal; salivary opening situated under a rhomboidal depression; the area surrounding the salivary opening present a tuberculate sculpture. Labial palps and labial setae present.

Mandibles ( Figs. 8E, 8F ) Smooth and bare. Both mandibles with three teeth; the second middle tooth slightly blunt and being as long as half of the large apical tooth in the left mandible; the second tooth of the right mandible blunt and subdivided into two small teeth.

Gall structures: One or more seeded sections of the fruits are considerably inflated. Each galled fruit contains from one to three oval to globose, unilocular galls.

Host plant association: Galls are formed in the fruits of Hypecoum species ( Figs. 6E, F ). Galls in fruits of Hypecoum imberbe collected in Bulgaria form a conspicuous swelling on the fruit.

Biology: Life cycle is typically univoltine, as in most herb gall wasps. In the studied material, all reared individuals were females, except for one male. Adults emerge from the galls from the end of winter to early spring, around the time the host plant starts flowering. The larvae overwinter inside the galls and pupate a little before emergence.

Distribution: Originally described from Tripoli (North Africa) by Trotter (1913), its distribution extends from the Eastern Mediterranean ( Algeria, Bulgaria, Greece) to Transcaucasia ( Armenia) and Central Asia ( Turkmenistan) ( Nieves-Aldrey & Melika 2005). More recently, it was cited from Turkey ( Katilmis & Kiyak 2008, 2011) and Iran ( Melika & Karimpour 2012).

Remarks: F. hypecoi morphologically resembles F. versicolor in its general appearance and variable coloration. However, the two species can be easily distinguished by the diagnostic characters given in the identification key of the species of Fumariphilus .

Figures

FIGURE 4. Fumariphilus hypecoi, n. comb., SEM photos of a female. (A) Head, dorsal view. (B) Head, posterior view. (C) Head, anterior view. (E) Mesosoma, dorsal view. (E) Antenna.

FIGURE 5. Habitus, forewing and terminal instar larvae of Fumariphilus hypecoi, n. comb. (A), (C), (E) and Fumariphilus versicolor, n. comb. (B), (D) and (F). All in lateral view.

FIGURE 6. Galls of Fumariphilus versicolor, n. comb on Fumaria officinalis (A, B). (C) Section of a galled fruit showing a larva. (D) Section of a mature fruit with a fully developed adult inside. (E) Galls of Fumariphilus hypecoi, n. comb. on Hypecoum procumbens. (F) Section of a mature fruit with a fully developed adult inside.

FIGURE 8. Fumariphilus hypecoi, n. comb., SEM photos of a terminal instar larva. (A) Body, ventral view. (B) Body, lateral view. (C) Head, anterior view. (D) Detail of mouth parts. (E) Right mandible. (F) Left mandible.