Parnips nigripes

Fredrik Ronquist & José Luis Nieves-Aldrey, 2001, A new subfamily of Figitidae (Hymenoptera, Cynipoidea), Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 133, pp. 483-494 : 486-491

PARNIPS NIGRIPES ( BARBOTIN, 1964) COMB. NOV.

Syntypes. 25d, 35♀. ALGERIA, Oran. Reared from B. oraniensis galls on Papaver rhoeas and P. dubium , emerged mid February to early April 1961, 1962 or 1963. Originally in the private collection of F. Barbotin, now most syntypes are in the collection of the University of Barcelona. Examined material: 23d, 34♀ (Universitat de Barcelona); 1d, 1♀ ( USNM, Washington, DC).

Additional material studied. 2d, 4♀. SPAIN, Madrid, Aldea del Fresno, 27 May 1987. Reared from B. oraniensis galls on Papaver sp., emerged April 1988. 2d, 1♀. Same locality, galls collected 6 June 1988, wasps emerged April 1989. 1♀. Madrid, Arganda, 25 June 1986. Reared from B. oraniensis galls on Papaver sp., emerged April 1987. 2♀. Madrid, Arganda, 5 May 1991. Caught in flight. 1d, 1♀. Guadalajara, Pozo de Guadalajara. Reared from B. oraniensis galls on Papaver sp., 6 October, 1983, emerged April 1984. 1d. Madrid, Rivas Vaciamadrid. Reared from B. oraniensis galls on Papaver sp., 26 June 1985, emerged March 1986. 1d. Same locality, galls collected 6 July 1988, emerged April 1989. Deposited in the Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, Madrid. 1♀. Madrid, Aldea del Fresno, 6 July 1988. Reared from B. oraniensis galls on Papaver sp., emerged April 1989. 1d. Madrid, Rivas Vaciamadrid, 27 May 1987. Reared from B. oraniensis galls on Papaver sp., emerged April 1988. 3♀ 1d. Madrid, Aldea del Fresno and San Martin de Valdeiglesias, 29 September, 1997. Reared from B. oraniensis galls on Papaver rhoeas , emerged April to May, 1998. 5♀ 4d. Madrid, Aldea del Fresno, October 1998. Reared from B. oraniensis galls on Papaver rhoeas , emerged May 1999. Deposited in the Zoological Museum, Uppsala University, Uppsala.

Description

Body length. Measured from the anterior margin of the head to the posterior margin of the eighth abdominal tergum: 2.5± 0.5 mm (range 1.6–2.8; N =11) for males, 3.0± 0.5 mm (range 2.4–3.7; N =18) for females.

Head, anterior view ( Fig. 3 A). Lower face not keeled medially; facial strigae radiating from clypeus, stopping near compound eyes and reaching lower margin of antennal sockets. Upper face and vertex coriarious; median frontal carina and lateral frontal carinae absent. Ocellar plate not raised. Head strongly narrowing ventrally; lateral margin of gena straight, height of malar space about 0.65 times the height of a compound eye. Clypeus slightly trapezoid. Ventral margin of clypeus almost straight, not distinctly projecting from cranial margin. Anterior tentorial pits small, sometimes obscured. Epistomal sulcus and clypeo-pleurostomal lines weakly marked. Antennal sockets situated at mid-height of compound eye; distance between antennal rim and compound eye slightly longer than width of antennal socket including rim.

Head, posterior view ( Fig. 3 B). Occiput coriarious, flat, not deeply impressed around occipital foramen. Occipital carina lacking completely, head curving smoothly from lateral to posterior surface. Gular sulci free, well separated at hypostomata. Oral foramen long, more than three times as long as occipital foramen; distance between oral and occipital foramina short, shorter than the height of the occipital foramen.

Mouthparts. Mandibles large, right mandible with three teeth; left with two teeth. Maxillary stipes narrow and elongate, about four times as long as broad, posterior surface with longitudinal carina along mesal margin. Maxillary palp five-segmented: first segment short, longer than broad; second to fourth segment relatively long, 2.5–4 times as long as broad; fifth segment long, longer than fourth. Labial palp threesegmented: first and second segment subequal in length, third segment longer than second.

anterior view. B, posterior view.

Female antenna. Flagellum with 11 connate articles. Length of F1 1.1 times length of F2. F3 2.3 times as long as broad. Ultimate flagellomere 1.8 times as long as the penultimate. Elongate placodeal sensilla present on all flagellomeres.

Male antenna. Flagellum with 12 connate articles. F1 cylindrical in shape, neither excavated nor expanded, without a longitudinal ridge. Length of F1 1.0 times the length of F2. F3 2.3 times as long as broad. Ultimate flagellomere 1.4 times as long as the penultimate.

Elongate placodeal sensilla present on all flagellomeres.

Pronotum ( Figs 4 A,B, 5A). Pronotum medially long (high), ratio of median distance between anterior and posterior margins to lateral distance between these margins 0.5. Lateral pronotal carinae (lpc, Fig. 4 A) widely separated medially, prominent, meeting posteroventral pronotal margin. Submedian pronotal depressions oval, small and shallow, open laterally, connected by a shallow groove medially. Posterior pronotal plate not differentiated, except that the lateroventral corners are marked by the pronotal surface beneath them being depressed. Pronotum in profile distinctly angled dorsally a short distance in front of the posterior margin, a tiny rim-like dorsal pronotal area (dpa, Fig. 4 B) present behind this angle. Lateral surface of pronotum coriarious with some irregular, horizontal costulae posteriorly in lower half.

Mesonotum ( Fig. 4 A,B). Scutum coriarious-colliculate, posteriorly rugulose to transversely weakly costulate, dull. Median mesoscutal impression weakly impressed in posterior one third of mesoscutum, ending in a more distinctly impressed pit. Notauli narrow and shallow, faint in anterior half of mesoscutum, distinct in posterior half. Scutellar foveae shallow, posterior margin not marked. Dorsal surface of scutellum rugose. Posterodorsal and posterior margin of axillula indistinct. Lateral shining strip not extended dorsoposteriorly.

Mesopectus (mesopleuron including subpleuron and sternum) ( Fig. 4 A). Mesopleuron dull except for a minute shining patch at the posteroventral corner of the speculum. Mesopleuron beneath mesopleural triangle coriarious-colliculate, partly weakly rugulose, speculum also weakly longitudinally costulate. Middle part of mesopleuron without horizontal furrow or carinae. Mesopleural triangle distinctly impressed, ventral margin clearly marked except medially.

Metanotum ( Figs 4 A, 5B). Metascutellum largely glabrate; long, not conspicuously constricted medially. Bar ventral to metanotal trough almost smooth. Metanotal trough moderately wide.

Metapectal–propodeal complex ( Figs 4 A, 5B). Metapleural sulcus meeting anterior margin of metapectal–propodeal complex slightly above the mid-height of the latter. Metepimeron semicircular, small. Lateral propodeal carinae subparallel, narrow, not flattened above. Lateral and median propodeal area sparsely rugose to almost smooth. Nucha moderately long dorsally, almost smooth, posterior margin distinctly incised medially.

Legs. Procoxa with distinct anterolateral crest. Anterior surface of mesocoxa strongly protruding, its peak close to base of coxa. Metacoxa elongate. Longitudinal carina on posterior surface of metatibia minute, barely more than a fold in the cuticle, present medially to subdistally. Claws without a basal lobe or tooth.

Forewing ( Fig. 6 ). Slightly infuscate. Marginal cell closed along anterior margin. Rs+M arising from the junction between the basal vein and M+Cu, i.e. the basal vein consists only of Rs. Bulla in R1+Sc present. Areolet moderately large, closed by nebulous to tubular veins. Hair fringe along apical margin short.

Female metasoma ( Fig. 7 A). Tergal flange of petiolar annulus relatively long, glabrous, with a few short longitudinal carinae indicated basally. Distinct ventral flange missing but the ventral margin of the petiole is distinctly recurved posteriorly, forming an anterior prominence in front of the third abdominal sternum. Postpetiolar metasoma slightly laterally compressed, in lateral view high, lenticular. Euventral margin of metasoma distinctly angled between the hypopygium and the anterior sterna: euventral margin of anterior sterna almost vertical, euventral margin of hypopygium obliquely horizontal. Abdominal terga 3–8 free, not fused. Third tergum with a few hairs anterodorsal to the spiracular remnant, otherwise nude, about twice as long as fourth tergum along dorsal curvature of metasoma. Posterior margin of third tergum in lateral view strongly slanted. Fourth to seventh terga subequal in size, distinctly and densely micropunctate, nude. Eighth tergum micropunctate and with additional, coarser hair punctures. Ventral spine of hypopygium not projecting, united almost to apex with the lateral flaps. Hypopygium ventrally with a relatively broad band of short pubescence.

Ovipositor. Basal part of ovipositor curved spirally almost 360°, with a distinct flexion point in the ninth tergum at the base of the third valvula (b 3v, Fig. 8 ). The flexion point consists of a triangular, membranous piece of the ninth tergum (flp, Fig. 8 ) flanked by more heavily sclerotized parts anteriorly and posteriorly. The anterior part of the ovipositor can be folded downwards and outwards at the flexion point, increasing the action radius of the terebra. Terebra rotated 180° basally (tw, Fig. 8 ), such that the first valvulae become dorsal rather than ventral in the composite terebra. In the two examined specimens, the rotation of the terebra is clock-wise if seen from the proximal end. Third valvula distinctly projecting beyond apex of ninth tergum. Third valvula with a clear area (cla, Fig. 8 ) in the middle, apically densely covered with short hairs on the lateral surface. Cercus (ce, Fig. 8 ) rigidly attached to ninth tergum, discernible as a partly projecting, pubescent lobe.

Male metasoma ( Fig. 7 B). Similar to female metasoma except for the following features: Tergal flange of petiole much larger, almost covering the dorsal aspect of the petiole completely. Postpetiolar metasoma smaller and more elongate. Euventral margin slightly curved ventrally anteriorly, horizontal or oblique posteriorly, not angled. Third tergum slightly more than twice the length of the fourth along the dorsal curvature of the 9B). Aedeagus not distinctly expanded subapically, apically truncate ( Fig. 9 A).

Coloration. Black; tarsi, tibia and apex of femora yellowish to reddish brown.

metasoma. Eighth sternum with short, dense pubescence ventrally. Cercus present as a distinct, separate oval sclerite surrounded by a largely membranous ninth tergum.

Phallus. Proximal margin of phallus not distinctly incised, almost straight. Basal ring large ( Fig. 9 A). Paramere only slightly extending beyond digitus (Fig.

Biology. The species is a koinobiont parasitoid of Barbotinia oraniensis , a cynipid inducing spherical galls inside the seed capsules of annual species of poppies ( Papaver rhoeas and P. dubium ) (Ronquist & Nieves- Aldrey, unpubl. data). Good field data on the activity period of the adults is missing. In gall rearings, Parnips nigripes emerges in February to May, simultaneously with Barbotinia oraniensis ( Barbotin, 1964; Ronquist & Nieves-Aldrey, unpubl. data). The adults live for a few weeks in the laboratory when provided free access to water and a diluted honey solution. The early emergence and short life span of the adults suggest that oviposition is into eggs or young larvae of the host, which is typical for insect-parasitic cynipoids. Around Madrid, the P. nigripes larva is fully-grown in late September, when it can be found in the gall together with the skin and mandibles of the last instar host in completing its development to the last instar, P. nigripes is clearly a koinobiont parasitoid. Presumably, it is an early internal–late external parasitoid like all parasitic cynipoids studied in detail thus far ( Ronquist, 1999 and references cited therein).

larva. The galls containing P. nigripes are virtually indistinguishable from those containing B. oraniensis and the two species are of similar size, the male being smaller in both. Since oviposition evidently occurs early in the life cycle of the host, and the latter succeeds Distribution. Parnips nigripes has only been recorded from Algeria (the provinces of Oran, Mascara and Saida) and the centre of Spain ( Barbotin, 1964; Nieves- Aldrey, 1985). However, galls of its host ( Barbotinia oraniensis ) have also been found in southern Spain (Nieves-Aldrey, unpubl. data) and Italy ( Nieves-Aldrey, 1994) as well as in France and Romania (F. Barbotin, pers. comm.). Thus, P. nigripes may well be widely distributed in southern Europe and around the Mediterranean Sea.

Figures

Figure 3. Head of Parnips nigripes, female (SEM). A,

Figure 4. Mesosoma of Parnips nigripes, female (SEM). A, lateral view. B, dorsal view. Abbreviations: lpc – lateral pronotal carina; dpa – dorsal pronotal area.

Figure 6. Left forewing of Parnips nigripes, female.

Figure 7. Metasoma of Parnips nigripes, lateral view (SEM). A, female. B, male.

Figure 8. Ovipositor of Parnips nigripes, lateral view from the left side. Drawing from a slide mount of an ovipositor cleared in KOH. Abbreviations: b 3 v – base of third valvula; ce – cercus; cla – clear (but not weak) area in the third valvula; flp – flexion point in the ninth tergum, consisting of a weak and flexible, triangular area surrounded by more heavily sclerotized regions; tw – basal twist in terebra; 2 vlf – second valvifer; 9 tg – ninth abdominal tergum.

Figure 9. Phallus of Parnips nigripes (SEM). A, ventral view. B, ventrolateral view of apex.