Species Richness of Oak Gall Wasps (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae) and Identification of Associated Inquilines and Parasitoids on Two Oak Species in Western Iran
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North-Western Journal of Zoology Vol. 4, No. 2, 2008, pp.189-202 [Online: Vol.4, 2008: 23] Species richness of oak gall wasps (Hymenoptera: Cynipidae) and identification of associated inquilines and parasitoids on two oak species in western Iran Javad NAZEMI1, Ali Asghar TALEBI1,*, Seyed Ebrahim SADEGHI2, George MELIKA3 and Aurel LOZAN4 1. Dept. of Entomology, Faculty of Agriculture, Tarbiat Modares University, P.O.Box:14115-336, Tehran, Iran, 2. Division of Plant Pests and Diseases, Research Institute of Forests and Rangelands, Tehran, Iran, 3. Systematic Parasitoid Laboratory, Plant Protection and Soil Conservation Service of County Vas, Kelcz-Adelffy str. 6, Kőszeg, 9730 Hungary; 4. Biological Centre, Institute of Entomology, Branišovská 31, 37005 Ceské Budìjovice, Czech Republic * Corresponding author: A.A. Talebi, e-mail: [email protected] Abstract. The cynipid gall wasps (Hym., Cynipidae) are among the main insects associated with oaks (Quercus sp.) in Iran. The objective of this study was to infer the inquiline species and the parasitoids associated with the cynipid gall wasps while determining species richness of gall wasps in oak forests of Kurdistan, Ilam and Kermanshah provinces in the west of Iran. The cynipid gall wasps were collected from buds and leaves of Quercus infectoria Olivier and Q. brantii Lindley during 2004-2006. The collected galls were maintained under laboratory conditions at room temperature (20-25 ºC) in transparent plastic boxes until the cynipids, inquilines and their parasitoid adults were emerged. As a result of this study, 28, 22 and 4 gall wasp species were collected in Kurdistan, Kermanshah and Ilam provinces, respectively. Five species of inquiline cynipids were reared from gall inducer wasps: Synergus umbraculus (Olivier), S. mikoi Melika & Pujade-Villar, S. acsi Melika & Pujade-Villar, S. bechtoldae Melika & Pujade-Villar and Saphonercus irani Melika & Pujade-Villar. Three parasitoid species include Glabobracon variator Nees, Ascogaster quadridentata Wesmael and Bassus tumidulus (Nees) (Hym., Braconidae) reared from Pammene amygdalana (Duponchel) (Lep., Tortricidae) as inquiline species in oak galls related with Andricus cecconi Kieffer and A. multiplicatus Giraud. All three braconid species are reported here for the first time from Iran. The expected number of oak gall wasp species on Q. infectoria and Q. brantii was estimated to be 16 and 6, respectively. Species richness and geographical distribution of oak gall wasps, their inquilines and parasitoids are given and discussed. Key words: Oak, Cynipidae, Braconidae, parasitoid, inquilines, species richness Introduction are predominant; while in the eastern region, plant covering of juniper and Iran is located in the west of the deciduous or oak forests of semi-ever- Palaearctic region and its major plant green such as Q. infectoria, Q. brantii and covering is treeless steppe. Oak forms a Q. pubescens are predominant (Azizkhani very important component of the plant 2006) (Fig. 1). Western regions of Iran covering of forests in Iran. Oak forests are have a temperature range between -23.5 located as high as over 2000 meters above °C to +41.5 °C. The rainfall amount in sea level. In the North, South and West these regions is between 400 mm to 1000 of Iran, Q. pubescens Willd, Q. cerris L., Q, mm (Fattahi 1997). The oak forests extend infectoria Olivier and Q. macranthera Fisch northwards to the Caucasus Mountains North-West J Zool, 4, 2008 Oradea, Romania 190 Nazemi, J. et al. and westwards to the Talesh and Alborz 2006, Tavakoli et al. 2008). The Zagros Mountain range that surround the Mountains extend from the north of southern coast of the Caspian Sea. Oak Kurdistan province to the Shiraz area in forests also extend southwards along the South West of Iran. In this region oak Zagros mountain range. This area is forests are composed of drought-tolerant characterized by rich interesting fauna species including Q. libani and Q. brantii that is of most interest to many taxo- and Q. infectoria veneris (Azizkhani 2006). nomists (Melika et al. 2004, Sadeghi et al. Figure 1. Distribution of oak species and sampling regions in Iran. b= Quercus brantii; c= Q. cerris; i= Q. infectoria; m= Q. macranteria; p= Q. pubescens. Grey colors indicate the provinces where the cynipid galls, their inquilines and parasitoids have been collected. Some communities are simple enough and simplest measure of species richness. to permit a complete count of the number Complete counts can often be done on of species present, and this is the oldest bird communities in small habitat blocks North-West J Zool, 4, 2008 Species richness of oak gall wasps in Iran 191 and on mammal communities in tem- Hymenenoptera (predominantly Chalci- perate and polar communities (Krebs doidea) that have become an important 1999). But it is often impossible to model system in the study of community enumerate every species in communities structure (Stone et al. 2002). of insects. One problem that frequently The tribe Synergini (Hym., Cyni- arises in comparing community samples pidae) is one of the common inquiline is that they are based on different sample groups (c.a. 175 species), whose members sizes. The larger sample exhibits the inhabit the galls of cynipid wasps (Stone greater expected number of species. One et al. 2002). The cynipid inquilines have way to overcome this problem is to lost the ability to induce galls. Cynipid standardize all samples from different inquilines larvae can develop inside the communities to a common sample size gall-inducer chamber and can usually such as the same number of individuals cause the death of the gall-inducer (Krebs 1999). Sanders (1968) proposed cynipid larvae. They can also locate and the rarefaction method for achieving this feed in the peripheral tissues of the gall goal. Rarefaction is a statistical method and can cause the death of the gall for estimating the number of species inducer larvae when the number of expected in a random sample of inquilines is high (Ronquist 1999, Csóka individuals taken from a collection. et al. 2004). Inquiline cynipids have a Rarefaction method answers this worldwide distribution, but the majority question: if the sample had consisted of are found in the Holarctic region and are n individuals (n<N), what number of represented by seven genera: Ceroptres species (s) would likely have been seen? Hartig, Saphonecrus Dalla Torre & Kieffer, The gall wasps (Hym., Cynipidae) are Synergus Hartig, Synophrus Hartig, Ufo a large group with most species attacking Melika & Pujade-Villar, Periclistus Förster oaks (Quercus sp.) or members of the rose and Synophromorpha Ashmead (Melika et family (Rosaceae) (Burks 1979, al. 2004). Azizkhani, 2006, Tavakoli et al. 2008). Pammene amygdalana (Duponchel) The feeding of the wasp larva causes a (Lep., Tortricidae) was reported as an growth reaction on the host plant which inquiline in the agamic galls of A. results in the formation of a gall. The quercuscalicis that kills its gall-inducing recent surveys confirm that cynipid host. This is an interaction between a fauna of Iran includes widespread tortricid moth and a cynipid wasp western Palaearctic species [e. g. Andricus (Schönrogge et al. 1995). A range of kollari (Hartig) and Cynips quercusfolii tortricid moths live as inquilines in (Hartig)]; species which are limited to the cynipid galls. Larvae of these species feed eastern part of this region [e. g. Andricus predominantly on the gall tissue, but quercustozae (Bosc)] and the newly some kill and eat the cynipid gall- described species Andricus megalucidus inducing larvae. For example, P. Melika and Aphelonyx persica Melika amygdalana attacks the galls of many (Melika et al. 2004). The galls support different European oak cynipids (e.g., species-rich and closed communities of Andricus hungaricus, A. quercustozae, A. inquilines (including cynipids, gall kollari, A. infectorius, etc.) and P. midges, moths, and beetles) and parasitic gallicolana Lienig et Zeller was reared North-West J Zool, 4, 2008 192 Nazemi, J. et al. from the galls of B. pallida. Killing the 1 and 2). Only these two oak species were found larvae of the gall inducer has two in our study area. Weekly sampling of spring and autumn cynipid galls (Fig. 3) took place probable advantages for these moths: (1) from 22 April to 15 May and from 13 September these larvae probably represent an to 15 October in 2004-2006, respectively. Species important source of protein, supple- richness comparisons of oak gall wasps were menting the low nutritive value of the performed for 2005 and 2006 years. The optimal outer gall tissue, and (2) death of gall number of samples is determined according to inducer prevents the lignifications and Southwood & Henderson (2000): thus preserves the gall tissues as a N=(ts/Dm)2 suitable food source for the moth larvae (Ronquist 1999). Almost all the para- Where, t is students T-test of standard sitoids reared from cynipid galls are statistical tables, D is the predetermined half– specific to cynipid galls (Melika et al. width of the confidence limit for the estimation of the mean express as a decimal, m is sample 2004, Azizkhani et al. 2005). There are a mean and s is standard deviation. The optimum few exceptions indicated that some number of samples was determined to be 20 species of Chalcidoidea (such as the trees. All samples were collected by the first eupelmids, Eupelmus urozonus Dalman author (JN). The collected galls of cynipid wasps and E. vesicularis (Retzius) act as were held under laboratory conditions at room temperature (20-25 °C) in transparent plastic secondary parasitoids in the larvae of rearing boxes. The samples were observed daily Lepidoptera (Eliason & Potter 2000, for emergence of inquiline cynipids and Schönrogge et al. 1995). parasitoid adults. All specimens were deposited The family Braconidae is the second in the insect collection of the Department of largest family (after the Ichneumonidae) Entomology at the Tarbiat Modares University, in the Hymenoptera, containing more Tehran, Iran.