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North-Western Journal of Zoology Vol. 4, No. 1, 2008, pp.134-138 [Online: Vol.4, 2008: 15]

New distribution records for (Hym.: Chalcidoidea) in Iran

Hosseinali LOTFALIZADEH

Department of , Iranian Research Institute of Plant Protection, Tehran, P. O. B. 19395-1454, Iran, E-mail: [email protected]

Abstract. During the collection of Chalcidoidea () in the North and Northwest of Iran, two Eucharitidae species (Hym.: Chalcidoidea) were identified. Hitherto only one species of this family has been reported from Iran, therefore two new species, Eucharis adscendens (Fabricius) and Eucharis rugulosa Gussakovskiy were added to the Iranian fauna. The studied species may be of Formica glauca Ruzsky and Cataglyphis sp. (Hym.: Formicidae, Formicinae), respectively.

Key words: Eucharitidae, Eucharis adscendens, E. rugulosa, new record, Northwest Iran

The Eucharitidae (Hymenoptera: in 2 subfamilies, providing keys for all Chalcidoidea), a family that includes 53 genera and some species of the family. genera and 413 species, is the most World literature denotes as the diverse group of hymenopteran pa- hosts for Eucharitidae (Bouček 1988, rasitoids of eusocial (Heraty Heraty 2002). Interestingly, Euchari- 2002). Members of this family are tidae are indirect parasitoids of ants by distributed in almost every zoogeogra- ovipositing into plant tissues after phical region of the world (Noyes which the active first instar or 2007). Taxonomic researches on Eu- seeks out the host cahritidae include the Australia fauna (Bouček 1956). This larva attaches itself (Bouček 1988), the Costa Rica fauna to a worker ant, and thus gets carried (Heraty 1995), the Palaearctic fauna to the nest (Bouček 1956, Heraty 2002). (Nikol’skaya 1952) and the North Within the known subfamilies, Ora- American fauna (Heraty 1985, 1997). seminae are parasitic on Myrmicinae, Bouček (1988) recognized five while most are parasitic subfamilies of Eucharitidae (s.l.): on either Ponerinae or Formicinae Akapalinae, Echthrodapinae, Philo- (Heraty 2002). He believes this family midinae, Oraseminae and Eucharitinae. beside , and Recently, Heraty (2002) revised this is the most important family at the generic level on a biocontrol agent of ants. worldwide basis. This revision In the lack of a comprehensive addresses the taxonomic and phylo- taxonomic work on Iranian species, genetic relationships all of the genera here I present three species of the

North-West J Zool, 4, 2008 Oradea, Romania New distribution records for Eucharitidae (Hym.: Chalcidoidea) in Iran 135

genus Eucharis (Hymenoptera: Chalci- Sharghi Province, Marnad) while the doidea, Eucharitidae), subgenus Eu- second one was collected from the charis with two new records for the Alborz Mountain chain, close to an fauna of Iran. anthill with the use of a net (Fig.1). During spring and summer of 2007, The collected specimens were whilst collecting Chalcidoidea (Hyme- mounted and identified as Eucharis noptera) in the North and Northwest of adscendens (Fabricius) and Eucharis Iran, I swept several specimens of rugulosa Gussakovskiy. Up to now only Eucharitidae. From the collected Eucharis carinifera Gussakovskiy was material, I determined two species listed in the Iranian fauna under (based on ten specimens). The first one Chalcidoidea (Noyes 2007). All of these was collected from a garden in the three species belong to the subgenus Northwest of Iran (Azarbaijan-e- Eucharis.

Figure 1. Map of Iran with collection localities of eucharitids: „E. adscendens, zE. rugulosa.

The genus Eucharis Fabricius genus includes 45 species in the The genus Eucharis belongs to the Palaearctic, including Europe, Middle subfamily Eucharitinae; the tribe East and North Africa (Heraty 2002). Eucharitini includes 46 genera. The Bouček (1956) classified this genus in

North-West J Zool, 4, 2008 136 Lotfalizadeh, H. three subgenera: Eucharis, Psilo- E 45° 46' 59" (Fig.1), 20.vi.2007, (H. gastrellus and Eucharisca, that all of LOTFALIZADEH), 8♀♀ & 1♂. them were retained by Heraty (2002). Note. The adults of this Within eucharitids, Eucharis is a were observed flying slowly above low monophyletic genus, based on some vegetation in the studied garden, morphological characters discussed by especially above Persian leek Allium Heraty (2002). He based the Eucharis ampeloprasum ssp. persicum Mousavi & clade on a reduction of the notauli, Kashi, near Formica nests, later reduction in pilosity of the wings, and identified as belonging to Formica a lack of definition of the wing veins. glauca Ruzsky, 1895 (Hymenoptera: Heraty (2002) listed the characters Formicidae, Formicinae) by H. that the species of this genus share: Alipanah (Dept. of Insect Taxonomy, transverse head (in frontal view), short Iranian Research Institute of Plant scape and non-geniculate antennae, Protection, Tehran). Bouček (1956) large toruli with the intervening area found this species ovipositing into smooth and lacking any median ridge, blossoms of Falcaria vulgaris Bern. Eggs reduction of mouthparts (mandibles are laid in groups of eight to 15. The small with minute subapical teeth, or egg and first-instar larvae were also peg-like without teeth), absence of described and illustrated by Bouček palpi, globose mesosoma, lack of any (1956). distinct projections from the scutellum The adults of this species can be (at most with an emarginate flange), observed only for one or two weeks fused prepectus reaching the tegula, during a year (especially June) because and mostly smooth which is of its rudimental mouthparts that often dorsoventrally flattened. induce early death, leading to the Adults are usually dark-green to earlier consideration as a rare species blue, but may be yellow with dark (Bouček 1956). patches, and the may be rufous. This most common European The forewing is usually bare and the species of Eucharitidae is parasite of venation clear and poorly defined. The ants, Formica rufa L. (Formicinae) gastral terga are bare and have a single (Bouček 1956) and Messor barbarus L. apical line of weakness, and lack a (Myrmicinae) (Bouček 1977, Heraty tergal scar. The antennae are usually 2002). Bouček (1977) believes that this stout and may be cylindrical, serrate or is a widely distributed species from ramose. Southern and Central Europe to Transcaucasia. Recently Heraty (2002) recorded the species from Austria, (1.) Eucharis (Eucharis) adscendens Czech Republic (former Czechoslova- (Fabricius, 1787) kia), Germany, Romania, Turkey and Material examined: Azarbaijan-e- former Yugoslavia. Based on the Sharghi, Marand, 1360 m, N 38° 25' 28" available literature, this species has not been reported from Iran before.

North-West J Zool, 4, 2008 New distribution records for Eucharitidae (Hym.: Chalcidoidea) in Iran 137

Figures 2.-3. The collected specimens of the Eucharitidae family in Iran: 2- E. adscendens, 3- E. rugulosa.

North-West J Zool, 4, 2008 138 Lotfalizadeh, H.

(2.) Eucharis (Eucharis) carinifera Hymenoptera). Acta Entomologica Gussakovskiy, 1940 Jugoslavica, 13: 1–145. Bouček, Z. (1988): Australasian Chalcidoidea Note. This species in known from (Hymenoptera). A Biosystematic Revision of West-Palearctic region (Armenia, Ka- Genera of Fourteen Families, with a zakhstan, Russia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Reclassification of Species. Wallingford: former Yugoslavia and Serbia) (Bouček C.A.B. International. 832 pp. Gussakovskiy, V.V. (1940): Notes sur les espèces 1977). He also reported this species paléarctiques d'Eucharidinae (Hymenoptera, from Iran, without exact locality, date ). Trudy Instituta Zoologii of collection and other complementary Akademia, URSS, 1: 150–170. information but Nikol’skaya (1952) Heraty, J.M. (1985): A revision of the Nearctic Eucharitinae (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea: mentioned it for North of Iran. Eucharitidae). Proceedings of the entomological Society of Ontario, 85: 61–103. (3.) Eucharis (Eucharis) rugulosa Heraty, J.M. (1995): Family Eucharitidae. pp: 309– Gussakovskiy, 1940 314. In Gauld, I.D., Hanson, P., (eds.), Material examined: Tehran, Hymenoptera of Costa Rica. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 893 pp. Firuzkuh (Fig.1), 10.vi.2007, (H. Heraty, J.M. (1997): Family Eucharitidae. pp: 321– LOTFALIZADEH), 1 ♀. 326. In Gibson, G.A.P., Huber, J., Woolley, Note. This single specimen was J.B. (eds.), Annotated Keys to the swept on grass beside the nest of Chalcidoidea of North America. Ottawa: National Research Council. 794 pp. Cataglyphis sp. (Formiciae, Formicini). Heraty, J.M. (2002): A revision of the genera of This species is an addition to the Eucharitidae (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea) Iranian list Eucharitidae and the genus of the world. Memoirs of the American Eucharis but was hitherto known to Entomological Institute, 68: 360pp. Nikol’skaya, M.N. (1952): Khaltsidy fauny SSSR. occur in the Palearctic region including: [English translation: The Chalcid Fauna of Russia and Ukraine (Gussakovskiy the USSR, Israel Prog. Sci. Transl., Jerusalem, 1940, Trjapitzin 1978). 1963]. Moscow: Academy of Sciences of the This species is easily recognizable U.S.S.R. 575 pp. Noyes, J.S. (2007): Universal Chalcidoidea for its sculptured mesonotum, longer Database. World Wide Web electronic than wide funicular segments and publication, available at: http://www.nhm. hyaline wings from E. adscendens in ac.uk/entomology/chalcidoids/index.html our collection. [accessed 24.11.2007]. Trjapitzin, V.A. (1978): Hymenoptera II. Chalcidoidea 4. Eucharitidae. pp. 86–88, In Medvedev, G.S. (ed.) Keys to the Insects of References the European Part of the USSR, Vol. III, Hymenoptera Part II. Academy of Sciences of Bouček, Z. (1956): A contribution to the biology the USSR. Amerind Publishing Co, New of Eucharis adscendens (F.) (Hymenoptera). Delhi [English Translation]. Vestnik Ceskoslovenske Zoologicke Spolecnosti Acta Societatis Zoologicae Bohemoslovenicae, 20: 97–99. Bouček, Z. (1977): A faunistic review of the Submitted: 16 January 2008 Yugoslavian Chalcidoidea (parasitic / Accepted: 01 May 2008

North-West J Zool, 4, 2008