North-Western Journal of Zoology Vol. 5, No. 2, 2009, pp.307-320 P-ISSN: 1584-9074, E-ISSN: 1843-5629 Article No.: 051126 Romanian Eupelmidae (Hymenoptera, Chalcidoidea): new cytogenetic, faunistic and host records Lucian FUSU “Al. I. Cuza” University, Faculty of Biology, Bd. Carol I nr. 11, 700506, Iai, România, E-mail: [email protected] Abstract: Faunistic, cytogenetic and host data are presented for 15 species of Eupelmidae from east and south east Romania (Moldova and Dobroudja). The presence of Calosota viridis and C. obscura (Calosotinae) is confirmed and 11 species of Eupelmidae are newly recorded for Romania, including 3 species of Calosotinae (Calosota aestivalis, C. dusmeti and Eusandalum walkeri) and 8 species of Eupelminae (Anastatus catalonicus, A. lichtensteini, A. ruficaudus, Arachnophaga picardi, Eupelmus aloysii, Eup. fulvipes, Eup. vindex and Eup. maculatus). The male of Eup. aloysii is newly described and new host records are given for 4 species. A lectotype is designated for Anastatus picardi Bernard, 1936 and the status of the alleged type material of Anastatus ameleophagus Bernard, 1935 present in the collections of the Natural History Museum (London) is discussed. The karyotype n = 6 reported for Calosota obscura is the first recorded chromosome number for Calosotinae. Key words: Chalcidoidea, Eupelmidae, cytogenetics, new records, hosts. Introduction consuming and not frequently used. The difficulty in collecting eupelmids combined The Eupelmidae is a small family of chalcid with the relatively few publications useful wasps (Hymenoptera, Chalcidoidea) with to identify them explains why the Ro- about 900 described species. Their larvae are manian Eupelmidae fauna is still poorly primary or secondary parasitoids, usually of known. There is no recent monographic the preimaginal stages of insects but also revision of European Eupelmidae, but parasitising other groups of arthropods. Ruschka (1921), Ferrière (1954), Erds They are most specious in the tropical (1960), Bouek (1967), Kalina (1981a, b, 1988) regions, with only relatively few species and Askew & Nieves-Aldrey (2000, 2004, occurring in Europe (Noyes 2003). Many 2006) are the most useful papers for the species are rare in collections, partly identification of this group of microhy- because most Eupelmidae are infrequently menopterans. collected using sweep nets, the traditional method for collecting chalcid wasps. Inte- resting results are obtained using Malaise or Material and methods pan traps to collect individuals or by rearing Specimen sampling them from galls, dead wood infested with Specimens used in this study were collected mainly xylophagous coleopterans and other hosts. in nature reserves from East and South East Romania Unfortunately these techniques are time using a standard sweep net, yellow pan traps or ©NwjZ, Oradea, Romania, 2009 North-West J Zool, 5, 2009 www.herp-or.uv.ro/nwjz Oradea, Romania 308 Fusu, L. reared from their hosts as described by Noyes (1982). collection at “Al. I. Cuza” University of Iai, Collections were made during the years 2000-2008 by Romania. the author and other members of the micro- hymenoptera group from “Al. I. Cuza” University of Cytogenetics Iai, in the context of a long term investigation of Chromosome preparations for Calosota obscura were Romanian chalcidoid and proctotrupoid wasp obtained from the ovaries of adult females as biodiversity. Several species were obtained from suggested by Gokhman & Quicke (1995) using the dead wood inhabited by xylophagous insect larvae standard technique of Imai et al. (1988). This method as a result of a study on the food plants of longhorn gives good metaphasic spreads from a very small beetles (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) (Dasclu 2006). amount of cellular material as is the case of The species were identified using all the available microhymenopterans. Chromosomes were stained keys and descriptions and when possible by with 6% Giemsa in Sorensen's phosphate buffer comparing them with identified material or type (0.15M, pH 6.8). Chromosome classification, based material. All specimens are deposited in the author’s on centromere position, follows Levan et al. (1964). CALOSOTINAE Calosota Curtis, 1836 1. Calosota acron (Walker) Xestobium plumbeum (Illiger) and Anobium Eupelmus acron Walker, 1848: 219, United fulvicorne Sturm (new host records). This Kingdom. widely distributed European species was Trigonoderus contractus Walker, 1872: 85, recorded in Romania by ErdVs (1960). United Kingdom-England; synonymy by Graham, 1969a: 102 and 1969b: 91. Calosota anguinalis Ruschka, 1921: 250, 2. Calosota aestivalis Curtis Austria; synonymy by Bouek, 1968: 236. Calosota aestivalis Curtis, 1836: 596, United Calosota acron (Walker); combination by Kingdom. Bouek, 1968: 236. Calosoter vernalis Walker, 1837: 359, United Kingdom; synonymy by Graham, 1969b: Specimens examined. 78, Iai county, 90. Bârnova Forest, 20.III.2005, branches of Calosota fumipennis Bolívar y Pieltain, 1923: Carpinus with Xestobium sp., leg. Dasclu 65, Spain; synonymy by Askew & M.; 3, Bacu county, Gârleni village, Nieves-Aldrey, 2006: 89. 18.VII.2005, branches of Fagus sylvatica with Xestobium plumbeum (Illiger) and Anobium Specimens examined. 28, Iai county, fulvicorne, leg. Dasclu M. Bârnova Forest, 24.III.2005, branches of Comments. Recorded as associated with Carpinus with Xestobium plumbeum, Xesto- Anobium punctatum (De Geer) (Coleoptera, bium sp. and Ptinomorphus imperialis (L.), leg. Anobiidae) in old dry wood (Graham Dasclu M.; 1 Constana county, Hagieni 1969b). We reared C. acron from dry Forest Nature Reserve, VIII.2005, branches branches of Carpinus (Corylaceae) together of Fraxinus ornus with Clorophorus sartor, leg. with Xestobium sp. (Coleoptera, Anobiidae) Dasclu M.; 1, Iai county, Botanical and dry branches of Fagus (Fagaceae) with Garden of Iai, 15.II.2005, branches of Pinus North-West J Zool, 5, 2009 Romanian Eupelmidae: new cytogenetic, faunistic and host records 309 nigra with Anthaxia sp., Magdalis memnonia, Specimens examined. 1, Botanical Garden Magdalis rufa, leg. Fusu L.; 1, Iai county, of Iai, 22.VII.2005, leg. Fusu L.; 2, Botanical Garden of Iai, 08.V.2007, leg. Constana county, Mangalia, Hagieni Forest Popescu I. Nature Reserve, 06.VII.2007, leg. Fusu L. & Comments. The species is a parasitoid of Popovici O.; 1, Constana county, Valul lui xylophagous coleopteran larvae (Bouek Traian Nature Reserve, 16.V.2007, leg. Fusu 1977, Trjapitzin 1978) but has not previously L.; 2 Tulcea county, Gura Dobrogei Nature been recorded as associated with Chloro- Reserve, 12.V.2007, leg. Fusu L.; 1, Iai phorus sartor (Müller) (Coleoptera, Ceram- county, Bârnova Forest, Poiana cu Schit bycidae) or Xestobium spp. (Coleoptera, Nature Reserve, 21.VI.2007, leg. Fusu L. & Anobiidae) (new host records). It is widely Popovici O. distributed in Europe but has not been pre- Comments. The species was recorded as viously recorded from Romania (new re- associated with Aylacini galls (Hyme- cord). noptera: Cynipidae) on stems of herbaceous plants, but it is probably a parasitoid of some coleopteran larvae present in the same 3. Calosota dusmeti Bolívar y Pieltain stems (Askew & Nieves-Aldrey 2006, Calosota dusmeti Bolívar y Pieltain, 1929: 139, Gómez et al. 2006). It was also reared from Spain. Onopordum corymbosum Willk. (Compositae) stems together with Lixus sp. (Coleoptera, Specimens examined. 18, Iai county, Valea Curculionidae) and other beetles (Askew & lui David Nature Reserve, 15.VIII.2001, leg. Nieves-Aldrey 2006). Erds (1946, 1949, Mitroiu M.; 18, Constana county, Hagieni 1960), by dissecting plant stems, Forest Nature Reserve, 06.VII.2006, leg. unequivocally established that the species Fusu L. (treated by him as C. lixobia) is a parasitoid Comments. This species was previously of coleopteran larvae. He reared the species recorded with certainty only from Spain. from Lixus cardui Olivier larvae in the stems According to Askew et al. (2001) the record of Onopordum acanthium L. and from of Nikol’skaya (1952) for Tajikistan needs to Mordellistena parvula (Gyllenhal) larvae be confirmed. This is the first record from (Coleoptera, Mordellidae) in the stems of Romania. Artemisia vulgaris L. (Compositae) (he described the specimens obtained from the latter host as C. lixobia var. mordellistenae 4. Calosota obscura Ruschka Erds). He also described C. lixobia var. Calosota obscura Ruschka, 1921: 249, Austria. hyperparasita Erds as a hyperparasitoid. It Calosota lixobia Erds, 1946: 133, Hungary; parasitizes two chalcidoid species in the synonymy by Askew & Nieves-Aldrey, genus Entedon (Hymenoptera, Eulophidae), 2006: 93. parasitoids of the true weevils Lixus cardui, Calosota lixobia var. hyperparasita Erds, 1946: L. filiformis (Fabricius) and Rhinusa asellus 136, Hungary. (Gravenhorst) larvae. Calosota lixobia var. mordellistenae Erds, This species was tentatively recorded 1960: 201. from Romania by Andriescu (2003) as Calosota aff. obscura and the above records North-West J Zool, 5, 2009 310 Fusu, L. confirm the presence of the species. The condensation in meiosis and mitosis, it is record of Calosota lixobia var. mordellistenae safe to assume that C. obscura has five pairs from Valea lui David Natural Reserve of dibrachial metacentric chromosomes, the (Suciu & Popescu 1965) was also probably first being evidently larger than the others, based on a specimen of C. obscura. and one pair of small subtelocentric chromosomes bearing a secondary constrict- Cytogenetics. The three specimens from the tion on the