BIHAREAN BIOLOGIST 15 (1): 14-20 ©Biharean Biologist, Oradea, Romania, 2021 Article No.: e201208 http://biozoojournals.ro/bihbiol/index.html A study on the Ctenopelmatinae (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) from Mazandaran Province with first record of four species to Iran Abbas MOHAMMADI-KHORAMABADI1,*, Matthias RIEDEL2 and Hengameh HOOSHYAR3 1. Department of Plant Production, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources of Darab, Shiraz University, Darab, Iran. 2. Zoologische Staatssammlung München, Münchhausenstr, 21, D-81247 Munich, Germany. 3. Agricultural and Natural Resources Engineering Organization of Mazandaran, Iran. * Corresponding author, A. Mohammadi-Khoramabadi, E-mail: [email protected] Received: 17. February 2020 / Accepted: 25. August 2020 / Available online: 30. August 2020 / Printed: June 2021 Abstract. Fauna and distribution of Ctenopelmatinae (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) in the Hyrcanian forests, Mazandaran province (northern Iran) is studied. Specimens were collected during 2009 and 2016 using malaise traps. Five species were identified, out of which two genera i.e. Ctenopelma Holmgren, 1857 and Sympherta Förster, 1869 and four species i.e. Ctenopelma rufiventre (Gravenhorst, 1829), Mesoleius filicornis Holmgren, 1876, Perilissus pallidus (Gravenhorst, 1829) and Sympherta antilope (Gravenhorst, 1829) are new records for the Iranian fauna. The list of the known species of the Ctenopelmatinae in Iran is updated. Altitudinal distribution of the identified species across the Hyrcanian forests is provided. Key words: Ichneumonidae, distribution, taxonomy, new record, Iran. Introduction Masnadi-Yazdinejad & Jussila 2009, Ghahari & Jussila 2010, Ghahari & Jussila 2011, Ghahari & Schwarz 2012, Bah- The subfamily Ctenopelmatinae Forster, 1869 (Scolobatinae remand et al. 2017), out of which only two species are re- Schmiedeknecht, 1911 sensu Townes 1969) is a relatively ported form the Hyrcanian forests, northern Iran (Ghahari & large subfamily of Ichneumonidae (Hym.: Ichneumonoidea) Jussila 2010). In this paper, four species and two genera of with 9 tribes, 107 genera and about 1506 species worldwide Ctenopelmatinae are newly added to the fauna of Iran. Mor- (Yu et al. 2016). Members of this subfamily are biologically phological descriptions for five species into five genera of known as larval or egg-larval koinobiont endoparasitoids of this subfamily which were collected from the Hyrcanian for- sawflies of the superfamilies Tenthredinoidea and Pamphili- ests, are also provided. oidea (Quicke 2015). Ctenopelmatinae is a polyphyletic sub- family within the Ophioniformes group of subfamilies (Quicke et al. 2009) which can be commonly recognized with Material and Methods the following morphological characters: clypeus usually Materials for this study were collected from Mazandaran province, transverse and separated from face by a groove; mandible northern Iran using malaise traps during 2009 and 2016. The sam- broad, lower tooth not shorter than the upper one; second pling stations distributed in three different altitudinal-vegetational recurrent vein of fore wing often with one and sometimes belts, i.e. lowland belt located between 50-500 m a.s.l., submountain with two bullae; fore tibia with a small apical tooth on its belt between 501-1000 m a.s.l. and mountain belt between 1001-2200 outer edge (many taxa); the second metasomal tergite sepa- m a.s.l. (Siadati et al. 2010). Geographical coordinates of localities of rated from laterotergite by a crease; female with a short ovi- the installed traps are given in Table 1. The collected specimens were positor, not longer than apical depth of metasoma and with identified by M. Riedel. Morphological terms follow anatomical con- cepts in the Hymenoptera Anatomy Ontology available at https:// a dorsal notch (Townes 1969, Broad 2011). http://portal.hymao.org (Yoder et al. 2010). Specimens are deposit- North of Iran is a unique and world-famous region due ed in the private collection of Dr. M. Riedel (Bad Fallingbos- to inclusion of the Hyrcanian forests stretch covering the tel/Germany) (RIC) and Insect collection of Darab College of Agri- northern slopes of the Alborz mountains, along the Caspian culture and Natural Resources, Shiraz University, Iran (DCS). Sea coasts. This forest zone displays a highly diverse habitat in different vegetation types and elevational belts compris- Table 1. Geographical coordinates of localities of the installed traps in Mazandaran province, Iran during 2016. ing 44% of Iranian floral diversity with about 3234 species into 148 families of vascular plants and ca. 500 endemic spe- Number of Geographical Elevation cies to Iran (Akhani et al. 2010, Siadati et al. 2010). Studies on Malaise trap coordinates (m a.s.l.) the collection and identification of the family Ichneumonidae MT1 N 36° 21′ 23″ 387 (Hym.: Ichneumonoidea) which was considerably started (Shovilasht village) E 53° 14′ 55″ since 2009, have increased our knowledge on these im- MT2 N 36° 17′ 18″ 861 portant and abundant parasitoid wasps in north of Iran (Haftkhal village) E 53° 23′ 43″ (Ghahari & Jussila 2011, Ghahari & Schwarz 2011, Moham- MT3 N 36° 13′ 14″ 1624 (Alikola village) E 53° 39′ 24″ madi-Khoramabadi et al. 2013a, 2013b, Mohammadi- Khoramabadi & Klopfstein 2015, Mohammadi-Khoramabadi & Varga 2017, Hooshyar et al. 2018, Mohammadi- Results Khoramabadi & Talebi 2018, Riedel et al. 2019). Despite their high level of diversity, the Iranian Cteno- From 19 collected specimens of Ctenopelmatinae, five spe- pelmatinae have been poorly studied with the current num- cies have been identified of which four species are recorded ber of the eleven species into the eleven genera (Aubert 2000, for the first time from Iran, marked with an asterisk (*). Ctenopelmatinae in north of Iran 15 Figure 1. Ctenopelma rufiventre (Gravenhorst, 1829). A. Female habitus; B. Face; C. Vertex; D. Head, mesosoma and first metasomal tergite, in lateral view (glymma (1) and genal carina (2) arrowed); E. Ovipositor and ovipositor sheath; F. Tarsal claw. Tribe Ctenopelmatini Forster, 1869 pedicel and basal flagellomeres black, the rest pale yellow Genus Ctenopelma Holmgren, 1857 (Fig. 1A); face black, rather smooth, shiny, densely punctate Diagnosis: First metasomal tergite with glymma present (Fig. 1B); vertex with two lateral yellow spots at apex of (Fig. 1D, arrow no. 1); genal carina reaching base of mandi- frontal orbits (Fig. 1C); scutellum and metanotum black; ble (Fig. 1D, arrow no. 2). pronotum, mesopleuron at its lower 1/3 and metapleuron with indistinct, fine punctuations (Fig. 1D); claws pectinate Ctenopelma rufiventre (Gravenhorst, 1829)* (Fig.1) (Fig. 1F); all coxae and trochanters black; hind femur and tib- Material examined: MT2, 1♀, 25.IV.2016 – 15.V.2016, leg. A. ia uniformly red; hind tarsus brownish red; propodeum with Mohammadi; RIC. distinct lateral longitudinal carinae; metasoma except first Distribution: Holarctic, Iran (new record). tergite uniformly red (Fig. 1A); epipleuron of fourth tergite Diagnosis: This species (Fig. 1A) belongs to the C. boreale not separated by crease; ovipositor without subapical dorsal subgroup sensu Kasparyan, 2004. Antenna with scape and notch, sharply narrowed in the apical half (Fig. 1E); 16 A. Mohammadi-Khoramabadi et al. Figure 2. Mesoleius filicornis Holmgren, 1876. A. Female habitus; B. Face (swollen ridge across the middle of clypeus (1) and flat- tened at its apical half (2) arrowed); C. Metasoma and legs; D. Vertex and mesosoma in dorsal view. ovipositor sheath black to dark brown and about 3 × as long ron densely punctate; tergite I about 1.4 × as long as wide; as its maximum width (distinctly shorter than hind basitar- metasoma including sternites black (Fig. 2C); scutellum lat- sus) (Fig. 1E). erally yellow (Fig. 2D). Tribe Mesoleini Thomson, 1883 Tribe Perilissini Thomson, 1883 Genus Mesoleius Holmgren, 1856 Genus Perilissus Förster, 1855 Diagnosis: Clypeus with a swollen ridge across the middle Diagnosis: First tergite with long and deep glymma; genal (Fig. 2B, arrow 1), strongly flattened at apical half with dis- carina reaching oral carina shortly above base of mandible; tinctly concave lower margin (Fig. 2B, arrow no. 2); oviposi- hind wing with nervellus subvertical to strongly reclivous tor sheath short and with a subapical dorsal notch (Fig. 2C); and intercepted at or above the middle; upper tooth of man- fore wing with open areolet (Kasparyan 2000). dible shorter than the lower one. Mesoleius filicornis Holmgren, 1876* (Fig. 2) Perilissus pallidus (Gravenhorst, 1829)* (Fig. 3) Material examined: MT3, 2♀♀, 25.IV.2016 – 15.V.2016, leg. A. Material examined: MT3, 1♀, 8. VII.2009, leg. H. Hooshyar; Mohammadi; 1♀ RIC , 1♀ DCS. RIC. Distribution: Western Palaearctic (Europe) and Iran Distribution: Palaearctic and Iran (new record). (new record). Diagnosis: This species can be differentiated from P. Diagnosis: All coxae and trochanters red (Fig. 2A); hind lutescens Holmgren, 1857 by the following characters in femur red; hind tibia basally whitish yellow and apically combination: body yellow, face and clypeus yellow, face co- black (Fig. 2A); clypeus flattened with lower margin slightly riaceous, clypeus smooth; ocellar area black; head and meso- concave at the middle and brown (Fig. 2B, arrow no. 2); low- soma coriaceous; mesonotum without dark markings; er tooth of mandible longer than the upper one; mesopleu- pterostigma pale yellow; first tergite 2 × as long as wide. Ctenopelmatinae in north of Iran 17 Figure 3. Perilissus pallidus (Gravenhorst,