North-Western Journal of Zoology Vol. 6, No. 2, 2010, pp.255-261 P-ISSN: 1584-9074, E-ISSN: 1843-5629 Article No.: 061124 The genus Metaphycus Mercet (Hym.: Encyrtidae) of the Iranian fauna with description of a new species Hosseinali LOTFALIZADEH Department of Plant Protection, Agricultural Research Center of Tabriz, Azarbaijan-e Sharghi, Iran. E-mail: [email protected], [email protected] Abstract. Eleven species of Metaphycus Mercet (Hym.: Chalcidoidea, Encyrtidae) are listed for Ira- nian fauna. A new record is presented and a new species is described as M. davoodii Lotfalizadeh sp. nov. reared from Coccus hesperidum L. (Hem.: Coccidae). Illustrations and discussion of affinities of the new species with its close relatives are presented. Key words: Metaphycus davoodii sp. nov., Encyrtidae, new species, Coccidae, parasitoid, Iran. Introduction by Zeya & Hayat (1993). Species of the Nearctic region were studied by Noyes & Hanson The Encyrtidae (Hym.: Chalcidoidea) is one of (1996). Recently, a review of European species the largest families within the Chalcidoidea (Guerrieri & Noyes 2000) has contributed to with approximately 4000 nominal species the knowledge of this genus in the Palaearctic among 483 genera classified in two subfamilies region. Species of this genus are typically pri- (Noyes 2010). Fallahzadeh and Japoshvili mary endoparasitoids that live on hemipterous (2010) listed 93 species in 32 genera of encyr- families Asterolecaniidae, Coccidae, Cerococ- tids for Iranian fauna and recently Lotfalizadeh cidae, Diaspididae, Eriococcidae, Keriidae, (2010) increased this list to 102 species, corrcet- Kermesidae, Pseudococcidae and Psyllidae ing some misidentifications and adding some (Hemiptera) (Myartseva 1988, Noyes & Han- new records. The genus Metaphycus Mercet, son 1996, Guerrieri & Noyes 2000, Guerrieri with about 452 species worldwide, is a speciose 2006). Many species of Metaphycus have been taxon within the subfamily Encyrtidae (Noyes used effectively in biological control programs 2010). This genus has been divided into three against hemipterous pests, especially some soft species groups: alberti (with 2-segmented max- scales (such as Coccus and Saissetia) (Guerrieri illary palpi), insidious (with 3-segmented maxil- & Noyes 2000). Thoughtless use of pesticides lary palpi) and zebratus (with 4- segmented against different groups of pests overthrows maxillary palpi) (Annecke & Mynhardt 1971, the natural control of these groups of pests. Guerrieri & Noyes 2000). The first group was Considering the important role of parasitoids, named hederaceus-group by Zeya & Hayat identification of these agents can be the first (1993). step in reestablishment of natural balance in The genus was studied by Trjapitzin (1975), agroecosystems. Guerrieri & Noyes (2000) Sugonjaev (1977), Myartseva (1988), Viggiani & summarized introduced Metaphycus species as Guerrieri (1988), and Trjapitzin (1989) in the classical biocontrol agents in Europe. Palaearctic region and by Compere (1940), An- Only six species of Metaphycus have been necke & Mynhardt (1971), Annecke & Myn- reported from Iran (Noyes 2010), but this re- hardt (1981) in the Afrotropical region. Review search let me add a new record and reported of the genus in Oriental region was published species in Iranian literatures (Ebrahimi 1993, ©NwjZ, Oradea, Romania, 2010 North-West J Zool, 6, 2010 www.herp-or.uv.ro/nwjz Oradea, Romania 256 Lotfalizadeh, H. Davoodi 2004, Davoodi et al. 2004a, b, Hesami trally, dorsal margin of scape white, internal et al. 2007) that have not been mentioned in the surface white in dorsal half, brown ventrally; Universal Chalcidoidea Database (Noyes 2010). proximal one-third of pedicel brown, apex A new species is also described from Iran. white; funicle white with F1-F2 mixed brown externally, clava dark brown with apex slightly paler; pronotum mostly white, neck brown and Materials and Methods a pair of small brown spots laterally; mesoscu- All studied specimens were card mounted and a male tum, axillae and scutellum yellowish brown; and female of the newly described species were prepared notauli as mesoscutum; tegulae pale yellow in microscopic slide as discussed by Noyes (1982). Meta- with apex slightly infuscate; metanotum and phycus angustifrons Compere, 1957, as a recently recorded propodeum dorsally dark brown, propodeum species from Iran (Davoodi et al. 2003), was re-examined. However, from the re-examination and comparing of laterally pale yellowish to white; pleura and these specimens with the type material deposited in ventral parts of thorax off-white; legs white to BMNH, it appears that the wasp is in fact a new species pale yellow, all tibiae with a pair of conspicu- to science, and it is described below. All reported species ous, dark brown rings, incomplete in mid- and of Metaphycus from Iran were listed, with comments on hind tibiae; forewing hyaline (Fig. 3), venation each species and a new record for Iranian fauna. The terminology and abbreviations of the morphological pale brown; gaster brown dorsally, off-white terms follow Guerrieri & Noyes (2000). ventrally. Abbreviations: Head 2.65 times as broad as frontovertex; Abbreviations used in the text include: ocelli forming a strongly acute angle about 30°; EL, maximum eye length; EW, maximum eye width; F1, antenna (Fig. 2) with scape about 2.4 times as F2, etc., first funicle segment, second funicle segment, long as broad, pedicel about 1.5 times as long etc.; FV, minimum frontovertex width; FWL, maximum forewing length; FWW, maximum forewing width; HW, as broad; proportions of other antennal seg- maximum head width; HWL, maximum hindwing ments as in Fig. 2; F6 the only funicle segment length; HWW, maximum hindwing width; MS, malar with linear sensilla, clava three-segmented and space (=the shortest distance from the eye to mouth mar- slightly truncate at apex; palp formula 4-3. gin); OCL, occipital-ocellar line (=the shortest distance Relative measurements (holotype): HW 55, FV between each posterior ocellus and occipital margin); OOL, ocular-ocellar line (=the shortest distance between 17, POL 5, OOL 1, OCL 5, EL 29, EW 26, MS 17, posterior ocellus and adjacent eye margin); POL, poste- SL 25, SW 11. rior ocellar line (=the shortest distance between the pos- Metasoma with mesoscutum about 1.1 terior ocelli); SL, scape length; SW, maximum scape times as broad as long, with notaular lines vir- width. tually complete but absent posteriorly, reach- BMNH, The British Museum (Natural History), London, UK ing more than halfway; forewing about 2.5 HMIM, Hayk Mirzayans Insect Museum, Tehran, Iran times as long as broad, reaching apex of gaster, setation and venation as in Figs 3-4. Relative measurements (holotype) (Fig. 1): FWL 93, Results and Discussion FWW 37. Ovipositor not exerted or hardly so (Fig. 1), List of Metaphycus species in Iran about 0.2 times as long as mid tibia, relative 1. Metaphycus davoodii Lotfalizadeh, sp. nov. measurements of mid-tibia and ovipositor: 31, (Figs 1-6) 6. Female. holotype (Fig. 1) Length 1.18 mm. Male. Length about 0.8-0.9 mm. Very simi- Head pale yellowish, almost white, occiput lar to female except for structure of antenna, dark brown; scape (Fig. 2) externally white, genitalia (Fig. 6) and less conspicuous brown narrowly margined brown dorsally and ven- bands on mid and hind tibiae. Only two males North-West J Zool, 6, 2010 The genus Metaphycus Mercet (Hym.: Encyrtidae) of the Iranian fauna 257 Figures 1-7. (1) Metaphycus davoodii sp. nov., holotype, female, lateral view. (2) Female antenna. (3) Forewing. (4) Forewing venation. (5) Female ovipositor, ventral view. (6) Male genitalia, ventral view. (7) Coccus hesperidum with emergence openings of M. davoodii, showing position and number of holes. of this new species have been examined so far. other is deposited in BMNH collection, which One of them is slide-mounted (HMIM) and the is why certain measurements have not been North-West J Zool, 6, 2010 258 Lotfalizadeh, H. possible to get. wide as of frontovertex (less than 3X in M. Variation. Very little in material was at davoodii). hand, although the female length varied from Recently, Guerrieri (2006) described Meta- 1.02 to 1.2 mm. The fore wing may be hyaline phycus stephaniae reared from Stotzia ephedrae or weakly infuscate medially. (Newstead) (Hem.: Coccidae), which he placed Material examined: Holotype. Female: in the zebratus-group. Metaphycus stephaniae dif- IRAN, Tehran, ex Coccus hesperidum L. on Ole- fers in having the scape about 3X as long as ander, summer 2003, (A. Davoodi), (HMIM). broad and F1 subquadrate, whilst in davoodii Holotype deposited in HMIM, Tehran, Iran; the scape is only about 2.5 times as long as Paratypes, same data as holotype. Paratypes broad and F1 is clearly transverse. Head 3.36X deposited in HMIM (8 females and 1 male), as wide as frontovertex in M. stephaniae, while and BMNH (2 females and 1 male). it is less than 3X in davoodii. Biology. (Fig. 7) Metaphycus davoodii is a Coccus hesperidum was reported as a host of gregarious parasitoid of brown soft scale, Coc- several Metaphycus species such as M. flavus, cus hesperidum L. (Hem.: Coccidae). The parasi- M. insidiosus, M. lounsburyi, M. luteolus, and M. toid was observed during the second half of stanleyi, which, having 3-segmented palpi, are September to mid November in Karaj. Its para- classified in the insidiosus group and can easily sitism in September was 25.4% and 43.3% on be separated from M. davoodii. Also, M. helvolus Robinia (Papilionaceae) and Morus alba L. is known from C. hesperidum, but it belongs to (Moraceae), respectively, and also in Novem- the alberti group with 2-segmented palpi. From ber 30% and 9% on Ailanthus altissima (Mill.) the zebratus group, M. anneckei is known on C. (Simaroubaceae) and Diospyros sp. (Ebnaceae), hesperidum, but this species’ head is wider (4 respectively (Davoodi 2004). times as wide as frontovertex) than that of M. Distribution. IRAN. davoodii (3 times as wide as frontovertex). Comments. Metaphycus davoodii belongs to Etymology. The species is named after the zebratus group having 4-segmented maxillary collector of specimens (A.