Pediobius yunanensis Liao, 1987

Cao, Huan-Xi, Salle, John La & Zhu, Chao-Dong, 2017, Chinese species of Pediobius Walker (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae), Zootaxa 4240 (1), pp. 1-71 : 63-65

35. Pediobius yunanensis Liao, 1987

( Fig. 32 )

Pediobius yunanensis Liao, in Liao et al. 1987: 109 , 112–113; ♀. Lectotype ♀, designated here, IZCAS, examined.

Pediobius songshaominus Liao, in Liao et al. 1987: 113 ; ♀³. Lectotype ♀, designated here, IZCAS, examined. Syn. n.

Diagnosis. Vertex strongly sloping posteriorly, forming an obtuse-angle with occiput ( Fig. 32 a). Occiput not margined. Collar of pronotum not delimited from neck, without anterior carina, elongate and finely reticulate ( Figs 32 a–c). Propodeum with some longitudinal rugae between submedian carinae; the plica produced into a strongly raised crest, which overhangs the posterior spiracular area. The apical tarsomere in all legs swollen, distinctly longer than the three preceding tarsomeres.

Material examined. Type specimens of P. yunanensis : Lectotype ♀, CHINA, Yunnan, Kunming , 07.IX.1965, coll. Jing-Liang Qi ( IZCAS), ex. Macrocentrus sp., labeled with " Pseudacriasoides yunanensis , sp. n. " ; Paralectotype 1♀, same data as the lectotype . Type specimens of P. songshaominus : Lectotype ♀, CHINA, Yunnan, Kunming , 16.IX.1965, coll. Jing-Liang Qi ( IZCAS), ex. Dioryctria splendidella Herrich & Schäeffer , labeled with " Pseudacriasoides songshaominus , sp. n. " ; Paralectotype 1♀, same data as the lectotype . Other material examined. CHINA: Sichuan: 3♀, Jianyang, the Plant Protection Station of Jianyang City , 27.II.1979 ; Yunnan: 1♀, Kunming , 7.IX.1965, coll. Jing-Liang Qi, ex. the pupa of Dioryctria splendidella Herrich & Schäeffer ; 2♀, Qujing , 12.VIII.1982, ex. Dioryctria splendidella Herrich & Schäeffer.

Biology. The type specimens of P. songshaominus were reared from the pupae of Dioryctria splendidella Herrich & Schäeffer ( Lepidoptera : Pyralidae ). The type specimens of P. yunanensis were reared from Macrocentrus sp. ( Hymenoptera : Braconidae ) that is a parasitoid of D. splendidella . In China, this species was also recorded as a primary parasitoid from D. pryeri Ragonot ( Lepidoptera : Pyralidae ).

Distribution in China. Sichuan, Yunnan.

Remarks. Although Liao et al. (1987) used " P. yunanensis " and " P. songshaominus " in his book, he wrote them as " Pseudacriasoides yunanensis " and " Ps. songshaominus " on the identification labels. However, we didn't find any specimen labeled with " Holotype " for P. yunanensis and P. songshaominus . So, we designate a female as the lectotype for each of them here. As described by Liao et al. (1987), P. yunanensis is very similar to P. songshaominus in appearance. They differ from each other only in few characters. Of the differences stated by Liao et al. (1987), the first two, the relative length of pronotum to mesoscutum and body colour, are fitted to both and not reliable to separate them; the third one, each protruding postero-lateral corner of pronotum with a foveola at inner side, is found in both the type specimens of P. yunanensis and P. songshaominus . Besides their different host records (see the biology), we could not find any significant difference to better differentiate them. Thus, we synonymize P. songshaominus with P. yunanensis here. The only single male paratype of P. songshaominus has been lost. Based on the original description, male is similar to female, except the following: body more vividly metallic blue-green; scape stout and distinctly compressed and swollen; scutellum nearly smooth in the mid line; gaster truncate ovate, with the following tergites concealed by Gt1.

This species is similar to P. occipitalis and the American P. strobilicola Peck. They seem to be in the same species group. These three species are similar not only in morphology but also in biology, with all three species lacking the occipital carina ( Figs 32 a–c), having the pronotum elongate ( Figs 32 a–c), swollen apical tarsomere that distinctly longer than the preceding tarsomeres ( Figs 32 a–c), and associated with pine shoots. Peck (1985) compared P. strobilicola with P. occipitalis , where the ratio of length to width of F1 seems to be a reliable character to separate them; while the blunt plica of propodeum seems more reliable to separate P. strobilicola from P. occipitalis or P. yunanensis . Pediobius yunanensis is very similar to P. occipitalis , which differences between them await further study on the type specimens of P. occipitalis .

Figures

FIGURE 32. Pediobius yunanensis Liao, 1987, female. a – c: body in dorsal view; d: fore wing; e: antenna. Scale bar: 0.5 mm.