Ecclitura Kokujev, 1902

Belokobylskij, Sergey A., Loni, Augusto, Lucchi, Andrea & Bernardo, Umberto, 2013, First records of the genera Histeromerus Wesmael (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Histeromerinae) and Ecclitura Kokujev (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Euphorinae) in Italy, ZooKeys 310, pp. 29-40 : 31-33

Genus Ecclitura Kokujev, 1902

Type species.

Ecclitura primoris Kokujev, 1902.

Comments.

Ecclitura Kokujev is until recently monotypic genus originally described from Turkmenistan in the beginning of 20th century ( Kokujev 1902).

Taxonomic position of Ecclitura was discussed in several publications. Muesebeck (1936) defined this genus as the most similar to Perilitus Nees, 1819 and Rhopalophorus Curtis, 1837 on the base of the wings venation and the long exerted ovipositor. Tobias (1966) in his paper about generic groupings and evolution of subfamily Euphorinae included Ecclitura in the Perilitus group together with the genera Perilitus , Microctonus Wesmael, 1835, Dinocampus Foerster, 1862, Streblocera Westwood, 1833, Ropalophorus and Centistina Enderlein, 1912. Shaw (1985) in his phylogenetic study of subfamily Euphorinae , concluded that Ecclitura is a sister group of Streblocera focusing the synapomorphies on the lack of the first medial abscissa in the fore wing, the long and slender scape and the presence of dorsope on the first metasomal tergite. He included this genus in the tribe Microctonini (section 3) together with Microctonus , Proclithrophorus Tobias & Belokobylskij, 1981, and Streblocera and separated the tribes Perilitini (only with Perilitus ) and Dinocampini (with Centistina , Dinocampus and Rhopalophorus ). However, Tobias (1986) in his key to European species of Euphorinae retained the previous position of this genus in the tribe Perilitini . In this way he de facto synonymized Microctonini and Dinocampini with this tribe, but separated Proclithrophorus in the new tribe Proclithrophorini . Belokobylskij (2000), in the new key to Palaearctic euphorine genera, synonymized with Perilitini also tribes Cryptoxilonini and Townesilitini . Ecclitura here was related with Streblocera and Heia Chen & Achterberg.

Knowledge on molecular phylogeny and its implication for classification of subfamily Euphorinae are very limited. A specific publication for this task ( Li et al. 2003) studied only a few taxa and a single gene (ribosomal 28S). This investigation included in the same group the genera Microctonus and Streblocera (and possibly related Ecclitura ), but monophyly of the tribe Microctonini was not resolved. New preliminary information about Euphorinae phylogeny on the base of combined morphological (37 characters) and molecular (4 markers: 18S, 28S, CAD, COI) data was suggested by Stigenberg and Boring (Internet, unpublished data). One of the result of this work was the arrangement of Ecclitura in the tribe Dinocampini . A final and more comprehensive published information about this topic should help to better understand the real results of this vast and diverse investigation.

The single described species of this genus, Ecclitura primoris , was recorded in the Western Palaearctic Region. Two other undescribed species of this genus were reported also from U.S.A. ( Shaw 1985), India and Vietnam ( Belokobylskij 2000). The discovery of these genus and species in Italy makes it likely the finding of Ecclitura also in other climatically similar localities of South Europe and North Africa. No data are available about Ecclitura hosts. However, being phylogenetically related with the genus Streblocera (associated with Chrysomelidae ) and sharing with this genus distinctive morphological features (structure of antenna, first metasomal tergite and ovipositor shapes: Shaw 1985, 2004) Ecclitura could be also imagobiont and parasitoid of the adults of some beetles ( Chrysomelidae or Curculionidae ).

Four females of Ecclitura were collected by Malaise traps closely to Napoli in the Campania Province. Fourteen females were captured in 2012 in three vineyards in the surroundings of Pisa (Tuscany), by using Malaise traps. These traps worked from the half of May to the half of October. Ecclitura specimens were captured from July 12 to October 4. Hitherto, no males of this species have never been recorded over area of his distribution, and it is possible Ecclitura primoris reproduces by thelytokous modality as already observed for several other species of Euphorinae ( Shaw 2004, Reumer et al. 2012). We have redescribed below the genus Ecclitura as well as its type species, because their original descriptions were incomplete and because variability of morphological characters of these taxa were investigated on the base of additional material from different localities.

Redescription of the genus.

Head strongly transverse (Figs 10, 21). Vertex at least in anterior half densely rugose-reticulate with granulation. Eye with very short and rather dense setae. Ocelli arranged in obtuse triangle with base 1.1-1.3 times its sides. Occipital carina complete dorsally, archedly fused below with hypostomal carina weakly upper base of mandible. Frons with more or less distinct median carina in anterior half. Face weakly convex. Eye distinctly convergent below (Figs 14, 17). Tentorial pits deep, situated upper lower level of eyes. Malar suture distinct. Clypeal suture complete, but shallow. Mandible medium sized, almost not twisted. Palpi short, maxillary palpus 3-segmented, labial palpus 2-segmented. Antennae (Figs 11, 19, 20) weakly claviform, stable 17-segmented. Scape (Figs 12, 14, 17, 22) long, weakly curved, almost as long as maximum diameter of eye. Pedicel rather long, oval. First flagellar segment as long as or weakly longer than second segment. Segments in apical half of antenna weakly thickened. Apical segment pointed, but without spine.

Mesosoma (Figs 13, 16, 21, 23, 24). Pronope absent. Notauli complete, shallow and wide, densely rugulose-reticulate. Mesoscutum rugose-striate and setose on wide medioposterior half, smooth and glabrous on anterior and sublateral areas. Prescutellar depression deep and long. Scutellum convex, with lateral carinae, at least partly rugose. Sternaulus (precoxal sulcus) shallow, wide, long, densely rugulose. Prepectal carina distinct. Postpectal carina absent. Metapleural lobe long, wide, rounded apically. Propodeum strongly and abruptly rounded from median part (lateral view), weakly and widely longitudinally concave in medioposterior half (dorsal view), entirely rugulose-areolate, with lateral carinae.

Wings (Fig. 11, 15). Radial vein arising behind middle of pterostigma. Radial cell distinctly shortened. Second radial abscissa evenly and distinctly curved. First medial abscissa absent; as result, discoidal and first radiomedial cells fused. Mediocubital vein entirely sclerotised. Basal and recurrent veins distinctly convergent. Brachial cell short, widely open distally. Basal part of parallel vein weakly curved. In hind wing, first abscissa of mediocubital vein 4.0-5.0 times longer than second abscissa. Third abscissa of costal vein long; fourth abscissa almost straight.

Legs long and slender. Segments of median tarsus long. Fifth tarsal segments slender. Hind femur slender. Tarsal claws long, slender and weakly curved (Fig. 25).

Metasoma (Figs 11, 18). First tergite long, distinctly widened towards apex, its latero-ventral sides not fused, widely separated and with distinct split; dorsope small and very shallow; laterope indistinct. Second suture very shallow and fine. Only second tergite with separated laterotergites. Ovipositor (Figs 26, 27) long, straight, compressed laterally.

Distribution.

Western Palaearctic, Nearctic, Oriental Regions.