Phasgonophora rubens (Klug , 1834)

Gul, Muhammad Athar, Soliman, Ahmed Mostafa, Gadallah, Neveen Samy, Al Dhafer, Hathal Mohammed & Delvare, Gerard, 2020, The genus Phasgonophora Westwood, 1832 (Hymenoptera, Chalcididae) in Saudi Arabia: re-evaluation of its limits and description of three new species, Journal of Hymenoptera Research 76, pp. 1-38 : 1

Phasgonophora rubens (Klug, 1834)

Figs 14A-D , 15A-C

Chalcis rubens Klug, 1834: tab. 37, fig. 7, n. 2.

Phasganophora rubens (Klug), Sichel, 1866: 368.

Urochalcis maura Nikol‘skaya, 1952: 91-92.

Material examined.

Type material. Two conspecific, pinned, ♀ syntypes, labelled "Abissynien /Ambukohl /Ehrbg. L’ [manuscript, black ink, green label] 'rubens Kl’ [manuscript, black pencil] ‘type’ [red label] 'GBIF-ChalcISE /ID: Chalc0656' [MNB].

Other material (all from Saudi Arabia): 1♀, 2♂, Al-Baha, 2 km E of Nawan [19°32'48"N, 41°11'34"E, Alt. 117 m], 31.III.2017, e.l. Acacia , leg. D. Baiocchi [KSMA]; 1♂, Asir, Abha , N of Khamis Mushait [18°25'25"N, 42°42'05"E, Alt. 1944 m], 17.IV.2016, e.l. Acacia , leg. D. Baiocchi [KSMA] ; 2♀, 3♂, Riyadh, Ad Diriyah, Al Uyaynah, Al Bodah (30 km NW Riyadh) [24°53'33"N, 46°17'39.84"E, Alt. 761 m], 10.IV.2016, e.l. Acacia , leg. D. Baiocchi [KSMA] ; 1♂, the same previous data but differing as for collection date (08.IV.2017) [KSMA]; 13♀, 14♂, Riyadh, Ibex Reserve Protected Area (W of Hutat Bani Tamim) [23°27'26 ’’ N, 46°33'37 ’’ E, Alt. 721 m], 11.IV.2017, e.l. Acacia , leg. D. Baiocchi [KSMA] ; 3♀, 2♂, Riyadh, Ibex Reserve Protected Area (W of Hutat Bani Tamim) [23°21'06.62"N, 46°21'35.94"E, Alt. 709 m], 11.IV.2017, e.l. Acacia , leg. D. Baiocchi [KSMA] ; 1♀, Riyadh, Rimah, Rawdat Khuraim (100 km NE Riyadh) [25°22'59.06"N, 47°16'42.58"E, Alt. 559 m], 18.II.2012, sweep net (A), Calotropis procera , leg. unknown [KSMA] ; 1♂, Riyadh, Rimah, Rawdat Khuraim (100 km NE Riyadh) [25°25'56.64"N, 47°13'51.96"E, Alt. 572 m], 28.IV.2012, pitfall trap (B), leg. unknown [KSMA] ; 1♀, same data but differing as for the trap (Malaise trap (B)) [KSMA] ; 9♀, 7♂, Riyadh, Rimah, Rawdat Khuraim (100 km NE Riyadh) [25°23'13 ’’ N, 47°16'45 ’’ E, Alt. 550 m], 09.IV.2016, e.l. Acacia , leg. D. Baiocchi [KSMA] ; 2♀, 1♂, Riyadh, Rimah, Rawdat Khuraim (100 km NE Riyadh) [25°22'59.06"N, 47°16'42.58"E, Alt. 559 m], 09.IV.2016, e.l. Acacia , leg. D. Baiocchi [EFC]; Riyadh, Rimah , Rawdat Khuraim (100 km NE Riyadh) [25°22'59.06"N, 47°16'42.58"E, Alt. 559 m], 09.IV.2017, e.l. Acacia , leg. D. Baiocchi [12♀, 13♂ in KSMA; 1♀, 1♂ in EFC] ; 6♀, 8♂, Riyadh, Wadi Al Hesiyah (40 NW of Riyadh) [24°55'22.44"N, 46°12'15.13"E, Alt. 790 m], 08.IV.2017, e.l. Acacia , leg. D. Baiocchi [KSMA] ; 1♀, Riyadh, Wadi Huraymila (86 km NW of Riyadh) [25°04'44.20"N, 46°03'29.80"E, Alt. 798 m], 08.IV.2017, e.l. Acacia , leg. D. Baiocchi [KSMA] .

Diagnosis.

Female with gena sparsely setose (Fig. 14B ); flagellomeres long, F1 2 × as long as wide (Fig. 14C ); pronotal collar angulate with collum, with shallow median depression (Fig. 14D ); mesonotum flattened dorsally, entirely cristate (Fig. 14A ); propodeum with spiracular teeth (Fig. 15A ), sloping posteriorly; fore wing with moderately dense setation, without pigmented track of Rs and r-m (Fig. 15B ); metasoma lanceolate (Figs 14A , 15C ); Gt1 with evident curved carinae dorsally, sparsely setose laterally (Fig. 15C ); penultimate tergite densely and deeply punctured (Fig. 15C ); syntergum (Fig. 14A ) longer than mesotibia (1.25 ×), sparsely shallowly punctured (punctures dense at base), with median ridge (Fig. 15C ). Male. Length 3.1-4.6 mm. Similar to female but antenna stouter; denser pale setae on fore wing; propodeal spiracular teeth slightly shorter; metasomal petiole narrow.

Distribution.

General distribution. ALGERIA: mostly northwestern and central Sahara, less common in southern Sahara and Sahel (Mateu, 1972); EGYPT: surrounds of Cairo ( Masi 1931); ISRAEL: Wadi Fukra ( Bouček 1956); TUNISIA: Bled Ejdla ( Nikol’skaya 1952); SAUDI ARABIA (new record; Asir, Al-Baha and Riyadh Regions, Fig. 16 ); SUDAN ( Klug 1834); UAE ( Delvare 2017).

Biology.

Hosts. Anthaxia [as Cratomerus ] Cratomerus angustipennis (Klug, 1829) ( Buprestidae ) ( Nikol’skaya 1952); Anthaxia spp., especially A. angustipennis and A. pseudocongregata Descarpentries & de Miré, 1963, A. pulex Abeille de Perrin, 1893, Acmaeodera spp., especially A. adspersula (Illiger, 1803), A. flavipennis (Klug, 1829), A. convolute (Klug, 1829) ( Mateu 1972), Anthaxia (Haplanthaxia) abdita Bílý, 1982, A. (H.) kneuckeri zabraskyi Bílý, 1995, and A. (H.) marginifera metallescens Abeille de Perrin, 1907 (present study).

Associated plants.

Vachellia [= Acacia ] farnesiana (L.) Willd, 1806 ( Masi 1931), Acacia tortilis (Forssk.) Hayne, 1825 [ssp. Acacia raddiana Savi] and A. ehrenbergiana Haine [= A. flava (Forssk.) Schwein.]; it was also reared from cages with Tamarix pauciovulata and Rhus tripartitus R. Sch. infested by Buprestis hilaris Klug, 1829 but with possible contamination from cultures of infested A. tortilis (Mateu, 1972) in the neighborhood.

Female behavior and larval development

( Mateu 1972). Mating occurs only once and soon after the female looks for hosts. She oviposits preferably in cracks; the duration of oviposition is short (5-10 minutes); the stylets are not always vertical but forms an obtuse angle with the surface of the wood. A single, caudate larva develops within the host. The female apparently choses for old instar larvae. At the end of the development, the larva fully occupies the body of the pupa of the buprestid host, which is at that time mummified. The larva of the host is thus preserved until its complete development. In this respect, the mature larva of the host is able to dig the gallery that is normally used by the adult for emergence but used here by the chalcidid. The progeny emerges during late spring from eggs deposited in summer (August) of the previous year; the species is thus univoltine.

Figures

Figure 14. A-D Phasgonophora rubens (Klug), female A lateral habitus B head (anterolateral view) C antenna D mesosoma (dorsal view).

Figure 15. A-C Phasgonophora rubens (Klug), female A mesoscutellum and propodeum (dorsal view) B fore wing C metasoma (dorsal view).

Figure 16. A-C Phasgonophora ninae (Nikol'skaya), female A lateral habitus B dorsal habitus C mesosoma (lateral view).