Alaptus immaturus Perkins, 1905

Serguei V. Triapitsyn, 2017, Revision of Alaptus (Hymenoptera: Mymaridae) in the Holarctic region, with taxonomic notes on some extralimital species, Zootaxa 4279 (1), pp. 1-92 : 32-38

Alaptus immaturus Perkins, 1905

( Figs 59–73 )

Alaptus immaturus Perkins: Perkins 1905 : 193 (list), 194 (key), 197 + Plate XII, fig. 5 (illustrations of female and male antennae). Original type locality: Bundaberg, Queensland, Australia. An unspecified number of syntype female(s) and male(s), lost from BPBM.

Alaptus immaturus Perkins : Girault 1908: 188 (list, comments); Perkins 1910: 661 (distribution in the Hawaiian Islands); Girault 1912: 120 –122 (redescription, discussion, distribution, diagnosis), 126 (key); Girault 1913b: 9 –10 (distribution, discussion); Girault 1914: 111 (mentioned); Timberlake 1924: 447 (specimens from the Hawaiian Islands); Soyka, 1939b: 31 (list); Lin et al. 2007: 21 (list).

Alaptus caecilii Girault 1908: 189 –191, 193 (key). Type locality: Orlando , Orange Co., Florida, USA. Syn. n.

Alaptus caecilii Girault: Girault 1910 : 243 (correction, distribution); Girault 1929: 10 (key); Spruyt 1927: 184 (mentioned from California, USA); Ferrière 1930: 42 ( Kenya, on coffee); Ghesquière 1939: 35 –36 (compared with A. nowickii ); Soyka, 1939b: 31 (list); Debauche 1949: 10 (key), 12–13 (redescription); Peck 1963: 27 (catalog); De Santis 1979: 362 (catalog).

Alaptus antillanus Cheke & Turner 1974: 281 –282. Type locality: Kingston, Jamaica. Syn. n.

Alaptus ? immaturus Perkins : Beardsley & Huber 2000: 7 –8 (taxonomic history, discussion, distribution in the Hawaiian Islands).

? Alaptus pyronus Anwar & Zeya 2014: 32 (key), 34, 37 (illustrations). Type locality: Sahaspur , Dehradun (as Dehra Dun), Uttarakhand, India. Holotype female ( ZDAMU), not examined.

Type material examined. Alaptus immaturus Perkins : neotype female [QMBA], here designated to avoid ambiguity about the identity of this species, type material of which is lost, on slide ( Fig. 60 ) labeled: 1. “AUSTRALIA: Queensland Nambour, Maroochy Res. Station, 23-27.xi.2000 C. Freebairn, MT at creek”; 2. “Mounted by V. V. Berezovskiy 2016 in Canada balsam ”; 3. [magenta] “ Alaptus immaturus Perkins, 1905 NEOTYPE ♀ Designated by S. V. Triapitsyn 2016 ”. The neotype is in good condition, complete. It was collected by Chris G. Freebairn in a Malaise trap which I supplied; the trap was installed near a creek adjacent to agricultural field plots at Maroochy Research Facility, Queensland Department of Agriculture and Fisheries in Nambour, Queensland, Australia (about 26°38’36’’S 152°56’25’’E, 30 m). The specimen had been dried from ethanol using a critical point dryer and then card-mounted ( Fig. 59 ) and labeled at UCRC in the early 2000s, identified to species in 2016, and then slide-mounted after being measured and photographed; it will be donated to QMBA. The direct distance between this collecting site and the original type locality of A. immaturus in Bundaberg , Queensland is about 200 km; Perkins (1905, p. 197) only specified the following about it: “Hab: Bundaberg, Queensland, bred from cane leaves containing leaf-hopper eggs, but I do not feel sure that it is parasitic on these”. Beardsley & Huber (2000) did not mention existence of any type material of this species, and stated that the tentatively identified Hawaiian specimens have not been compared with it. I could not find it in BPBM during a visit in April 2016 either and, according to James Boone (personal communication), this species is not even listed in their type database. No other collection has them either, although the slide with six females and one male of A. immaturus in BMNH, without any data except the identification label in pencil and collector’s or collection name (R.C.L. Perkins and BMNH accession number for his collection), could be that but most likely it is of the Hawaiian material like the other slide in that collection; there is absolutely no way to demonstrate with any confidence that these might belong to the type series. The antennae of the male on this slide are positioned in a different way than the male antenna of A. immaturus illustrated in the original description, although an antenna of one of the females has a collapsed clava like in one of those illustrated by Perkins (1905, Plate XII, fig. 5), but that could be a mere coincidence. Moreover, the ovipositor length: metatibia length ratio in the female specimens on that slide without any data is at least 1.5, which is consistent with such ratios in most specimens from the Hawaiian Islands I have examined (a few have it between 1.35 and 1.5), whereas in those from Queensland it is about 1.35. Apparently the original syntype specimens (at least one female and one male) of A. immaturus were lost a long time ago. According to Perkins (1906), he and one of the pioneers of biological control Albert Koebele collected in Bundaberg on sugar cane in June of 1904 and also between August and the end of that year; the syntypes of this species were almost certainly captured by Perkins himself, because in the original description ( Perkins 1905) he did not mention any Koebele number. Also, Perkins (1906, p. xxiv) later specified that A. immaturus were from “Eggs of Psocid feeding on fungus growing on honeydew excreted by leaf-hoppers”. The “[sugar cane] leaf-hopper” mentioned by Perkins (1905, 1906) was actually the sugarcane planthopper, Perkinsiella saccharicida Kirkaldy ( Hemiptera : Delphacidae ) ( Triapitsyn & Beardsley 2000).

Alaptus antillanus Cheke & Turner : holotype female [ BMNH] on slide labeled: 1. “ HYMENOPTERA MYMARIDAE 5.2260 Alaptus antillanus Cheke and Turner Holotype female”; 2. [red circle] “Holo type ”; 3. “Host: eggs of Caecilius caribensis Mockford. (Psocoptera) Kingston ST. ANDREW PARISH JAMAICA 30-3- 71 ”. The holotype is in good condition, well cleared, mounted dorsoventrally, complete; the water-soluble mounting medium (probably Hoyer’s) is stained. Allotype male [ BMNH] on slide labeled same as the holotype except having “ Allotype male” and “Allo-type”, and also lacking a type number; it is mounted in darkened, stained, drying mounting medium.

Alaptus caecilii Girault : lectotype female [USNM], here designated to avoid ambiguity regarding the identity of this species and its type specimens, on slide ( Fig. 64) labeled: 1. “Morrill No. 2009 Bred from Psocid Egg. VIII, 5, 1907 E. A. Back 7 ♀ [in pencil]”; 2. “Cotype 11859 [in red ink] Mymarid Alaptus caecilii Girault sp. n. [an illegible word crossed out]”; 3. [red] “ caecilii Type No. 11859 U.S.N.M.”. The lectotype ( Fig. 65, the closest specimen to the center of the coverslip, circled in India ink) is mounted under the same coverslip with 6 female paralectotypes, it is in a rather poor condition (uncleared) but complete, mounted laterally. Paralectotypes [on slides, USNM]: 6 ♀: the above-mentioned specimens on the lectotype slide; 1 ♀: “ Alaptus caecilii Girault ♀ 49 [in pencil] 11859 [in red ink] 1 ♀ [in pencil] From eggs of Psocus July 15, 1888 o a”; 1 ♀: “11859 Cotype [in red ink] Alaptus caecilii Girault ♀ 1 ♀ [in pencil] Bred from eggs of Psocus July 17, 1888 o a”; 2 ♀: “11859 Cotype [in red ink] ♀ Alaptus caecilii Girault ♀ 20 [in pencil] Bred from eggs of Psocus [crossed out] Caecilius aurantiacus . Los Angeles, Cal. Aug. 29, 1888. Coquillett. o a”; 4 ♀, same data; 3 ♀, same data; 1 ♂, same data except “ June 30, 1888.”; 2 ♀, same data except “ Aug. 15, 1888.”; 1 ♀: 1. “Mymarid, Alaptus caecilii Girault ♀.”, 2. “Morrill No.

505. Hymenopterous parasite from breeding box containing Spiraea leaves infested by Aleyrodes fernaldi Morl. from Amherst Mass. 9/20 1906 (Morrill No. 505”)”; 2 ♀: 1. “Mymarid, Alaptus caecilii Girault 2 ♀. Cotype 11859 [in red ink]”, 2. “Morrill No. 2002. Hymenopterous parasites eggs of psocid (1005) on orange leaves bred 1 specimen 1 specimen taken on leaf near eggs. Morrill No. 2002 A. W. Morrill. 2/13 1907 (See Morrill No. 2009)”; 4 ♀: 1. “Mymarid, Alaptus caecilii Girault 4 ♀. Cotype 11859 [in red ink]”, 2. “Morrill No. 2009 Bred from Psocid eggs. Orlando, Fla. VIII, 5, 1907 4 ♀ [in pencil] E. A. Back”; 3 ♀, same data.

Material examined. BERMUDA [ISLANDS]: Bermuda Island, Southampton Parish, 4 Munro Lane, 22.v– 22.vi.2001, J. & M. Munro [1 ♀, UCRC]. CANADA: ALBERTA, Medicine Hat, 21–28.vii.1980, G. Gibson [1 ♀, USNM]. USA: CALIFORNIA: Los Angeles Co.: Montebello, 11.x.1932, H. Compere [1 ♀, EMEC]. Norwalk, Studebaker, P.H. Timberlake (from psocid eggs): 27.xii.1911 [1 ♀, UCRC]; 1.i.1912 [2 ♀, UCRC]. Pico Rivera, 25–26.viii.1933, S.E. Flanders (on citrus) [4 ♀, EMEC]. Orange Co., Anaheim, 25.i.1933 (from psocid egg) [1 ♀, EMEC]. Sacramento Co., Sacramento, 6.v.1910 (from psocid eggs on citrus) [2 ♂, EMEC]. DELAWARE, New Castle Co., Newark, H.L. Dozier: 3.x.1925 (on maple) [2 ♀, USNM]; University of Delaware Agricultural Experiment Station, 12.viii.1929 (on window) [2 ♀, USNM]. FLORIDA: Orange Co., Orlando, 24.x.1954, A.G. Salhime (on citrus leaf) [1 ♀, USNM]. Pinellas Co., Clearwater, 13.x.1958, M.H. Muma (on citrus) [4 ♀, USNM]. Volusia Co., 6 mi. NE of DeLand, 9.iv.1953, H. Holtsberg [1 ♀, USNM]. ILLINOIS: Fayette Co.: Brownstown, 5.x.1958, R. Dysart (on leaves of Polygonum hydropiperoides ) [5 ♀, INHS; 3 ♀, USNM]. Danville, xii.1939, K.M. Sommerman (“Ex. Caecilius aurantiacus on maple tree” [ C. aurantiacus (Hagen) , the likely host, is a synonym of Valenzuela flavidus (Stephens) while C. aurantiacus (Chapman) is a synonym of Xanthocaecilius sommermanae (Mockford) ]) [2 ♀, USNM]. Vermilion Co., Middle Fork Vermilion R. (near Catlin), emerged 4.iv.1940, K.M. Sommerman (from eggs of V. flavidus [as “ Caecilius aurantiacus Hagen ”]) [10 ♀, INHS]. LOUISIANA, East Baton Rouge Parish, Baton Rouge, 29.i.1932, W.E. Hinds (on Euonymus sp.) [2 ♀, EMEC]. MARYLAND, Prince George’s Co.: Laurel, USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, M. Schauff: 10–18.vii.1980 [1 ♀, USNM]; 22– 29.viii.1980 [1 ♀, USNM]; 6–20.x.1980 [1 ♀, USNM]. Oxon Hill, 24.vi.1981, T. Rivnay (on apple) [1 ♀, USNM]. VIRGINIA, [locality unknown], 13.xii.1937 (“ex eggs of? Psocidae on Holly from Va. Intercepted at Windsor, Ont.” [Ontario, Canada]) [2 ♀, MLPA].

Extralimital material examined. ARGENTINA: TUCUMÁN, San Miguel de Tucumán, 5.v.1976, M. Rose (on lemon) [1 ♀, UCRC]. AUSTRALIA: QUEENSLAND, Gordonvale (along Mulgrave R.), 30.iii.1991, J.D. Pinto [1 ♀, UCRC]. CHINA: HONG KONG, Tai Po, 22.xi.1953, S.E. Flanders (from?psocid eggs) [21 ♀, 1 ♂, EMEC]. GUAM [ISLAND] (USA): Sumay Rd., 17.x.1936, O.H. Swezey (“ex eggs of Caecilius analis on cane leaf” [i.e., Stenocaecilius analis (Banks) ]) [3 ♀, 1 ♂, USNM]. HAWAIIAN ISLANDS: USA, HAWAII: Kauai Island, Kilauea, 17.v.1906, R.C.L. Perkins (“B.M. 1955-742”) [3 ♀, BMNH]. [No data], labeled: 1. “R. C. L. Perkins coll. B.M. 1955-742”; 2. “ Alaptus immaturus P.” [6 ♀, 1 ♂, BMNH]. Oahu Island, Honolulu, 27– 28.i.1916, P.H. Timberlake (“Reared from Psocid eggs under whitish oval cocoon on Cassia , collected Jan. 15 ”) [15 ♀, 1 ♂, UCRC]. Also all the specimens in BPBM listed by Beardsley & Huber (2000) as A.? immaturus ; after their examination I confirm here their identity as belonging to this species. KENYA: Nyeri Co., Doondu Estate, T.W. Kirkpatrick (“Bred from coffee prunings attacked by coccid (no. 28)”): iv.1926 ” [3 ♀, BMNH]; v.1926 [2 ♀, BMNH] (det. Ch. Ferrière). Nairobi Co., Nairobi, iv.1965, T.F. Crowe (on tee leaves) [3 ♀, 1 ♂, BMNH]. MOZAMBIQUE: MANHIÇA, Manhiça District, Chimolo, iii.1962, D. Annecke (on citrus, Vila Pary) [1 ♂, UCRC]. PUERTO RICO (USA): Mayagüez, 28–30.vii.1935, H.L. Dozier (“Ex. Barbados cherry infested with psocid”) [1 ♀, 1 ♂, USNM]. SOUTH AFRICA: WESTERN CAPE, Stellenbosch, 22.xi.1948, F.E. Skinner (on wild olive) [3 ♀, EMEC]. TAIWAN (REPUBLIC OF CHINA): Peishankeng, 25.iii.1992, K.C. Chou (from egg mass of Psocoptera on Areca caterchu ) [5 ♀, TARI]. Taichung: Anma Shan, 11–14.v.1992, K.C. Chou (from eggs of Psocoptera on Podocarpus macrophyllus ) [2 ♀, 2 ♂, TARI]. Wufeng: 29.i.1992, K.C. Chou (from egg mass of Psocoptera on cabbage at TARI) [7 ♀, TARI]; 20.iii.1992, K.C. Chou (from eggs of Psocoptera on Averrhoa carambola ) [9 ♀, 1 ♂, TARI]; 15.viii.1992, K.C. Chou (from eggs of Psocoptera on mango) [7 ♀, TARI]. THAILAND: TRANG, Forest Research Station, Khao Chong, 7°33’02’’N 99°47’23’’E, 75 m, 4–9.ii.2005, D. Yanega [1 ♀, UCRC].

Redescription. FEMALE (neotype). Vertex and occiput brownish ( Fig. 59 ), rest of head whitish yellow except eye and ocelli dark red; scape and pedicel light yellow, flagellum brown; mesosoma yellow, gaster pale yellow with slight, irregular infuscations on terga laterally; legs pale yellow.

Antenna ( Fig. 61 ) shorter than body, with scape (including radicle) 3.1× as long as wide; F1 much shorter than pedicel and the shortest funicle segment; F2 the longest funicle segment, notably shorter than pedicel and just slightly more than 2× as long as wide; F3–F5 equal in length; clava 3.4× as long as wide, with 4 mps, slightly longer than combined length of F2–F5.

Mesosoma ( Fig. 62 ) almost as wide long as long. Fore wing ( Fig. 63 ) 8.5× as long as wide; disc with a slight brownish tinge and with 3 or 4 setae in the middle besides the admarginal rows; longest marginal seta 3.4× maximum wing width. Hind wing about 15× as long as wide; disc more strongly infumate, with 1 row of setae closer to posterior margin; longest marginal seta 6.0× maximum wing width.

Gaster ( Fig. 62 ) about the same length as mesosoma. Ovipositor occupying about 0.8× length of gaster, exserted beyond its apex by about 0.2× its own total length, and 1.4× length of metatibia.

Measurements of the neotype (µm). Body (length of critical point dried specimen prior to slide-mounting) about 350; mesosoma 154; gaster 157; ovipositor 163. Antenna: scape (including radicle) 60; pedicel 39; F1 21; F2 26; F3 24; F4 24; F5 24; clava 123. Fore wing 382:45; longest marginal seta 151. Hind wing 370:24; longest marginal seta 145.

Variation. Lectotype of A. caecilii ( Fig. 65): body length 321 µm; scape 2.1× as long as wide; F2 shorter than pedicel, clava 4.4× as long as wide; fore wing 10.0× as long as wide, disc with 3 or 4 setae in an incomplete median row in the middle; ovipositor 1.3× length of metatibia. Holotype of A. antillanus : vertex brown, body yellow, fore wing disc with 3 setae in an incomplete median row in the middle. Paralectotypes of A. caecilii : body length 290– 375 µm; scape about 2.6× as long as wide; clava 3.6–4.6× as long as wide; fore wing 9.1–10.5× as long as wide, disc with 1–7 setae in an incomplete median row in the middle; ovipositor 1.1–1.3× length of metatibia. Non-type specimens from the Hawaiian Islands ( Figs 66, 67 ): body length 310–430 µm; scape about 3.3× as long as wide; F2 shorter than pedicel, clava 3.3–3.5× as long as wide; fore wing 10.2–11.0× as long as wide, disc with 2–6 setae in an incomplete median row in the middle; ovipositor 1.35–1.6× length of metatibia.

MALE (paralectotype of A. caecilii ( Figs 70, 71 ), non-type specimens from California ( USA), Guam, and the Hawaiian Islands ( Figs 68, 69 )). Body length 290–480 µm; mesosoma and metasoma a little darker than in female. Antenna ( Figs 70, 72 ) with scape about 2.7× as long as wide, F1 shorter than pedicel and other flagellar segments, F2 a little shorter than pedicel; fore wing ( Fig. 73 ) 8.5–9.4× as long as wide and its disc with 1–5 setae in an incomplete median row; genitalia as in Fig. 69 .

Diagnosis. See that of A. stammeri Soyka.

Distribution. Nearctic: Bermuda *, Canada * and USA; Neotropical: Argentina ( De Santis 1979 [as A. caecilii ]), Jamaica ( Cheke & Turner 1974 [as A. antillanus ]), and Puerto Rico ( USA) ( De Santis 1979 [as A. caecilii ]); Afrotropical: Kenya ( Ferrière 1930; Debauche 1949 [as A. caecilii ]), Mozambique *, and South Africa *; Australasian: Australia; Oceania: Guam * and Hawaiian Islands ( USA). Oriental: China * ( Hong Kong),? India, Taiwan *, and Thailand *. The record of A. caecilii from Santiago Island, Cape Verde by Viggiani & van Harten (1996) is likely incorrect: I have examined the specimens from São Jorge dos Órgãos, collected by A. van Harten (iv.1980 [1 ♀, DEZA]; x.1989 [1 ♀, DEZA]), and these are not A. immaturus as they have a dark body which is not entirely yellow.

Hosts. Stenocaecilius analis (Banks) [new record], Valenzuela caribensis (Mockford) [as Caecilius caribensis Mockford ( Cheke & Turner 1974) and “ Caecilius aurantiacus ” ( De Santis 1989)] for A. antillanus , Valenzuela flavidus (Stephens) for A. caecilii ( Girault 1908 [as “ C. aurantiacus Hagen ”]), and Valenzuela manteri (Sommerman) (Caeciliusidae) ( Peck 1963; Noyes 2016); some host records may, however, need verification.

Comments. Alaptus pyronus Anwar & Zeya from India is seemingly very similar in most aspects to A. immaturus , which is very likely to occur in that country, including having F2 of the female antenna notably shorter than pedicel, but in the former the head is described as being pale yellow, without mention of a dark vertex ( Anwar & Zeya 2014) characteristic of the latter species and also A. stammeri . Thus, the issue about their likely conspecificity remains unresolved.

There are many uncleared, slide-mounted specimens in MLPA collected by A.A. Ogloblin in Argentina, mainly in Buenos Aires Province (some reared from psocid eggs) and Misiones (mostly in Loreto, including those reared from psocid eggs on citrus), which were identified by him as A. caecilii or A.? caecilii . Undoubtedly, De Santis (1979) included the record of that species from Argentina in his catalog based on these specimens. However, only a few of them resemble A. immaturus , while some females (particularly those from Bella Vista, Buenos Aires) look more like A. stammeri in having F2 notably longer, about as long as pedicel, and the others were clearly misidentified. The latter belong to several morphospecies one of which is more similar to A. pallidicornis and the related taxa in lacking discal setae on the fore wing other than the admarginal rows of setae.

Figures

FIGURE 59. Alaptus immaturus ♀ (neotype), habitus of dry-mounted, critical point dried specimen before slide-mounting.

FIGURES 60 – 63. Alaptus immaturus ♀ (neotype). 60, slide; 61, antenna; 62, mesosoma and metasoma; 63, fore wing.

FIGURES 66 – 69. Alaptus immaturus (Hawaiian Islands [USA: Hawaii]). 66, ♀ habitus (Honolulu, Oahu Island); 67, ♀ body and antennae (Nahuina Trail, 366 m, Tantalus, Oahu Island); 68, ♂ habitus (Honolulu, Oahu Island); 69, ♂ habitus (Tantalus Dr., 351 m, Oahu Island).

FIGURES 70 – 73. Alaptus immaturus ♂ (70, 71 — paralectotype of A. caecilii; 72, 73 — Sumay Rd., Guam Island [USA]). 70, habitus; 71, slide; 72, antenna; 73, fore wing.