Empria japonica Heidemaa & Prous

Prous, Marko, Heidemaa, Mikk & Soon, Villu, 2011, Empria longicornis species group: taxonomic revision with notes on phylogeny and ecology (Hymenoptera, Tenthredinidae), Zootaxa 2756, pp. 1-39 : 22-24

Empria japonica Heidemaa & Prous , sp. nov.

urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:BA25596E-802D-43E3-B351-52A0BAB1B78F

Holotype, 1 Ψ: “ JAPAN, Hokkaido Ginsendai, Kamikawa-chô 43°40’N, 143°01’E, 947 m selectively cut forest 6- 27.vi.2008 Mal. trap, A. Ueda leg” [white, printed]; “ USNM 2051678 019“ [specimen ID; white, printed and handwritten]; “ HOLOTYPUS Ψ Empria japonica spec. nov. 2010, design. M. Heidemaa & M. Prous” [red, printed]; “ Empria japonica Heidemaa & Prous det. 2010” [white, printed]; valvula 1 is mounted in euparal between rectangular cover slips and pinned with the specimen ( NSMT).

Paratypes: “ JAPAN, Hokkaido Ginsendai, Kamikawa-chô 43°40’N, 143°01’E, 947 m selectively cut forest 6– 27.vi.2008 Mal. trap, A. Ueda leg” [white, printed], 1 Ψ, 2 ɗ ( USNM), 1 Ψ ( SDEI); “ JAPAN, Hokkaido Ginsendai, Kamikawa-chô 43°40’N, 143°01’E, 947 m selectively cut forest 27.vi.–18.vii.2008 Mal. trap, A. Ueda leg” [white, printed], 1 ɗ ( USNM); “ JAPAN, Hokkaido Sekihoku-tôge, Kamikawa-chô, natural forest, 993 m 43°40’N, 143°06’E, 6–27.vi.2008 Mal. trap, A. Ueda leg” [white, printed], 5 Ψ, 1 ɗ ( USNM), 1 Ψ 1 ɗ (TUZ), 1 ɗ ( SDEI); “ JAPAN, Hokkaido Uenzaru-gawa, Hidaka-cho 42°55’N, 142°45’E, 1160 m natural forest 10.vii.–1.viii.2008 Mal. trap, A. Ueda leg” [white, printed], 1 Ψ ( USNM); “[ JAPAN Hokkaido] Akadake Ginsendai, Daisetsuzan Mts. 23. VI. 2005 Mal. trap H. Hara & A. Shinohara” [white, printed], 1 ɗ ( NSMT); “[ JAPAN:Hokkaido] Asahidake-onsen, Daisetsuzan Mts. 43-38-50N 142-47-27E 1050m 23–26. VI. 2007 A. Shinohara” [white, printed], 1 Ψ ( NSMT); “[ JAPAN:Hokkaido] Horoshika-toge 1100m, Tokachi 21–25. VI. 1997 A. Shinohara” [white, printed], 1 ɗ ( NSMT); “[ JAPAN:Hokkaido] Yamada-onsen 800m, Tokachi 21–24. VI. 1997 A. Shinohara” [white, printed], 3 ɗ ( NSMT); “[ JAPAN:Hokkaido] Yamada-onsen 1000m, Tokachi 21–24. VI. 1997 A. Shinohara” [white, printed], 5 ɗ ( NSMT); “[ JAPAN:Hokkaido] Yamada-onsen 800–1000m, Tokachi 19. VI. 1998 A. Shinohara” [white, printed], 1 ɗ ( NSMT).

Female. Length 6.4–7.1 mm (AVR=6.56 SD=0.25; n=7).

Male. Length 5.8–6.7 mm (AVR=6.20 SD=0.39; n=8).

Colour. Black; following parts unpigmented, pale: labrum, apical segments of maxillar and labial palps, tegulae, posterior margin of pronotum, femora apically, protibia and mesotibia in anterior and posterior aspects (dorsal and ventral aspects pigmented at least partially), metatibia in basal 1/3–1/2, basal tarsomeres at least partially, paired patches on abdominal terga 2–6 (Ψ, ɗ) or 2–5 (ɗ), posterior margins of terga and sterna (very narrowly), and cenchri; harpes sometimes at least partially unpigmented at margins.

Head: from parallel sided to subparallel sided behind eyes in dorsal view. Postocellar field trapeziform with postocellar furrows diverging backwards, slightly longer than the length of ocellar area; area between frontal crests barely reaches the level of crests ( Fig. 4) or at most exceeds this level very little in dorsal view (head positioned so posterior margins of lateral ocelli and compound eyes aligned, Fig. 2 ). Distinct punctures on upper head absent, postocellar area glossy, showing more or less wrinkled sculpture on postocular area and between compound eyes. Face and particularly clypeus with irregular sculpture, with fused punctures dominant on clypeus. Ocellar area and postocellar area slightly raised. Clypeus tridentate with raised median tooth smaller than lateral teeth. Minimal ventro-ocular distance in females slightly shorter than distance between antennal sockets (ratio 0.75–0.9), in males about equal or slightly shorter (0.85–1.0). Frontal ridge “V”-shaped, disrupted before reaching the level of middle ocellus, frontal field resembles triangular depression, often with a pit in its central part (between ridges), but raising, sometimes convex in front of middle ocellus. Maximal temple length (maximal distance between compound eye and occipital carina at the central portion of eye - TL max) about 1.45–1.55 times exceeds minimal temple length (minimal distance between compound eye and occipital carina at the lower portion of eye - TL min) in lateral view ( Fig. 3). The ratio of eye length to length of head behind the compound eyes 1.4–1.6. Postocellar region in males 1.8–2.0 times and in females about 2.5 as long as the ocellar diameter. Temples at genal orbits in the middle part of eyes with a longitudinal flat region ( Fig. 3), sometimes more or less depressed near compound eye (usually more distinctly in specimens dried from alcohol). Antennae slender, in female almost as long as the distance from tegula to the mid of pterostigma, in males even longer, reaching the apex of pterostigma. Ratio of flagellum length and head breadth in females 2.5–2.7 (n=4), in males 3.2–3.8 (n=6).

Thorax: median mesoscutal lobes with inner and lateral regions of the lateral mesoscutal lobes impunctate and glossy, the median regions of lateral mesoscutal lobes with shallow puncture and glossy interspaces. Mesoscutellum and mesoscutellar appendage impunctate, glossy. Axillae smooth or with barely visible sculpticells in lower portion, glossy. Distance between cenchri about equal to cenchrus width. Metapostnotum impunctate and glossy, sometimes showing wrinkled sculpture in its central part (behind metascutellum). Metascutellum impunctate and rather glossy but can have some shallow transversal wrinkles (not sculpticell like) at least in anterior part, posterior part with similar or more uneven sculpture. Mesepisternum in lateral region glossy with minute punctures only around setae in upper part, pectal region with larger and more irregular puncture but glossy interspaces. Metepisternum with evenly distributed setae, metepimeron in central part without setae. Mesepimeron with setae on posterior part only. Wings from hyaline to very lightly infuscated; venation brownish (see Morphbank image id=579063), paler at the base, some basal sclerites can be partially unpigmented, whitish. Tarsal claw with a subbasal tooth reaching about halfway between its base and the apex of claw (shorter in males).

Abdomen: terga with scale- and keel-like sculpticells and short setae (about half of the ocellar diameter) at least on medio-anterior and lateral parts of terga. Valvula 3 on lateral surface with keel-like and scale-like sculpticells, gradually narrowing towards its apex in dorsal view with curved setae mostly shorter than ocellus diameter. Valvifer 2 in posterior portion with irregular chain-like rows of punctures which can be partly fused. Ventral margins of valvula 3 and valvifer 2 about equal length. Valvula 1 as in Fig. 40 , number of serrulae 16–17. In males posterior edge of sternum 9 straight. Genital capsule in dorsal and ventral view as in Figs 5–6, valviceps of penis valves with short lobe, forming shallow notch between valviceps and valvura ( Fig. 47 ); valvura to valviceps length ratio 0.58–0.62.

Taxonomic affinities. The newly described species resembles E. longicornis Thomson habitually by its fairly slender body and very long antennae. However, in E. japonica the temple length ratio (TL max / TL min) is mostly between 1.45–1.55 ( Fig. 3), in other species, except in E. alpina (the ratio is around 1.5), it is mostly between 1.2– 1.35 ( Fig. 7 ). Frontal ridge is not disrupted in E. longicornis before reaching the level of middle ocellus, like in E. japonica . Unlike in E. japonica , the frontal field in E. longicornis forms a longitudinal depression almost reaching the middle ocellus. Area between frontal crests in dorsal view is usually much more prominent in E. longicornis , usually clearly exceeding the level of crests ( Fig. 8 ). Males resemble most those of E. alpina , but the males of E. japonica have the frontal ridge disrupted, non-glossy frontal area with wrinkles, and differently shaped penis valves. Serrulae of the species are most similar to E. tridens , but the absolute as well as relative length of the basalmost annulus of valvula 1 (see Fig. 10 ) is longer (absolute length exceeds 0.1 mm, relative length exceeds 0.065; n=3) compared to E. tridens (n=18) and E. longicornis (n=14). Relative height of valvula 1 (see Fig. 10 ) is also different (exceeds 0.115) from E. tridens (less than 0.108), but not from E. longicornis . The penis valve is most similar to E. tridens .

Host plants. Unknown, but could be Rubus idaeus ssp. melanolasius, which is common in the localities where at least some of the E. japonica specimens have been collected (A. Shinohara, personal communication).

Distribution. Japan (Hokkaido).

Figures

FIGURES 1 – 2. Empria japonica n. sp.: 1, head in anterior view (A, minimal distance between toruli, B, minimal ventro-ocular distance, C, maximal height of the compound eye); 2, head in dorsal view (A, head breadth, B, minimal distance between the compound eye and the occipital carina = head length behind the compound eye = head length, C, maximal length of the compound eye).

FIGURES 40 – 42. Lancets (valvulae 1) of Empria longicornis group: 40, E. japonica; 41, E. longicornis; 42, E. tridens.

FIGURES 47 – 52. Penis valves of Empria longicornis group: 47, E. japonica; 48, E. longicornis; 49 – 50, E. tridens; 51, E. alector; 52, E. basalis.

FIGURES 7 – 8. Empria longicornis Thomson, 1871: 7, head in lateral view (TL = temple length); 8, frontal crest in dorsal view.

FIGURES 9 – 11. Landmarks (LMs) used in geometric morphometric (GM) analyses of penis valves and ovipositors, and some linear measurements: 9, landmarks (black circles: 1, base of the dorso-apical tooth of valviceps; 2, apical-most part of teethrow of valviceps; 4, basal-most part of teethrow of valviceps; 5, tip of dorso-basal part of valviceps; 7, dorsal joint between valvura and valviceps; 8, ventral joint between valvura and valviceps), semi-landmarks (white circles: 3, midway between landmarks 2 and 4; 6, midway between landmarks 5 and 7; 9, junction of valvular duct and ventral edge of penis valve; 10, tip of basal part of valvura), and linear measurements (LM 1 - LM 7 as the “ length of valviceps ”, LM 7 - LM 10 as the “ length of valvura ”, and LM 1 - LM 10 as the “ length of penis valve ”) of penis valves; 10, linear measurements of the basal-most serrula-bearing annulus of the valvula 1 (horizontal arrow, distance between dorso-basal parts of the serrulae; vertical arrow, distance from dorso-basal part of the serrula to the dorsal joint between two annuli); 11, landmarks (black circles) of the valvula 1.