Research Article |
Corresponding author: George Japoshvili ( g.japoshvili@agruni.edu.ge ) Academic editor: Levan Mumladze
© 2022 George Japoshvili.
This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Citation:
Japoshvili G (2022) New data on some microhymenopteran families from Lagodekhi Protected Area, with new records for Georgia (Sakartvelo) and the Caucasus. Caucasiana 1: 7-11. https://doi.org/10.3897/caucasiana.1.e81647
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Abstract
We present data on the distribution of seven wasp families, Ceraphronidae, Diapriidae, Ismaridae, Megaspilidae, Platygastridae, Proctotrupidae and Scelionidae, collected in Georgia (Sakartvelo). Thirty-three genera are recorded for the first time from Georgia and 25 of them for the Caucasus. From these, 16 species level taxa are newly recorded in Georgia, and 14 identified species are new records for the Caucasus. This brings the number of known insect species in the Lagodekhi Protected Area (LPA) to 1682.
Ceraphronidae, Diapriidae, Megaspilidae, Platygastridae, Proctotrupidae, Scelionidae, parasitic wasps, South Caucasus
Except for some families belonging to the Chalcidoidea superfamily, microhymenopterans in Georgia (Sakartvelo) are scarcely studied. Notwithstanding this neglect, the group contains some of the most important biological control agents of phytophagous insects, in particular selected species of Scelionidae (
We collected samples in Lagodekhi Protected Area using malaise traps during the entire growing season, from April to November of 2014. Malaise traps were placed in seven different areas with the following vertical zonal characteristics: H1: low-altitude forest (450–750 m), 666 m, 41.852483, 46.287767;
H2: mid-altitude forest (750–1250 m), 847 m, 41.85585, 46.292733;
H3: high-altitude forest (1250–1800 m), 1351 m, 41.871467, 46.311533;
H4: subalpine forest (1800–2000 m),1841 m, 41.882733, 46.32185;
H5: subalpine forest (1800–2000 m), 1902 m, 41.885583, 46.324117;
H6: Subalpine meadows and shrublands (2000–2500 m), 2230 m, 41.89805, 46.333883;
H7: alpine zone (above 2500 m), 2559 m, 41.906183, 46.3334.
Malaise traps were obtained from B & N Entomological services (http://www.entomology.org.uk/). Traps were emptied every 10 (± 2) days and stored speciments in 96% alcohol. Subsequently, samples were CPD dried and card mounted (Noyes, 2019). After sorting, all microhymeniopterans not belonging to the Chalcidoidea superfamily and/or Cynipoidea were sent to Dr Lubomir Masner, who screened, sorted and prepared the specimens for further determination. Identifications were done by L. Masner using published keys (
All voucher and type specimens were deposited in the entomological collection of the Agricultural University of Georgia, Tbilisi, Georgia. New records for Georgia are indicated with one asterisk, two asterisks next to the taxon name indicates the taxon, new to the Caucasus.
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Diapriidae Haliday, 1833
Genus: Entomacis Förster, 1856**
Entomacis perplexa (Haliday, 1857)
Entomacis platyptera (Haliday, 1857)
Family: Ismaridae Thomson, 1858**
Genus: Ismarus Haliday, 1835
Ismarus dorsiger (Haliday, 1831)
Ismarus haliday Foerster, 1850
Family: Megaspilidae Ashmead, 1893
Genus: Trichosteresis Forster, 1856**
Trichosteresis glabra (Boheman, 1832)
Family: Platygastridae Haliday, 1833
Genus: Iphitrachelus Haliday, 1836**
Iphitrachelus gracilis Masner, 1957
Iphitrachelus lar Haliday, 1835
Genus: Metaclisis Förster, 1856**
Metaclisis areolata (Haliday, 1835)
Genus: Platystasius Nixon, 1937**
Platystasius transversus (Thomson, 1859)
Family: Proctotrupidae Latreille, 1802
Genus: Brachyserphus Hellen, 1941
Brachyserphus parvulus (Nees, 1834)
Genus: Disogmus Förster, 1856
Disogmus areolator (Haliday, 1839)
Genus: Exallonyx Kieffer, 1904
Exallonyx brevicornis (Haliday, 1839)
Mischoserphus arcuator (Stelfox, 1950)
Genus: Phaenoserphus Kieffer, 1908
Phaenoserphus calcar (Haliday, 1839)**
Genus: Tretoserphus Townes, 1981**
Tretoserphus laricis (Haliday, 1839)
Family: Scelionidae Haliday, 1839
Genus: Idris Förster, 1856**
Idris pedestris (Kieffer, 1908)
Genus: Scelio Latreille, 1805*
Scelio rugulosus Latreille, 1805**
Genus: Teleas Latreille, 1809
Teleas lamellatus Szabo, 1956*
Genus: Trissolcus Ashmead, 1904
Trissolcus basalis (Wollaston, 1858)*
Trissolcus cultratus (Mayr, 1879)
Genus: Xenomerus Walker, 1836**
Xenomerus ergenna Walker, 1836
In addition, a number of taxa were recorded in the LPA which have unknown species identities. These include Aphanogmus sp. (Ceraphronidae) (1 Female; H1; 5-15.VI.2014) (from this genus, the only species, A. steinitzi Priesner, was recorded from Achara region of Georgia (
In summary, new records to Georgia or the Caucasus were identified, and a number of unidentified taxa belonging to seven wasp families, Ceraphronidae, Diapriidae, Ismaridae, Megaspilidae, Platygastridae, Proctotrupidae and Scelionidae, were collected in the LPA. Sixteen of these species were new country records for Georgia (14 new for the Caucasus) and thus the number of insect species recorded from LPA has reached 1682 species (
We would like to express our gratitude to Dr Lubomir Masner, Research Associate (Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, K.W. Neatby Building, Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0C6, Canada), for his kind help in species identifications. We also thank the Shota Rustaveli National Science Foundation for financial support (project ref. FR/221/7-110/13).
ნაშრომში წარმოდგენილია სიფრიფანაფრთიან-ების კვლევის შედეგები ლაგოდეხის დაცული ტერიტორიებიდან. შესწავლილი იქნა შვიდი ოჯახი (Ceraphronidae, Diapriidae, Ismaridae, Megaspilidae, Platygastridae, Proctotrupidae and Scelionidae) რომელთაგან ერთი ოჯახი წარმოადგენს პირველ შეტყობინებას კავკასიის რეგიონისთვის. 16 სახეობა ახალია საქართველოსთვის, მათგან 14 კი კავკასიისათვის. ასევე, სახეობებიდან, რომლებიც გაირკვა მორფო სახეობის დონეზე 33 გვარი ახალია საქართველოსათვის, მათგან 25 კი კავკასიისათვის. კვლევის შედეგების შედეგად ლაგოდეხის დაცული ტერიტორიებისთვის აღწერილ მწერთა სახეობების რაოდენობა გაიზარდა 1682 სახეობამდე.