BIHAREAN BIOLOGIST 6 (1): pp.61-64 ©Biharean Biologist, Oradea, Romania, 2012 Article No.: 121107 http://biozoojournals.3x.ro/bihbiol/index.html

New records of Phanerotomella rufa (Marshall, 1898) and Phanerotoma (Phanerotoma) acuminata Szépligeti, 1908

(Hymenoptera: Braconidae) from northern Iran

Samira FARAHANI1, Ali Asghar TALEBI1* and Ehsan RAKHSHANI2

1. Department of Agricultural Entomology, Faculty of Agriculture, Tarbiat Modares University, P.O. Box: 14115-336, Tehran, Iran. 2. Department of Plant Protection, College of Agriculture, University of Zabol, Iran.

* Corresponding author: A.A. Talebi, E-mail: talebia@modares.ac.ir

Received: 22. October 2011 / Accepted: 10. April 2012 / Available online: 4. May 2012 / Printed: June 2012

Abstract. Two rare species, Phanerotomella rufa (Marshall, 1898) and Phanerotoma (Phanerotoma) acuminata Szépligeti, 1908 (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Cheloninae) have been recorded for the first time in Iran. P. rufa represents the first record of the genus Phanerotomella Szépligeti, 1900 in Iran. Specimens were collected using malaise traps from different habitats of northern Iran during 2010. Diagnostic characters and geographical distribution of the species are briefly discussed.

Key words: Cheloninae, Phanerotomini, new record, rare species, Iran.

Introduction

Braconidae is one of the largest families of the parasitic wasps and is grouped into 48 subfamilies worldwide (Yu et al. 2006), with a diverse habitat and biology (van Achterberg 1990, 1993, Shaw & Huddleston 1991). The Cheloninae is the most easily recognizable subfamily of Braconidae, because of the metasomal carapace (formed by the fusion of the first three tergites), the complete posterior transverse carina on the mesosternum and three submarginal cells in the fore-wing. Members of the subfamily Cheloninae are cosmopoli-tan species that include the solitary egg-larval endoparasi-toids of Lepidoptera, especially Tortricoidea and Pyraloidea, but also other taxa whose larvae are born in stems, buds or fruits (Shaw 1997). Cheloninae comprise more than 1300 de-scribed species worldwide (Yu et al. 2006, Edmardash et al. 2011). In spite of the worldwide distribution, only the tribes Chelonini Förster, 1862 and Phanerotomini Baker, 1926 are represented in the Palaearctic region (van Achterberg 1990, Yu et al. 2006, Aydogdu 2008). The western Palaearctic spe-cies of the Phanerotomini were revised and keyed by van Achterberg (1990), who reported a total of 47 species. To date, a total of 288 species of Phanerotomini have been re-ported in the world and approximately 50 species are found in the Palaearctic region (Yu et al. 2006). The fauna of Iranian Braconidae was poorly studied. The first work mentioning some Cheloninae from Iran was that of Telenga (1941) who reported six species. Until recently, 27 species of Cheloninae have been recorded from Iran (van Achterberg & Mehrnejad 2002, Ghahari et al. 2009, Fallahzadeh & Saghaei 2010, Gha-hari & Fischer 2011, Lashkari Bod et al. 2011), distinctly rep-resenting a small part of this large group of insects. Six spe-cies of the genus Phanerotoma have already been known from Iran (Hedwig 1957, Zettel 1990, Al-e-Mansour & Mostafavi 1993, Fallahzadeh & Saghaei 2010, Ghahari & Fischer 2011). Here, we present two new records of the tribe Phanero-tomini from Iran. Material and Methods

Material for this study was collected from different habitats of the northern Iran using malaise traps during 2010 (Fig. 1). The speci-mens were extracted from the traps and sorted weekly. They were

then treated with 100% ethanol for 5 min. followed by hexamethyld-isilazane (HMDS) for 30 min and finally placed on the glass plate for drying (Heraty & Hawks 1998). The dried specimens were then card-mounted and labeled. The specimens were identified using reliable keys and comparing with the original descriptions (van Achterberg 1990). Geographical characteristics of the collecting sites are given in Table 1. All specimens are deposited in the insect collection of the Department of Entomology, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran.

Figure 1. The habitat in which specimens were collected by malaise trap.

Results and Discussion

Two species belonging to the tribe Phanerotomini were iden-tified and recorded for the first time from Iran. The genus Phanerotomella has been reported here for the first time from Iran.

Phanerotomella rufa (Marshall, 1898) (Fig. 2-6)

Material examined: Alborz province - Karadj (N: 35° 46.336', E: 50° 56.749', 1278m asl), 22-VI-2010, 1♂; 07-IX-2010, 1♀; Al-borz province - Shahriar (N: 35° 40.135', E: 50° 56.944', 1168m asl), 28-IX-2010, 1♂, leg. A. Nadimi.

Diagnosis: body length 2.6 mm (for the Iranian speci-mens), body yellowish or brown (Fig. 2); number of antennal segments of male 32 (Fig. 4) and female 31; eyes compara-tively large (Fig. 6); ocelli small; frons nearly always with

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Table 1. Geographical characteristics of sampling locations in Guilan and Alborz provinces during 2010.

Locality Latitude and longitude Altitude (m) Habitat Alborz province, Karadj N= 35˚ 46.336' / E= 50˚ 56.749' 1278 Orchard Alborz province, Shahriar N= 35˚ 40.135' / E= 50˚ 56.944' 1168 Orchard Guilan province, Eshmankamachal N= 37˚ 22.061' / E= 49˚ 57.964' -1 Humid forests Guilan province, Rudsar, Orkom N= 36˚ 45.739' / E= 50˚ 18.798' 1201 Deciduous forests and hazelnut

some rugose laterally and smooth medially; fore wing length 2.4 mm, marginal cell of fore wing narrow and short, fore wings 2-SR and SR1 straight, 1-R1 subequal to pterostigma; parastigma small, second submarginal cell usually distinctly petiolate (Fig. 3); hind wing length 1.9-2 mm, vein cu-a of hind wing absent; legs yellowish; apex of third metasomal tergite of male with lateral pair of lamelliform-lobes (Fig. 5), first and second tergites reticulated;

Distribution: Austria, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Turkey, USSR (Moldavia), Serbia (van Achterberg 1990, Yu et al. 2006, Zikic et al. 2010) and Iran (newly recorded).

Biology: unknown.

Phanerotoma (Phanerotoma) acuminata Szépligeti, 1908 (Fig. 7-12)

Material examined: Guilan province - Eshmankamachal (N: 37°22.061', E: 49°57.964', -1m asl), 05-VII-2010, 1♀; 11-VII-2010, 2♂; Guilan province - Rudsar, Orkom (N: 36˚45.739΄, E: 50˚18.198΄, 1201m asl) 06-VII-2010, 2♀, leg. M. Khayrandish.

Diagnosis: body length 4-4.9 mm (for the Iranian speci-mens), body yellowish (Fig. 7); number of antennal segments

of male and female 23 (Fig. 9); face rugose; mesosternum shiny, mesoscutum densely and finely rugose (Fig. 12); fore wing length 4-4.5 mm, marginal cell of fore wing wide and long, 2-SR and SRI straight; 1-R1 longer than pterostigma (1.3 time), parastigma large, dark; first discal cell pigmented, hind wing length 3.2-3.5 mm, subbasal cell of hind wing open, SC+R1 of hind wing straight; middle tibia with con-spicuous blister (Fig. 11); third metasomal tergite of female narrowed distally (Fig. 10) and its lateral sides nearly straight, metasoma strongly flattened.

Distribution: Austria, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Eng-land, Italy, France, Netherlands, Romania, former USSR (Azerbajdzhan, Crimea), Germany, Serbia, Mongolia, Mon-tenegro (van Achterberg 1990, Yu et al. 2006, Papp 2009, Zikic et al. 2010) and Iran (newly recorded).

Biology: It has been reported as a parasitoid of the Clover hay-worm moth, Hypsopygia costalis Fabricius, 1775 (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) (Yu et al. 2006).

Very little information is available about taxonomy of the tribe Phanerotomini in Iran. Until recently, six Phanero-toma species have been reported from Iran. These are: Phan-

Figures 2-6. The external morphology of adult male of Phanerotomella rufa, 2., dor-sal view of general habitus; 3. Forewing; 4. Antenna; 5. Dorsal aspect of metasoma; 6. Lateral aspect of head.

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erotoma (Bracotritoma) parva Kokujev, 1903, P. (B.) masiana Fahringer, 1934, P. (P.) fracta Kokujev, 1903, P. (P.) leucobasis Kriechbaumer, 1894, P. (P.) syleptae Zettel, 1990 and P. (B.) permixtellae Fischer, 1968 (Hedwig 1957, Zettel 1990, Al-e-Mansour & Mostafavi 1993, Fallahzadeh & Saghaei 2010, Ghahari & Fischer 2011). Recently, Ghramh (2011) has re-ported four species of the genus Phanerotoma from Saudi Arabia. The genus Phanerotomella has been recorded for the first time from Iran. Many species have been described from Afrotropical region (van Achterberg 1990). The genus Phan-

erotomella has been recorded from Greece (van Achterberg 1990), Turkey (Aydogdu & Beyarslan 2009), Russia Far East (Belokobylskij 1986), India (Ahmad & Shujauddin 2003), Ko-rea (Papp, 2003), Austria (Zettel, 1987) and Germany, Bohe-mia, Hungary, Moldavia (Zettel, 1989). The genus Phanero-toma has also a wide distribution in Central Asia (van Achterberg 1990, Aydogdu & Beyarslan 2009) indicating a need for further studies in Iran, concerning their potential as biological control agents against some important lepidop-teran pests.

Acknowledgements. We would like to thank the department of Entomology, Tarbiat Modares University for providing financial support for this research. We are most grateful to the editor, Dr. Mehmet Zülfü Yildiz and an anonymous reviewer for their very valuable comments and suggestions on the earlier version of this paper. References Ahmad, Z., Shuja-Uddin (2003): Description of a new species of Phanerotomella

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