Anacharis immunis , Walker 1835

Anacharis immunis Walker, 1835

Fig. 2C, E–F

Anacharis immunis Walker, 1835: 521. Type examined.

Anacharis ensifer Walker, 1835: 522.

Cynips petiolata Zetterstedt, 1838: 409. Synonymized by Fergusson (1986).

Megapelmus rufiventris Hartig, 1841: 358.

Anacharis staegeri Dahlbom, 1842: 4. Synonymized by Dalla-Torre (1893).

Synapsis aquisgranensis Förster, 1869: 361.

Anacharis ensifera – Walker in Reinhard 1860: 217. Synonymized by Fergusson (1986). Type examined.

Anacharis rufiventris – Giraud 1860: 171. Synonymized by Fergusson (1986).

Prosynapsis aquisgranensis – Dalla-Torre & Kieffer 1910: 45. Synonymized by Kierych (1984).

Diagnosis

Species easily distinguishable from most Eurasian species of Anacharis by the weakly excavated notauli which tend to disappear in its anterior region in some individuals (in A. antennata, A. eucharoides, A. parapsidalis, A. belizini sp. nov. and A. fergussoni sp. nov., notauli always complete, deeply excavated, internally carinate). This character is also shared with A. norvegica sp. nov., but A. immunis can be distinguished by always having a smooth mesoscutum and big cells in the scutellum (mesoscutum carinate in its anterior region and scutellum densely covered by small cells in A. norvegica sp. nov.).

Type material

Type material of Anacharis immunis. Lectotype ♂ with the following labels: “ immunis, Walker ” (white label); “In coll. under immunis ” (white label); “Lectotype of A. immunis Walker det. N. D. M. Fergusson, 1981” (white label); “B. M. Type Hym. 2.160” (white label) (NHM).

Type material of Anacharis ensifera. Lectotype ♀ with the following labels: “F. Walker coll, 81-86” (white label); “In coll. 1981 under ensifer ” (white label); “Lectotype of A. ensifer Walker det. N.D.M. Fergusson, 1981” (white label); “B. M. Type Hym. 7.161” (white label) (NHM).

Type locality

Unknown.

Material examined

(7 ♀♀ & 7 ♂♂: 3 ♀♀ & 5 ♂♂ deposited in CNC; 3 ♀♀ & 1 ♂ deposited in ULg; 1 ♀ & 1 ♂ deposited in UB).

ANDORRA: 1 ♀, Santa Coloma, MT, Aug. 1992, J. Pujade leg. (UB).

BELGIUM: 1 ♀, Somal, 26 Sep. 2009, P.N. Libert leg. (ULg); 2 ♂♂, Somal, 27 May 2013, P.N. Libert leg. (UB, ULg). 2 ♀♀, Somal, 28 May 2013, P.N. Libert leg. (ULg).

GERMANY: 1 ♀, Mainz, 26 Aug.–3 Sep. 1965, A.W. Steffan leg. (CNC).

DENMARK: 1 ♂, S-Zealand, Feddent nr. Pastro, 27 Jul. 1994 (CNC); 1 ♀, W. Zealand, Woodat bromme, 28 Aug. 1994, Munk and Sharkey leg. (CNC).

SWEDEN: 1 ♂, Uppsala, Hagadalen, MT, 1–10 Aug. 1990, F. Ronquist leg. (CNC); 1 ♂, Uppsala, Hagadalen, MT, 1–17 Aug. 1990, F. Ronquist leg. (CNC); 1 ♀, Uppsala, Hagadalen, MT, 26 Aug.– 5 Sep. 1990, F. Ronquist leg. (CNC).

NORWAY: 1 ♀, Oppdall, Kongsvoll, Raubekken, 900 m a.s.l., MT, 31 Jul. 1980, J.O. Solem leg. (UB).

RUSSIA: 1 ♂, Yakutia, Cherskiy, MT, 15–20 Jul. 1990, D.N. Wood leg. (CNC).

JAPAN: 1 ♂, Hokkaido, Sapporo, Jozankei, 350 m a.s.l., 20–31 Jul. 1989, K. Maeto and M. Sharkey leg. (CNC).

Redescription

LENGTH. Body: 2.9 mm. Antennae: 2.7 mm (♂), 2.3 mm (♀). Wings: 2.6 mm.

COLORATION. Head, mesosoma and metasoma black. Mandibles yellowish brown with darker teeth. Antennae yellowish brown. Legs yellowish brown with darker coxae. Veins of wings yellowish.

HEAD. Triangular-shaped in anterior view. Face smooth, covered with white setae denser at malar area. Width of head 1.7 its times length in dorsal view and 1.3 times its height in anterior view. Malar sulcus coriaceous, 0.5 times height of compound eye. Transfacial line same length as height of compound eye. Diameter of toruli larger than inter-toruli distance and torulus to compound eye distance. Clypeus smooth, glabrous, shortly convex. Occipital and postocular carinae absent. Compound eyes glabrous except for a few short setae. In both sexes POL:OOL:LOL ratio = 7:4:3, ocelli diameter being 2.5. Frons, gena and occiput smooth, shiny and glabrous except for few sparse setae.

ANTENNAE. Cylindrical flagellomeres covered with pubescence. Female antennal formula: 9(3.5), 3.5(3), 10.5(2.5), 10(2.5), 8(2.5), 7(2.5), 6.5(3), 6.5(3), 6(3), 6(3), 6(3), 11(3). Male antennal formula: 8(3.5), 3.5(3.5), 9.5(2.5), 8(2.5), 8(2.5), 7.5(2.5), 7(2.5), 7(2.5), 7(2.5), 7(2.5), 6.5(2.5), 6(2.5), 6(2), 9(2). Placodeal sensilla start at F 4 in females and F 1 in males.

MESOSOMA. Pronotum smooth, punctate, covered by pubescence denser in its dorsal region; short carinae at base of pronotum (Fig. 2E) so reduced to being almost unnoticeable in some specimens. Mesoscutal width 1.2 times its length in dorsal view. Mesoscutum smooth to slightly alutaceous, shiny, almost glabrous except for few setae in its anterior third. Notauli weakly excavated, not internally carinate, complete in some specimens, but effaced in anterior third of mesoscutum in others (Fig. 2C); median mesoscutal furrow absent. Parapsidal signum, parascutal sulcus, absent. Scutellar length 0.6 to 0.7 times that of mesoscutum in dorsal view. Scutellar sculpture highly variable: in some specimens, scutellum areolate, while in some others smooth to slightly alutaceous. Scutellar foveae triangleshaped and smooth, basally defined by a weak carina which can be distinct or almost unnoticeable; lateral pits of scutellar foveae absent. Interfoveal line present. Circumscutellar carina complete, clearly defined, raised tooth projected at scutellar apex (Fig. 2F). Mesopleuron smooth, glabrous, shiny, with internally carinate transverse groove; some oblique carinae next to edge of pronotum, in some individuals slightly coriaceous. Mesopleural triangle smooth, pubescent. Metanotal troughs internally carinate, in some specimens carinae extended across all surface. Propodeum strongly alutaceous, pubescent; large central cell longitudinally divided by incomplete median carina, presence of weaker transverse carinae.

WINGS. Pubescent. Radial cell of forewing closed, 2.9 times as long as wide. Marginal pubescence of forewing denser at apical third.

METASOMA. Shorter than head + mesosoma. Petiole as long as metacoxa, smooth and shiny. Third metasomal tergum 2.8 times longer than fourth tergum in dorsal view. Fifth, sixth, seventh metasomal terga visible in dorsal view. Metasomal terga smooth and glabrous, punctate in anterior region of each tergum, more distinct from T4 to T7.

Taxonomic remarks

Anacharis immunis and A. ensifera were described as separate species by Walker (1835). In Fergusson (1986) they were synonymized. After examining the type material and series of undetermined material, we conclude that A. immunis is a valid species with a high variability in the scutellar sculpture (from completely smooth to softly areolate) and in the scutellar foveae (clearly defined by a carina in some specimens while in others there is a coarse band at the base of the foveae instead of the basal carina). The holotype of A. immunis has a smooth scutellum and scutellar foveae without basal carina, while the lectotype of A. ensifera has an areolate scutellum and a basal carina in the scutellar foveae; other specimens reflect intermediate states of those characters. The other synonymy established by Fergusson was A. rufiventris, but we could not examine the type material.

Fergusson (1986) mentioned the petiole of females being shorter than the metacoxa, while it is as long as the metacoxa in males. After examining the type material and other specimens we did not see the differences mentioned by Fergusson; both sexes present the petiole as long as the metacoxa.

Biology

Known to attack Hemerobius nervosus Fabricius, 1793 and Wesmaelius subnebulosus (Kierich, 1984).

Distribution

Palaearctic. Known from the United Kingdom (Walker 1835; Evenhuis 1964; Fergusson 1986); Austria, Germany, Norway and Sweden (Dalla-Torre & Kieffer 1910); Latvia and Russia (Belizin 1951); Armenia and Ukraine (Belizin 1961); Finland and Poland (Kierych 1984); first citation for Andorra, Belgium, Denmark and Japan.