Caliroa Costa 1859

Caliroa Costa, 1859

Caliroa Costa, 1859: 59; Takeuchi, 1952: 56; Lorenz & Kraus, 1957: 111; Smith, 1971: 12; Zhelochovtsev & Zinovjev, 1988: 57, 191; Wei, 1997: 52; Vasu, 1998: 286; Wei, 1998: 26; Lacourt, 1999: 54; Taeger et al., 2010: 364; Koch & Smith, 2011: 445. Type-species: Caliroa sebetia Costa, 1859 [= Caliroa cothurnata (Serville, 1823)], by monotypy.

Eriocampoides Konow, 1890: 233. Type species: Tenthredo limacina Retzius, 1783 [= Caliroa cerasi (Linné, 1758)], by subsequent designation of MacGillivray (1909).

Periclistoptera Ashmead, 1898: 255. Type species: Monostegia alba (Norton, 1867) [= Caliroa obsoleta (Norton, 1867)], by original designation.

For more synonymy, see Smith (1971) and Lacourt (1999).

Diagnosis. Length 3.5–6.5 mm. Anterior margin of postocellar area not grooved (Fig. 3A), sometimes laterally grooved (Fig. 3B). Dorsal tentorial pit (DTP in Fig. 3C) widely separated from torulus; distance between dorsal tentorial pit and torulus as long as or slightly longer than height of torulus. Distance between toruli 1.1–1.6 × distance between torulus and eye (Fig. 3 D–M). Outer margin of eye without large punctures. Genal carina absent or only distinct in very short ventral part. Malar space less than 0.2 × width of median ocellus [except for C. feri Vasu, 1998 from India with malar space 0.5 × diameter of median ocellus (Vasu, 1998)]. Antenna with pedicel longer than wide, shorter than scape (Fig. 3 N–W); first flagellomere longer than second; apical four flagellomeres combined 0.9–2.1 × as long as first flagellomere. Epicnemium narrow; epicnemial groove rarely inconspicuous. Mesepisternum continuously setose from dorsal to ventral ends, glabrous along anterior margin. Metapleuron with metapleural groove nearly straight. Basal two tarsomeres without plantar lobe (Fig. 3X). Tarsal claw with one outer tooth and large acute basal lobe. Forewing with joint of vein M and crossvein 2r-m located basal to joint of vein M and crossvein 2m-cu (Figs 1, 2); vein 2A+3A complete, without spur like appendix [in some Afrotropical and Nearctic species, vein 2A+3A incomplete, with its wide middle part obliterated (figs 6, 8 in Koch & Smith, 2011)]; crossvein a present, oblique (Figs 1, 2). Hind wing of male with or without marginal vein. Cercus short, long oval (fig. 2J in Hara & Shinohara, 2013) [in some Oriental species, cercus slender (figs 3, 4 in Vasu, 1998)]. Lancet sinuate (Figs 6–10). Penis valve with small lateral spine at apical fourth (Fig. 11).

Remarks. Smith (1971), Wei (1997, 1998) and Koch & Smith (2011) adopted the reduction of apical four antennomeres as a generic character of Caliroa. Smith (1971) and Wei (1997) wrote that “apical four segments reduced, together subequal in length to or only slightly longer than third segment”. Wei (1998) wrote that “Apical 4 segments of antenna distinctly reduced, 3rd segment of antenna longer than apical 3 segments together”. However, apical four antennomeres are not very reduced in C. annulipes (fig. 2J in Hara, 2011), C. ouensis (Fig. 3S) and C. vaccini (Fig. 3R). These three species have the apical four antennomeres together 1.5–2.1 × as long as a third antennomere, and a third antennomere is 0.8–0.9 × as long as the apical three antennomeres together.

Smith (1971) and Vasu (1998) wrote that an epicnemium (or prepectus) is absent in Caliroa, while Wei (1997, 1998) wrote that it is distinct. In our material, an epicnemium is usually well defined by a distinct epicnemial groove.

Wei (1998) stated in his key to genera of the Caliroini that “Hind basitarsus as long as or longer than following 4 joints combined” and “Postocellar furrow absent” for Caliroa and Sinocaliroa Wei, 1998, and “2nd cubital cell distinctly shorter than 3rd cubital cell”, “Penis valve with a large apical hook” and “Lance without serrula-like dent” for Caliroa. These characters are variable within the genus in our material. A hind first tarsomere is 0.7–1.1 × as long as the following four tarsomeres combined. A postocellar furrow is sometimes distinct laterally (Fig. 3B). The forewing has the cell 2Cu often as long as the cell 3Cu (Figs 1A, 2A, E, O, Q). The apex of a penis valve is not hooked but rounded in C. staphyleae (Fig. 11R). A lance is often slightly but distinctly serrate (e.g. Figs 7A, 10G).

Caliroa is most similar to Arla Malaise, 1957 in Japanese tenthredinid genera. They are distinguished as follows: the anterior margin of a postocellar area is not grooved or shortly grooved laterally in Caliroa (Fig. 3A, B), while it is entirely grooved in Arla; the distance between a dorsal tentorial pit and a torulus is as long as or slightly longer than the height of a torulus in Caliroa (Fig. 3C), while it is shorter than that height in Arla; an epicnemium is usually distinct in Caliroa, while it is absent in Arla; the mesepisternum is setose from the dorsal to ventral parts uninterruptedly in Caliroa, while it is setose on the dorsal and ventral parts and widely glabrous on the middle part in Arla.