Biharean Biologist (2009) Vol. 3, No.2, Pp.: 157-159 Article No.: 031204 P-ISSN: 1843-5637, E-ISSN: 2065-1155 New distribution and host record of Eurytoma scrophulariae Zerova, 1981 (Hym.: Eurytomidae) from south of Iran Hosseinali LOTFALIZADEH1 and Abbas MOHAMMADI-KHORAMABADI2 1. Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agriculture, Azad University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran E-mail: hlotfalizadeh2001@yahoo.com 2. College of Agriculture and Natural Resources of Darab, Shiraz University , Darab, P.O.B. 335, Iran Abstract. Eurytoma scrophulariae Zerova, 1981 (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea, Eurytomidae) was reared on Stator limbatus (Horn, 1873) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Bruchinae) as a seed-eater beetle of Prosopis stephaniana (Willd.) (Fabaceae). It is a new record of E. scrophulariae from south and center of Iran. The association of E. scrophulariae on S. limbatus and P. stephaniana is newly described. Keywords: Eurytoma scrophulariae, Eurytomidae, parasitoid, Stator limbatus Recently junior author (AMK) collected seeds of Prosopis stephaniana (Willd.) (Fabaceae) in the south of Iran (Fars Province, Darab) in 15.III.2008. Within these seeds several specimens of the Eurytomidae family (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea) emerged in late March to April 2008 (Figs 5-6). The pupation lasted approximately two weeks. Specimens were presumably placed in alcohol 75% shortly after emergence. They were dehydrated, card mounted and identified as Eurytoma scrophulariae Zerova, 1981 using available keys for the Palaearctic region (Zerova 1995, Zerova & Seryogina 2006) by senior author (HL). These specimens were considered as seed-eaters of P. stephaniana, whilst the species included in this group of Eurytoma are parasitic. Hence, biological information was doubted and intensive verifications showed it lives parasitically on a seed-eater beetle, Stator limbatus (Horn, 1873) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Bruchinae) (Figs 1-2). Notes. Traditionally, the genus Eurytoma Illiger is a very large genus within the family. It has been recently limited and re-defined based on a phylogenetic analysis (Lotfalizadeh et al. 2007). Over 695 species of the genus Eurytoma that occur worldwide, 305 species are distributed in the Palaearctic region (Noyes 2009); however, only nine species are known from Iran (Noyes 2009, Lotfalizadeh et al. 2007). Hence, E. scrophulariae is new for Iranian fauna. We collected this species in another locality in the centre of Iran (Yazd) on 5.VIII.2008 and it seems that it has two generations annually. The Eurytoma scrophulariae belongs to the nodularisgroup (Lotfalizadeh et al. 2007) or robusta-group of the genus Eurytoma (Zerova and Seryogina 2006). The entire species are exclusively parasitoid of different orders of ©Biharean Biologist, Oradea, Romania, 2009 http://biologie-oradea.xhost.ro/BihBiol/index.html insects’ seed, pod and wood-eater mainly within the beetles, wasps and flies. Zerova and Seryogina (2006) summarized the trophic relationship of this group and listed them in a table. Based on phylogentic studies of Lotfalizadeh et al. (2007), it belongs to the genus Aximopsis Ashmead, 1904. Gates et al. (2006) discussed diagnostic characters of the genus with two synapomorphies supporting its monophyly. Nevertheless, only one of them has been confirmed by Lotfalizadeh et al. (2007) as a true synapomorphy. The Eurytoma scrophulariae superficially resembles E. nona Zerova, having a much wider head. It differs from it distinctly in a rounded procoxal tooth (from a lateral view). It also resembles Eurytoma alhagicola Zerova, from which it differs by characters outlined in Zerova and Seryogina (2006) and Zerova (1995) as follow: length of gaster and forewing nervation also by shape of antennal segments. Diagnosis. (Figs 7-10)- The head is considerably wider than the thorax, dorsally, 2 times wider than broad; the eyes large, convex and the longitudinal diameter of the eye noticeably exceeds the length of the cheek; lower face mostly strigose, ridges reaching antennal toruli above (Fig.9), face punctured laterodorsally; intertorular space (ITS) deeply sulcate and raised laterally; lateral margin of antennal scrobes carinate, forming a raised lobe just above toruli; gena with a raised conspicuous carina (GNC= genal carina); preorbital rows of punctures visible as a faint preorbital carinae and a row of punctures visible along the posterior margin of eyes; postgenal laminae well expanded, visible in lateral view as a small tooth; all of funicular segments longer than broad, equal in length (Fig.8); mesopleuron, ventral shelf present and horizontal, delimited anteriorly by ventral part of epicne- Biharean Biol. 3, 2009 Oradea, Romania 158 Lotfalizadeh, H. & Mohammadi-Khoramabadi, A. Figures 1-10. 1- Larva of Stator limbatus on damaged seed of Prosopis stephaniana, 2- Cocoon of S. limbatus on capsule of P. stephaniana, 3 and 4- Cocoons of a Braconidae wasp, another parasitoid of S. limbatus, 5- Pupae of Eurytoma scrophulariae, 6- Emergence opening of E. scrophulariae on P. stephaniana seed, 7- E. scrophulariae: forewing venation. 8- E. scrophulariae: famle antenna, 9- E. scrophulariae: head in frontal view, 10- E. scrophulariae: female profile in lateral view. mial carina; ventral prepectus with a sharp tooth, distinctly visible in lateral view (when remove fore coxae); fore coxae with a oblique groove and S-like raised basal carina; T4 not completely overlapping T5 laterally and not strongly emarginate on posterior margin dorsally; T5 punctulate latero-dorsally. Forewing venation as Fig.7. The available reported host appears to be weevil, especially those associated with Scrophularia sp. Biharean Biol. 3, 2009 (Scrophulariaceae). Zerova (1981) described it as a larval parasitoid of Gymnetron bipustulatum Rossi (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in Georgia. The associations of E. scrophulariae- Stator limbatus (as parasitoid-host) and E. scrophulariae- P. stephaniana (as parasitoid – host plant) are newly described here. Stator limbatus as host of this parasitoid is a generalist feeding in the seeds of more than 50 host plants from southwestern United States to northern South America. Grissell (1995, 2005) has New distribution and host record of Eurytoma scrophulariae Zerova, 1981 (Hym.: Eurytomidae) from south of Iran reported torymid wasp, Microdontomerus anthonomi (Crawford, 1907) (Hymenoptera: Torymidae) as a larval parasitoids of S. limbatus in the Nearctic region. It was reported as a solitary ectoparasitoid and also functions as a facultative hyperparasitoid (Grissell, 2005). Another reported parasitoid of S. limbatus is Uscana semifumipennis Girault, 1911 (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae) that attack eggs of beetles (Burks, 1979). It occurs mainly in the Nearctic region (Siemens et al., 1991; Siemens and Johnson, 1992) that was found in Hungary and Japan (Noyes, 2009). We reared another parasitoid wasp (Hymenoptera: Braconidae, Ragodinae) on this host (Figs 3-4). It is a gregarious ectoparasitoid. 159 of the Palearctics. Naukova Dumka Publishers, Kiev. [in Russian]. Zerova, M.D., Seryogina, L.Y. (2006): A review of Palaearctic species of the genus Eurytoma belonging to the E. robusta species-group (Hymenoptera, Eurytomidae), with a description of two new species. Entomological review 86 (6): 695-705. Submitted: 13 May 2009 / Accepted: 31 May 2009 Published Online: 25 June 2009 Acknowledgments. Our special thanks to Mr. H. Brumand (Emeritus, Iranian Research Institute of Plant Protection, Tehran) for identification of bruchid species and Dr. M. Mofidi-Neyestanak (Iranian Research Institute of Plant Protection, Tehran) for editing the text. References Burks, B.D. (1979): Torymidae (Agaoninae) and all other families of Chalcidoidea (excluding Encyrtidae). Pp.748-749, 768-889, 9671043. In: Krombein, K.V., Hurd, P.D., Smith, D.R., Burks, B.D. (eds.): Catalog of Hymenoptera in America North of Mexico. Smithsonian Institute Press, Washington, D.C. Gates, M.W., Metz, M.A., Schauff, M.E. (2006): The circumscription of the generic concept of Aximopsis Ashmead (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea: Eurytomidae) with the description of seven new species. Zootaxa 1273: 9–54. Grissell, E.E. (1995): Toryminae (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea: Torymidae): a redefinition, generic classification and annotated world catalogue of species. Memoirs on Entomology, International 2: 474pp. Grissell, E.E. (2005): A review of North American species of Microdontomerus Crawford (Torymidae: Hymenoptera). Journal of Hymenoptera Research 14 (1): 22-65. 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Zerova, M.D. (1995): The parasitic Hymenoptera-subfamilies Eurytominae and Eudecatominae (Chalcidoidea, Eurytomidae) Biharean Biol. 3, 2009