Skip to main content

Tago pincer wasp (Gonatopus tagoi) and reassignment Agonatopus gracilis as Gonatopus gigantostratiotes

NEWS - A new name, Gonatopus tagoi from Japan, previously known as Agonatopus gracilis (Esaki & Hashimoto, 1932), has been redescribed based on a newly collected female. A. gracilis has been included in Gonatopus, but the name G. gracilis is still used as Kieffer (1905) and is now Gonatopus gigantostratiotes as a replacement name.

Tago pincer wasp (Gonatopus tagoi) and reassignment Agonatopus gracilis as Gonatopus gigantostratiotes

The pincer wasp (Gonatopus Ljungh, 1810, Hymenoptera, Dryinidae, Gonatopodinae) is a parasitoid and predator of Auchenorrhyncha (Hemiptera). In Japan, there are 16 known species, most of which are 2.0–4.5 mm in size, but Toshiharu Mita of Kyushu University found a series of females in Honshu and Kyushu exceeding 4.5 mm in length.

G. tagoi has a total body length of 4.70 mm, head length 0.57 mm and width 1.22 mm, antenna 2.72 mm, mesosoma 2.43 mm, procoxa 0.90 mm, protrochanter 0.67 mm, profemora 1.38 mm, protibia 1.27, T5 0.75. The etymology comes from Toshihiro Tago, a holotype collector, by raking nets from grasslands in the dry riverbed of the Edo-gawa River, Central Honshu.

G. gigantostratiotes has a total body length of 6.02-7.28 mm, head 0.89-0.92 mm long and 1.62-1.63 mm wide, antennae 4.0 mm, mesosoma 3.00-3.38 mm, procoxa 1.17-1.29 mm, protrochanter 1.02-1.06 mm, profemora 2.14-2.15 mm, protibia 1.90-2.05 mm, T5 1.20-1.23 mm. The body size of females appears smaller due to a reduced metasoma.

The etymology of the alternate name is derived from the Greek words, "gigantis" and "stratiotes" meaning Giant Warrior. This name refers to the very large species among the Japanese Gonatopus. This name is a noun in the singular nominative form standing as an apposition.

Previous research suggested A. gracilis should be moved to Gonatopus. However, the name G. gracilis was taken over by G. gracilis (Kieffer, 1905), a junior synonym of G. lunatus (Klug, 1810) and no junior synonym is available. The replacement name G. gigantostratiotes is intended to eliminate the nomenclature conflict.

Original research

Toshiharu Mita (2024). Taxonomy of Japanese Gonatopus (Hymenoptera: Dryinidae), with description of a new species. Zootaxa 5506 (1): 113-121, DOI:10.11646/zootaxa.5506.1.7

Popular Posts

Kunu buti (Mesosphaerum suaveolens)

Kunu buti ( Mesosphaerum suaveolens ) is a species of plant in the Lamiaceae family. It is an erect, herbaceous annual, growing up to 1.5 meters tall. Its cylindrical, rough, brown or green stem is hairy and white. It grows on forest floors, bushes, agricultural fields, and roadsides. Its roots are fibrous and brownish-yellow. M. suaveolens has single, opposite leaves, stalks 2-5 cm long and hairy. The leaf blades are green, hairy, oval, with pointed tips, blunt bases, serrated edges, up to 6 cm long, up to 5 cm wide, and pinnate veins. The flowers are compound, axillary, in clusters, perfect, and bisexual. The petals are attached, forming a tube, each tip elongated like a spine, soft, 3-10 mm long, and green. The corolla is attached, asymmetrically detached, 1-2 cm long, and purple. The fruit is single, hard, capsule-shaped, hairy on the surface, and green or brown in color. The seeds are round, small and blackish brown in color. TAXON Kingdom: Plantae Phylum: Tracheophyta Subphyl...

Asian foxtail (Uraria crinita)

Asian foxtail or cat's tail bean ( Uraria crinita ) is a species of plant in Fabaceae, a perennial, upright shrub with woody stems at least at the base, up to 2 meters high in forests, agricultural land, waterways, used as a medicinal herb, green manure and sometimes planted in the garden as an ornamental plant. U. crinita has elongated leaves, rounded base, pointed tip, a bone in the middle with several pinnate veins, rough surface, dark green with white spots. Petiole short or less than 0.5 cm and brownish red. Compound flower in spike shape, purple and white triangular crown. Long flower stalk, erect, 15-20 cm long and only at the end of the flower. The crown slowly falls off and leaves behind a stalk that is shaped like coir or light yellow pads. Asian foxtail grows in dry grasslands, open forests, trash cans, roadsides, sandy areas and sometimes in deciduous forests, elevations of 0-1500 meters and does not grow in waterlogged places. The different parts are often used in t...

Brazilian vervain (Verbena brasiliensis)

Brazilian vervain ( Verbena brasiliensis ) is a species of plant in the Verbenaceae, an annual shrub with erect stems, up to 1 meter high, triangular or semi-spherical in shape with sharp corners, green, white-haired, lower branches in an opposite arrangement, branches above grows in an irregular formation. V. brasiliensis has elongated leaves, up to 20 cm long, up to 4 cm wide, sharp tip, deeply serrated or flat margins, dark green in color, a main vein in the middle and whitish in color, several minor veins laterally, rough and stiff surface. Inflorescences in panicles at the end of a long stalk up to 5 cm long. The flower petals are 3 mm long, 5 lobed and tubular in shape. The corolla is formed from fused petals and spreads open at the tip, only slightly longer than the calyx. Flowers have reproductive organs of both sexes. Superior and bicarpellary ovaries. The fruit is a schizocarp or dried fruit that splits when ripe. Wrapped in petals. Nutlets are triangular in cross-sec...