Eight new Palaearctic wasps species of Apsilocera Bouček 1956, female and 2 species for the first time described

NEWS - The researchers reviewed 12 Palaearctic species of Apsilocera Bouček 1956 with 8 new species described, the female Apsilocera verticillata Bouček 1956 was described for the first time, Apsilocera dupla Mitroiu & Achterberg 2013 and A. elongata Mitroiu & Achterberg 2013 were recorded from the Palaearctic for the first time.

The pteromalid genus Apsilocera Bouček 1956 with the type species A. verticillata Bouček 1956 belongs to the family Pteromalidae, subfamily Pteromalinae and is distributed in the Nearctic, Palaearctic, Oriental and Australian regions. It currently includes 19 species with only A. bramleyi Graham 1966 and A. verticillata Bouček 1956 found in the Palaearctic region.

Another species A. breviscapus Bouček 1993 is distributed in the Nearctic region. Three species, A. australis Bouček 1988, A. bidens (Bouček, 1988) and A. brevis (Bouček, 1988) are distributed in the Australian region.

Thirteen other species are distributed in the Eastern region: A. acuticristata Mitroiu & Achterberg 2013, A. bicristata Mitroiu & Achterberg 2013, A. brevivena Xiao & Huang 2001, A. cornuta Mitroiu & Achterberg 2013, A. dentata Mitroiu & Achterberg 2013, A. dupla Mitroiu & Achterberg 2013, A. elongata Mitroiu & Achterberg 2013, A. fulvipennis Mitroiu & Achterberg 2013, A. longicornis Mitroiu & Achterberg 2013, A. pallikava Mitroiu & Achterberg, 2013 and A. tuberculata Mitroiu & Achterberg 2013.

Unfortunately, the biology of most Apsilocera species is unknown, but most were collected near dead trees in forests. Only A. bramleyi is known to parasitize small diptera of the family Cecidomyiidae: Cecidomyia sp. and Mycocecis ovalis Edwards 1922.

The eight new species are Ray Douglas Bradbury wasp (Apsilocera bradburyi) Tselikh, Lee & Ku (Republic of Korea), Buddha wasp (A. budai) Tselikh, Lee & Ku (Republic of Korea), elegant wasp (A. eleganta) Tselikh, Haas & Ku (Republic of Korea, Sweden), wide stigma wasp (A. grandistigma) Tselikh, Lee & Ku (Republic of Korea).

Jeju Island wasp (A. jejuensis) Tselikh, Lee & Ku (Republic of Korea), Marina Kopylova wasp (A. marina) Tselikh, Lee & Ku (Republic of Korea), Totoro wasp (A. totoroi) Tselikh, Haas & Ku (Germany, Japan, Sweden) and Vladimir Trjapitzin wasp (A. triapitzini) Tselikh, Haas & Ku (Russia, Republic of Korea, Sweden).

Original research

Tselikh EV, Lee J, Haas M, Mitroiu M-D, Ku D-S (2024). Review of the Palaearctic species of Apsilocera Bouček, 1956 (Chalcidoidea, Pteromalidae), with descriptions of the eight new species. ZooKeys 1215: 259-288, DOI:10.3897/zookeys.1215.128603

Dlium theDlium

Sandbox tree (Hura crepitans)

Sandbox tree ( Hura crepitans ) is species in Euphorbiaceae, a tropical tree, growing up to 60 meters tall and with a trunk circumference of up to 13.2 meters, the trunk is covered with long and sharp thorns and exudes a poisonous sap. H. crepitans has large, oval leaves, 15 cm wide and 20 cm long. The petioles are 22 cm long. The flowers are red and lack petals. Male flowers grow on long stalks, while female flowers grow singly in leaf axils. The fruit is a large, flask-shaped capsule, up to 10 cm in diameter, with 12-16 radially arranged carpels. The seeds are flat and about 2 cm in diameter. The capsule bursts when ripe, dividing into segments and ejecting the seeds at a speed of 70 m/s, a distance of 30-100 meters. This tree prefers moist soil and partial shade or partial to full sun, a warm, humid environment. It is often cultivated for shade. The wood is light and used to make canoes. The sap is used to poison fish. Kingdom: Plantae Phylum: Tracheophyta Subphylum: Angiosperma...

Fivefingers (Syngonium angustatum)

Donglimo or fivefingers ( Syngonium angustatum ) is species in Araceae, epiphytes, grow to climb large trees up to 20 meters high, produce milky sap, dark green, internodes up to 50 cm long, petioles up to 35 cm long, green and live in areas tropical. S. angustatum has roots in the soil to absorb nutrients and air roots that grow in each segment to attach themselves to a support. Wild plants that live in forests often cause trees to be uprooted by heavy loads. The main stem produces a row of stems, up to 60 cm with the ends of a group of leaves with 3-7 separate leaflets, but connected by horizontal stems. The middle leaf has a length of up to 25 cm and a width of up to 12 cm. The flower has a veil, round in shape and a pointed tip, green and facing up with a stalk up to 15 cm long. The head of the pistil is tubular, stands 3-5 cm long and is white. The fruit is in a veil, rounded with a pointed tip and green when young to turn bright red when ripe and grow on the tip of the ...

Bitter melon (Momordica charantia)

Pare or bitter melon ( Momordica charantia ) is a plant species in Cucurbitaceae, grows climbing or spreads with spiral-shaped tendrils, many branches, long fruit and jagged surface, grows well in tropical regions and is usually cultivated for vegetables and medicinal ingredients. M. charantia has green stems with white hairs. Single leaf stemmed and arranged alternately, length 3.5-8.5 cm, width 4 cm, divided into 5-7 fins with many bones, heart-shaped base, green, wrinkled surface and jagged margins. A single flower has a stalk, male and female flowers in the tree, the crown has five fins and is yellow. The fruit is long oval shaped, has 8-10 linear ribs, irregular nodules, 6-30 cm long depending on subspecies and varieties, bitter taste, young green, ripe to orange and broken with three parts. Bitter melon has several subpsecies including Momordica charantia macroloba , Momordica charantia charantia and Momordica charantia abbreviata . Some varieties include Momordica charantia ...

Dlium