Skip to main content

Flat wasps (Laelius Ashmead: Hymenoptera, Bethylidae) have four new species from Korea (Eastern Palaearctic)

Flat wasps (Laelius Ashmead Hymenoptera, Bethylidae) have four new species from Korea (Eastern Palaearctic)

NEWS - Laelius Ashmead, 1893 (Hymenoptera, Bethylidae) is a cosmopolitan bethylid genus with 68 valid species distributed worldwide and now a taxonomic study from Korea adds four new species: Seoul flat wasp (Laelius afores), Jeju-do flat wasp (Laelius atratus), Gangwon-do flat wasp (Laelius sulcatus) and Jeollanan-do flat wasp (Laelius tricuspis).

The presence and relative ratio or length of 2r-rs&Rs veins on the forewings stand out as the most useful characteristics in Laelius taxonomy. However, in the case of the four new species in this study, they generally show relatively equal lengths of 2r-rs and Rs veins.

L. afores is similar to L. jilinensis Lim & Lee, 2010. However, L. afores differs based on WF 1.9× LE (vs. WF 1.4× LE in L. jilinensis), LE 1.0× OOL (vs. LE 1.2× LE), dorsal pronotal 0.5× longer and wider (vs. 0.8× longer), mesoscutum without notaulus (vs. notaulus absent), propodeal slope without median longitudinal carina (vs. median longitudinal carina present).

L. atratus is similar to L. nigrofemoratus Terayama, 2006. However, L. atratus differs by having mandibles with 4 teeth (vs. 5 teeth in L. nigrofemoratus), reddish brown legs except coxa and black femora (vs. reddish brown including coxa), lateral carina of first metapostnotal parallel to median carina of metapostnotal (vs. extending close to transverse posterior carina of metapectal-propodeal complex).

L. sulcatus is similar to L. yamatonis Terayama, 2006. However, L. sulcatus differs by having LE 1.7× OOL (vs. LE 1.3× OOL in L. yamatonis), mesoscutum with notalulus (vs. mesoscutum without notalulus), lateral carina of second metapostnotal reaching basal three-quarters of metapostnotal-propodeal disc (vs. reaching one-quarter).

L. tricuspis is similar to L. jilinensis Lim & Lee, 2010. However, L. tricuspis differs by scape 3.5× along flagellomere III (vs. scape 2.8× along flagellomere III in L. jilinensis), WF 2.4× WOT (vs. WF 2.2× WOT), pronotal disc 0.5× long and wide (vs. 0.8× long and wide), metapectal-propodeal complex with 3 lateral carinae of metapostnotal (vs. 5).

Four new species from the Korean Peninsula make five Laelius species recorded in the country indicating higher species diversity compared to Japan (4), China (1) and Far Eastern Russia (1) raising speculation that there are more unknown species in the Eastern Palearctic region.

L. afores was collected from Seoul and the specific epithet refers to the absence of notaulus on the mesoscutum and the median carina on the slope of the propodeum. L. atratus was collected in Jeju-do and the specific epithet atratus refers to the submedian carina parallel to the median disc carina.

L. sulcatus was collected in Gangwon-do and the specific epithet sulcatus refers to the clearly developed notaulus on the mesoscutum. L. tricuspis was collected from Jeollanan-do and the specific epithet tricuspis refers to three long and distinct metapectal-propodeal carinae.

Original research

Lim J, Lee S (2024) Four new species of Laelius Ashmead (Hymenoptera, Bethylidae) from Korea with an updated key to species in the Eastern Palaearctic region. ZooKeys 1213: 251-265, DOI:10.3897/zookeys.1213.121630

Dlium theDlium
Labels:

Popular Posts

Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) manufacture bubble-nets as tools to increase prey intake

NEWS - Humpback whales ( Megaptera novaeangliae ) create bubble net tools while foraging, consisting of internal tangential rings, and actively control the number of rings, their size, depth and horizontal spacing between the surrounding bubbles. These structural elements of the net increase prey intake sevenfold. Researchers have known that humpback whales create “bubble nets” for hunting, but the new report shows that the animals also manipulate them in a variety of ways to maximize catches. The behavior places humpbacks among the rare animals that make and use their own tools. “Many animals use tools to help them find food, but very few actually make or modify these tools themselves,” said Lars Bejder, director of the Marine Mammal Research Program (MMRP), University of Hawaii at Manoa. “Humpback whales in southeast Alaska create elaborate bubble nets to catch krill. They skillfully blow bubbles in patterns that form a web with internal rings. They actively control details such ...
Read more

Jomblang Cave

Jomblang Cave or Luweng Jomblang is a 50-meter vertical collapse doline type cave in Gunung Kidul Regency, Yogyakarta Province, Indonesia. This cave was formed due to geological processes in which soil and vegetation on the surface collapsed to the bottom of the earth into a sinkhole thousands of years ago into ancient forests in the cave. Inside the cave grows endemic vegetation and a place for conservation of ancient plants. Sunlight bursts into 90 meters of Luweng Grubug to form a light pole, illuminating the beautiful flowstone and water dripping from a height in a dark room. Characteristics Jomblang Cave is one of the caves of hundreds of caves in the Gunung Sewu Geopark . This doline collapse cave is formed due to the surface process collapsing and forming a sinkhole. Ancient plants that lived on the surface also fell to the bottom of the earth, adapted and continued to grow until now as a very rare endemic plant. This cave has a mouth hole 50 meters wide and 60 meters ...
Read more

Artocarpus altilis var. altilis and Artocarpus altilis var. camansi, the differences

SPECIES HEAD TO HEAD - Genus Artocarpus J.R.Forst. & G.Forst. has more than 70 recorded species of which breadfruit ( Artocarpus altilis (Parkinson) Fosberg) and breadnut ( Artocarpus camansi Blanco) grow in tropical areas, both species are medium to large trees and have many similarities. Some researchers doubt both nomenclatures. I agree that both species should be one species. A. altilis is the domesticated version and widely cultivated in its history, while A. camansi is the original or wild version and has never undergone domestication in history. Both species have overall similarities including the shape and size of habitus, stem, leaves, flowers and fruit. The only differences are in the skin of the fruit and the size of the seeds as an impact of human cultural selection. A. altilis has fruit with a pericarp in the form of small and short thorns, while the number of seeds is small and small in size. A. camansi has fruit with a pericarp in the form of larger and long...
Read more