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

Javan broadhead planarian (Bipalium javanum)

Cacing palu or Javan broadhead planarian ( Bipalium javanum ) is a species of animal in Geoplanidae, hermaphrodite, living on the ground, predators, often called only hammerhead or broadhead or shovel worms because of wide heads and simple copulatory organs. B. javanum has a slim stature, up to 20 cm long, up to 0.5 cm wide, head wide up to 1 cm or less, small neck, widening in the middle and the back end is rounded, all black and shiny. Javan broadhead planarians walk above ground level by raising their heads and actively looking left, right and looking up using strong neck muscles. Move swiftly, track meander, climb to get through all obstacles or make a new path if the obstacle is too high. Cacing palu track and prey on earthworms and mollusks. They use muscles and sticky secretions to attach themselves to prey to lock in. The head and ends of the body are wrapped around and continue to close the body to stop prey reactions. They produce tetrodotoxins which are very strong...
Read more

Thomas Sutikna lives with Homo floresiensis

BLOG - On October 28, 2004, a paper was published in Nature describing the dwarf hominin we know today as Homo floresiensis that has shocked the world. The report changed the geographical landscape of early humans that previously stated that the Pleistocene Asia was only represented by two species, Homo erectus and Homo sapiens . The report titled "A new small-bodied hominin from the Late Pleistocene of Flores, Indonesia" written by Peter Brown and Mike J. Morwood from the University of New England with Thomas Sutikna, Raden Pandji Soejono, Jatmiko, E. Wahyu Saptomo and Rokus Awe Due from the National Archaeology Research Institute (ARKENAS), Indonesia, presents more diversity in the genus Homo. “Immediately, my fever vanished. I couldn’t sleep well that night. I couldn’t wait for sunrise. In the early morning we went to the site, and when we arrived in the cave, I didn’t say a thing because both my mind and heart couldn’t handle this incredible moment. I just went down...
Read more

Black potato (Coleus rotundifolius)

Black potato ( Coleus rotundifolius ) is a species of plant in Lamiaceae, herbaceous, fibrous roots and tubers, erect and slightly creeping stems, quadrangular, thick, and slightly odorous. Single leaves, thick, membranous, opposite and alternate. Leaves are oval, dark green and shiny on the upper side, bright green on the lower side. Up to 5 cm long, up to 4 cm wide, slightly hairy and pinnate leaf veins. Leaf stalks up to 4 cm long. Small, purple flowers. Star-shaped petals, lip-shaped crown, dark to light purple with a slightly curved tube shape. Flowering from February-August. Small tubers, brown and white flesh and tuber length 2-4 cm. Kingdom: Plantae Phylum: Tracheophyta Subphylum: Angiospermae Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Lamiales Family: Lamiaceae Subfamily: Nepetoideae Tribe: Ocimeae Subtribe: Plectranthinae Genus: Coleus Species: Coleus rotundifolius
Read more