New species of Neoapenesia (Hymenoptera: Bethylidae) from Japan, with special remarks on female morphology and bionomics

Abstract

A bethylid wasp is described as Neoapenesia makiharai n. sp. based on adults obtained from dead wood collected from the Ryukyus, Japan. The male is distinguishable from N. leytensis Terayama, the monotypic species of the genus, on the basis of the following characteristics: presence of short 2Rs vein, rounded propodeum, absence of sculpture on propodeum, widened subgenital plate, and apically rounded aedeagus. The female of Neoapenesia is described for the first time. Its morphological characteristics closely resemble those of Apenesia, but sex association was confirmed by the following facts: partial mitochondrial COI gene sequences (582 bp) of males and females were identical, and mating behavior was often observed. The female is easily distinguishable from females of Apenesia on the basis of the following characteristics: distinctly short antenna (not reaching posterior margin of head) and a disproportionately large head (head width about twice the dorsal pronotal width). Although females were active at night, males were active in the daytime and copulation was observed during this period. Since the female is larger than the male, phoretic copulation may not occur. Dead wood was collected and kept in plastic bags, from which a total of 16 species of coleopteran wood‐borers and two predators were obtained together with N. makiharai n. sp. Many individuals of N. makiharai n. sp. were reared from dead wood severely affected by Cerecium longicorne and it was the most common species obtained from our wood samples. Therefore, the cerambycid species is considered a potential host species.

Opening Pandora's box of Pristocerinae: molecular and morphological phylogenies ofApenesia(Hymenoptera, Bethylidae) reveal several hidden genera

“…Azevedo () for Pseudisobrachium ; Gobbi & Azevedo () for Calobrachium ). The main morphological characters defining Neoapenesia , such as the clypeus projecting medially, the pronotal disc short and the paramere long proposed by Terayama (), the short antenna (Sawada et al ., ) and the mesosoma gibbous in profile (this study), overlap with those present in some species of the laevigata species group. Similarities in morphological characters preclude distinguishing Neoapenesia from laevigata species group in partim .…”

“…Recently, Sawada et al . () described a species in Neoapenesia known from both sexes based on biological observations (raised from same dead wood) and confirmed by molecular data. Sawada et al .…”

“…Prior to our study, only one female had been associated with its conspecific male based on nucleotide sequences (Sawada et al ., ). We associate females of Pseudisobrachium , Parascleroderma , Pristocera and Dissomphalus with their congeneric males based on molecular phylogenetic analyses.…”

“…() associated the absence of phoretic copulation with the females being larger than the male specimens. Biological data indicate that these species attack cerambycid larvae inside the infested stem (Seetharama et al ., ; Sawada et al ., ).…”

Review of the Korean Species of the Tribe Bythinoplectini Schaufuss, 1890 (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Pselaphinae: Euplectitae)

“…This brings the total Korean species in the tribe to four. The single species of Bythinoplectini previously known from the region, Parapyxidicerus carinatus Sawada, 1964, is redescribed. An identification key to Korean Bythinoplectini species, descriptions, habitus illustrations, diagnostic characters, a checklist, and distribution maps are provided.…”