Shevtsova Ekaterina, Hansson Christer
Department of Biology, Lund University, Sölvegatan 35, SE-22362 Lund, Sweden.
Zookeys. 2011(154):9-30. doi: 10.3897/zookeys.154.2158. Epub 2011 Dec 12.
Wing interference patterns (WIPs) are shown to be an important tool for species recognition in the genus Achrysocharoides Girault (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae). This is demonstrated by combining information from two previously published papers, comprising two cases of cryptic species, and by new material including the description of two new species, Achrysocharoides maieri and Achrysocharoides serotinae from North America. The cryptic species were initially separated through their distinct male WIPs. Subsequent analyses of the external morphology uncovered additional morphological differences supporting the original findings through WIPs, and biological data further strengthened the identity of these species. The new species described here also differ in their WIPs but the WIPs are similar in both sexes. Thus they provide a strong link between male and female and demonstrate that WIPs can also be useful for species recognition when the sexes are otherwise difficult to associate. Both new species are from Connecticut, USA, and were reared from Phyllonorycter propinquinella (Braun) (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae) on black cherry (Prunus serotina); Achrysocharoides maieri has also been reared from Ph. nr crataegella on pin cherry (Prunus pensylvanica). To facilitate the identification of the new species they are included in a previously published key to North American species of Achrysocharoides. As a supplement to colourful WIPs we also demonstrate that grey scale images of uncoated wings from scanning electron microscopy can be used for visualization of the thickness distribution pattern in wing membranes.
翅脉干涉图案（WIPs）被证明是姬小蜂科的阿氏姬小蜂属物种识别的重要工具。这一点通过整合两篇先前发表的论文中的信息得以证明，这两篇论文包含两个隐存物种的案例，同时还结合了新材料，包括对来自北美的两个新物种——迈氏阿氏姬小蜂和迟阿氏姬小蜂的描述。最初，隐存物种是通过其独特的雄性翅脉干涉图案区分开来的。随后对外部形态的分析发现了更多形态差异，这些差异通过翅脉干涉图案支持了最初的发现，而生物学数据进一步强化了这些物种的特征。这里描述的新物种在翅脉干涉图案上也存在差异，但两性的翅脉干涉图案相似。因此，它们在雄性和雌性之间建立了紧密联系，并表明当两性难以关联时，翅脉干涉图案也可用于物种识别。这两个新物种均来自美国康涅狄格州，是从黑樱桃（Prunus serotina）上的蔷薇潜蛾（Phyllonorycter propinquinella (Braun)，鳞翅目：细蛾科）中饲养出来的；迈氏阿氏姬小蜂也从毛樱桃（Prunus pensylvanica）上的近蔷薇潜蛾中饲养出来。为便于新物种的鉴定，将它们纳入了先前发表的北美阿氏姬小蜂属物种检索表。作为对色彩丰富的翅脉干涉图案的补充，我们还证明了扫描电子显微镜下未镀膜翅膀的灰度图像可用于可视化翅膜中的厚度分布模式。
