Tetramesa calamagrostidis (Schlechtendal, 1891)

Tetramesa calamagrostidis (Schlechtendal, 1891) View in CoL

Figs 19, 20

Material examined. 226 ♀♀, 47 ♂♂: IRAN, West-Azarbaijan Province , Naqadeh, Solduz Wetland, 37º02′ N, 45º35′ E, 1277 m a.s.l., 21 July 2020, 29 April 2021, M. Razmi leg., ex Calamagrostis epigejos GoogleMaps .

Diagnosis (abstracted from Claridge 1961; Zerova 1978). Female ( Fig. 19B): predominantly black, with relatively large and pale pronotal spots and femora (except basally), tibiae and tarsi bright rufous; with a convex mesosoma and a relatively long gaster almost equal in length to mesosoma; fore wings ( Fig. 20F) variably testaceousinfumate; head ( Fig. 20G‒I) and mesosoma ( Fig. 20A,B) finely punctate, deeply textured with densely scattered shiny pits, but gaster ( Fig. 20C) finely reticulate; head significantly wider than mesosoma ( Fig. 20B) with a distinct malar sulcus ( Fig. 20G,I); antenna ( Fig. 19A) short, scape approximately 5× as long as wide, strongly expanded basally and rufous, with a short pedicel but fairly wide; flagellum with setae quite dense and about as long as length of Fu 1; mesosoma ( Fig. 20A,B) broad and convex; propodeum with a broad central furrow and deeper folds ( Fig. 20D); gaster slightly longer than mesosoma, elongate-oval, with a short petiole and all tergites finely sculptured ( Fig. 20C).

Male ( Fig. 19D): slightly smaller but with similar morphological traits as for females, including head width and a finely punctate mesosomal and gastral sculpture, but with antennal scape black and setae on funicular segments longer and denser ( Fig. 19C).

Remarks. Tetramesa calamagrostidis is notable for its coarsely sculptured propodeum ( Fig. 20D), and distinct but strongly connected Fu 6 to first segment of the club ( Fig. 19A), and larger and paler pronotal spots ( Fig. 20A) ( Claridge 1961; Zerova 1978). Our specimens are slightly smaller in body size compared to those measured by Claridge (1961) and Zerova (1978) and in color differ from the description of Claridge (1961) by females having yellowish tibiae and tarsi plus the scape and the femora extensively fuscous ( Fig. 19B), and males additionally having the tibiae fuscous ( Fig. 19D).

Distribution. IRAN: West Azarbaijan Province ( new record). EXTRALIMITAL: Europe, former USSR ( UCD Community 2023).

Biological association. These gall-stem wasps are associated with Poaceae ( Calamagrostis sp. , C. epigejos ). The species forms distinctive galls and exhibits a unique life cycle involving overwintering larvae and spring pupation ( Claridge 1961).