Nesodiprion orientalis Hara & Smith, sp. nov.
Creators: name: Hara, Hideho
name: Smith, David R.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2012
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Diprionidae
Nesodiprion
Nesodiprion orientalis

description: Nesodiprion orientalis Hara & Smith, sp. nov.
Figs. 2G–L; 3I –L; 4I –L; 5G–I; 6E; 7E, F; 8M–R; 9D; 12A–I; 13J–M; 14H–J
Nesodiprion biremis: Smith (1974: 215), Beaver & Laosunthorn (1974: 199), Beaver & Laosunthorn (1975: 117), Xiao et al. (1984: 370) (nec Konow 1899: 43).
Female. Length 6.5–7.0 mm. Black, shiny without metallic reflection, faintly violet on abdomen (Figs. 2G, H). Clypeus and labrum slightly brownish. Mandible apically reddish. Antenna slightly brownish on basal two antennomeres or not. Palpi yellow. Pronotum narrowly whitish or brownish on posterior corner. Postspiracular sclerite not pale. Mesoscutellum black entirely or centrally brownish. Legs white to yellow on apices of coxae to trochanters except for fore trochanter widely brownish, apices of femora, fore and middle tibiae, wide basal part of hind tibia and tarsi; trochantelli widely brown; hind tibia dark brown to black on apical fourth, but narrowly brown at apex; apical tarsomeres each apically slightly brownish; spurs brown. Wings hyaline, apically faintly blackish; veins brown to black; in fore wing, vein C except for apical part yellow, vein R1 basal to stigma partly yellowish, and stigma pale apically. Seventh and eighth abdominal terga each laterally with yellow or brown spot. Cercus black. Setae largely whitish.
Head and thorax moderately shiny, with punctures largely dense and distinct; dorsum of head (Fig. 3J) with punctures somewhat small, somewhat vague on postocellar area, and interspaces largely narrower than punctures; mesoscutum (Fig. 4I) with punctures on posterior part of median lobe not so small, rather vague or inconspicuous on center of posterior part of lobe, predominantly contiguous and larger than those on lateral lobe, and interspaces on median lobe except for widely impunctate area if present, predominantly narrower than punctures; interspaces on mesoscutellum mostly not linear-shaped; on mesepisternum (Fig. 4J), punctures predominantly contiguous, but largely not linear-shaped. Clypeus with wide ventromedial part nearly smooth. Labrum smooth. Abdomen shiny (Fig. 2G); first tergum punctured on medial half (Figs. 5G, H); second to fifth terga dorsally nearly smooth; sixth tergum to apex faintly punctured; ventral surface somewhat dull and weakly punctured.
Postocellar area weakly convex (Figs. 3I, J); lateral furrow distinct or weak, present on anterior third; anterior furrow rather sharp, medially narrowly inconspicuous; weak median furrow present. Distances between eye and hind ocellus, between hind ocelli, and between hind ocellus and posterior margin of head 1.0: 1.0: 1.0–1.1; distances between eye and hind ocellus and between hind ocellus and posterior margin of head 1.0–1.1: 1.0. Distance between torulus and eye 1.5–1.7 × distance between toruli. Width of malar space 0.5–0.6 × width of front ocellus, 0.6–0.8 × length of second antennomere. Clypeus with ventral margin roundly concave. Antenna (Fig. 6E) with 20 antennomeres; length of second antennomere 0.7–0.8 × width of front ocellus; length of ramus of third antennomere 1.7–1.9 × length of third antennomere. Mesoscutellum dorsally slightly roundly convex (Fig. 4I). On hind leg (Fig. 7E), length of inner tibial spur 1.0–1.2 × length of first tarsomere (exclusive of pulvillar pad), 1.3–1.5 × breadth of tibia; length of first tarsomere 1.2–1.3 × breadth of tibia; second and third tarsomeres combined 1.0 × first tarsomere in length.
Sawsheath in dorsal view very narrow, slightly tapering apically, with inner margin nearly straight and apex about as wide as cercus (Figs. 8M, P), in lateral view slightly roundly convex apically (Figs. 8N, Q), in posterior view with scopa very narrow (Figs. 8O, R). Lance in lateral view with dorsal margin very slightly concave at middle (Fig. 9D); apices of lances asymmetrical as in Fig. 9A, either left or right one longer than the other. Lancet (Figs. 12A–I) with 10–11 annuli, widest at second annulus, and length from apex to ventral end of basal row of spines 2.3–2.5 × maximum width; spines of basal rows relatively short; border of second and third annuli ventrally slightly convex; serrula of second annulus apically nearly truncate or broadly rounded, with anterior slope shorter than posterior slope; serrula of third annulus with anterior slope nearly straight.
Male [condition of holotype in brackets]. Length 6.0 mm. Coloration as in female, but mesoscutellum and abdomen entirely black (Figs. 2I, J), and all or fore and middle [all] trochanters and all trochantelli largely brown to dark brown (Fig. 2K), and apical dark area of hind tibia basally black and apically widely brown. [Basal two antennomeres not pale. Pronotum narrowly yellowish on posterior corner.]
Structure as in female except for sexual differences. Posterior part of median mesoscutal lobe with punctures distinct (Fig. 4K). Distances between eye and hind ocellus, between hind ocelli, and between hind ocellus and posterior margin of head 0.9–1.0: 1.0: 0.7–0.8 [1.0: 1.0: 0.7]; distances between eye and hind ocellus and between hind ocellus and posterior margin of head 1.2–1.3: 1.0 [1.3: 1.0]. Distance between torulus and eye 1.5 × distance between toruli. Width of malar space 0.5–0.6 [0.6] × width of front ocellus, 0.8 × length of second antennomere. Antenna with 21 antennomeres, about 1.0 × head width; length of second antennomere 0.6–0.7 [0.7] × width of front ocellus; ramus of third antennomere very long (Figs. 2I, J). Hind tarsus somewhat narrower (Fig. 7F); length of inner tibial spur 1.2–1.3 [1.3] × length of first tarsomere (exclusive of pulvillar pad), 1.5–1.6 [1.5] × breadth of tibia; length of first tarsomere 1.3–1.4 [1.3] × breadth of tibia; second and third tarsomeres combined 1.0–1.1 [1.1] × first in length.
Genitalia with valviceps in dorsal view laterally angularly convex on apical half and dorsally with sharp ridge basally curved laterally (Figs. 13J–M), in lateral view distinctly widened apically, with acute dorsal convexity and apex somewhat angulated ventrally (Figs. 14H–J).
Cocoon. Length 6.5–7 mm. Light brown (Fig.2L).
Material examined. Holotype: 3, labeled “Pine Res. Proj., 98°17ʹE 18°07ʹS [sic, error for N, see Beaver & Laosunthorn 1974, 1975], 0 243 R. A. B” and “on Pinus kesiya / merkusii ” (USNM). Paratypes: 1Ƥ, “Bo Luang 1100m, THAILAND 0 227, 18°09ʹN 98°21ʹE, reared from larva on Pinus sp., Em. 29. V. 72 ” (USNM); 2Ƥ, “Bo Luang 1100m, THAILAND 0 351, 18°09ʹN 98°21ʹE”, “ 22. XI. 72, R. A. Beaver” and “cocoon on Pinus kesiya ” (USNM, NSMT); 13, labeled “98°17ʹE 18°07ʹS [sic, error for N], 0 241, T-D. Pine Res. C., Em. 23. iii. 72, R. B” and “La coll. 3. iii. 72, on Pinus merkusii / kesiya ” (USNM). Other material― CHINA: 1 pair of penis valves, “ X88 -008 3, Nesodiprion biremis (Konow), Anning, Yunnan, 1988. VI. 10., 1850 M, [Xu Zhenghui]” and “Host: Pinus yunnanensis, Anning Co., Hot springs, 24.9°N, 102.4°E ” (USNM); 1 pair of lancets, do., but “Ƥ” (USNM); 1 pair of penis valve, “ Nesodiprion biremis (Konow), Luchun Co., 23.0°N, 102.4°E, Yunnan Prov., Host: Pinus yunnanensis ” and “1700M, 1988. XI. 1. Adult, Xu Zhenghui” (USNM); 1 pair of lancets, “ Nesodiprion biremis (Konow), Luchun Co. 1700M, 23.0°N, 102°E, Yunnan Prov., 1988. XI. 1. Xu Zhenghui” and “1700M, 1988. XI. 1. Adult, Xu Zhenghui” (USNM).
Distribution. China: Yunnan Prov. (Xiao et al. 1984); Thailand (Smith 1974); Indonesia: Sumatra (Nair & Sumardi 2000, “ N. biremis ”) (?). We have not examined specimens from Sumatra. Nair (2007) referred to a pine sawfly in Sumatra as “ Nesodiprion nr. biremis ”. The record from Sumatra requires confirmation.
Host plants. Pinaceae: Pinus caribaea, P. elliottii, P. m e r k u s i i, P. oocarpa, P. patula and P. t a e d a (Beaver & Laosunthorn 1975), P. kesiya (Smith 1974; Beaver & Laosunthorn 1975), and P. yunnanensis (Xiao et al. 1984).
Immature stages and life history. Beaver & Laosunthorn (1975) briefly described immature stages as follows: Egg milky white when laid; larva greenish in first two instars; larval body becoming yellower, with black dots in later instars; cocoon 7–12 mm long in female, 5–8 mm in male.
According to Beaver & Laosunthorn (1974, 1975), the life history in Thailand is summarized as follows: Larvae are found all year; there are probably five or six generations per year, which broadly overlap; eggs are laid within fairly young or mature needles, singly or in a row; larvae have normally five feeding instars and a sixth nonfeeding instar in both sexes; larvae are generally less gregarious, feeding on needles, leaving central parts in early instars, on the whole needles in third and later instars; in later instars, when disturbed, larvae raise the head and thorax from the needle and regurgitate a drop of resinous fluid; soon after the last molt, larvae search for a suitable site to spin their cocoons; cocoons are made among bases of living needles close to the stem; a life cycle takes at least six weeks at 25–30 °C.
Comparative notes. This species is similar to N. japonicus, N. biremis and N. kagaensis, and probably to N. yananicus, N. zhejiangensis, N. huanglongshanicus and N. degenicus as discussed under Comparative notes of N.
japonicus. The female is characterized by the very narrow sawsheath as stated by Smith (1974). The apical width is about as wide as a cercus in the female of this species (Figs. 8M, P), while much wider than a cercus in those of N. japonicus, N. biremis and N. kagaensis (Figs. 8A, D, G, J). In dorsal view, the inner margin of the sawsheath is nearly straight in this species, while concave in those of N. japonicus, N. biremis and N. kagaensis. This characteristic sawsheath may be also useful to separate the female of this species from those of N. yananicus, N. zhejiangensis, N. huanglongshanicus and N. degenicus, because the authors who described the latter four species (Xiao et al. 1981, 1984) accepted the concept of “ N. biremis ” (= N. orientalis) of Smith (1974) and their identification of Yunnan specimens with this species is probably adequate judging from the figures given by Xiao et al. (1985).
The male of this species is well characterized by the valviceps apically weakly convex laterally with a sharp dorsal ridge basally curved laterally in dorsal view (Figs. 13J–M) and not sinuate and suddenly widened apically with a relatively acute dorsal convexity in lateral view (Figs. 14H–J).
For more comparisons with N. biremis, see under Comparative notes of that species. From each of the remaining six species, N. orientalis is separated also by the following characters.
From N. japonicus and N. kagaensis [characters given in brackets]: On mesoscutum, punctures on posterior part of median lobe relatively large, predominantly contiguous and larger than those on lateral lobe, and interspaces on posterior part of median lobe except for widely impunctate area if present, predominantly narrower than punctures (Figs. 4I, K) [punctures fine, mostly separated and about as large as those on lateral lobe, and interspaces mostly wider than punctures (Figs. 4A, C)]; in female, ramus of third antennomere 1.7–1.9 × length of third antennomere (Fig. 6E) [2.3–4.1 × (Fig. 6A), 1.9–2.9 × respectively]; in lancet, border of first and second annuli ventrally slightly convex (Figs. 12A–I) [distinctly angularly convex (Figs. 10A–L)].
From N. yananicus: Punctures on mesoscutum relatively large (Figs. 4I, K) [small (Xiao et al. 1981)]; in female, lancet wide, with length from apex to ventral end of basal row of spines 2.3–2.5 × maximum width (Figs. 12A–D) [narrow, 3.5–3.7 × (Xiao et al. 1981: fig. 4; Xiao et al. 1985: fig. 35)].
From N. degenicus: Head and thorax without metallic reflection (Figs. 2G–J) [with bluish purple metallic reflection (Xiao et al. 1984, 1985)]; in female lancet, serrula of third annulus with anterior slope nearly straight (Figs. 12A–D) [concave (Fig. 15A; Xiao et al. 1985: fig.30)].
From N. zhejiangensis: Punctures on mesoscutum somewhat small and vague (Figs. 4I, K) [head and thorax with coarse punctures (Xiao et al. 1981)]; lancet wider, length from apex to ventral end of basal row of spines 2.3–2.5 × maximum width (Figs. 12A–D) [narrower, 2.7–3.3 × (Xiao et al. 1981: fig. 6; Xiao et al. 1985: fig. 29)].
From N. huanglongshanicus: Lancet wider, length from apex to ventral end of basal row of spines 2.3–2.5 × maximum width (Figs. 12A–D) [narrower, 2.7–3.5 × (Xiao et al. 1981: fig. 5; Xiao et al. 1985: fig. 28)].
description: Published as part of Hara, Hideho & Smith, David R., 2012, Nesodiprion orientalis sp. nov., N. japonicus, and N. biremis, with a key to species of Nesodiprion (Hymenoptera, Diprionidae), pp. 1-24 in Zootaxa 3503 on pages 15-21, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.209562