Hymenoptera Biodiversity in The Lagodekhi Natural Reserve

The aim of the present study was to investigate species diversity and distribution of Aphelinus species in an elevational gradient in the Lagodekhi Reserve (Sakartvelo - Georgia) throughout a growing season. Two species of Aphelinus Dalman, 1820 (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae), A. humilis Mercet and A. thomsoni Graham, are recorded for the first time from Georgia and the Caucasus and two species (A. lagodekhiensis sp. nov. and A. sugonjaevi sp. nov.) are described as new to science. To facilitate species identification we have developed a key to the females of all 24 species of Aphelinus currently known from the Middle East and the Caucasus. Both species richness and abundance of Aphelinus increased with increasing elevation, although no statistically significant relationship was found. Maximum diversity and abundance were observed in July, and this was more pronounced at higher elevations.

In the largest systematic spider collection effort in a single location in the Caucasus Ecoregion, across several altitudinal zones and throughout the entire vegetation period of one year, 426 juvenile and 359 adult spiders belonging to 69 species from 48 genera and 19 families were collected in the Lagodekhi Reserve, Georgia, in 2014, using Malaise traps on a transect with seven study plots between 666 and 2559 m a.s.l. in the montane, subalpine, and alpine vegetation zones. Phoroncidia pilula (Karsch, 1879) is recorded in the Western Palaearctic for the first time. Thirty-eight species are recorded in the Lagodekhi Reserve for the first time, raising the number of spider species of this reserve to 202, five additions are first records for the Caucasus Ecoregion and ten species are first records for Georgia. Diagnostic drawings and analyses are provided for 13 species, including Megalepthyphantes pseudocollinus Saaristo, 1997, Phoroncidia paradoxa (Lucas, 1846), P. pilula (Karsch, 1879), and Trochosa cachetiensis Mcheidze, 1997. An updated checklist of the spiders in the Lagodekhi Reserve is provided.

Up to this report, only Minotetrastichus platanellus (Mercet, 1922) had been recorded from Georgia and Transcaucasia. We now report Minotetrastichus frontalis (Nees, 1834), Minotetrastichus loxotoma (Graham, 1961) and Minotetrastichus treron Graham, 1987 as new to Georgia and Transcaucasia, bringing the number of species of Minotetrastichus Kostjukov, 1977 in Georgia up to four. Diagnostic characters for distinguishing this genus from other genera belonging to subfamily Tetrastichinae are provided. © 2017, Gazi Entomological Research Society. All rights reserved.

Here, two species of Neotrichoporoides Girault, 1913, are recorded from Georgia (in the Transcaucasia) for the first time: N. dispersus Graham and N. viridimaculatus (Fullaway). A difference to separate this genus from others in the Tetrastichinae is provided. A list of species in the genus in the Caucasus is given. © 2017, Gazi Entomological Research Society. All rights reserved.

The Georgian (Sakartvelo) species of Centrodora Forster, 1878 (Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae) have been collected from the Lagodekhi Protected Areas and three species (C. salicis, C. ochrura, C. dorsati) are recorded for the first time from Georgia and the Caucasus.

Leaf beetles of Lagodekhi National Park have been studied for the first time. Thirty two species were recorded from the area of which 14 are new for Georgia, 1 genus and 8 species are new to Transcaucasus. Together with the additional 16 species that were already known from literature, a total of 48 chrysomelid species for Lagodekhi reserve is listed here with notes on the specimens examined and general distributions. Some insights into the elevational pattern of leaf beetle diversity in Lagodekhi National Park are also provided.

The elevational gradient in biodiversity, i.e. the decrease in species richness with increasing altitude, is well established in ecology. Here, we examined the respective gradient of parasitic hymenopterans (Encyrtidae) and plants in the Lagodekhi National Park (Country of Georgia) across an elevational gradient from 665 m to 2559 m a.s.l. by means of a year-round sampling of insects and a seasonal sampling of plants. Contrary to expectation, we found species richness of both taxa to peak at highest elevations. This unusual pattern was related to particular shifts in vegetation types, from relatively species-poor forests over rich grasslands towards poorer highland scrub vegetation. Our results call for a closer look at elevational gradients and highlights the need for including vegetation types in the assessment of altitudinal diversity gradients.

Two genera, Coelopencyrtus Timberlake, 1919 and Mayrencyrtus Hincks, 1944, are reported here for the first time from Transcaucasia. Fourteen new records of encyrtid species from Georgia are reported. Except for 4 species (Bothriothorax aralius (Walker, 1837); B. clavicornis (Dalman, 1820); B. trichops Thomson, 1876; and Cheiloneurus submuticus Thomson, 1876), all species are recorded for the first time from Transcaucasia.

Four species of Pronotalia Gradwell (Hymenoptera, Eulophidae: Tetrastichinae) are recorded from the Lagodekhi Reserve (Georgia). Formerly, only P. carlinarum (Szelényi et Erdös) was known from Transcaucasia (Armenia) (Kostjukov, 1978). Pronotalia fiorii (Domenichini), P. orobanchiae Graham, and P. trypetae Gradwell are recorded for Georgia and Transcaucasia for the first time. In addition to these species, only 4 species are known from Europe and Anatolia: P. erzurumica Doganlar, P. hungarica (Erdös), P. inflata Graham, and P. tortumensis Doganlar; thus, 50% of Pronotalia species from Europe and Anatolia occur in the Lagodekhi Reserve.

During the years 2010 to 2013, parasitoid wasps (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea) were collected in Israel from five Kermes species (Hemiptera: Coccoidea: Kermesidae), namely, Kermes echinatus Balachowsky, K. greeni Bodenheimer, K. hermonensis Spodek and Ben-Dov, K. nahalali Bodenheimer and K. spatulatus Balachowsky. These collections resulted in thirteen parasitoid species including four species that are new to science: Aprostocetus bendovi Japoshvili sp.n., A. ghanimi Japoshvili sp.n., A. mendeli Japoshvili sp.n. and A. protasovi Japoshvili sp.n., seven new records for Israel, and nine species with sixteen new scale insect hosts.

Genus Tamarixia Mercet, 1924, was recorded from Transcaucasia and particularly from Georgia for the first time, therefore all 12 European species recorded from this genus are new for above mentioned geographic locations. A diagnosis for distinguishing this genus from other genera belonging to subfamily Tetrastichinae is provided.