Plagiotrochus amenti Kieffer, 1901 new contributions to the knowledge of its biology and taxonomy (Hymenoptera, Cynipoidea, Cynipidae)

L. GARBIN; N. B. DÍAZ; J. PUJADE-VILLAR

CONTRIBUTIONS TO ZOOLOGY - (Print)

Naturalis, ISSN 0067-8546

Lugar: Leiden , Holanda; Año: 2007

0067-8546

Plagiotrochus amenti Kieffer, 1901 is a species of a circum-Mediterranean distribution that was introduced centuries ago in the American continent together with the host, Quercus suber L. Several branches of cork oaks of not more than 5 years old were closed with tulle bags. Inside the same ones laying females just emerged known by the agamic form P. suberi Weld, 1926 were released to oviposition. The objective was trying to obtain the sexual generation, P. amenti, monitoring female oviposition on twigs. The alternating biological cycle for autochthonous populations of P. amenti is experimentally established for the first time contrary to the known indefinite agamia for this species on those populations introduced in America known as P. suberi Weld, 1926. The possibility that an allopatric speciation can exist or the possibility that different biologically populations from one same species could be found in Europe are discussed. The synonymy between P. suberi and P. amenti is established.