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First Record of Larra transcaspica (Hymenoptera: Crabronidae) from Turkey

In this study, Larra transcaspica F. Morawitz, 1894 (Hymenoptera: Crabronidae) is recorded for the first time from Turkey. With the previously known species, Larra anathema (Rossi, 1790), the number of species belonging to the Larra genus has increased to two in the country. Important morphological characters of L. transcaspica are photographed and the two species are compared in terms of genital structures for the first time.


Introduction
Solitary wasp genus Larra Fabricius, 1793 belongs to the family Crabronidae of Hymenoptera. Most members of this family are predatory insects that prey on other insects and spiders, with the exception of the genus Larra living as parasitoids. Species belonging to this genus temporarily paralyze their hosts, mole crickets (Orthoptera: Gryllotalpidae) and lay eggs on it. Although the mole cricket recovers from its temporary paralysis and continues its normal activities, feeding of the wasp larvae on cricket's haemolymph eventually causes its death [1]. Due to their parasitoid relationships and possibility to be a potential control agent of an agricultural pest, mole cricket, many valuable studies have been conducted on some species of Larra to date [1,2,3,4,5].
The genus Larra has currently 65 species and 13 subspecies worldwide. Most of them are distributed through the tropics, but some species also exist in temperate regions. Only five of the 12 Palearctic species are found in the Western Palaearctic Region. The most common species in the Western Palaearctic Region is Larra anathema (Rossi, 1790), while others have a narrow distribution such as L. anathema nudiventris Costa, 1893 (in Tunisia), L. betsiela proditor Kohl, 1891 (in Morocco and Algeria), L. diversa (Walker, 1871) (in Egypt), L. mediterranea Gistel, 1857 (in Greece) [6].
Up to date, Larra genus has been represented only by one species L. anathema in Turkey [7,8]. By this study, the species L. transcaspica was recorded for the first time in the country and its male genital structure was compared with that of the similar species L. anathema.

Materials and methods
Insect materials were collected from different natural habitats in Turkey between 2001 and 2018 using insect net. Specimens were identified according to identification key established by Schmid-Egger for Larra species from Western and Central Palaearctic region [9]. The materials were deposited in the Entomology Research Laboratory of the Biology Department in Tokat Gaziosmanpaşa University, Tokat/Turkey. The male genitalia of L. transcaspica and L. anathema were dissected and photographed.

Morphological diagnosis and comparison with Larra anathema (Rossi, 1790)
Morphologically, L. transcaspica is very similar to L. anathema but its last sternite is rounded apically (deeply notched in L. anathema) (Figure 3c, 3f) and the punctuation on the frons and mesopleuron is sparse (close and dense in L. anathema) (Figure 4a, 4b). There are slight differences in the structure of the male genitalia of both species. In fact the gonostyle of L. transcaspica is wider medially, deeply indented at the base of the inner edge (Figure 3a, 3d) and more pointed at the apex (Figure 3b, 3e). The apex of the penis valve is slightly curved, and the curved part is elongated in L. transcaspica (Figure 3b, 3e). In contrast to the volsella of L. anathema short not reaching the curved area on the apex of the penis valve (Figure 3a, 3d).  Larra transcaspica has a narrow distribution area in the world, which is so far from only from Central Asia, Iran, and United Arab Emirates ( Figure 5). Far from the current distribution area, its determination in Turkey, is interesting zoogeographically. How it reached this country by overcoming geographical barriers such as the Caspian Sea and whether it is found in other countries between Turkey and the original distribution area is a subject of further research. Since the early 1900s, many studies have been conducted on the use of Larra species for the control of mole cricket which qualified as an important agricultural pest. Among them, L. bicolor (Fabricius, 1804) species originating from South America has been successfully applied in the south of America and Puerto Rico against non-native crickets [13,14]. Similarly, L. polita (F. Smith, 1858) and L. anathema species were tried to be settled in Hawaii for biological control of crickets [3]. However, the biology of L. transcaspica is not yet known and further studies are required to determine whether this species is a parasitoid of mole crickets and its role that it can play in controlling them.