Rediscovery of Aulacidea kiefferi Cotte, 1915 (Hymenoptera, Cynipidae), with redescription of the adult and terminal larva

Abstract

Aulacidea kiefferi Cotte, 1915, a cynipid species that induces gall formation on the plant Carthamus lanatus L., known only from a single old record from France, was recently re-discovered in a locality south-east of Madrid (central Spain). In this study, we re-describe the species, including a new description of the male and the terminal larva. We transfer the species to the genus Phanacis, and provide a key for the identification of the related West European Phanacis species. P. kiefferi might potentially be used as an agent for the biological control of the host plant, C. lanatus, the saffron or distaff thistle, a harmful weed native to the Mediterranean Region, with a virtually worldwide current distribution.