Evania appendigaster (Linnaeus, 1758)

Silva, Hugo Miguel, Franquinho Aguiar, António M., Gonçalves, Ysabel Margarita, Gomes, Gonçalo & Aguín-Pombo, Dora, 2025, A review of the ensign wasps (Hymenoptera: Evaniidae) from Macaronesia, Zootaxa 5653 (2), pp. 263-274 : 265-269

Evania appendigaster (Linnaeus, 1758)

Evania affinis Le Guillou, 1841

Evania cubae Guérin-Méneville, 1844

Evania desjardinsi Blanchard, 1840

Evania laevigata Olivier, 1792

Evania peringueyi Cameron, 1906

Evania unicolor Say, 1824

Ichneumon appendigaster Linnaeus, 1758

Ichneumon niger Goeze, 1780

Material studied: PORTUGAL •C23481; 1♂; Madeira Island, Funchal , Santa Luzia ; 32°39’13.05”N, 16°54’42.13”W; 60m a.s.l.; 03.VII.2015; M.Gouveia leg. • C24782; 1♂; Madeira Island, Funchal, Sé ; 32°38’53.68”N, 16°54’29.85”W; 28 m a.s.l.; 25.XII.2022; G. Gomes leg. • ICLAM05949; 1♀; Madeira Island, Funchal, indoors in Rua da Alfândega ; 32.647435, -16.908835; 23 m a.s.l.; 25.VIII.2014; F. Aguiar leg. • cFA794; 1♀, Madeira Island, Sítio da Ribeira ; 14.X.1993; F. Aguiar. leg. • MMF50290; 1♂; Madeira Island, Funchal, indoors in Museu de História Natural do Funchal ; 32.649580, -16.912099; 40 m a.s.l.; 09.VIII.2016; R. Paz leg. • MMF50291; 1♂; Madeira Island, Funchal, indoors in Museu de História Natural do Funchal ; 32.649580, -16.912099; 40 m a.s.l.; 20.VIII.2004; J. Silva leg. • MMF50292; 1♀; Madeira Island, Funchal, indoors in Museu de História Natural do Funchal ; 32.649580, -16.912099; 40 m a.s.l.; 15.IX.2005; J. Silva leg. • MMF50293; 1♂; Madeira Island, Funchal, indoors in Museu de História Natural do Funchal ; 32.649580, -16.912099; 40 m a.s.l.; 14.VII.2006; Y. Gonçalves leg. • MMF50294; 1♂; Madeira Island, Funchal, Rua da Mouraria ; 32.649314, -16.913021; 38 m a.s.l.; 1.XI.2005; Y. Gonçalves leg. • MMF50295; 1♂; Madeira Island, Funchal, Rua da Mouraria ; 32.649314, -16.913021; 38 m a.s.l.; 19.VIII.2021; C. Alves leg. • MMF50296; 1♀; Madeira Island, Funchal, Rua dos Ferreiros ; 32.650247, -16.909043; 34 m a.s.l.; 2019; C. Matos leg. • MMF24927; 1♀; Madeira Island, Funchal; 17.IX.1991. • MMF23390; 1♂; Madeira Island , Funchal , Rua Dr. Pita ; 32.642892, -16.925623; 80 m a.s.l.; 06.XII.1982; A. Zino leg.

SPAIN • cFA-1775; 1♀; Canary Islands, Lanzarote, Puerto del Carmen ; 09.VIII.1998; F. Aguiar leg.

Morphological features: Evania appendigaster is characterized by a black body ( Fig. 1 , a-g), a smooth and shiny face with sparse punctuation ( Fig. 1b ), a smooth petiole ( Fig. 1g ), a shiny gaster ( Fig. 1g ), a band of very small hairs on each abdominal tergite and wings with seven closed cells ( Fig. 1f ) ( Cassar & Mifsud 2020).

This species exhibits significant intraspecific variation, as highlighted by Fox et al. (2012) and Kazmi et al. (2022). Descriptions of this species have been done multiple times from material of various geographical regions. However, these descriptions often rely on limited and differing morphological characteristics, leading to challenges in accurate identification ( Kazmi et al. 2022). The variation in color pattern has also been a contributing factor to misidentifications, with some of these color morphs incorrectly treated as separate species. Additionally, the presence of sexual dimorphism further complicates the identification process. Sexual dimorphism is observed in various features, including antennal morphology, body coloration, facial features, and metasomal structure ( Deans 2005).

Distribution notes: Evania appendigaster exhibits a wide distribution, covering all biogeographic regions except polar areas. Its presence is documented across various continents, including Australia, Asia (excluding Eastern Russia), Africa, the Americas, and Europe. In Europe, this species is found from Greece and Turkey to Sweden ( Deans 2005). Within Macaronesia, it stands as the most frequently recorded species ( Fig. 3 ).

The Biota platform ( Gobierno de Canarias 2025) indicates the widespread occurrence of this species in all the Canary Islands, with the highest number of records on Gran Canaria (21 records) ( Table 1 , Fig. 3 ). In the Global Biodiversity Information Facility ( GBIF 2025), there are 109 records from the Canary Islands, with the first record dating back to 2001. Furthermore, it includes five recent records for Madeira Island , one in October 2022, two in May and October 2023, and two in February and March 2024. Additionally, it reports four records from the Cape Verde Archipelago in 2022 and 2024, from the islands of São Vicente (one records), Sal (two records), and Santiago (one record).

Biology notes: Evania appendigaster inhabits predominantly in urban environments, where its preferred hosts Periplaneta spp. are present ( Stange 1978, Fox & Bressan-Nascimento 2006). In Madeira, the American cockroach, Periplaneta americana (Linnaeus, 1758) , is particularly common, but Blatta orientalis (Linnaeus, 1758) is also present ( Table 2).

Figures

FIGURE 1. Brightfield photographs of a female Evania appendigaster (Linneaus, 1758). a) Dorsal view of head. b) Anterior view of the head. c) Lateral view of the head. d) Lateral view of the mesosoma. e) Dorsal view of the mesosoma. f) Dorsal view of the right wings. g) Lateral view of the abdomen.

FIGURE 3. Distribution records of Evania appendigaster (Linnaeus, 1758) across the Macaronesian archipelagos, based on specimens examined and data from citizen science platforms: a) Madeira archipelago. b) Canary Islands. c) Cape Verde archipelago. The colours represent the number of records on each island.