Eupelmus, Dalman, 1820

EUPELMUS View in CoL (MACRONEURA) ASECULATUS (KALINA)

FIGS 35 View Figures 35–42 , 56 View Figures 56–67 , 88 View Figures 88–95 , 117 View Figures 111–123 (♀)

Macroneura (Macroneura) aseculata Kalina, 1981: 96 View in CoL . Holotype ♀ (by original designation), depository unknown, not examined. Type locality: Italy, Terracina.

Eupelmus (Macroneura) aseculatus – Askew & Nieves-Aldrey, 2000: 57.

Description: Female. Length = 1.7–3.0 mm. Body almost uniformly yellowish to yellowish-brown, with very faint metallic luster ( Fig. 35 View Figures 35–42 ). Head yellow to brownish-yellow with faint multicoloured metallic luster under some angles of light. Antenna with scape, pedicel and fl1 yellow to brownish-yellow except pedicel darker dorsally and with faint metallic luster, rest of flagellum dark brown. Mesosoma similar in colour to head except pronotum with emarginate margin anterior to spiracle black, and dorsal surface darkened along median light-coloured line; mesoscutal plate sparsely setose, with posteromedial concave region asetose or with one to two setae and with a reduced light-purple metallic luster bordered sometimes by light-blue; axillae and scutellum bright yellow, medially asetose, with sparse dark-brown to black hair-like setae on sides ( Fig. 56 View Figures 56–67 ). Legs mostly brownish-yellow, except mid- and hind coxa brownish with faint metallic luster, anterodorsal angle of mesofemur with a whitish spot or femur more extensively pale along anterior edge of dorsal and ventral surfaces, mid-tibia with a subbasal brownish ring, metatibia sometimes brownish basally along dorsal margin and whitish apically; mesotibial pegs rufous to dark-brown. Metasoma with long and very sparse hair-like setae, on Gt2–Gt4 distance between sockets of two adjacent setae equal to or greater than seta length (cf. Fig. 68 View Figures 68–87 ); slightly darker than mesosoma, with distal half of tergites darker resulting in a striped pattern, except Gt1 translucent in distal half with the underlying yellowish-white internal structures visible to variable extent and yellowish-brown basally without metallic luster. Ovipositor sheaths distinctly banded with very narrow dark-brown basal band, pale medial band, and paler brownish apical band much lighter than basal band.

Head in lateral view hemispherical, 1.5–1.9× as high as long, transverse in dorsal view, 1.9–2.1× as broad as long. Frons and vertex alutaceous to coriaceous, appearing shiny under low magnification. Pedicel plus flagellum 1.2–1.4× head width. Pronotal ridge with erect setae about as long as pronotal collar. Mesoscutal plate with flat, V-shaped anterior region differentiated by minute reticulate sculpture and posteriorly very finely coriaceous to smooth mesally and shallowly concave. Scutellum and axillae weakly convex ( Fig. 56 View Figures 56–67 ). Acropleuron finely coriaceous to alutaceous, with almost completely effaced sculpture medially ( Fig. 88 View Figures 88–95 ). Fore wing base extended to near plical region of propodeum; basal cell densely setose dorsally; apical part normally abruptly bent upward, comparatively long, 1.8–2.0× as long as basal part, with marginal and postmarginal veins extended along outcurved leading margin and without a trace of the stigmal vein, posterior and leading margins curved to acute point resulting in a short-falcate fore wing apex ( Fig. 117 View Figures 111–123 ). Hind wing concealed beneath fore wing and apically reflexed. Middle leg with row of two to seven mesotibial apical pegs; mesotarsus without pegs or at most with single rufous and usually inconspicuous peg basally on anterior margin. Metasoma ovoidal and comparatively broad, 1.5–2.0× as long as wide, Gt5 coriaceous. Syntergum and anal plate forming truncate to somewhat obliquely inclined surface above ovipositor sheaths and gaster extending to about apex of second valvifer. Ovipositor sheaths 0.5–0.6× as long as metatibia and 0.3–0.4× as long as metasoma.

Male. Unknown

Comparative diagnosis: Females of E. aseculatus are easy to discriminate from both E. seculatus and E. rameli because the mesotarsus has at most one inconspicuous peg compared to numerous pegs in the other two species ( Figs 76, 77 View Figures 68–87 ). Females further differ from E. seculatus because of their uniformly yellowish body and from E. rameli because of their much longer fore wing rudiment.

Biology: So far reared only from Cynipidae galls. Askew et al. (2006) list Aylax papaveri (Perris) on Papaver dubium and Aylax hypecoi Trotter on Hypecoum spp. Askew et al. (2013) list Andricus quercusradicis (Fabricius) (bisexual) and Callirhytis glandium (Giraud) and C. rufescens (Mayr) (asexual). I have seen specimens reared from A. hypecoi galls on H. imberbe and galls of C. glandium and C. rufescens (asexual) on Quercus suber .

Distribution: Mediterranean area. Here newly recorded for Cyprus, Greece, Israel, Romania, and Turkey (see also under E. seculatus ).

Remarks: Although the holotype and some paratypes are stated in the original description as deposited in Narodni Muzeum v Praze, Prague, and other paratypes in the Institute of Applied Ecology and Ecotechniques, Kostelec nad Černými lesy, Czech Republic ( Kalina, 1981), they apparently remain in Kalina’s personal custodianship, according to Petr JanŠta, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic (Personal communication). One of the paralectotypes of E. seculatus belongs to E. aseculatus .

Non-type material: Bulgaria (BMNH, HNHM, PUPB/ IBER), Croatia (CNC), Cyprus (AICF, CNC), France (AICF, BMNH, CNC, MNHN), Greece (AICF, BMNH, CNC, HC, LUZN), Italy (BMNH, NHMV), Romania (AICF), and Spain (BMNH, CNC).

Extralimital material: Israel and Turkey (CNC). See

Appendix 1.