Revision of the Western Palearctic Meteorini (Hymenoptera, Braconidae), with a molecular characterization of hidden Fennoscandian species diversity 3084
Author
Stigenberg, Julia
Author
Ronquist, Fredrik
text
Zootaxa
2011
2011-10-28
3084
1
1
95
https://biotaxa.org/Zootaxa/article/view/zootaxa.3084.1.1
journal article
10.11646/zootaxa.3084.1.1
11755334
5244448
Meteorus jaculator
(Haliday)
Fig. 102
Perilitus jaculator
Haliday, 1835:34
.
Syntypes
♀
,
Ireland
(lost).
Meteorus obscurellus
Ruthe, 1862:29
.
Holotype
♀
,
Germany
: Ruthe coll. (BMNH, London) examined. Synonymized by
Marshall, 1887:108
.
Meteorus tenuicornis
Thomson, 1895:2164
.
Lectotype
♀
,
Sweden
:
Skåne
,
Pålsjö
(ZI, Lund)—examined
Diagnosis
:
Meteorus jaculator
is similar to
M. cis
and
M. vexator
. However,
M. vexator
is easily distinguished from the other two based on the strongly converging eyes. The eyes are only slightly converging in the other two species, which are most easily distinguished by the length of the ovipositor.
M. jaculator
has an ovipositor length of 3–4 times the length of the petiolar tergum, whereas
M. cis
has a much shorter ovipositor, only 2 times the length of the petiolar tergum.
Studied material
: ~
20 specimens
.
Description
: Size about
3mm
. Antennae short, 18–22 articles, slender. Head swollen behind eyes; temples longer than eyes. Ocelli small, OOL=3–4. Eyes small, slightly convergent. Malar space at least slightly shorter than basal breadth of mandible. Face about twice as broad as high, protuberant. Clypeus wide as face and smooth, with scattered large punctures, not strongly protuberant. Tentorial pits small. Mandibles stout, slightly twisted. Precoxal sulcus narrow. Propodeum with weak but distinct carinae. The medial longitudinal area of the petiolar tergum is strongly raised ending apically in reticulate rugosity. Ovipositor 3–4 times length of petiolar tergum. Hind coxa often strongly rugose. Tarsal claws short with no basal lobe. Colour dark brown to black; legs testaceous but sometimes the coxae darker; clypeus and mandibles often yellow. Male same as female except that the antennae are much longer, up to 29 articles, all flagellar articles conspicuously longer than broad. Fore wing vein r is as long as vein 3–SR and m-cu antefurcal.
Distribution
: Western Palearctic. Country records:
Austria
;
Bulgaria
;
Croatia
;
Czechoslovakia
;
Denmark
;
Finland
;
France
;
Germany
;
Hungary
;
Ireland
;
Netherlands
;
Norway
;
Poland
;
Russia
;
Slovakia
;
Sweden
;
Switzerland
;
Turkey
;
United Kingdom
;
Yugoslavia
.
Biology
:
M. jaculator
is recorded as being a parasitoid on three lepidopteran families (
Gelechiidae
,
Psychidae
and
Tineidae
) (
Yu et al. 2005
). We found
6 specimens
within the SMTP. They were caught from July to October in northern
Sweden
, predominantly in deciduous forests.