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
Zele deceptor
(
Wesmael, 1835
)
Fig. 11, 15, 17
,
138
Perilitus deceptor
Wesmael, 1835:
26
Lectotype ♀,
Belgium
:
Brussels
, Wesmael coll. (IRSNB,
Brussels
). Synonymized by Van
Achterberg 1979:376
and stat. nov as valid species 1984:110
Perilitus pallitarsis
Cresson, 1872:
81
Holotype ♂, (ANSP, Philadelphia).
Synonymized
by
Van
Achterberg
1984:110
Meteorus (Zemiotes) rufulus
Thomson, 1895:
2149
Lectotype
♂
,
Sweden
: (ZML, Lund).
Synonymized
by
Van Achterberg
1984:110
Meteorus maximus
Muesebeck 1923:
13
Holotype ♀, (USNM,
Smithsonian Institute
,
Washington
).
Synonym
for
rufulus
.
Synonymized
by
Van
Achterberg
1984:110
Meteorus reticulatus
Muesebeck 1923:
14
Type ♀ (USNM,
Washington
).
Synonymized
by
Van
Achterberg
1984:110
Meteorus (Zemiotes) romani
Fahringer, 1930:
8
Holotype ♀, (NHRS,
Stockholm
).
Synonymized
with
M. rufulus
by
Van
Achterberg
1984:110 - examined
Meteorus separandus
Fischer, 1957:
3
Paralectotype ♂, (NHRS,
Stockholm
).
Synonymized
by
Van
Achterberg
1984:110— examined
Diagnosis
: In general,
Zele deceptor
is similar to the other large
Zele
species
,
Z. chlorophthalmus
and
Z. albiditarsus
. It can be distinguished from the former based on wing venation and ovipositor characters, as described under that species, but it can be difficult to distinguish from
Z. albiditarsus
because of the large variability in size and colour. However, the slender fore femur (slender, 6.5–9.0 times as long as wide) and the short fore tibia spur (0.2– 0.4 times fore basitarsus) are good characters to distinguish
Z. deceptor
from
Z. albiditarsus
, which has a stouter fore femur (5.0–6.0 times as long as wide) and a longer fore tibia spur (0.4–0.5 times fore basitarsus).
Studied material
: ~
200 specimens
.
Description
: Antennal articles 32–43. OOL=1. Eyes large, protuberant and not convergent. Malar space 0.3 times basal width of mandibles. Face 1.1–1.3 times wider than high. Clypeus protuberant almost as wide as face. Mandibles stout and twisted. Precoxal sulcus wide. Length of petiolar tergum 2.1–2.5 times its apical width. Propodeum with weak median and lateral longitudinal carina, dorsal transverse carina weak. Ovipositor stout, 1.6 times petiolar tergum, slightly longer than half of abdomen. Petiolar tergum with smooth laterope joining dorsally with dorsope, its ventral borders widely separated. Hind coxa smooth, tarsal claws lobed. Vein cu–a of fore wing postfurcal, seldom interstitial; Colour mostly testaceous but variation in size and colour is very large in
M. deceptor
.
Distribution
: Palearctic and Nearctic. Country records:
Albania
;
Austria
;
Belgium
;
Bulgaria
;
Canada
;
China
;
Croatia
;
Czechoslovakia
;
Denmark
;
Finland
;
France
; Georgia;
Germany
;
Hungary
;
Ireland
;
Italy
;
Japan
;
Kazakhstan
;
Latvia
;
Lithuania
;
Mexico
;
Netherlands
;
Norway
;
Poland
;
Romania
;
Russia
;
Slovakia
;
Sweden
;
Switzerland
;
USA
;
United Kingdom
;
Yugoslavia
.
Biology
:
Zele deceptor
seems to be as frequent as
Z. albiditarsus
in museum collections. It is a solitary parasitoid, also attracted to light, and emerges from the larval stages of various lepidopteran families, such as
Geometridae
,
Noctuidae
,
Pyralidae
and
Saturnidae (
Yu et al. 2005
)
.
19 specimens
of
Z. deceptor
were caught in SMTP from July to October in various biotopes. A trap situated in grazed calcareous pine forest collected most specimens (5).