Meteorus affinis

Meteorus affinis (Wesmael)

Fig. 83

Perilitus affinis Wesmael, 1835:31. Holotype ♀, Belgium: Wesmael coll. (IRSNB Brussells) examined.

Meteorus punctiventris Ruthe, 1862:25. Holotype ♀, Germany: Ruthe coll. (BMNH London) examined

Meteorus gracilis Ruthe, 1862:31. Holotype ♀, Germany: Ruthe coll. (BMNH London). Junior primary homonym of gracilis Ratzeburg, 1852.

Meteorus ruthei Schmiedeknecht, 1897:205. Replacement name for gracilis Ruthe, 1862. Synonymized by Huddleston 1980:22.

Meteorus voloscensis Fischer, 1959: 14 Holotype ♀ Yugoslavia: Volosca, Graeffe coll. (NM, Vienna) Synonymized by Huddleston, 1980:22 examined.

Diagnosis: Meteorus affinis is similar to M. vexator but has distinctly lobed claws and larger ocelli than the latter. These differences are visible also in small specimens, which are otherwise very similar due to their weaker sculpture and the reduction in the number of antennal articles. The mesosoma of M. affinis sometimes has yellow markings, but we never found this to be true for M. vexator.

Studied material: ~ 100 specimens.

Description: Size about 4 mm. Antennal articles 27–30. Head strongly rounded behind eyes. Ocelli large, OOL=1.5–2.0. Eyes large, protuberant and strongly convergent. Malar space short, much less than basal width of mandible. Face as broad as high, not protuberant but rugulose. Clypeus not strongly protuberant. Mandible stout, moderately twisted. Precoxal sulcus foveolate. Propodeum rugose, the transverse carinae of the propodeum often most developed. Petiolar tergum narrow with distinct dorsal pits, about twice as long as apically broad. Ovipositor long, 3.0–3.5 times length of petiolar tergum, slender. Legs long, slender; hind coxae rugose ventrolaterally; tarsal claws with small but distinct lobe. Colour generally black with yellow areas. ♂ antennal articles 30–33; eyes smaller and not strongly convergent; sculpture of precoxal sulcus and of hind coxa obsolescent.

Distribution: Western and Eastern Palearctic. Country records: Armenia; Belgium; Bulgaria; China; Croatia; Czechoslovakia; Finland; France; Germany; Hungary; Ireland; Italy; Korea; Netherlands; Norway; Romania; Russia; Sweden; Switzerland; United Kingdom; Yugoslavia.

Biology: Meteorus affinis is a solitary endoparasitoid that is attracted to light. Most host records involve the lepidopteran family Psychidae (Yu et al. 2005). We found 59 specimens within the SMTP. M. affinis was caught from June to November in both deciduous and coniferus forests.