Meteorus alborossicus Lobodenko 2000

Meteorus alborossicus Lobodenko

Fig. 57, 84

Meteorus alborossicus Lobodenko, 2000. Holotype ♀, Russia: ‘Byelorussia, Beresina Nat. Res., Postrezhie, 1vii– 1.viii.1996 ’ (Lobodenko) (ZIN. St. Petersburg)—examined.

Diagnosis: Meteorus alborossicus is close to M. vexator but the fore wing venation easily distinguishes them: while M. alborossicus has the fore wing vein 1–SR+M incomplete, it is complete in M.vexator. M. alborossicus is actually the only species of Meteorus in Europe with an incomplete 1–SR+M vein.

Studied material: ~ 20 specimens.

Description: Size about 3–4mm. Antennal articles 29. Ocelli small, OOL=2–2.5. Eyes protuberant, large and converging. Malar space narrow, 0.4 times basal width of mandibles. Face as wide as high and punctuate, clypeus also punctate. Clypeus protruding and variable in width, sometimes as wide as face. Mandibles only slightly twisted. Precoxal sulcus wide. Propodeum with transverse carinae. Petiolar tergum rugose centrally, striate laterally. Ovipositor long and slender, more than 2.5 times petiolar tergum. Fore and middle coxa light coloured (whitish), hind coxa dark and rugose. Fore wing vein 1–SR+M not complete. Claws slender but with a slight widening at base.

Distribution: Western Palearctic. Country records: Belarus; Sweden; United Kingdom.

Biology: We found a single specimen within the SMTP; it was caught on a sandy railway in August. Three specimens were reared in an ongoing study on saproxylic insects on wet stumps at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (Ols in prep.)