Meteorus pulchricornis

Meteorus pulchricornis (Wesmael)

Fig. 23, 28, 50, 72, 118

Perilitus pulshricornis Wesmael, 1835:42. Lectotype ♀, Belgium: Brussels, coll. Wesmael (IRSBN, Brussels).

Meteorus striatus Thomson, 1885:2157. Lectotype ♀, Sweden: Skåne, Pålsjö (MZLU, Lund) synonymized by Huddleston, 1980:45 —examined.

Meteorus thomsoni Marshall, 1899: 301.

Meteorus japonicus Ashmead, 1906:190. Lectotype ♀, Japan: Gifu, viii.1902 (USNM, Washington), synonymized by Marsh (1979).

Meteorus nipponensis Viereck, 1912:624. Holotype ♀, Japan (USNM, Washington) synonymized by Watanabe, 1939

Meteorus macedonicus Fischer, 1957a:104. Holotype ♀, Yugoslavia: Macedonia, treskaslucht (NHM, Vienna), synonymized by Huddleston, 1980:45

Meteorus graeffei Fischer, 1957a:107. Holotype ♀, Italy:’Triest’ (NHM, Vienna), synonymized with macedonicus by Fischer, 1970b:287.

Meteorus tuberculifer Fischer, 1957a:108. Holotype ♀, Italy:’Trieste Küstenland, coll Graeffe (NHM, Vienna), synonymized by Huddleston, 1980:45.

Meteorus baicalensis Telenga, 1950, synonymized by Belokobylskij 2000:209.

Diagnosis: The dense, short and erect setae on the clypeus along with the indications of dorsope on the petiolar tergum are good characters for distinguishing M. pulchricornis. It is closest to, and easily confused with M. abscissus. M. abscissus has the ventral sides of the petiolar tergum not closed, contrary to M. pulchricornis which have the ventral sides of the petiolar tergum closed. The dorsal pits on the petiolar tergum of M. abscissus are sometimes small and complicates the identification with M. pulchrichornis that has no true dorsal pits.

Studied material: ~ 80 specimens.

Description: Size about 5mm. Antennae with 29–33 articles, long, slender; all articles distinctly longer than broad. Ocelli large, OOL=1.5. Eyes large, protuberant, moderately convergent. Malar space slightly shorter than basal breadth of mandible. Face not strongly protuberant but slightly raised medially. Clypeus strongly protuberant, evenly convex with a dense pile of erect setae. Mandibles small and strongly twisted. Precoxal sulcus reticulaterugose with emphasis on reticulate. Propodeum without distinct carinae, strongly reticulate-rugose. Petiolar tergum longitudinally striate, usually with no dorsal pits but with indications of pits. Ovipositor 1.5–2.0 times length of petiolar tergum. Legs long, slender; hind coxa generally completely rugose, this sculpture always fine, never reticulate though sometimes transverse. Tarsal claws with a strong basal lobe. Colour mostly yellow. Completely pale specimens sometimes occur. Male same as female except antennae slightly longer; face occasionally strongly raised medially; propodeum with greater variation in sculpture, smaller, and more depressed.

Distribution: Palearctic, Oceanic and Nearctic. Country records: Armenia; Austria; Azerbaijan; Belarus; Belgium; Bulgaria; Chile; China; Croatia; Cyprus; Czechoslovakia; Finland; France; Georgia; Germany; Greece; Hungary; India; Iran; Ireland; Israel; Italy; Japan; Korea; Lithuania; Macedonia; Moldova; Morocco; Netherlands; New Zeeland; Norway; Poland; Portugal; Romania; Russia; Slovenia; Spain; Sweden; Switzerland; Turkey; Ukraine; United Kingdom; USA; Yugoslavia.

Biology: We found two specimens within the SMTP. They were caught in September, one in a mixed forest and the other in a heather heath. M. pulchricornis is primarily a parasitoid of Noctuidae, although there are records from 17 other lepidopteran families (Yu et al. 2005). Amongst the studied Meteorus material at Hokkaido University in Japan, we found specimens that was reared from Evergestis forficalis, Leucania separate, Zanclognatha fractalis, and Ilema sorocula. The biology and ecology of this species have been studied extensively (Askari et al. 1977, 1978, Fuester et al. 1993, Berry et al. 2004, Chau et al. 2009).