Meteorus vexator

Meteorus vexator (Haliday)

Fig. 58, 63, 133

Perilitus vexator Haliday, 1935:33. Neotype ♀, Ireland: Co. Kd., R. Canal, (2), 11.vii.1943 (Stelfox) (USNM, Washington), designated by Fischer (1959:12).

Diagnosis: Meteorus vexator is close to M. affinis but M. affinis has lobed claws (simple in M. vecator) and larger ocelli, characters that are distinct also in small specimens that are otherwise quite difficult to separate because of their weaker body sculpture and smaller number of antennal articles. Furthermore, the mesosoma of M. affinis sometimes has yellow markings, unlike M. vexator.

Studied material: ~ 100 specimens.

Description: Size about 2.5–4mm. Antennae 20–24 articles, slender, all flagellar articles distinctly longer than broad. Ocelli small, OOL=2.5–3.0. Eyes large, protuberant, very strongly convergent. Malar space short, much less than basal breadth of mandible. Face about as broad as high, not protuberant, smooth, punctate. Clypeus moderately protuberant, smooth, punctate. Mandibles short, stout, moderately twisted. Pronotum laterally generally with weak rugose sculpture. Precoxal sulcus narrow, foveolate, sometimes with a small punctate patch beneath. Propodeum small, distinctly carinate, generally rather smooth between the carinae but sometimes weakly rugulose. Petiolar tergum with distinct dorsal pits. Ovipositor 2.5–3.0 times length of petiolar tergum. Legs long, slender, hind coxa generally at least slightly rugose ventro-laterally though sometimes reticulate-punctate; tarsal claws without a basal lobe. Colour brownish black. Male same as female except antennae longer, up to 27 articles; eyes less convergent and sculpture of precoxal sulcus and of hind coxa sometimes obsolete.

Distribution: Western Palearctic. Country records: Austria; Bulgaria; Croatia; Czechoslovakia; Denmark; Finland; Germany; Hungary; Ireland; Latvia; Netherlands; Russia; Slovenia; Sweden; Switzerland; United Kingdom; Yugoslavia.

Biology: Meteorus vexator has been recorded as a parasitoid of Biphyllidae (Coleoptera) (Morley 1912) but as Huddleston points out, this record is doubtful. We received specimens from T. Munk that were reared from Dahlica lichinella (Lepidoptera: Psychidae), which is more in line with expectations.

Species still classified as nomina dubia, the types lost or not found:

Perilitus (Meteorus) delator (Haliday, 1874). Type material not found.

Perilitus dilatus (Ratzeburg, 1844). Type material lost.

Meteorus effeminatus Ruthe, 1862. These male specimens were examined by Huddleston in 1981 and by JS in 2010 without any conclusion about their placement within Meteorus.

Perilitus flaviceps (Ratzeburg 1844). Type material lost.

Perilitus longicornis (Ratzeburg 1844). Type material lost.

Meteorus stenostigma Thomson 1895. Type material lost. The two specimens in Thomson’s collection above the name stenostigma were determined by JS as M. ictericus Nees, 1811, and M. pendulus (Müller, 1776). Neither of them agrees with Thomson’s description and neither is from the type locality (Huddleston 1980).