Homotropus pictus

Homotropus pictus (Gravenhorst 1829, Bassus)

Tryphon nigricornis Zetterstedt 1838 (syn. nov.)

Bassus pumilus Holmgren 1858

Bassus thoracicus Desvignes 1862

Homocidus brevis Hedwig 1938 (syn. nov.)

Diagnosis. Fore wing length 3.8–5 mm. Antenna in females with 18 to 19 flagellomeres, apical flagellomeres with multiporous plate sensilla also present ventrally; in males with 19 to 20 flagellomeres and with narrow, long tyloids on flagellomeres 7 to 14/15. Face coriaceous, sometimes weakly punctate, especially centrally. Clypeus weakly to strongly excised, with lobes somewhat angulate at outer corners. Mesopleuron partly coriaceous on lower half, mainly smooth and shining on upper half, with some punctures on lower half and along anterior margin. Mesoscutum partly smooth and shining but also finely coriaceous, especially on median part, densely punctate. Hind coxa with hind surface mostly coriaceous and matt. Fore wing areolet closed, vein 3rs-m usually unpigmented. Propodeum with only pleural carina and lateral longitudinal carinae present, coriaceous, smoother on petiolar area. Female metasoma gradually tapered posterior to third segment. First tergite without median dorsal carinae, with longitudinal wrinkles, 1.1–1.3 times longer than wide in females, 1.2–1.5 in males; second tergite basally with some strong longitudinal wrinkles, 0.7–0.85 times as long as wide, second tergite 0.8–1.1 times length of first tergite; spiracle of third tergite on dorsal part, above lateral fold.

Colouration of females. Antenna black. Head and mesosoma black, with yellow on central face patch which is usually separated from yellow on clypeus, yellow on mouthparts, hind corner of pronotum, tegula, subtegular ridge, often large shoulder mark, mesepimeron, scutellum laterally and apically. Legs orange, all coxae orange, fore coxa often dark basally, femora orange, hind tibia white with apex, base and a subbasal spot dark, hind tarsus dark. Metasoma black.

Colouration of males. As in females but additionally with yellow over entire face, scape, pedicel and usually antenna ventrally, propleuron, epicnemium, part of mesosternum and sometimes a stripe on lower mesopleuron, fore and mid coxae, and often basal spots on tergites 3 and 4. Hind coxa apically yellow, basally orange or black.

Material examined. Holotype of Tryphon nigricornis Zetterstedt: Norway, Finnmark fylke, Kautokeino. 1♀, at ZIL. Lectotype of Bassus pumilus Holmgren: Sweden, Stockholm, leg. Boheman. 1♀, at NRM (hereby designated). Lectotype of Homocidus brevis Hedwig: Poland, Kreis Habelschwerdt, Wustung, leg. Hedwig, 9.VIII.1921. 1♂, at NMF (syn. nov.: The male lectotype as designated from the type series by Oehlke (1963) is a male H. pictus, while a female paralectotype that I have studied is H. melanogaster).

New for Iceland: Skaftafell, leg. Jens Böcher, 23.VII.1961. 1♀, at ZMUC. New for Turkey: Isparta, Sav, 1100m, leg. O.Poyraz, 30.IV.2003. 1♀, at SDU.

Finland (3), France (2), Germany (3), Hungary (6), Iceland (2) Norway (1), Poland (1), Russia (2), Sweden (40), Switzerland (30), Turkey (1), United Kingdom (50).

Distribution. Palaearctic.

Figures. Propodeum (Fig. 14 M, 20C), metasoma (Fig. 20 H), habitus (Fig. 32 A).