Bracon (Bracon) intercessor Nees var. laetus (Wesmael, 1838)

Fig. 59 H-I

Bracon intercessor Nees, 1834: 71 ♀♁ (type material: several ♀♀ and ♁♁, destroyed), type locality: ♀ specimen(s) taken “prope Sickershausen” (Germany) and ♁ specimen(s) taken in Italy.

Braco laetus Wesmael, 1838: 13 ♀ (type material: 1 ♀), type locality: “environs de Liège” (Belgium), ♀ holotype (“la seule femelle que je possède...” Wesmael l.c., present designation) in the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences, Brussels; examined, syn. nov.

Bracon intercessor – Szépligeti 1901: 261 (♀), 263 (♁) (in key), 275 (description of B. intercessor “ var. ♀ ”) (in Hungarian); 1904 (1901): 160 (♀), 163 (♁) (in key) (in German).

Bracon (Bracon) intercessor – Fahringer 1927: 241 (♀), 245 (♁) (in key) and 320 (redescription), assigned to “Section Striobracon ” (= Bracon s. str.). — Telenga 1936: 164 (♀), 167 (♁), 254 (redescription) (in Russian) and 366 (♀), 370 (♁) (in key, in Russian). — Shenefelt 1978: 1494 (synonyms, literature up to 1974). — Tobias 1986: 125 (in key, synonyms, in Russian), assigned to subgenus Bracon. — Papp 2008: 1786 (synonyms of Szépligeti’s names).

Bracon laetus – Szépligeti 1901: 184 (♀) (in key, in Hungarian); 1904 (1901): 160 (♀) (in key, in German).

Bracon (Bracon) laetus – Fahringer 1927: as valid species 234 (♀, in key) and 322 (redescription), assigned to “Section Striobracon ” (= Bracon s. str.). — Telenga 1936: as valid species 162 (♀, in key), 247 (redescription) (in Russian) and 364 (♀, in key, in German). — Shenefelt 1978: 1498 (as valid species, literature up to 1974).

Designation of the ♀ holotype of B. laetus

(First label, printed) “ Coll. Wesmael ”; (second label, printed) “2025”; (third label) “ Braco / Laetus mihi ♀ ” (handwriting) “dét. C. Wesmael ”; (fourth label, printed red) “Type”; (fifth label) “ Belgique ” (printed) / “Liège/ leg. Carlier ” (handwriting); sixth label is the holotype card and seventh label is with the actual name B. intercessor var. laetus (Wesmael) (sixth and seventh labels attached by me). - Holotype is in good condition: (1) micropinned, pin fairly thick, i.e. hind half of mesoscutum and prescutellar furrow invisible; (2) left flagellum deficient: with ten antennomeres.

Material examined

74 ♀♀ + 4 ♁♁ from 21 countries: FRANCE: 2 ♀♀ from two localities. SPAIN: 3 ♀♀ from three localities. ITALY: 1 ♀. HUNGARY: 23 ♀♀ from fifteen localities. CROATIA: 3 ♀♀ from three localities. ROMANIA: 6 ♀♀ from three localities. BOSNIA-HERZEGOVINA: 1 ♀. KOSOVO: 1 ♀. SLOVENIA: 1 ♀. BULGARIA: 1 ♀. GREECE: 2 ♀♀ from two localities. CYPRUS: 5 ♀♀ from two localities. TURKEY: 1 ♀. ISRAEL: 9 ♀♀ + 2 ♁♁ from eleven localities. EUROPEAN RUSSIA: 2 ♀♀ and ASIATIC RUSSIA: 3 ♀♀ from five localities. GEORGIA: 2 ♀♀ from two localities. KAZAKHSTAN: 1 ♀ + 1 ♁ from one locality. UZBEKISTAN: 1 ♀. IRAN: 3 ♀♀ + 1 ♁ from two localities. KOREA: 1 ♀. CHINA: 1 ♀.

Taxonomic remarks

1) Considering the variability of B. intercessor I quote my previous relevant note (Papp 2008: 1787): “ Br. intercessor is a highly variable species viewing its body length, several corporal measurements, sculpture of tergites and colour pattern. This variability is well indicated by the fact that different deviating forms were described as many as twenty species by a few authors (mostly by Szépligeti: Papp 2008: 1786-1787). The Nees Collection (braconids etc.) was destroyed at the end of the Second World War; in the case of the species B. intercessor is particularly needed the designation of the neotype to promote its unambiguous specific distinction from its nearest allies.”

2) The species described by Wesmael (l.c.) under the name B. laetus is a light-coloured (or albanic) deviation of the nominate form (B. intercessor) and received the new status B. intercessor var. laetus (Wesmael) syn. nov. and comb. nov. This variety is identical with the junior variety names B. intercessor var. concolor Fahringer, 1927 syn. nov., B. intercessor var. elegans (Szépligeti, 1901) and B. intercessor var. subtilis (Szépligeti, 1901) (cf. Papp 2004: 152, 2008: l.c.).

3) Distinction of B. intercessor var. laetus from the nominate form:

1 (2) Head in dorsal view transverse, 1.9-2 as broad as long (Fig. 59H). Hind femur slightly thick, 3.1-3.2 as long as broad medially (Fig. 59I). Ground colour of body testaceous, black pattern on mesosternum and propodeum medially. Coxae 2-3 testaceous. Pterostigma yellow .................................................. ............................................................................................ B. intercessor var. laetus (Wesmael, 1838)

2 (1) Head in dorsal view usually slightly less transverse, 1.7-1.8 times as broad as long (Fig. 59F). Hind femur less thick, 3.3-3.5 times as long as broad medially (Fig. 59G). Body testaceous to reddish yellow with more or less black(ish) pattern on head, meso- and metasoma. Coxae 2-3 usually black(ish). Pterostigma brown ......................................................................... B. intercessor Nees nominate form

Variability

The dark pattern on mesosternum, propodeum and tergites are variable in extent in a few specimens.

Hosts

COL. Curculionidae:! Lixus incanescens Boheman, Magdalis nitida Gyllenhal. — LEP. Yponomeutidae: Prays citri Millière, P. oleae Bernard.

Hyperparasitoid

HYM. Pteromalidae: Gyrinophagus sp. (Moreno, Falco & Jiménez 1990).

Distribution

Sporadic to frequent in the western Palaearctic Region.