Fig. 10b, 20, 30, 92
Perilitus colon Haliday, 1835:30. Syntypes ♀, Ireland (lost).
Perilitus fragilis Wesmael, 1835: 52 Lectotype ♂, Belgium: Brussels (IRSNB, Brussels). Synonymized by Huddleston, 1980:26.
Perilitus fasciatus Ratzeburg, 1844:77. Syntypes ♀, Germany (lost). Synonymized with fragilis by Ruthe, 1862:55.
Meteorus luridus Ruthe, 1862: 57 Lectotype ♀, Germany: Ruthe coll. (BMNH, London)—examined
Diagnosis: Meteorus colon has a blunt tubercle on frons in front of the fore ocellus. This character is shared with M. cinctellus, M. tenellus, M. artocercus, M. stenomastax and M. melanostictus. M. colon is distinguished from these other species by having a distinctly postfurcal second submarginal cell and a pale pterostigma.
Studied material: ~ 200 specimens.
Description: Size about 4mm. Antennae long, 30–34 articles, all flagellar articles long. Head contracted behind eyes; frons with a blunt tubercle in front of the fore ocellus. Ocelli rather large but not conspicuously so, OOL=2. Eyes convergent but not strongly so. Malar space short, slightly less than basal breadth of mandible. Face not strongly protuberant. Clypeus strongly protuberant; narrower than face. Mandibles small, strongly twisted. Precoxal sulcus foveolate. Propodeum finely rugose, carinae often weak and indistinct. Petiolar tergum long, slender, without dorsal pits, the ventral borders generally slightly separated. Ovipositor 1.5 times length of petiolar tergum. Legs very long and slender; tarsal claws small with a distinct basal lobe. Forewing m-cu distinctly postfurcal, the second submarginal cell rather elongate. Colour black to yellow; ♂ antenna 31–35 articles.
Distribution: Western and Eastern Palearctic. Country records: Armenia; Austria; Azerbaijan; Belgium; Bulgaria; China; Croatia; Czechoslovakia; Denmark; Finland; France; Georgia; Germany; Hungary; Ireland; Italy; Japan; Lithuania; Moldova; Netherlands; Norway; Poland; Russia; Slovakia; Sweden; Switzerland; Turkey; United Kingdom; Yugoslavia.
Biology: Host records of Meteorus colon include ten different families of Lepidoptera, with most records involving species of Noctuidae (Huddleston 1980, Yu et al. 2005). We found 124 specimens within the SMTP; they were caught in both deciduous and coniferous forests but predominantly in spruce forests. Flying time is from July to October.