Pales pavida (Meigen, 1824) (Figs 5, 10, 20–23)

Tachina pavida Meigen, 1824: 398. Type locality: not given [Europe].

Pales florea Robineau­Desvoidy, 1830: 155. Type locality: not given [France]. Estaplished by Robineau­Desvoidy (1863: 522).

Tachina aestuans Meigen, 1838: 261. Type locality: not given [? Germany].

Tachina squamosa Zetterstedt, 1844: 1164. Type locality: Vadstena, Östergotland [Sweden].

Tachina internexa Walker, 1853: 62. Type locality: not given [? England].

Tachina infensans Walker, 1853: 88. Type locality: England. Gaedia ignavus Nishikawa, 1930a: 337. Type locality: Japan. Gaedia puellae Nishikawa, 1930b: 259. Type locality: Japan.

Type material. Syntype ɗ of Phorocera pavida: Meigen / [back side] 2004 / 40 // Phorocera / pavida / ɗ [MNHN]. Syntype ɗ of Phorocera pavida: 2004 / 40 [MNHN]. Holotype ɗ of Tachina infensans: Holotype [round, with red circle] // 156 infensans Walk // ex coll. Walker / HOLOTYPE ɗ / of Tachina / infensans Walk. / examined 1970. / R.W. Crosskey [BMNH]. Holotype ɗ of Tachina internexa: Holotype [round, with red circle] // Type [round, with green circle] // T. internexa Walker’s / original type from Descrigne’s collection // Verrall Bequest. / B.M. 1911­411/ Pales / pavida, Mg // Phorocera cilipeda W[…] // HOLOTYPE ɗ / Tachina / internexa Walker // BMNH (E) # 239686 [BMNH].

Additional material. Specimens of this common species have been examined from: AUSTRIA: 3 ɗɗ, 1 Ψ (SMNS). CROATIA: 1 ɗ (SMNS). CZECH REPUBLIC: 1 ɗ (SMNS). FRANCE: 7 ɗɗ, 1 Ψ (JZCB, MHNG, SMNS). GERMANY: 54 ɗɗ, 48 ΨΨ (MHNG, SMNS). GREECE (mainland): 8 ɗɗ, 12 ΨΨ (PCCR, SMNS). GREECE (Peloponneso): 1 ɗ, 1 Ψ (PCCR). GREECE (Kreta): 3 ɗɗ (PCCR, SMNS). ITALY (mainland): 35 ɗɗ, 21 ΨΨ (PCCR, FVCP, JZCB, MCZR, MHNG, MZUR, SMNS). ITALY (Sardinia): 40 ɗɗ, 44 ΨΨ (PCCR, FVCP, SMNS). ITALY (Sicily): 7 ɗɗ, 27 ΨΨ (PCCR, SMNS). MOROCCO: 1 ɗ (SMNS). JAPAN: 2 ɗɗ (SMNS). POLAND: 5 ΨΨ (SMNS). RUSSIA (Primorskiy Kray): 1 ɗ, 1 Ψ (JZCB). SERBIA and MONTENE­ GRO: 1 ɗ (MHNG). SPAIN: 12 ɗɗ, 27 ΨΨ (JZCB, SMNS). SWEDEN: 1 ɗ (SMNS). SWITZERLAND: 20 ɗɗ, 21 ΨΨ (MHNG, SMNS). TURKEY: 2 ɗɗ, 2 ΨΨ (MHNG, JZCB, SMNS).

Diagnosis. Thorax (except scutellum) black in ground colour; scutellum red on posterior 1/3 or more (rarely less). Abdomen black (usually with reddish spots on sides of tergites 3 and 4) usually with blue reflections, covered with weak microtrichosity. Tibiae at least partially yellow or yellowish (very rarely uniformly brown). Facial ridge 1.06–1.47 times as long as frons (rarely 1.06). One reclinate upper orbital seta (except for 2 specimens examined with 2 reclinate orbital setae, see examined material). ɗ: postpedicel 3.5– 4.6 times as long as pedicel; lateral vertical seta weak, not or slightly differentiated from the postocular setulae; frons 0.68–0.88 times as wide as an eye in dorsal view; claws and pulvilli at least as long as tarsomere 5 (fore claws and pulvilli longer than tarsomere 5) (Fig. 5); cerci (Figs 20–23) generally slender in posterior view, basally strongly convex in lateral view, distally usually slightly bent posteriorly in lateral view; surstylus very narrow, longer than cerci. Ψ: postpedicel about 2.5–3.0 times as long as pedicel; lateral vertical setae strong, well differentiated from the postocular row; frons 0.87–1.0 times as wide as an eye in dorsal view.

Distribution. Europe, Morocco, Near and Middle East, Transcaucasia, Central Asia, S Siberia, Mongolia, Russian Far East, China, Japan (cf. Chao 1999; Herting 1984; Herting & Dely­Draskovits 1993; Tschorsnig et al. 2004).

Hosts.This list is exclusively based on the data from the labels of examined material; there are many more published host records in the literature, which are probably correct in most cases but have not been confirmed. Lepidoptera: Hyphantria cunea (Drury), Hyphoraia aulica (Linnaeus), Ocnogyna parasita (Hübner) (Arctiidae); Abraxas pantaria (Linnaeus), Nebula tophaceata (Denis & Schiffermüller) (Geometridae); Eriogaster lanestris (Linnaeus), Lasiocampa trifolii, (Denis & Schiffermüller), Malacosoma franconicum (Denis & Schiffermüller), M. neustria (Linnaeus) (Lasiocampidae); Euproctis chrysorrhoea (Linnaeus), Teia dubia (Tauscher) (Lymantriidae); Orthosia cerasi (Fabricius), Panolis flammea (Denis & Schiffermüller), Simyra dentinosa (Freyer) (Noctuidae); Thaumetopoea processionea (Linnaeus) (Notodontidae); Pieris brassicae (Linnaeus) (Pieridae); Acleris hastiana (Linnaeus), Ptycholomoides aeriferana (Herrich­Schäffer) (Tortricidae); Zygaena lonicerae (Scheven) (Zygaenidae).

Remarks. P. pavida is a polyphagous and polymorphic species, similar to P. abdita, P. exsulans and P. processioneae. The identification of this species is presently mainly based on characters of the male terminalia (cf. Tschorsnig & Herting 1994; Cerretti 2004) and on the number of spiracular slits on the posterior spiracular discs of the third instar larva (a feature which can be seen also on the puparium) (cf. Tschorsnig & Herting, 1994). Otherwise, the range of variability of the morphometric ratios of the head in both sexes (cf. Tschorsnig & Herting, 1994:) shows high overlap with those of other species (i.e. P. p ro ­ cessioneae). This, in many cases, renders impossible the identification of female specimens, for which no other diagnostic features have been found.

The variability found in the male terminalia, particularly in material from southern Europe, the Russian Far East and Japan, in which the cerci varied from straight to strongly bent posteriorly in lateral view and more or less narrow, did not form discrete groupings and I therefore considered it as intraspecific.

Pales pavida is characterized from a biological point of view by the wide range of hosts in which its larvae can develop (see the host lists of Herting 1960 and Shima 1999). The females of the genus Pales, like those of all the Goniini, lay huge quantities of planoconvex microtype eggs (Rivière 1974, 1975) on the food plants of the host, generally choosing leaves on which signs of the host’s presence have been detected (cf. Herting 1960; Wood 1987). Based on the literature and on material examined during this study, it seems that P. pavida has wide ovipositional preferences, showing the ability to develop even in highly toxic hosts such as the Zygaenidae (Lepidoptera).

Of particular interest was the finding of a single male specimen of P. p a v i d a which had emerged from a larva of Thaumetopoea processionea among 780 specimens of P. processioneae (see Tschorsnig 1996); a representative large series of this rearing is preserved [SMNS]. It is probable that P. p a v i d a, being a “generalist” parasitoid, may be at a disadvantage when competing with P. processioneae for the trophic resource represented by the larvae of T. processioneae.