Spaniopus dissimilis Walker, 1833

Tselikh, Ekaterina, 2015, Review of the world species of Spaniopus Walker, 1833 (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae), with description of a new species from the Russian Far East, Zootaxa 4058 (1), pp. 41-65 : 48-50

Spaniopus dissimilis Walker, 1833

( Figs 13–18 , 40–42 )

Spaniopus dissimilis Walker, 1833: 466 ; lectotype ♂ (BMNH, examined). Type locality: [ Great Britain] "near London". Spaniopus elegans Foerster, 1856: 56 ; holotype ♂, perhaps lost ( Bouček 1972: 312). Type locality: [ Germany]. Polyscelis modestus Gahan, 1922: 11 ; holotype ♀ (USNM, not examined). Type locality: [ USA] "Pennsylvania, Hanover".

Synonymy by Graham (1969: 705).

Description. Female. Body length 1.9–2.4 mm; fore wing length 1.4–2.0 mm. Colour: head, mesosoma and metasoma dark metallic green with diffuse coppery lustre; antenna with scape yellowish-brown, pedicel and flagellum brown or sometimes hardly paler basally; legs yellowish-brown; fore with or without infuscate spot under M and S; ovipositor sheath dark brown.

Head in dorsal view 2.0× as broad as long and 1.15–1.20× as broad as mesoscutum; in frontal view 1.2–1.3× broader than high. POL 1.0–1.1× OOL. Eye height 1.40–1.45× eye length and 1.2–1.3× as long as malar space. Frons 1.4–1.5× broader than eye height. Distance between antennal toruli and lower margin of clypeus 0.8–0.9× distance between antennal toruli and median ocellus. Clypeus radially striate, its lower margin weakly emarginate. Mandible formula 3:4. Antenna with scape 0.9–1.0× as long as eye height and 1.3× as long as eye length; pedicel 1.7× as long as broad and 1.3× as long as F1; combined length of pedicel and flagellum 0.9× breadth of head; second anellus distinctly transverse, about 2.0× as long as first anellus; F1 1.3–1.4× as long as broad, hardly constricted basally; F2 and F3 longer than broad, F4 and F6 subquadrate; each funicular segment with one row of dense sensilla; clava 1.9–2.0× as long as broad.

Mesosoma 1.5–1.6× as long as broad. Pronotal collar medially 0.2× as long as mesoscutum. Scutellum finely reticulate, about as long as broad, with noticeable but shallow frenal line. Propodeum medially 0.65–0.70× as long as scutellum; usually with median carina complete, costula rarely complete; nucha subglobose and strongly reticulate, occupying 0.5× length of propodeum. Fore wing 2.3× as long as maximum width; basal cell bare; speculum open; M 1.35–1.56× as long as P and 1.66–1.8× as long as S; P 1.3–1.4× as long as S.

Metasoma ovate-acuminate, 1.36–1.53× as long as broad and 1.2–1.37× as long as mesosoma. Ovipositor sheath projecting slightly beyond apex of metasoma.

Male. Body length 1.4–1.5 mm. Colour: antenna with pedicel, F1–F6 and clava yellowish-brown; fore wing hyaline; mid tibia brown. POL 1.45–1.5× OOL. Antenna with pedicel 0.9–1.1× as long as F1; F1–F6 longer than broad; combined length of pedicel and flagellum 1.3× breadth of head; clava 2.6–2.8× as long as broad. Mesosoma 1.8× as long as broad. Fore wing with M 1.0–1.1× as long as P. Inner margin of mid tibia more broadly flattened than its outer margin. Metasoma 0.7–0.8× as long as mesosoma. Otherwise similar to female.

Material examined. GREAT BRITAIN: 1 ♂ (lectotype), “ LECTOTYPE ”, “grass in fields near London August”, “ Spaniopus dissimile Walker ”, “Stood under this name in old B. M. Coll C. Waterhouse”, “ Spaniopus dissimilis (Walk.) ♂ det. M.W.R. de V. Graham, 1956 ”, “B.M. TYPE HYM. 5 1810”, “ BMNH (E) #953702”; 1 ♀, “Ross-shire, Black Isle vii.1951 N.W. Hussey”,“Ex Megastigmus infested seed.”,“Pres by Com Inst Ent B M 1953- 623”,“ Trichomalus near sunides MWG. 1952”, “ BMNH (E) #953704”. SWEDEN: 2 ♀, 2 ♂, “ SWEDEN. SK. Fjellfota sjö. 31.vii.1938 J.F.P. B.M. 1938-414” (all from BMNH). RUSSIA: 1 ♀, “Primorskiy Territory, Spassk- Dal’niy, 30 km W, 3–4.VII.1984, Belokobylskij”; 1 ♀, “Primorskiy Territory, Natural Reserve “Kedrovaya pad’”, 18.VIII.1976, Storozheva” (both from ZISP).

Distribution. Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Germany, Great Britain, Netherland, Russia, Slovakia, Sweden, United States of America ( Noyes 2015).

Biology. Primary parasitoid of Mayetiola destructor (Say, 1817) ( Diptera , Cecidomyiidae ) ( Thompson 1958; Peck 1963; Graham 1969; Bouček 1972; Dzhanokmen 1978; Herting 1978; Burks 1979; Noyes 2015); Diplolepis rosae (Linnaeus, 1758) ( Herting 1977; Jennings 2004; Askew et al. 2006; Lotfalizadeh 2007; Noyes 2015) and Phanacis caulicola (Hedicke, 1939) ( Askew et al. 2006; Noyes 2015) ( Hymenoptera : Cynipidae ); lepidopteran pupa of Coleophora sp. ( Coleophoridae ) ( Askew 1970; Noyes 2015) and Elachista poae Stainton, 1855 (Elachistidae) (Vidal 1993; Noyes 2015). Secondary parasitoid of hymenopteran Apanteles sp. ( Braconidae ), Platygaster vernalis (Myers, 1917) and P. zosine Walker, 1835 (Platygastridae) ( Peck 1963; Noyes 2015).

The records as egg parasitoids of Erigone atra and E. dentipalpis ( Araneae : Liniphyidae) ( Vidal 1997; Noyes 2015) should be verified very carefully.

Comparative diagnosis. Spaniopus dissimilis is very similar to S. amoenus , the differences between these species being given in the respective keys to the sexes.

Figures

FIGURES 13 – 18. Spaniopus dissimilis Walker (♀ non type, Great Britain). 13, habitus, lateral view; 14, habitus, dorsal view; 15, head and antenna, lateral view; 16, head and antenna, frontal view; 17, fore wing; 18, scutellum and propodeum, dorsal view.

FIGURES 40 – 45. Spaniopus spp. 40 – 42. Spaniopus dissimilis Walker (♂ lectotype). 40, habitus, dorsal view; 41, head and antenna, dorsal view; 42, mid tibia, lateral view. 43 – 45. Spaniopus monospilus (Thomson) (♂ lectotype). 43, antenna; 44, mid tibia, lateral view; 45, head, frontal view.