Gasteruption bicoloratum Tan et van Achterberg, 2016

van Achterberg, C., Sundukov, Yu. N., Lelej, A. S. & Belokobylskij, S. A., 2019, New data on Gasteruptiidae (Hymeno ¬ ptera) from the Russian Far East, Far Eastern Entomologist 381, pp. 1-8 : 4

Gasteruption bicoloratum Tan et van Achterberg, 2016

? Gasteruption incilis Alekseev, 1995: 42, key, ♀, holotype, Primorskii Krai, Anisimovka,

12.VI 1975, leg. A. Berezantsev.

SPECIMENS EXAMINED. Russia: Primorskii krai: Anisimovka, 4.VIII 1983 ,

1♂, 1♀, AL. Amurskaya oblast : Khingansky Nature Reserve , Kundur, Karapcha

River, 20.VII 1988, 1♀, AL.

DISTRIBUTION. Russia (new record): Primorskii krai, Amurskaya oblast. –

China.

NOTES. The holotype of G. incilis Alekseev, 1995 could not be found in the

Moscow Museum despite many efforts (including of the author); it is the only known specimen and originates from Anisimovka (South Primorskii krai). The original description is very rudimentary (in a key only!), the two key characters (apical antennal segment with ventral sensory area depressed and antenna apically paler than basally)

are both variable in several species and thus useless for recognition of the species.

The first character (the deep and parallel-sided impression of the apical antennal segment with sharp borders in the female) is a highly variable character that may occur e.g. in the very similar G. abeillei , G. assectator , G. nigritarse and G. bicoloratum . The specialized ventral sensory part of the apical antennal segment is variably depressed because of variable speed of desiccation. A pair of specimens from the type locality of G. incilis but collected later (4.VIII 1983 instead of 12.VI 1975)

belongs to G. bicoloratum , but very likely G. abeillei , G. nigritarse and G. assectator also occur at the type locality. Arbitrarily, G. incilis is provisionally included under

G. bicoloratum till the holotype is found; the typical characters of the latter species

(yellow mandibles and yellowish pattern of metasoma) are not mentioned in the original description, which may be used as an argument to list G. incilis under G.

abeillei , G. nigritarse or G. assectator .