Neochrysocharis violaceus Askew, 1999

Dorchin, Netta, Mifsud, David & Askew, Richard, 2014, Saltbush-associated Asphondylia species (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) in the Mediterranean Basin and their chalcidoid parasitoids (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea), Zootaxa 3869 (4), pp. 383-396 : 394

Neochrysocharis violaceus Askew, 1999

(Eulophidae)

Neochrysocharis violaceus was described from specimens reared from galls of Asphondylia conglomerata De Stefani (Cecidomyiidae) on Atriplex halimus collected in the Canary Islands by U. Sellenschlo ( Báez & Askew 1999). Subseqently, several specimens were captured in Los Monegros, Spain, one of which was reared from a gall of Stefaniola salsolae (Tavares) (Cecidomyiidae) on Salsola vermiculata ( Askew et al. 2001) , and M. Boness reared N. violaceus from galls of the following Cecidomyiidae :

29♂ 81♀ ex unidentified species in flowers of Halimione portulacoides ( Portugal) ;

2♀ ex Asphondylia verbasci on Verbascum sinuatum ( Portugal) (new host record);

2♀ ex Lasioptera eryngii (Vallot) on Eryngium maritimum ( Menorca) (new host record).

Material examined. 2♂ 5♀, Malta, Migra Ferħa , 5–25.v.2012 , D. Mifsud, emerged 5– 20.6.2012 from galls of Asphondylia scopuli ; 5♀, same data, emerged 24–30.vi.2012 .

The finding of N. violaceus in Malta represents a considerable eastwards extension of its hitherto known range.