Hoplocryptus melanocephalus (Gravenhorst, 1829)

Verheyde, Fons, Hoekstra, Paul, Libert, Pierre-Nicolas, Meijer, Hilco, Ketelaere, Augustijn De, Vandaudenard, Thibaud, Belgers, Dick & Brosens, Edwin, 1880, Two hundred and five ichneumonid wasps reported for the first time in Belgium and the Netherlands (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae), Belgian Journal of Entomology 122, pp. 1-142 : 59

Hoplocryptus melanocephalus (Gravenhorst, 1829)

As mentioned above this species looks a lot like H. bellosus (Curtis, 1837) . Both species have a reddish mesosoma with a white scutellum. Its metasoma varies from completely black to having some tergites reddish. H. melanocephalus has a shiny mesoscutum and the ovipositor sheath is slightly shorter or longer than the hind tibia (index 0.9–1.1). Additionally, the third segment of the antennae measures 6.2–7.7× its width ( SCHWARZ, 2007; more differences are listed there). On our specimen the hind femora and tibiae were slightly reddish basally, while completely black in H. bellosus .

First report for the Netherlands; unconfirmed in Belgium.

MATERIAL EXAMINED:

THE NETHERLANDS: • 1 ♀; Wellerlooi , Uiterwaarden (LIN); 51°30’33”N 6°10’03”E; 3/vii/2020; T. Martens leg.; field observation; F. Verheyde & M. Schwarz det. (ObsID: 195483954) .