Echthrus reluctator (Linnaeus, 1758)

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 : 57

Echthrus reluctator (Linnaeus, 1758)

Echthrus reluctator is easy to recognise by its habitus alone, but typical are the sharp and deep notauli. It is a fairly big ichneumonid (size ranging from 10 to 20 mm, which is often the case with wasps bound to larvae in dead wood). In both sexes the white banded antennae are present. The males vary in colour from close to completely black to some tergites and the first two pairs of legs reddish. The females at least have the second and third tergite reddish. Their ovipositor is long, distinctly longer than their metasoma. In the Low Countries this is one of the typical species benefiting from the increasing amount of dead wood in our forests, and a hypothetical migrant from eastern Europe ( VERHEYDE et al., 2020a). In contrast to the forest specialists, this species also occurs in gardens, even in urban areas. It can be seen as somewhat more opportunistic. The state of the damaged tree seems to be less important, ranging from completely dead to ‘half’ dead. Hosts are Coleoptera of the families Buprestidae and Cerambycidae (see also YU et al., 2012).

First report for the Netherlands; confirmed in Belgium.

MATERIAL EXAMINED:

BELGIUM: • 1 ♀; Oostkamp (WVL); 51°10’03”N 3°16’34”E; IV.2019; A. Zwaenepoel leg.; coll. FV; malaise trap; F. Verheyde det. • 1 ♂; Wijtschate , Huikerbossen (WVL); 50°48’01”N 2°54’31”E; 26/iv/2020; F. Verheyde leg.; field observation; F. Verheyde det. (ObsID: 189748953) . • 4 ♂♂; Beernem , Bulskampveld - Heideveld-Bornebeek (WVL); 51°06’30”N 3°17’46”E; 2/v/2020; A. De Ketelaere leg.; field observation; A. De Ketelaere & F. Verheyde det. (ObsID: 190218250) […].

THE NETHERLANDS: • 1 ♂; Bergen, Noordhollands Duinreservaat (NH); 52°40’30”N 4°39’14”E; 27/v/2013; T. de Graaf leg.; field observation; F. Verheyde det. (ObsID: 76389845). • 1 ♀; Westerveld, Dwingelderveld (DR); 52°49’07”N 6°24’34”E; 2/vi/2013; L. Douma leg.; field observation; F. Verheyde det. (ObsID: 76668742). • 1 ♀; Ossendrecht, Grenspark De Zoom (NB); 51°24’19”N 4°21’49”E; 24/v/2014; F. van de Putte leg.; field observation; K. Zwakhals & F. Verheyde det. (ObsID: 84783727). • 1 ♀ 3 ♂♂; Utrecht, Soesterberg– Vliegbasis West (UT); 52°07’50”N 5°15’58”E; 12/v/2019; 16/v/& 20/v/2019; T. Zeegers leg.; coll. Naturalis (Soesterberg-project, 9-20.V.2019; nr. 47–49); malaise trap; F. Verheyde det. • 1 ♀ 6 ♂♂; Tilburg, Leijbos (NB); 51°32’37”N 5°00’50”E; 23/iv/2020; IWG KNNV Tilburg leg.; coll . PH; malaise trap (16-23); P. Hoekstra det. (ObsID: 203584778) […] .