Gelis apterus (Pontoppidan, 1763)

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 : 93

Gelis apterus (Pontoppidan, 1763) (Fig. 47)

Gelis apterus is one of the few species in the genus with a very long ovipositor (ovipositor sheaths measuring at least 1.9x the length of the hind tibiae). The other candidate, G. atratus (de Stefani, 1884) has a Mediterranean distribution (SCHWARZ, 1998). In profile, its mesonotum is horizontally orientated and not sloping downwards. Furthermore, G. apterus has a more reddish colouration, especially on its mesosoma (Fig. 47). The species seems to be very rare in the Low Countries. Host records are scarce and unclear.

First report for the Netherlands; unreported in Belgium.

MATERIAL EXAMINED:

THE NETHERLANDS: • 1 ♀; Ooststellingwerf , Drents-Friese Wold (FR); 52°55’51”N 6°18’22”E; 18/v/2008; C. Zonneveld leg.; field observation; M. Schwarz det. (ObsID: 4352937); Fig. 47 .