Cosmoconus meridionator Aubert, 1963

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 : 124

Cosmoconus meridionator Aubert, 1963

Cosmoconus spp. belong to the tribe Tryphonini (the carination of the propodeum more or less complete, the notaulus short/absent and the head not transverse). Just like Tryphon spp. their areolet is closed and the fore wing vein 2m-cu has a strong zigzag. Unlike this genus however, the frons has a distinctive median horn. Most species have a metasoma that is more or less yellow/orange medially and black apically and sometimes basally ( TOWNES, 1969).

Cosmoconus meridionator has the first tergite orange, at least posteriorly starting from the spiracle, and its flagellum is usually darkened at apex ( KASPARYAN & TOLKANITZ, 1981). This species has proven to be very common (and thus probably underreported in the past), with many observations in the early autumn, often in the vicinity of umbellifers and in all types of habitat. It is a known parasitoid wasp of the common sawfly Rhogogaster viridis s.l. (Linnaeus, 1758) (Symphyta: Tenthredinidae ). First report for Belgium and the Netherlands.

MATERIAL EXAMINED:

BELGIUM: • 1 ♀; Sterrebeek (VB); 19/ix/1936; A. Crèvecoeur leg.; coll. KBIN/RBINS (coll. Crèvecoeur); F. Verheyde det. • 1 ♀; Nazareth , Hospicebossen (OVL); 50°58’30”N 3°37’08”E; 7/ix/2017; J. Raes leg.; field observation; F. Verheyde det. (ObsID: 143821841) . • 1 ♂; Tintigny (LX); 49°41’26”N 5°31’26”E; 14/vi/2019; A. Ronse leg.; coll. AR; field observation; F. Verheyde det. (ObsID: 206561842) . • 1 ♀; Ieper (WVL); 50°51’11”N 2°52’52”E; 14/ix/2019; F. Verheyde & K. Schoonvaere leg.; coll. FV; field observation; F. Verheyde det. (ObsID: 179550970) . • 1 ♀; Oudenaarde , Volkegembos (OVL); 50°50’00”N 3°38’52”E; 21/ix/2019; J. Raes leg.; field observation; F. Verheyde det. (ObsID: 179929754) […].

THE NETHERLANDS: • 3 ♀♀; Den Haag (ZH); 52°05’52”N 4°21’12”E; 15/ix/2008; A. Benshop leg.; field observation; F. Verheyde det. (ObsID: 62975598) . • 1 ex.; Zeist (UT); 52°05’52”N 5°12’57”E; 16/ix/2009; H. Jansen leg.; field observation; F. Verheyde det. (ObsID: 183087639) . • 1 ex.; Bergen (NH); 52°40’02”N 4°42’21”E; 28/viii/2011; T. de Graaf leg.; field observation; F. Verheyde det. (ObsID: 198616417) . • 1 ♀; Zeist (UT); 52°07’50”N 5°14’04”E; 7/ix/2013; J. Vink leg.; field observation; F. Verheyde det. (ObsID: 78955327) . • 1 ♀; Ureterp , Terrein de Fûgelhelling (FR); 53°06’17”N 6°08’23”E; 20/ix/2015; H. Meijer leg.; coll. HM; field observation; H. Meijer det. […].