Habrocytus milleri Delucchi and Verbeke (Pteromalidae)

Baur, Hannes, 2001, The Hymenoptera (Chalcidoidea, Ichneumonoidea, Platygastroidea) described by Vittorio Delucchi: an annotated catalogue, Journal of Natural History 35 (1), pp. 55-125 : 81-82

Habrocytus milleri Delucchi and Verbeke (Pteromalidae)

Habrocytus milleri Delucchi and Verbeke, 1953: 4 . Lectotype m, France: Meuse , MontmeÂdy, here designated (VD [examined]).

Material. LECTOTYPE m (cp) labelled` HABROCYTUS verbekei [sic] n. sp. V. Delucchi det. 51; on L. of Coleo-phora frischella V. Delucchi leg.; Montmedy [sic] (B) [sic], 15±20.IX.51; TYPE [red]’.

PARALECTOTYPES, VD: 24 mm, 9 ll, labelled and mounted as follows: 1 l(cp)` HABROCYTUS verbekei [sic] n. sp. lV. Delucchi det. 52; on L. Coleophora frischella V. Delucchi leg.; Montmedy [sic] (F), 17.IX.51; TYPE [red]’, 10 mm (cp) provided with similar data but not labelled`TYPE’, 1 m (cp)`DISEGNATO Dorsalmente’ (probably illustrated, 1952: 5, ®gures 1, 2), 1 l(mp)`Ecl. cages Virton-MontmeÂdy du 10 au 18-IX-1951 5 SeÂrie E [circled]’, 1 m (mp)`Ecl. cage MontmeÂdy passeÂs Ð tubes d’eÂlevage ®xeÂs 3.X.1951 5 SeÂrie C [circled]’, 1 m `B; Montmedy [sic] Virton 10.IX.51 B [circled]’, 9 mm, 6 ll(cp, mp) either`B’,`C’,`E’, or`G’, and seven slides (sc, 1 scx) with dissected parts of 2 mm and three slides (sc) of 1 lprovided with the name` Habrocytus verbekei’ or`H. verbekei’ followed by some notes on the parts mounted (both in Delucchi’s handwriting) and numbered`41 ’±`50’. In addition seven slides (sc) of some further females and a male, the ®rst labelled`51; Habrocytus’, the others just provided with the numbers`52 ’±`57 ’. All these slides considered as part of the type series, too. IRSN: 19 specimens (mp) [11 mm, 4 llexamined] with data as given in the original publication and labelled`J. Verbeke det. 1952 et Delucchi Habrocytus milleri n. sp.; paratype [orange] ’.

Remarks. Delucchi and Verbeke (1953: 10) claimed to have deposited the`type’ at the CIBC and`paratypes’ (number not stated) at the IRSN. However, the former could not be located, neither at the CABI (former CIBC), nor at the IRSN. Graham (1969: 530) stated that he had seen`the types’ but he may actually have examined only the specimens at the IRSN (Graham, apparently, rarely had access to type material deposited at the CIBC or in Delucchi’s private collection). As was the case for any other type material quoted for the CIBC by Delucchi, it seemed likely that it had either remained in his private collection or at the BMNH.

There is now strong evidence that the specimens labelled as` Habrocytus verbekei’ in fact represent the missing part of the type series of milleri . Delucchi (pers. comm.) never intended to describe any other Habrocytus than milleri . Most likely he just failed to replace the labels when by Verbeke’s appearance as co-author a change in naming the species became necessary. More importantly, some of the above slidemounted parts were used in the original description. Thus I was able to associate the following slides and ®gures without question: one slide`46; Habrocytus verbekei LABIUM (L) MAXILLAE ANTENNAE m’ with female antennae and mouth parts, the left antenna illustrated (p. 7, ®gure 8), one slide`50; Habrocytus verbekei ali’ with female fore wings, venation and stigma of right fore wing illustrated (p. 7, ®gures 4, 5), one slide`44; Habrocytus verbekei APPAR. GEN m PEDES m’ with four legs and two entire female genitaliae, right fore leg, left mid leg, right hind leg, and base of one ovipositor illustrated (p. 9, ®gures 9±11; p. 13, ®gure 14), one slide`41; Habrocytus verbekei MANDIBULAE DIS. m’ with two pairs of mandibles, a left and a right one illustrated (p. 7, ®gure 7), and one slide`55 ’ with parts of a head, clypeus illustrated (p. 7, ®gure 7). The remaining ®gures can be associated as well, though not as reliably as above.

Status. Junior synonym of Pteromalus semotus (Walker) ( Graham, 1969: 529, sub Habrocytus ).