Asolcus ghor

Baur, Hannes, 2001, The Hymenoptera (Chalcidoidea, Ichneumonoidea, Platygastroidea) described by Vittorio Delucchi: an annotated catalogue, Journal of Natural History 35 (1), pp. 55-125 : 67

Asolcus ghor ®i Delucchi and Voegele ( Scelionidae )

Asolcus ghor W i Delucchi and Voegele, 1961: 37. Holotype m, Morocco: MekneÁs [not de®nitely located].

Material. PARATYPES, NMP: According to Macek (in litt.) three paratypes of ghor W i are present in the NMP.

Remarks. Delucchi and Voegele (1961: 38) stated that the holotype and allotype were deposited in Delucchi’s private collection and paratypes (number not indicated) in the INRA. A further two females and one male paratypes were cited for the Masner collection in Prague ( Delucchi, 1961a: 49). However, in the entire collection of Asolcus (about 900 specimens, 30 slides) in VD only the following specimens have label-data as speci®ed in the original publication: One female (cp)`Labor. Zool. agr. Ecole Nat. agri. MEKNES MAROC 3-4-1958 Elevage sur oeufs d’ Eurygaster austriaca Aelia germari et cognata A. I.; Microphanurus scutellaris Th. G. E. J. Nixon det. 1958’, one male (cp)`Lab. Zool. agri. Ecole. Nat. agri. Meknes Maroc 3-4-58 Elevage sur oeufs d’Eurygaster austriaca Aelia germari et cognata A. I.; Microphanurus scutellaris Th. lG. E. J. Nixon det. 1958’, three females, ®ve males (cp)`A. I. MOROCCO Meknes 3-4-1958; Ex eggs of Eurygaster austriaca & Aelia spp.’. Four females and four males (mp) without any data stood under the header` A. ghor ®i’. The specimens have been identi®ed as ghor W i by me with keys of Delucchi (1961a) and Voegele (1965). The identi®cation labels on two of them are noteworthy, as Delucchi and Voegele (1961: 39) stated that the species was confused in the past with scutellaris and that specimens earlier were identi®ed by Nixon ( Delucchi, 1961a: 42). These specimens were thus possibly considered as ghor W i by Delucchi and Voegele and might belong to the type series. All other specimens are unlikely to represent type material.

In the MNHN there were a further two females and one male (mp) labelled`S/oeufs d’Aelia cognata FIEBER Elevage ENA MekneÁs 1-7-1960; METATYPE 1 [`2’, or`II’] [red]; Asolcus ghor ®i DELUCCHI VOEGELE m [or`’ l]’. According to Villemant (in litt.) the label`METATYPE’ means solely that the specimens were compared with type material .

Finally , some specimens might still be deposited in the INRA . Unfortunately , it was not possible to get access to the collection at the INRA and to check to existence of type material during a stay in Morocco in 1994. On the other hand, Delucchi (pers. comm.) pointed out that ®nding the holotype there would be quite improbable, since types were earlier sent to the MNHN by Ch. Rungs , then head of the department at the INRA .

Status. Trissolcus ghor W i (Delucchi and Voegele) ( Safavi, 1968: 412).