Gasteruption erythrostomum (Dahlbom, 1831)

Bogusch, Petr, 2021, The genus Gasteruption Latreille, 1796 (Hymenoptera: Gasteruptiidae) in the Czech Republic and Slovakia: distribution, checklist, ecology, and conservation status, Zootaxa 4935 (1), pp. 1-63 : 19-20

Gasteruption erythrostomum (Dahlbom, 1831)

Figs. 43–51 .

No synonyms.

Diagnosis: The female body length is 8–13 mm, ovipositor length is 3.5–5 mm. Total length of males is 7–10 mm. Species with a medium-sized ovipositor 2.0–2.6× as long as third tibia. The apex of the ovipositor sheath is black. Typically, both sexes have reddish or orange coloured mandibles, head elongated behind the eyes with a wide and semi-transparent occipital collar. The sculpture of the mesonotum is matte and finely rugose ( van Achterberg & Talebi 2014).

Distribution: ( Fig. 51 ): European species. Distributed in most of Europe from the north to the south, recorded from the following countries: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Finland, France + Corsica, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Montenegro, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland ( Ferrière 1946; Šedivý 1958; Hedqvist 1973; Oehlke 1984; Madl 1989; Pagliano & Scaramozzino 2000; Wiśniowski 2004, 2020; van Achterberg 2013; Strumia & Pagliano 2014; Žikić et al. 2014; Vas 2016; Madl & Mitroiu 2019, and personal records). Orlovskyté et al. (2018) recorded this species from Lithuania erroneously identified as Gasteruption insidiosum .

Šedivý (1958; 1989) recorded this species both from the Czech Republic ( Bohemia and Moravia) and from Slovakia. This species is distributed throughout both countries, from lowlands to submontane regions. It is mostly distributed in mesic regions at altitudes between 250–700 m n.m. The number of total records is 70 from the Czech Republic and 31 from Slovakia, while the number of recent records is significantly lower than the number of records from 1990 (13 from the Czech Republic and 11 from Slovakia) ( Tab. 2).

Biology: Recorded from June to August. Hosts are species of the genus Hylaeus (Colletidae) , namely Hylaeus communis , H. hyalinatus , H. pectoralis and H. punctatus ( Malyshev 1964; Oehlke 1984; Jakubzik & Cölln 1997; Windschnurer 1997) and/or small species of Megachilidae : Chelostoma campanularum (Kirby) , C. rapunculi ( van Achterberg 2013; van Breugel 2014). In our observations, the species was recorded in nests of Chelostoma . Both sexes visit mostly flowers of Apiaceae and less frequently also Asteraceae ( Wall 1994) .

Conservation: The ecology of G. erythrostomum is not well-known. This species is not found on xerothermous sites, it is usually recorded in forest margins, forest steppes and mesic meadows. Due to the loss of localities, we suggest this species to be VU—vulnerable ( Tab. 2).

Figures

FIGURE 51. Distribution map of Gasteruption erythrostomum in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Full circles represent distribution after 1990 and empty circles distribution until 1990.

FIGURES 43–50. Gasteruption erythrostomum (Dahlbom, 1831). 43—female, lateral habitus, 44—male, lateral habitus, 45— female, lateral head, 46—female, frontal head, 47—female, dorsal head, 48—female, lateral mesosoma, 49—female, dorsal mesosoma, 50—female, third leg. Scale bars represent 1 mm.