Mesochorus castellanus SCHWENKE, 1999

Riedel, Matthias, 2018, The types of Mesochorus GRAVENHORST (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae, Mesochorinae) described by W. SCHWENKE and deposited in the Senckenberg Deutsches Entomologisches Institut, Beiträge Zur Entomologie = Contributions to Entomology 68 (1), pp. 1-29 : 4

4. Mesochorus castellanus SCHWENKE, 1999

( Figs 4a–d )

Holotype: "() Wittenberg-Lu 10– 30.8.1964 Lichtfalle H. Zoerner " [, without no., Germany: Saxony-Anhalt, Lutherstadt Wittenberg, light trap, 10– 30.8.1964, leg. K.H. Zoerner] ( SDEI).

Description: Missing: Both flagella, both fore legs and fore wings. Body length 4.5 mm. Temple strongly and almost linearly narrowed behind the eye, 0.5x as long as the eye width. OOD 0.9. Face coarsely punctate, 1.05x wider than the length of clypeus+face and 0.9x as wide as the eye length, with parallel sides. Malar space and ventral 0.2 of facial orbit striate. Mandible with two equal teeth. MI 0.3x. Genal carina reaching the hypostomal carina far from mandibular base. Mesosoma rather stout, ca. 1.66x longer than high; mesoscutum densely punctate apico-medially, with scattered hair-punctures laterally; mesopleuron with dense punctures dorsally and scattered fine hair-punctures ventrally; metapleuron with fine scattered punctures. Area basalis trapezoid, slightly longer than wide; area superomedia 2.0x longer than wide and 1.1x longer than the area petiolaris, costula in frontal 4/10 of length of area superomedia; area petiolaris 1.1x longer than wide. Hind femur 5.0x longer than wide; hind metatarsus 0.52x as long as the hind tibia; hind claws with three long visible tooth. Areolet shortly stalked, oblique, 2 nd recurrent vein distal to its middle; nervulus interstitial; pterostigma 2.9x longer than wide, radial vein in its distal 0.7. 1 st tergite 2.7x longer than wide; postpetiolus 1.3x longer than wide, smooth; 2 nd tergite 1.05x longer than wide, thyridium transversal-oval. Ovipositor sheath densely pilose, sabre-shaped, 6.1x longer than wide and 0.86x as long as the hind metatarsus, slightly narrowed apically.

Colour: Black. Face red-brown; orbits, clypeus, gena, malar space, mandible without teeth reddish-yellow. Mesosoma black; hind edge of pronotum, tegula and wing base yellow; mesoscutum with H-shaped dark reddish spots centrally, scutellum with dark reddish sides. 1 st and 2 nd tergites black, 2 nd tergite reddish in apical 2.5/10 of tibial length; following tergites completely reddish. Legs reddish-yellow; hind tibia yellow, brownish in apical 1/10 of tibial length (0.5x of tibial width). Pterostigma hyaline to hyaline-ochreous.

Remark: The species is correctly placed in the key of the declinans -group ( SCHWENKE, 1999: 80–83), but contrary to the description given by SCHWENKE (1999: 86), the ocelli are slightly larger than their distance to the compound eyes.

Figures

Fig. 4a-d: Holotype of Mesochorus castellanus SCHWENKE: a. face; b. mesosoma; c. metasoma; d. ovipositor sheath.