Gasteruption boreale (Thomson, 1883)

Tan, Jiang-Li, Achterberg, Cornelis van, Tan, Qing-Qing & Chen, Xue-Xin, 2016, Four new species of Gasteruption Latreille from NW China, with an illustrated key to the species from Palaearctic China (Hymenoptera, Gasteruptiidae), ZooKeys 612, pp. 51-112 : 87

Taxon classification Animalia Hymenoptera Gasteruptiidae

Gasteruption boreale (Thomson, 1883) Figs 23, 24-32

Foenus borealis Thomson, 1883: 849; Hedicke 1939: 7; Hedqvist 1973: 181, 182 (invalid lectotype designation); Wall 1994: 148. Synonymized with Gasteruption assectator (Linnaeus) by Schletterer (1889) and with Gasteruption minutum (Tournier) by van Achterberg and Talebi (2014).

Gasteruption boreale ; Schletterer, 1885: 303; Johansson and van Achterberg (submitted; references and synonymy).

Trichofoenus breviterebrae Watanabe, 1934: 285; Hedicke 1939: 45. Synonymized with Gasteruption assectator (Linnaeus) by Pagliano and Scaramozzino (2000) and with Gasteruption boreale (Thomson) by Johansson and van Achterberg (submitted).

Type material.

Holotype of Gasteruption breviterebrae , ♀ (ECHU), "[Russia,] Saghalien [= Sakhalin Oblast], K. Tamanuki/ Konuma, 23.v.1931", "Holotype Trichofoenus breviterebrae Watanabe, 1934, det. Konishi". Paratypes: 1 ♂ (ECHU), "[Russia,] Saghalien, K. Tamanuki/ Nagahama, 28.vii.1927", "Paratype (Allotype) Trichofoenus breviterebrae Watanabe, 1934".

Additional material.

China (Heilongjiang, ZJUH); Russia (Sakhalin).

Diagnosis.

(after Johansson and van Achterberg submitted) Head in dorsal view subparallel-sided behind eyes (Fig. 30), elongate, about as wide as long; occipital carina indistinct medio-dorsally; frons with satin sheen; mesoscutum rather weakly rugulose-coriaceous or chagreened, similar as vertex (Fig. 24) and with satin sheen, in front of scutellum rather rugose (Fig. 26); mesosoma and head silvery pilose; mesosoma with a satin sheen, quite distinct from the rather fatty gloss present in Gasteruption assectator s.s.; whitish pubescence of eye of female (Fig. 29) mostly distinctly longer and denser than of Gasteruption assectator s.s.; antenna slightly shorter than in Gasteruption assectator s.s. with sixth segment about 1.5 times longer than wide and subapical segment about 1.2 times longer than wide; only apical half of hind coxa weakly striate dorsally; hind tibia and basitarsus with white or ivory ring (Fig. 27); metasoma mainly black with orange lateral patches on tergites 2-4, which might be partially reduced (Fig. 23); inner sides of tibiae often red brown to orange with white or yellow basal patch indistinct on fore and middle tibiae; ovipositor sheath black or brown, 0.7-1.0 times as long as hind tibia, its apical half entirely with stout, rather scarce black bristles angled backwards at about 45° (Fig. 32). The male is difficult to separate from males of Gasteruption assectator s.s. and identification is not always possible with certainty. In most cases males of Gasteruption boreale have a slightly more elongate and subparallel-sided head in dorsal view, a less sculptured mesoscutum and a more or less enlarged malar space.

Distribution.

China (*Heilongjiang, ZJUH); Russia (Sakhalin). New for China.

Biology.

Unknown. Collected May-July.