Gasteruption merceti Kieffer, 1904

van Achterberg, Cornelis & Talebi, Ali Asghar, 2014, Review of Gasteruption Latreille (Hymenoptera, Gasteruptiidae) from Iran and Turkey, with the description of 15 new species, ZooKeys 458, pp. 1-187 : 90-92

Taxon classification Animalia Hymenoptera Gasteruptiidae

Gasteruption merceti Kieffer, 1904 Figs 303-314

Foenus pyrenaicus ; Tournier 1877: ix; Wall 1994: 149.

Faenus pyrenaicus ; Abeille de Perrin 1879: 262, 266, 267.

Trichofoenus pyrenaicus ; Kieffer 1912: 213, 214; Maidl 1923: 34; Hedicke 1939: 44; Ferrière 1946: 236, 238, 239; Malyshev 1965: 265.

Gasteruption pyrenaicum ; Schletterer 1885: 283, 1889: 382, 388, 394, 397, 405; Szépligeti 1903: 368; Kieffer 1912: 214; Schmiedeknecht 1930: 379, 380; Ferrière 1946: 239; Stohl 1947a: 8, 1947b: 278; Šedivý 1958: 35, 36, 42; Györfi and Bajári 1962: 46, 49; Malyshev 1965: 265; Schmidt 1969: 295; Oehlke 1984: 169, 170, 180; Kozlov 1988: 244, 247; Wall 1994: 149; Yildirim et al. 2004: 1351.

Gasteryption pyrenaicum ; Semenov 1892: 201.

Gasteruption merceti Kieffer, 1904a: 639; Hedicke 1939: 43; Madl 1988a: 13, 16, 1989b 44, 1990a 128, 1990b 480; Rey del Castillo 1990: 133; Kofler and Madl 1990: 322; Wall 1994: 158; Scaramozzino 1995: 3; Jakubzik and Colln 1998: 211; Pagliano and Scaramozzino 2000: 11, 15, 29; Saure 2001: 29; van der Smissen 2010: 373; van Achterberg 2013: fig. 178.

Trichofoenus merceti ; Kieffer 1912: 213, 214.

Gasteruption trichotomma Kieffer, 1904a: 645; Hedicke 1939: 45; Wall 1994: 165. Syn. n.

Trichofoenus trichotomma ; Kieffer 1912: 214, 215.

Gasteruption palaestinum Pic, 1916: 23; Hedicke 1939: 18. Syn. n.

Gasteruption jekylljaechi Madl, 1987a: 403, 1987b: 22, 1988b 406, 1988c 38; Wall 1994: 148; Yildirim et al. 2004: 1351. Synonymized with Gasteruption merceti Kieffer by Madl, 1989b.

Type material.

Lectotype of Gasteruption merceti here designated ♀ (MNCN) "[Spain], Los Molinos, G. Mercet", "MNCN_Ent. Cat. No. 43301", "Lectotipo, Gasteruption merceti Kieff., C. Rey", "Gasteruption Merceti K.", "Coleccion Ga. Mercet", "MNCN Cat. Tipos No. 2046"; 1 ♂ paralectotype (MNCN) from Madrid, MNCN_Ent. Cat. No. 43302; 1 ♀ paralectotype (MTMA), "Madrid, G. Mercet", "Gasteruption Merceti", "Gasteruption Merceti Kieff., type", and lectotype label by Dr J. Papp (1980, unpublished). Holotype of Gasteruption jekylljaechi ♀ (NMW), "N. Ö [sterreich], Aspern, Sach", " Gasteruption pyrenaicum Guér., J. Pasteels, det. 1953", and type label by Madl, 1986. Holotype of Gasteruption trichotomma ♀ (MNHN), "[Algeria], Oran", "Museum Paris, EY000 000 2453", "Museum Paris, Collection Ernest André, 1914", " Gasteruption trichotomma ", "Kieffer det.". "Typus?", and holotype label by CvA. Holotype of Gasteruption palaestinum ♂ (MNHN), "[Israel], Jericho", "Museum Paris, EY0000003922", “Type”, "Museum Paris, coll. Pic,", "voir species hungaricum", "palaestinum Pic", "[illegible] special", "Monotypus det. Madl, 1987", and holotype label by CvA.

Additional material.

*Iran (Alborz, Karaj; Qazvin, Zereshk Road; Mazandaran, Noor; Gilan, Orkom; Teheran, Rayne; Azerb. e Garbi, Serou, 1650 m; Kerman, 30 km S of Sirjan, 1730 m); Turkey (Ankara, Beynam; Konya, 30 km S of Aksehir; 50 km S of Kars Parsli; 20 km NW of Igdir; Kabahaydar Urfa; 20 km E of Gurun, Mezikiran Gecidi; Capadocia, Ürgüp; Birecik, Halfeti; Antakya; 15 km E of Malatya; 60 km E of Mut Kirobasi; Osmaneli; near Akyaka, 40 m; Burdur, 20 km SW of Burdur, 940 m; id., 5 km NE of Yesilova, 1060 m; id., 28 km SEE of Burdur, 1350 m; Sivas, 45 km E of Yarhisar; Göreme; near Halfeti; Gevas, Van Gölü; Isparta, Karakus Dagi centr., 1460 m; Mansisa, 30 km SEE of Salihi, 430 m; Denizli, 35 km SEE of Denizli, 970 m; Nevsehir, 20 km S of Nevsehir, Kaymakli, 1200 m; Hakkari, Mt. Sat, SW of Yüksekova, Varegös, 1650 m; Van, 30 km N of Baskale, 2700 m; Kayseri, Pinarbasi, 1500 m; Nevsehir, 5 km S of Avanos, Zelve, 1000 m; Agri, 30 km W of Eleskirt, 2200 m; Maras, Göksun, 1400 m; Diyarbakir, Diyarbakir, 650 m; SSE of Milas, Çamköy - Sek; Inner Anatolia, 5 km W of Koyulhisar).

Diagnosis.

Apex of ovipositor sheath blackish or slightly brownish (Fig. 311), if rather pale apically then pale part distinctly shorter than hind basitarsus; ovipositor sheath 2.6-3.8 times as long as hind tibia and 0.7-1.2 times as long as metasoma; occipital carina at least 0.3 times as wide as diameter of posterior ocellus; eyes often densely setose; temple strongly elongate (Figs 303, 308, 314), about as long as eye in dorsal view, but sometimes 0.8 times; vertex smooth or nearly so, at most with very superficial punctulation and with satin sheen; medial antennal segments slightly widened; face rather wide (Fig. 307); temples strongly narrowed behind eyes in dorsal view (Fig. 308); occipital carina lamelliform, medium-sized and distinctly upcurved (Figs 303, 308); vertex hardly bulging near occipital carina (Fig. 303); genal bridge at most half as long as third antennal segment; antesternal carina distinctly lamelliform and moderately wide (Fig. 304); pronotum with pair of rather large acute protuberances antero-laterally (Fig. 303); propleuron 0.7-0.8 times distance from tegulae to anterior border of mesoscutum, with satin sheen; mesoscutum coarsely rugose-reticulate and sometimes reddish brown; hind tibia rather slender (Fig. 306); hind basitarsus slender to rather stout; incision of hypopygium deep, often slit-like (Fig. 310). Males have third antennal segment about twice as long as second segment and fourth antennal segment about 0.7 times as long as second and third segments combined (Fig. 313).

Distribution.

Central and South Europe, N. Africa, Israel, Turkey, Iran. New for the fauna of Iran.

Biology.

Predator-inquiline of Ceratina spp. Collected in April-July and September.

Notes.

Sometimes the mesosoma is anteriorly (male from Kerman, Iran) or largely reddish brown. Eastern populations have the occipital carina lamelliform but narrower (width of carina medio-dorsally 0.2-0.4 times transverse diameter of posterior ocellus) than in European populations (0.5-0.6 times transverse diameter of posterior ocellus); the differences are clinal.