Zele deceptor ( Wesmael, 1835 )

Stigenberg, Julia & Ronquist, Fredrik, 2011, Revision of the Western Palearctic Meteorini (Hymenoptera, Braconidae), with a molecular characterization of hidden Fennoscandian species diversity 3084, Zootaxa 3084 (1), pp. 1-95 : 42-43

Zele deceptor ( Wesmael, 1835)

Fig. 11, 15, 17 , 138

Perilitus deceptor Wesmael, 1835: 26 Lectotype ♀, Belgium: Brussels, Wesmael coll. (IRSNB, Brussels). Synonymized by Van Achterberg 1979:376 and stat. nov as valid species 1984:110

Perilitus pallitarsis Cresson, 1872: 81 Holotype ♂, (ANSP, Philadelphia). Synonymized by Van Achterberg 1984:110

Meteorus (Zemiotes) rufulus Thomson, 1895: 2149 Lectotype ♂, Sweden: (ZML, Lund). Synonymized by Van Achterberg 1984:110

Meteorus maximus Muesebeck 1923: 13 Holotype ♀, (USNM, Smithsonian Institute, Washington). Synonym for rufulus . Synonymized by Van Achterberg 1984:110

Meteorus reticulatus Muesebeck 1923: 14 Type ♀ (USNM, Washington). Synonymized by Van Achterberg 1984:110

Meteorus (Zemiotes) romani Fahringer, 1930: 8 Holotype ♀, (NHRS, Stockholm). Synonymized with M. rufulus by Van Achterberg 1984:110 - examined

Meteorus separandus Fischer, 1957: 3 Paralectotype ♂, (NHRS, Stockholm). Synonymized by Van Achterberg 1984:110— examined

Diagnosis: In general, Zele deceptor is similar to the other large Zele species , Z. chlorophthalmus and Z. albiditarsus . It can be distinguished from the former based on wing venation and ovipositor characters, as described under that species, but it can be difficult to distinguish from Z. albiditarsus because of the large variability in size and colour. However, the slender fore femur (slender, 6.5–9.0 times as long as wide) and the short fore tibia spur (0.2– 0.4 times fore basitarsus) are good characters to distinguish Z. deceptor from Z. albiditarsus , which has a stouter fore femur (5.0–6.0 times as long as wide) and a longer fore tibia spur (0.4–0.5 times fore basitarsus).

Studied material: ~ 200 specimens.

Description: Antennal articles 32–43. OOL=1. Eyes large, protuberant and not convergent. Malar space 0.3 times basal width of mandibles. Face 1.1–1.3 times wider than high. Clypeus protuberant almost as wide as face. Mandibles stout and twisted. Precoxal sulcus wide. Length of petiolar tergum 2.1–2.5 times its apical width. Propodeum with weak median and lateral longitudinal carina, dorsal transverse carina weak. Ovipositor stout, 1.6 times petiolar tergum, slightly longer than half of abdomen. Petiolar tergum with smooth laterope joining dorsally with dorsope, its ventral borders widely separated. Hind coxa smooth, tarsal claws lobed. Vein cu–a of fore wing postfurcal, seldom interstitial; Colour mostly testaceous but variation in size and colour is very large in M. deceptor .

Distribution: Palearctic and Nearctic. Country records: Albania; Austria; Belgium; Bulgaria; Canada; China; Croatia; Czechoslovakia; Denmark; Finland; France; Georgia; Germany; Hungary; Ireland; Italy; Japan; Kazakhstan; Latvia; Lithuania; Mexico; Netherlands; Norway; Poland; Romania; Russia; Slovakia; Sweden; Switzerland; USA; United Kingdom; Yugoslavia.

Biology: Zele deceptor seems to be as frequent as Z. albiditarsus in museum collections. It is a solitary parasitoid, also attracted to light, and emerges from the larval stages of various lepidopteran families, such as Geometridae , Noctuidae , Pyralidae and Saturnidae ( Yu et al. 2005) . 19 specimens of Z. deceptor were caught in SMTP from July to October in various biotopes. A trap situated in grazed calcareous pine forest collected most specimens (5).

Figures

FIGURES 10–17. Characters used in key to species. 10a) hind wing of Z. albiditarsus, 10b) hind wing of M. colon, 11) metaoma of Z. deceptor, 12) metasoma of M. pendulus, 13a) fore wing of Z. chlorophthalmus, 13b) fore wing of Z. albiditarsus, 14) mesosoma of Z. caligatus, 15) mesosoma of Z. deceptor, 16) fore femur and tibial spur of Z. albiditarsus, 17) fore femur and tibial spur of Z. deceptor.

FIGURES 134–138. Anterior view of the head of Zele species.