Gelis exareolatus (Forster, 1850)

Mifsud, David, Farrugia, Lucia & Shaw, Mark R., 2019, Braconid and ichneumonid (Hymenoptera) parasitoid wasps of Lepidoptera from the Maltese Islands, Zootaxa 4567 (1), pp. 47-60 : 52

Gelis exareolatus (F ӧrster, 1850)

Materials examined: MALTA, Qammiegħ, 15. i.2006, 1 ♀, emerged from Coleophora acrisella Milliére ( Lepidoptera : Coleophoridae ), MZ, MSC; Ħad-Dingli, 27. x.2009, 1 ♂ & 1♀, emerged from Coleophora festivella Toll , MZ, MSC; Ħad-Dingli, 20. x.2011, 1 ♀, emerged from Coleophora fretella Zeller , which was collected on 13.xii.2010, MZ, MSC; Għajn Tuffieħa, 4. i.2015, 1 ♂, emerged from Coleophora fretella , which was collected on 7.xii.2014, MZ, MSC [parasitoids determined by Martin Schwarz; hosts determined by Michael Zerafa].

Notes: New record for the Maltese Islands. Gelis exareolatus has been recorded as a primary idiobiont ectoparasitoid of Coleophora spp. (especially on Juncus ), Exoteleia dodecella (Linnaeus) as well as Kermania pistaciella Amsel ( Schwarz & Shaw, 1999; Yu et al., 2012; Mehrnejad, 2002). It is also known as a pseudohyperparasitoid, parasitizing the cocoons of braconids attacking K. pistaciella (van Achterberg & Mehrnejad, 2002) .