Skeloceras glaucum Delucchi (Pteromalidae), 1955

Baur, Hannes, 2001, The Hymenoptera (Chalcidoidea, Ichneumonoidea, Platygastroidea) described by Vittorio Delucchi: an annotated catalogue, Journal of Natural History 35 (1), pp. 55-125 : 104-106

Skeloceras glaucum Delucchi (Pteromalidae)

Skeloceras glaucum Delucchi, 1955a: 22 , 27. Holotype m,? Sweden (NMW [examined]).

Material. HOLOTYPE m (cp, right antenna, left ¯agellum beyond ®rst segment, left fore wing, and right metatarsus partly lacking) labelled`Swed.? 17. 20.X.48; TYPE [red]; SKELOCERAS glaucum n. V. Delucchi det.’. One slide (sc) labelled`88; SKELOCERAS [black underlined] glaucum [red underlined] antennae m; l

Skeloceras glaucum n. sp. antennae m l[pasted over by former label]’ with right antenna (1955a: 28, ®gure 26) of holotype and right antenna (1955a: 28, ®gure 25, referred to by Delucchi as the male antenna) of the paratype female [sic] from` Styria Stuhleck ... ’.

PARATYPES, NMW: 1 m (cr, subsequently remounted from pin by me) labelled` Styria Stuhleck leg. R. Hicker; coll. Mader [?, illegible]; SKELOCERAS glaucum n. sp. V. Delucchi det.’ and 1 m, 1 l(cp) from the FoÈrster collection and provided with Delucchi’s identi®cation label. One slide as above and one slide (sc) labelled`87; SKELOCERAS [black underlined] glaucum [red underlined] ala m; Skeloceras glaucum n. sp. ala m DIS Stigma [pasted over by former label]’ with left fore wing (1955a: 28, ®gure 27) of the paratype male [sic]. VD: 1 l(cp) labelled` SKELOCERAS glaucum n. V. Delucchi det.’. LUZM: 1 m (dp) labelled`Lpl.; SKELOCERAS glaucum n. sp. V. Delucchi det.; ...’. All specimens considered as part of the type series.

Remarks. Delucchi described both sexes and stated`Type deÂpose au MuseÂum d’Histoire Naturelle de Vienne.’ but did not specify the number of specimens he had. The identity of the type series was di cult to establish, since`Stuhleck am Wechsel, Steiermark ( Austria), leg. R. Hicker’ (1955a: 29) was cited as origin of the material. However, from the description and the identi®cation labels it is evident that the specimens listed above represent original material. The holotype clearly served Delucchi for the description of the female except that the measurements given for the female veins were probably taken from the slide mounted fore wing (of a male, but see below). Furthermore, the correct association of the slide mounted parts was challenging. First, close examination and measurements revealed that the shorter of the two antennae of the one slide originates from the holotype. The other apparently belongs to the paratype female from Austria. Second, the left fore wing of the other slide can not stem from the holotype, as might be supposed from the indication`ala m’ on the label, because it has retained the humeral plate on the left side whereas the wing on the slide is entire. As judged from measurements the slide undoubtedly belongs to the paratype male in the NMW.

In his key (1955a: 22) Delucchi distinguished the female of glaucum from that of Lamprotatus novickyi (Delucchi) [sub Skeloceras ] based on the seventh funicular segment being only slightly longer than broad (more than 1.5 times in novickyi ), the cubital fold of the fore wing glabrous on both sides (hairy on lower side), the median area of the propodeum without a costula and reticulate (with a costula and lustrous). Re-examination of the name-bearing types alone showed that these characters are critical for separating the species. The cubital fold of the holotype of glaucum has six hairs proximally and another six before its conjunction with the basal fold on the lower surface (eight respectively ®ve in the holotype of novickyi ). An irregular but distinct costula is also present in the holotype of glaucum . Interestingly, Delucchi also refers to this feature in his description of the female (1955a: 28), thus contradicting his key. What remains is the length of the seventh funicular segment and the sculpture of the median area of propodeum where the specimens indeed diOEer as mentioned above. Examination of 27 females and 37 males from Central and Northern Europe (BMNH, MG, MHNG, MZL, VD, ZB) showed that these small diOEerences represent variation of a single species only. Moreover, both the female and male paratypes of glaucum run to novickyi in Graham’s key (1969: 242, 243), too. It should be noted, however, that the latter author most probably inferred the characters of the male of glaucum from Delucchi’s ®gure of the false`male’ antenna (see above) as he had not seen the type series or any fresh material of that species ( Graham, 1969: 246).

Status. Junior synonym of Lamprotatus (Skeloceras) novickyi (Delucchi) syn. n.