Gitognathus nitidus 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 : 79-80

Gitognathus nitidus Delucchi (Pteromalidae)

Gitognathus nitidus Delucchi, 1955a: 68 , 69. Holotype m, Germany: Bayern, Wolfratshausen (VD [examined]).

Material. HOLOTYPE m (cp, wings and right fore leg beyond coxa lacking) labelled`333; Wolfratshausen (Baviera); leg. F. Groschke IV. 1950 V. Delucchi leg.; ex Phytomyza obscurella Fall. su Aegopodium; Stictomischus [sic] nitidus m. V. Delucchi det.; TYPE [red]’. One slide (sc) labelled`5; 333 Groschke nitidus m. Disegnato’ with left fore wing (stigma illustrated, 1955a: 70, ®gure 88) of holotype.

Remarks. Holotype subsequently remounted from micro-pin by me.

The species was transferred to Sphaeripalpus by Huang (1990b: 249) but belongs to Glyphognathus . The holotype is extremely close to G. convexus (Delucchi) with which it shares the deeply excised lower edge of the mandible and the large, subcircular stigma of the fore wing. It diOEers mainly by having the antenna about 1.45 times as long as breadth of head (1.31±1.40 in convexus for n 5 20 mm from England, Germany, Hungary, and Switzerland, BMNH, HNHM, MZL, NMBE, UMO, VD) and the pale femora (most often heavily infuscate at basal two thirds in convexus ). Some specimens, e.g. a paratype of G. umbelliferae Graham [5 convexus ], have even proved to be intermediate in both characters. With regard to the insu cient material at my disposition, however, I prefer to keep the two species separate. Further studies on more and reared material will be necessary to reveal a possible synonymy with certainty.

Status. Glyphognathus (Glyphognathus) nitidus (Delucchi) comb. n.