Omphale aethiops Graham

Hansson, Christer & Shevtsova, Ekaterina, 2012, Revision of the European species of Omphale Haliday (Hymenoptera, Chalcidoidea, Eulophidae), ZooKeys 232, pp. 1-157 : 70-71

Omphale aethiops Graham Figures 12263-277492521

Omphale aethiops Graham, 1963:263. Holotype female in OUMNH, examined.

Omphale aethiops Graham, Askew (2003).

Material.

Type material.Holotype female, type no. 1298 in OUMNH; 4♀ paratypes (BMNH). Additional material. 53♀ 1♂: Denmark 1♀ (LUZM), France 4♀ (RMNH), Germany 3♀ (RMNH), Hungary 1♀ (BMNH), Ireland 1♀ (BMNH), Netherlands 5♀ (RMNH), Slovenia 1♀ (RMNH), Sweden 16♀ (BMNH, LUZM, RMNH), United Kingdom 21♀ 1♂ (BMNH, CH).

Diagnosis.

Female gaster very long (Fig. 263), 2.0 –2.2× as long as mesosoma, with 7th tergite 1.5 –2× as long as its basal width and with posterior ⅔ thickly setose and with each seta usually on a tubercle (Fig. 277) - see remarks below; legs long and slender (e.g. hind tarsus 0.9 × as long as hind tibia and 1.1 × as long as hind femur) (Fig. 263), with coxae and femora dark; transepimeral sulcus distinctly curved forwards, angular (Fig. 276); body bronze-black; large species (1.9-3.1 mm).

Description.

Female. Length of body 1.9-3.1 mm. Antenna with scape yellowish brown to pale brown with dorsal edge dark brown; pedicel and flagellum dark brown; pedicel + flagellum 2.2 × as long as distance between eyes; first flagellomere 1.4 × as long as second, at base with same width as second flagellomere and gradually narrowing towards apex (Fig. 271); flagellomeres with scattered short setae; clava 1-2-segmented. Face bronze, with engraved reticulation, to smooth; clypeus green metallic (Fig. 266), smooth (Fig. 272), rectangular, 2.5 × as wide as high; gena bronze; lower frons bronze and green metallic, with engraved reticulation, subtorular area smooth; interscrobal area with raised reticulation; antennal scrobes join frontal suture separately; frontal suture V-shaped; upper frons and vertex bronze, with engraved reticulation (Fig. 273). Occipital margin rounded (Fig. 273).

Mesoscutum golden with anterior ½ of midlobe metallic green, to completely bronze (Fig. 264), with engraved reticulation (Fig. 270), midlobe with two pairs of setae; notauli as indistinct impressions. Scutellum bronze (Fig. 264) with engraved reticulation (Fig. 270); 1.2 × as long as wide, with anterior margin smoothly and weakly curved forwards. Axillae golden with green tinges (Fig. 264). Dorsellum golden (Fig. 264), smooth and flat (Fig. 270), 0.4 × as long as wide, and 0.6 × as long as length of median propodeum. Entire lateral mesosoma black with golden and green metallic tinges (Fig. 263); transepimeral sulcus strongly curved forwards. Propodeum golden with green tinges (Fig. 264), smooth with a fovea anteromedially (Fig. 270); propodeal callus with two setae. Coxae and femora dark brown (Fig. 263), tibiae and tarsi yellowish brown; midleg with first tarsomere 0.3 × as long as length of tarsus. Forewing infumate, veins yellowish brown and setae dark brown (Fig. 268); speculum closed; admarginal setae 7-12, arising from both marginal vein and wing membrane; radial cell setose; postmarginal vein 1.3 × as long as stigmal vein; stigmal vein slender. Hind wing infumate, apex rounded (Fig. 268). Forewing WIP (Fig. 269) with apical ½ magenta with blue margins, and basal ½ yellow/blue (=green), with narrow bands in yellow and magenta separating these two areas.

Petiole dark brown. Gaster black with purple metallic tinges, first tergite with anterior ½ with green metallic tinges; elongate and 2.0 –2.2× as long as length of mesosoma; 7th tergite 1.6 × as long as length of gaster; 7th tergite with hairless basal ⅓ smooth and apical ⅔ hairy, each hair usually on a raised tubercle (Fig. 277) but in a few specimens hairs not on tubercle - see below under remarks.

Male. Length of body 1.9 mm. Features as in female except as follows. Antenna with scape expanded (Fig. 275), distinctly wider than in female, yellowish brown with dorsal edge dark brown; pedicel + flagellum 3.2 × as long as distance between eyes; first flagellomere 1.1 × as long as second flagellomere; flagellomeres with scattered setae; clava 1-segmented. Face green metallic with golden tinges (Fig. 267), smooth; clypeus green metallic with golden tinges, 1.2 × as wide as high; lower frons green metallic with golden tinges, with raised very weak reticulation partly smooth; interscrobal area predominantly smooth with raised very weak reticulation in upper ⅓.

Mesoscutum bronze, anterior ½ of midlobe green metallic (Fig. 265), with engraved reticulation (Fig. 274), midlobe with one pair of setae (posterior pair). Scutellum bronze (Fig. 265); 1.3 × as long as wide, with anteromedian part slightly protruding forwards. Axillae bronze (Fig. 265). Dorsellum bronze (Fig. 265), weakly convex (Fig. 274), 0.5 × as long as length of median propodeum. Propodeum bronze (Fig. 265). Legs with coxae dark brown metallic. Forewing admarginal setae 9, arising mainly from wing membrane; postmarginal vein 1.2 × as long as stigmal vein.

Petiole dark brown, as long as wide with anterior part narrowing off. Gaster black with golden and green metallic tinges, 1.3 × as long as length of mesosoma. Phallobase and aedeagus as in Fig. 492.

Hosts.

Dasineura epilobii ( Diptera : Cecidomyiidae ) on Chamaenerion angustifolium ( Gijswijt 1976), collected investigating flowers of Silene dioica with cecidomyiid larvae ( Askew 2003); two of the female specimens from Sweden (in RMNH) have been reared from Dasineura traili (new record), a gall midge associated with Ranunculus .

Distribution.

Denmark (new record), France (new record), Germany ( Gijswijt 1976), Hungary (new record), Ireland (new record), Netherlands ( Gijswijt 1976), Slovenia (new record), Sweden ( Hansson 1991), United Kingdom ( Graham 1963) (Fig. 521).

Remarks.

In the material under this species there are several females in which the 7th gastral tergite is smooth and thus without tubercles. No other morphological differences between these specimens and the type of Omphale aethiops have been found and provisionally these specimens are here regarded as Omphale aethiops .