202 BR. J. ENT. NAT. HIST., 13: 2001 



SHORT COMMUNICATION 



Notes on the Irish Megastigmus (Hymenoptera: Torymidae) including two species 

 new to Ireland. — The authors are aware of only three species of Megastigmus on the 

 Irish list. These are M. pictus (Forster), M. pimis Parfitt and M. suspectus Borries 

 (Boucek, 1970; O'Connor & O'Connor, 1984). From work on material housed in the 

 National Museum of Ireland, it is now possible to add another two species to the 

 Irish list viz. M. dorsalis (Fab.) and M. spermotrophus Wachtl and to report a second 

 Irish record of M. pictus. Most of the specimens are from the A. W. Stelfox 

 Collection and were returned to the National Museum of Ireland by the Smithsonian 

 Institution in 1985 (Beirne, 1985). These had been identified by the late M. W. R. de 

 V. Graham who also determined the Oaklands specimen of M. dorsalis. In case of 

 any possible labelling errors made by the senior author while transferring the Stelfox 

 material between the two museums, these specimens and the others cited in this paper 

 have all been redetermined using Boucek {op. cit.). Unless otherwise stated, 

 distribution and host data are from Noyes (1998). 



New records 



Megastigmus dorsalis (Fab.) New to Ireland 



TIPPERARY: $, Ballinacourty (R8630), 15.ix.1943, A. W. Stelfox; WEXFORD: <?, 

 Oaklands (S7125), 18.vi.1982, J. P. & M. A. O'Connor; WICKLOW: Clara (T1792), 

 4.ix.l938, A. W. Stelfox. 



This species is also known from Britain, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, 

 Sweden, the former U.S.S.R. and India. It is a hyperparasitoid in cynipid galls on 

 oak Quercus. 



Megastigmus spermotrophus Wachtl New to Ireland 



DOWN: S, Donard Lodge (J3629), 16.V.1957, "ex Douglas Fir cones", A. W. Stelfox; 

 DUBLIN: $, Glenasmole (O1019), 17.vi.1942, A. W. Stelfox; WICKLOW: $4^, 

 Powerscourt (021 16), 29.iv.1921, "from the cones of the Douglas Fir", J. G. Reinhart. 



This species is also known from Austria, Britain, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, 

 Finland, France, Germany, Poland, the former U.S.S.R., New Zealand and North 

 America. It is a seed feeder on Abies and Pseudotsuga especially P. menziesii. 

 Megastigmus pictus (Forster) Second Irish record 

 DUBLIN: 9, Lucan (O0335), 28.vi.1944, A. W. Stelfox. 



This species was previously reported from Knickeen, Co. Wicklow (Boucek, op. 

 cit.). M. pictus is also known from Britain, Germany, Poland, Sweden, The 

 Netherlands, the former U.S.S.R. and China. It is a seed feeder on Larix. 



The senior author is very grateful to the late M. W. R. de V. Graham for identifying 

 specimens and to M. A. O'Connor for her help during field-work. — J. P. O'Connor, 

 National Museum of Ireland, Kildare Street, Dublin 2, Republic of Ireland; R. Nash, 

 Ulster Museum, Botanic Gardens, Belfast BT9 5AB, Northern Ireland. 



References 



Beirne, B. P., 1985. Irish Entomology: the first hundred years. Special Entomological 



Supplement to The Irish Naturalists' Journal. 40pp. 

 Boucek, Z., 1970. On some British Megastigmus (Hym. Torymidae), with a revised key to the 



west European species. Entomologist's Gazette 21: 265-275. 

 O'Connor, J. P. and O'Connor, M. A., 1984. The fir seed chalcid, Megastigmus pinus Parfitt 



(Hym., Torymidae), new to Ireland. Entomologist's Monthly Magazine 120: 102. 

 Noyes, J. S., 1998. Catalogue of the Chalcidoidea of the world. CD-ROM. ETI and The Natural 



History Museum. Amsterdam and London. 



