PTEROMALIDAE OF N.W. EUROPE 55 



first segment of the tarsi bright or reddish testaceous, the second and third segments 

 more brownish, the fourth and fifth dark ; in some only the first segment is pale, 

 whilst in a few the tarsi are entirely black. 



Boucek (1963 : 468-470) showed by a detailed study that erythromera can be 

 split on morphological characters into two forms which he regards as subspecies. 

 The nominotypical form erythromera erythromera Forster, has the head of the female 

 clearly longer than broad, the genae converging moderately, the first funicular 

 segment longer than broad, size larger (1-7-3-2 mm.) ; whilst the male has the 

 funicular segments clearly longer than broad, size 1-9-2-7 mm. In the form 

 erythromera brachyceps Boucek, the female has the head hardly longer than broad, 

 the genae converging strongly, the first funicular segment subquadrate, size less, 

 rarely exceeding 2-3 mm. ; the male has the funicular segments hardly longer than 

 broad, size relatively less. The geographical distribution of the two forms appears 

 to be the same. This is a most interesting case and merits further study, particularly 

 from the biological point of view. 



Europe (widely distributed) ; ? Canada ; ? U.S.A. 



Biology. Until recently there were host records only for erythromera brachyceps ; 

 I am now able to include one for erythromera erythromera. 



S. erythromera erythromera. Dr. R. A. Beaver reared specimens of this form from 

 puparia of Lonchaea cariecola Cz. collected at Wytham Wood, Berkshire, England, 

 in June 1963. Boucek (1963 : 470-471) says that in Munich, Germany it " was 

 taken in numbers on windows of a room where carcasses of various animals were 

 prepared for conservation in the collections. In Czechoslovakia I often found it on 

 windows of sties or near dung heaps . . . Males often fly on flowering umbellifers ". 

 This agrees with my own collecting experience in England, where I have taken 

 erythromera erythromera in places where cattle or other farm stock were present, and 

 at the edge of sewage works and silos ; I have also frequently captured both sexes 

 on the flowers of umbellifers, especially Angelica sylvestris L. 



S. erythromera brachyceps. Boucek (1963 : 472) recorded as hosts the Muscid 

 flies Phorbia cinerea Fin. and Pegomyia sp. in Germany ; Phorbia platura (Mg.) (= 

 cilicrura Rond.) in Switzerland. He also mentioned that it was found associated 

 with horse droppings in Bulgaria. 



Spalangia subpunctata Forster 



Spalangia leptogramma Forster, 1850 : 511-512, $. 



Spalangia subpunctata Forster, 1850 : 516-518, $. 



? Spalangia haematobiae Ashmead, 1894 : 35, 37, $. 



Spalangia subpunctata Forster ; Boudek, 1963 : 439, 473-475, 6* ?■ 



Type material. For designation of lectotypes of Forster species see Boucek 

 (1963 : 473). This author established the above synonymy and also redescribed the 

 species. He mentioned the small differences between subpunctata and haematobiae 

 Ashmead and suggested that the latter might eventually prove to be a form of 

 subpunctata. He also (ibid. : 474-475) described the considerable variation that 

 exists in subpunctata. 



