PTEROMALIDAE OF N.W. EUROPE 125 



Sphegigaster Spinola ; Forster, 1856 : 53, 57 [ex parte]. 



Sphegigaster Spinola ; Thomson, 1878 : 17, 20. 



Trigonogastra Ashmead, 1904 : 330, 331. Type-species : T. aurata Ashmead, by monotypy and 



original designation. 

 Sphegigaster Spinola ; Ashmead, 1904 : 330, 332. 

 Trigonogastra Ashmead ; Schmiedeknecht, 1909 : 374, 375, 378. 

 Sphegigaster Spinola ; Schmiedeknecht, 1909 : 375, 376, 378. 

 Sphegigaster Spinola ; Nikol'skaya, 1952 : 248. 

 Sphegigaster Spinola ; Peck et al., 1964 : 40. 



The identity of Sphegigaster is not absolutely certain, since the original material of 

 the type-species, Diplolepis pallicornis Spinola, has not been located. However, 

 there is nothing in Spinola's very brief diagnosis to suggest that it is not the present 

 genus and in this sense it has been generally accepted since the time of Walker. 



Trigonogastra Ashmead was placed in synonymy with Sphegigaster Spin, auctt. by 

 Delucchi (1958a : 56) ; he stated that the type-species of Trigonogastra (aurata 

 Ashmead) resembled Sphegigaster mutica Thomson in the form of its pronotum but 

 did not consider the structure of the pronotum in these two species a sufficient 

 reason for regarding them as generically distinct from the rest of Sphegigaster. 



Key to European Species 

 (Females) 



1 Hind margin of basal tergite of gaster (Text-fig. 96) with its middle portion 



truncate or virtually so ........ . 2 



Hind margin of basal tergite of gaster (Text-fig. 100) with its middle portion 



at least slightly curved ......... 9 



2 (1) Antennal funicle with all its segments slightly transverse, the first segment 



obviously shorter than the pedicellus. Small species, 1 -6 to 2 mm., with 

 head and thorax dark bluish green to bluish, legs relatively dark, femora 

 mainly so, tibiae more or less infuscate ; gaster oval, shorter than the 

 thorax ; the petiole nearly three times as long as broad. (Central Europe 

 and Algeria) ....... stepicola Boucek (p. 130) 



Antennal funicle with at least its first and second segments quadrate or longer 

 than broad. Species often larger, head and thorax often brighter green 

 to blue, legs sometimes relatively paler ; gaster often ovate-lanceolate or 

 lanceolate ............ 3 



3 (2) Fore wing (Text-fig. 94) with costal cell with only one irregular row of hairs 



on its lower surface ; basal vein bare ; speculum extending as a bare strip 

 below the marginal vein right to the stigmal vein ; radial cell, on upper 

 surface of wing, mainly bare ; disc of wing beyond speculum sparsely 

 pilose. Antennal flagellum (Text-fig. 107) with almost decumbent bristles. 

 Gaster ovate ....... glabrata sp. n. (p. 133) 



— Fore wing with lower surface of costal cell with at least a partial second row of 



hairs in the distal half, sometimes three rows ; basal vein usually pilose ; 

 speculum usually not extending far below the marginal vein ; radial cell 

 mainly pilose ; disc of wing beyond the speculum relatively more thickly 

 pilose. Antennal flagellum (Text-figs. 103, 105, 106) with at least slightly 

 outstanding bristles. Gaster ovate-lanceolate or lanceolate ... 4 



4 (3) Antenna (Text-figs. 103, 104) with clava with its sutures oblique as seen in 



profile, with a large area of micropilosity which extends nearly two thirds of 

 the length of the clava ; first funicular segment nearly twice as long as the 



