PTEROMALIDAE OF N.W. EUROPE 491 



Biology. Parasite of Lepidoptera (Lasiocampidae, Notodontidae and Saturni- 

 dae) ; reared in Britain from Philudoria ( = Odonestis) potatoria (L.) ; in Czechoslo- 

 vakia, Sicily and Italy as a gregarious parasite of Saturnia pyri Schiff., and more 

 rarely from Malacosoma neustria L. (see Boucek, 1961 : 94) ; in North Africa from 

 Cerura vinula (L.) according to Masi (1937). Imagines April-July. 



Pteromalus squamifer Thomson 



(Text-fig. 338) 



Pteromalus squamifer Thomson, 1878 : 155, o* ?• 

 Pteromalus squamifer Thomson ; Valkeila, 1959 : 181. 



Type material. Syntypes, 8 $, 1 <$. LECTOTYPE, a female labelled " Lund ". 



Britain, Sweden, Finland. 



Biology. Reared in Finland as a parasite of Scoliopteryx libatrix (L.) ; see 

 Valkeila (1959). Imagines June-August. 



Pteromalus venustus Walker 



Pteromalus venustus Walker, 1835 : 494, $. 



Pteromalus planiscuta Thomson, 1878 : 155, $ ?, syn. n. 



Type material. Pteromalus venustus Walker. Syntypes, 2 $. LECTOTYPE, 

 the second specimen ; Waterhouse label. 



Pteromalus planiscuta Thomson. Syntypes, 7 $, 2 £. LECTOTYPE, a female 

 labelled " Sm " [Smaland] and " Bhn " [Boheman]. 



Britain, Sweden. 



Biology. Parasite of Megachile spp. (Hym., Apoidea). Imagines June-August. 



The females of this species show considerable variation in the proportions of the 

 funicular segments, the presence or absence of a median carina on the propodeum, 

 and the breadth of the base of the scutellum relative to the breadth of an axilla. 

 At first I thought that planiscuta could be separated from venustus on the basis of 

 these characters, but further investigation has shown that they are apparently too 

 variable to form reliable criteria. 



Pteromalus proprius Walker 



Pteromalus proprius Walker, 1874 : 318,0*. 



Type material. LECTOTYPE <$, Type Hym. 5. 733, labelled " 142 ", " Amur- 

 land. Coll. F. Walker 1913-71 " and (in Walker's handwriting) " Pteromalus 

 proprius ". 



The lectotype <$ of proprius is very close to the $ of venustus Walker but possibly 

 represents a distinct species. It differs in having the head and thorax green, the 

 mesoscutum rather more coarsely reticulate, the median carina of the propodeum 

 sharp, the stigma of the fore wing rather smaller. The $ is unknown. 



