PTEROMALIDAE OF N.VV. EUROPE 695 



Pteromalus validus Forster. One damaged female in Naturhistorisches Museum, 

 Vienna ; regarded as the type by Delucchi (1955a : 172), who synonymized validus 

 with euryops. 



Pseudocatolaccus asphonydyliae Masi. Syntypes, Italy, Nola, from galls of 

 Asphondylia sp. on lupin, presumably in Museo Civico di Storia Naturale, Genoa, 

 or in Laboratorio Naturale, Genoa, or in Laboratorio di Entomologia agraria, 

 Portici. The species was synonymized with polyphagias (Forster) by Kurdjumov 



(i9 J 3 : 7)- 



I am able to recognize with certainty only one European species, nitescens (Walker), 

 although there is considerable variation in the antennae, propodeum and wings of 

 the specimens which I refer to it. At one time I thought that more than one 

 species might be involved, but the variation does not appear to be discontinuous, 

 whilst the characters occur in different combinations. 



In the material now referred to nitescens, the following variation occurs : 



$. Length 2 to 4 mm. Colour of head and thorax varying from olive-green through bronze- 

 green to bronze or even coppery bronze. Sculpture of propodeum variable : median carina 

 usually absent or represented only at the front of the propodeum, behind this effaced or resolved 

 into oblique carinulae, occasionally replaced by two carinae which diverge from the base of the 

 propodeum, these carinae may be unequally developed ; panels of median area obliquely stri- 

 gose, reticulate, or nearly smooth. The median length of the propodeum varies from slightly 

 less than two fifths, to slightly more than two fifths, that of the scutellum. Pilosity of fore wing, 

 beyond the speculum, usually rather dense, but sometimes relatively sparse ; stigma usually 

 subcircular and large, separated by at least slightly less than twice its height from the costal 

 edge of the wing, but sometimes rather smaller and suboval. As a rule the segments of the 

 funicle are at least slightly longer than broad, the fifth is usually subquadrate, but in a few 

 specimens the proximal segments are hardly longer than broad, whilst the fourth may be quad- 

 rate and the fifth slightly transverse. 



o". In very small males the first funicular segment may be slightly shorter than the second, 

 though not anelliform ; but usually it is as long as the second, or even slightly longer than the 

 second in large specimens. 



Pseudocatolaccus americanus Gahan (1919 : 164-165, £, $) was said to differ from 

 asphondyliae Masi in its smaller size (2-5 mm.), shorter malar space, shorter than 

 height of eye, and slightly shorter funicular segments, the first about 1-5 times as 

 long as broad, the fifth subquadrate or very slightly transverse. The malar space 

 in nitescens is always distinctly shorter than the height of an eye, whilst the other 

 characters mentioned for americanus occur also in some specimens of nitescens. It 

 seems possible that the two species may be identical, but their respective types will 

 have to be compared before this can be decided. 



Britain, Ireland, France, Italy, Greece, Sweden, Germany, Switzerland, 

 Czechoslovakia, Moldavian S.S.R. 



Biology. The species has been recorded as a parasite of Asphondylia spp. 

 (Dipt., Cecidomyiidae) . Parker and Thompson (1928) reared it in the region of 

 Hyeres (Var), France, from A. sarothamni H. Loew and A. calycotomae Kieff. on 

 Calycotome spinosa Link (Papilionaceae) ; they found it to be bi- or trivoltine, the 

 first generation occurring in galls of A. sarothamni towards the end of February, 



