PTEROMALIDAE OF N.W. EUROPE 829 



METASTENUS Walker 



Metastenus Walker, 1834 : 301. Type-species : M. concinnns Walker, by monotypy. 

 Scymnophagus Ashmead, 1904 : 319. Type-species : S. townsendi Ashmead by monotypy and 



original desingation. 

 Scymnophagus Ashmead ; Schmiedeknecht, 1909 : 328, 330, 335. 

 Metastenus Walker ; Graham, 19566 : 256. 

 Metastenus Walker ; Peck et at., 1964 : 39. 



Scymnophagus Ashmead was placed in synonymy with Metastenus Walker by 

 Graham (19566 : 256). The latter genus had been misinterpreted by Thomson 

 (1876a : 205). 



Metastenus concinnus Walker 



Metastenus concinnus Walker, 1834 : 302 " <$ " [recte $]. 



Type material. Lectotype $ designated by Graham (19566 : 256). 



Britain, rare : only the lectotype of concinnus (taken in " August ; on grass in 

 fields ; near London " by Walker) is known to me. It is clear that Walker originally 

 had more than one specimen, however, since he described a var. (3. 



The lectotype female has the head and thorax bronze, with a faint olive tinge in 

 places ; the gaster is twice as long as broad, distinctly longer and also narrower than 

 the thorax, its apex relatively strongly acute, forming an angle of about 45 °. 



Biology. Unknown. 



Metastenus mesnili (Delucchi) comb. n. 

 Scymnophagus mesnili (Ferriere MS.) Delucchi, 1954 : 264-266, $. 



Type material. Holotype $ in BM(NH), Type Hym. 5. 696 ; paratypes in coll. 

 Mesnil. 



I am not sure whether mesnili is a form of concinnus (Walker) or a valid species. 

 The two are very similar, but the female of concinnus has the gaster relatively 

 longer, 1-8-2 times as long as broad, and somewhat longer than the thorax, and 

 more acute apically ; whilst the type $ of mesnili has the gaster 1 '6-1-7 times as 

 long as broad, hardly longer than the thorax, and relatively less acute apically. 

 The head, mesoscutum, and scutellum of female mesnili appear rather more shiny 

 than those of concinnus, their reticulation being rather weaker. The respective 

 types differ somewhat in colour, but this feature seems to be variable. Study of 

 further material may show that mesnili is just a form of concinnus. 



Germany, Switzerland. 



Biology. Parasite of the pupae of Pullus impexus (Mulsant). Delucchi (1954 : 

 265-266) stated that in some cases the parasites emerged in June and July, though a 

 number of them remained in larval diapause until the following spring. It is not 



