Torymus epilobii

Torymus epilobii Graham & Gijswijt, 1998.

Type material.- Holotype: (RMNH), Netherlands "'s Graveland 13.vii.1960 M.J. Gijswijt; uit gal Dasyn. epilobii ". Paratypes: (BMNH, ZMA, MJG), Netherlands 1 topotypic; 1 topotypic but 18.vii.1960; 8 ,1 ± "Leersum 12.viii.1971 H.J. Vlug, /gal Das. epilob. op Epilobium ang. verz. 17.vii.971"; 2 3 ±± "Voorschoten Duivenvoorde B. Nübel, /gal Dasyn. epilobii ix.1978"; Germany 1±, 1"uit Dasyn. epilobii 5.viii.1969 M.J. Gijswijt, DEUTSCHLAND N. Sachsen Gildehaus";3 (one without gaster) "op Dasyn. epilob. 16-19.vii.1969 M.J. Gijswijt, DEUTSCHLAND N. Sachsen Gildehaus".

Description of female.-
Morphology: head in dorsal view 1.9-2.0 times as broad as long; temples 0.26-0.3 apparent length of eyes, rather strongly converging, slightly curved. POL 2.0-2.2 OOL, OOL 1.0-1.1 OD. Vertex with excessively fine sculpture, with scattered very small punctures. In frontal view the head is trapeziform with virtually straight genae; face fairly thickly clothed with setae of average length. Clypeus (fig. 248) very slightly produced, weakly curved. Mouth 2.0-2.05 length of malar space, malar space 0.33-0.37 length of eye. Antennae with toruli well above lower eyeline; scape 3.3 times as long as broad, nearly or just reaching anterior ocellus, occasionally a little above the lower edge; pedicellus plus flagellum 1.25-1.30 breadth of head, flagellum proximally slightly stouter than pedicellus, funicle nearly filiform, weakly clavate; pedicellus 1.75 times as long as broad (1.5 in a dwarf); anellus slightly transverse or
nearly quadrate; F1 1.3 times as long as broad, F2-F4 slightly elongate, F5 and F6 quadrate, F7 very slightly transverse, in a dwarf F3-F7 very slightly transverse; clava 2.1 times as long as broad; sensilla very numerous in one irregular row.
Mesosoma 1.75 times as long as broad, notauli rather shallow. Mesonotum 1.15 times as broad as long with excessively fine sculpture, punctures numerous and fairly close, but very small, setae short, nearly decumbent. Scutellum 1.25 times as long as broad, with rounded base, sculpture as mesonotum, punctures less numerous, separated by more than twice their diameter, small, setae slightly longer and slightly raised, in posterior third much longer and strongly raised; flange very narrow, finely trabeculate. Dorsellum nearly smooth, with a trace of a median sulcus. Propodeum very finely delicately alutaceous, smoother medially. Mesepimeron 1.5 times as high as broad, very slightly shorter than length of mid coxa. Hind leg with coxa twice as long as broad, its hind edge strongly curved, the surface with rather coarse slightly raised reticulation, moderately thickly pilose; femur 3.6 times as long as broad; spur of tibia 0.43 length of basitarsus. Forewing 2.33 times as long as broad; costal cell 8.1 times as long as broad, upper surface bare except for a row of setae in distal third, below with one row plus scattered setae in the middle; basal cell nearly bare, closed, basal vein with 3-6 setae; speculum rather large extending distinctly beyond parastigma, partly open; M:PM:ST=43:10:3.9, stigma shortly petiolate or subsessile, very small.
Gaster slightly compressed, basal sternite extending beyond coxa by about one third length of latter; hypopygium extending about three quarters along gaster, bare except tip. Ovipositor index 2.1-2.5. Length 1.7-3.0 mm.
Colour: body green to bluish-green, sometimes with pleuron and coxa more or less brassy or coppery. Antenna black, scape testaceous with dorsal edge more or less dark. Palpi brownish. Coxae as mesosoma; hind femur more or less infuscate, metallic medially, varying to mainly black; hind tibia sometimes more or less infuscate, occasionally nearly wholly black. Tegulae usually yellow, infuscate posteriorly in dark specimens. Wings hyaline, venation yellow-testaceous or testaceous. In the some females hoovering around the galls the legs are very dark: all femora are mainly black, and all tibiae are heavily infuscate.
Male.- differs from female as follows: scape blue-black; pedicellus plus flagellum about 1.4 times breadth of head; pedicellus hardly longer than broad, slightly stouter than F1, flagellum much stouter than pedicellus, cylindrical; segments quadrate, clothed with rather short, strongly curved black setae. Gaster suboval, shorter and narrower than mesosoma, more or less bronzy in posterior half.

Comments.- The females resembles those of T. chloromerus (Walker) which have a somewhat narrower mouth related to malar space, yellow palpi and other differences as mentioned in the key.
Biology.- Reared from gals of Dasineura epilobii (Löw) (Dipt. Cecidomyiidae) on Chamaenerion angustifolium.
Distribution.- Germany, Netherlands.

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