Hygroplitis

General description: 

The following notes are taken from Mason (1981).

Type: Microgaster russatus Haliday 1834.

Hypopygium large, sclerotized evenly across the middle and not folded; ovipositor sheath arising distally from valvifer and entirely hairy, about half as long as hind tibia. Tergite I large, strongly humped at anterior corners, the posterior horizontal part about twice as long as the abruptly declivous anterior part; sides diverging posteriorly, the laterotergites completely turned under and invisible from above; surface of tergites I and II completely coarsely rugulose; tergite II 1.5-2.0x as wide as long and much longer than tergum III. Propodeum strongly rugose to rugulose; with a strong median carina and scarcely any declivous part; anterior margin of metanotum with no setiferous sublateral lobe; scutellum rather flat and polished, the apical band sometimes interrupted by sculpture. Notauli marked by much coarser sculpture, especially posteriorly, and often somewhat depressed; mesopleural furrow nearly horizontal, large and crenulate with a perpendicular dorsal branch; pronotum with strong dorsal and ventral grooves. In profile the mesonotum, scutellum, propodeum, and basal terga form a very characteristic, almost strajght, line. This shape is probably an adaptive feature of parasites pupating in grass stems and similar sites. Radius strongly slanted outward, meeting both intercubiti at a strong angle and forming a large triangular to quadrangular areolet; vannal lobe convex and hairy. Distitarsi of all legs enlarged and bearing very large simple claws. Flagellomeres without false central divisions, the placodes irregularly arranged, often in 3 ranks. Hosts. Appear to be pyraloids that bore in aquatic reeds and similar plants.

It contains the species Microgaster russatus Haliday, M. rugulosus Nees and M. melligaster Provancher, all from the Holarctic Region. This small group has been variously treated as a genus or group of Microgaster.

The following notes are taken from Mason (1981).

Type: Microgaster russatus Haliday 1834.

Hypopygium large, sclerotized evenly across the middle and not folded; ovipositor sheath arising distally from valvifer and entirely hairy, about half as long as hind tibia. Tergite I large, strongly humped at anterior corners, the posterior horizontal part about twice as long as the abruptly declivous anterior part; sides diverging posteriorly, the laterotergites completely turned under and invisible from above; surface of tergites I and II completely coarsely rugulose; tergite II 1.5-2.0x as wide as long and much longer than tergum III. Propodeum strongly rugose to rugulose; with a strong median carina and scarcely any declivous part; anterior margin of metanotum with no setiferous sublateral lobe; scutellum rather flat and polished, the apical band sometimes interrupted by sculpture. Notauli marked by much coarser sculpture, especially posteriorly, and often somewhat depressed; mesopleural furrow nearly horizontal, large and crenulate with a perpendicular dorsal branch; pronotum with strong dorsal and ventral grooves. In profile the mesonotum, scutellum, propodeum, and basal terga form a very characteristic, almost strajght, line. This shape is probably an adaptive feature of parasites pupating in grass stems and similar sites. Radius strongly slanted outward, meeting both intercubiti at a strong angle and forming a large triangular to quadrangular areolet; vannal lobe convex and hairy. Distitarsi of all legs enlarged and bearing very large simple claws. Flagellomeres without false central divisions, the placodes irregularly arranged, often in 3 ranks. Hosts. Appear to be pyraloids that bore in aquatic reeds and similar plants.

It contains the species Microgaster russatus Haliday, M. rugulosus Nees and M. melligaster Provancher, all from the Holarctic Region. This small group has been variously treated as a genus or group of Microgaster.

Scratchpads developed and conceived by (alphabetical): Ed Baker, Katherine Bouton Alice Heaton Dimitris Koureas, Laurence Livermore, Dave Roberts, Simon Rycroft, Ben Scott, Vince Smith