Choeras adjunctus

General description: 

The following descriptions and comments are taken from Tobias (1986) and Shaw (2012).

Tobias (1986). Hind femora reddish yellow. Two preapical segments of antennae square or almost square. Mesonotum lustrous. Propodeum wrinkled in middle, on sides somewhat smooth. Inner spur of hind tibiae equal to half of 1st segment of hind tarsus. Stigma 2.3 times as long as wide. First abdominal tergite quite wrinkled in apical part. Body 4 mm.

Shaw (2012). Having examined the neotype of the poorly understood nominal taxon Microgaster adjunctus Nees (designated by Papp, 1980), I take this opportunity to transfer it from Dolichogenidea, where it was placed by Papp (1988), to Choeras. The neotype lacks most or all of both hind tarsi, but is otherwise more or less intact, though dirty. Although having the stub at the junction of the first abscissa of the radius and the first intercubitus very weak it is closest to C. parasitellae (Bouché), but differs in its broader first tergite (basally parallel-sided with the apical, turnedover part narrowing but remaining twice the length of the basal field; i.e. more as in C. arene (Nixon) than in C. parasitellae), its rectangular (but still very transverse) basal field, and the substantially denser setosity of the remainder of tergites 2+3. The last two characters also distinguish it from C. arene, as do the middle tarsal claws (the hind ones are missing) that are less bent and lack the pecten present in C. arene. It also differs from both of the above in having (as far as can be judged from its grimy condition) a less sculptured and more matt first tergite and basal field. The antenna appears similar to that of C. parasitellae; if anything even shorter. Neither the facial sculpture nor the width of the ovipositor sheath seems compatible with the description of Apanteles gnarus Tobias & Kotenko, 1984 (cf. Kotenko & Tobias, 1986). Given the robustness of the first tergite and the unicolorous pterostigma, there are no other described species in Europe with which it might be compared, and I conclude that Choeras adjunctus (Nees) is a distinct and valid species.

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