Lochetica westoni subsp. westoni
Creators: name: Paappanen, Juuso
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2024
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Ichneumonidae
Lochetica
Lochetica westoni
Lochetica westoni westoni (bridgman, 1880)

description: Lochetica westoni westoni (Bridgman, 1880)
Figs 3, 4
Cecidonomus Westoni Bridgman, 1880: 264. Lectotype designated by Horstmann (1972).
Phygadeuon pimplarius Thomson, 1884: 941. Lectotype designation of Townes published by Frilli (1973).
Material examined.
Lectotype of Cecidonomus westoni Bridgman, 1880 (photographs examined) United Kingdom (presumably) • 1 ♀; “ from Mr. Weston ”; “ Westoni ”; “ lektotypus Cecidonomus westoni ♀ Bridgm. Horstm. det. 1970 ”; “ J. B. Bridgman coll. Norwich Museum 1895.40. 1124 ”.
Lectotype of Phygadeuon pimplarius Thomson 1884 (photographs examined) Sweden • 1 ♀; “ Öke å ” [Skåne, Sjöbo, Övedskloster]; [55.684 ° N, 13.633 ° E]; “ Lectotypus Phygadeuon pimplarius Thm. Tow. 58 ”; MZLU 5385: 1.
Other material.
Finland • 38 ♀♀, 5 ♂♂ [MZH]. Russia • 2 ♀♀ [MZH].
Diagnosis.
The female is distinguished by the long epomia (Fig. 3 A), long ovipositor (ovi-tib ratio 2.6–3.1 in examined specimens) (Fig. 4 E), almost completely red legs (Fig. 4 E), yellow tegulae (Fig. 3 F), narrow temples (temple ratio 0.80 to 0.95 in examined material) and strong latero-median carinae of the first tergite (Fig. 3 E). The male is distinguished by the yellow tegulae, medially white mandibles, long epomia and, to some extent, the strongly rugose sculpture of mesopleuron and metapleuron (Fig. 3 C).
The extent of the red colouration on the metasoma in females varies considerably. In the Finnish specimens, usually only the first tergite is laterally slightly reddish; however, some specimens have extensively red first and second terga. A subspecies Lochetica westoni rufiventris Habermehl, 1919 from Algeria (not examined) has the metasoma completely red.
Distribution.
Most European countries, Turkey, Algeria, Japan (Yu et al. 2012), Russia (Jonaitis 1981) and Georgia (Riedel et al. 2018).
Ecology.
Both open and forested habitats are used, especially sites with dead wood or other suitable nesting sites for hosts.
The type series has been reared from “ galls ” (Bridgman 1880), which Morley (1907) later states were the galls of Cynips Kollari (= Andricus kollari (Hartig, 1843)). Passaloecus gracilis (Curtis, 1834) have been recorded to nest in galls of A. kollari (Lomholdt 1975). Barbey and Ferriere (1923) reared L. westoni from the nests of Passaloecus gracilis inside empty beetle burrowings in the bark of Pinus sylvestris L. They also state that L. westoni overwinters as a larva in a silky cocoon and postulated that the female must oviposit to the host while the nest is still under construction, since the ovipositor is not long enough to reach the host larvae behind the outer resin plug that encloses the nest. Jonaitis (1981) also reported Passaloecus gracilis nesting inside branches as a host and Kreisch (2000) reported the host Passaloecus insignis (Vander Linden, 1829).
New rearing records published in this study are the following: a male reared from Passaloecus monilicornis Dahlbom, 1842 (MZH GP. 109784), a female reared from Passaloecus eremita Kohl, 1893 (MZH GP. 109755) and a male reared from Passaloecus borealis Dahlbom, 1844 (MZH GP. 109783). In all cases, no additional information how the host was confirmed were given and no host remains or cocoon were included in the pin. Furthermore, P. borealis is extremely difficult to separate from Passaloecus turionum; thus, the record could refer to either of the two species. In addition, one specimen was reared from an unidentified Passaloecus larva inside an artificial nest (an Angelica L. stem) on the wall of a building (MZH GP. 109758).
In conclusion, L. westoni utilises most species of the genus Passaloecus (recorded from P. gracilis, P. monilicornis, P. insignis, P. eremita, P. borealis / turionum and Passaloecus sp.) nesting in (dead) wood (including buildings and other structures), galls and most likely also plant stems.
description: Published as part of Paappanen, Juuso, 2024, Lochetica ramii sp. nov. – a new species of Lochetica Kriechbaumer, 1892 (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae, Phygadeuontinae) from Finland, with a key to world species, pp. 193-208 in Deutsche Entomologische Zeitschrift 71 (1) on pages 193-208, DOI: 10.3897/dez.71.121217