Gonatocerus (Gonatocerus) longicornis Nees
Creators: name: Triapitsyn, Serguei V.
Publisher: name: Zenodo
Year: 2013
Subjects: Biodiversity
Taxonomy
Animalia
Arthropoda
Insecta
Hymenoptera
Mymaridae
Gonatocerus
Gonatocerus longicornis

description: Gonatocerus (Gonatocerus) longicornis Nees ab Esenbeck, 1834   
(Figs 32–38)  
 Gonatocerus longicornis Nees ab Esenbeck 1834: 193.   
Unspecified number of female and male syntypes [lost (destroyed) from the University of Bonn, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany according to Bouček & Graham (1972)]; neotype female [BMNH] (examined during a visit to BMNH but the label data not recorded), designated by Bouček & Graham 1972: 129. Original type locality: near Sickershausen (near Kitzingen), Bavaria, Germany; neotype locality: Quart, Aosta Valley, Italy.  
 Gonatocerus longicornis Nees: Foerster 1841: 45 (list) + plate (illustrations, his fig. 15: a,b—male, body with an antenna and a pair of wings, c—female antenna); Walker 1846: 53 (A.H. Haliday’s comment); Foerster 1847: 210 (diagnosis), 232 (list); Kirchner 1867: 201 (catalog); Dalla Torre 1898: 429 (catalog); Bouček & Graham 1972: 127 –129 (synonymy, redescription, neotype designation, distribution); Graham 1982: 222 (comments on synonymy); Matthews 1986: 218 (member of the sulphuripes species group, synonymy, diagnosis, distribution); Huber 1988: 34 (mentioned, sulphuripes species group); Donev 1990: 68 (records from Bulgaria); Zeya & Hayat 1995: 80 –83 (synonymy, redescription, distribution, host associations) + 131–132, 142, 160 (illustrations); Triapitsyn 2003: 211 –212 (synonymy, distribution including records from France, Kyrgyzstan, and Far East of Russia, host association); Viggiani 2005: 65 (comments on male genitalia); Donev 2005: 377 –378 (diagnosis, distribution); Pricop 2009a: 73 (records from Romania), 74 (illustration); Pricop 2009b: 125 (list, references on records from Romania); Pricop 2009c: 21 (records from Romania, illustration); Pricop 2010a: 81 –83 (records from Romania, illustrations); Zeya & Khan 2011: 11 (distribution in India); Guo et al. 2011: 54 (key); Anwar & Zeya 2012: 52 (distribution in India).   
 Rachistus terebrator Foerster 1847: 203–204, 232 (list).   
 Type locality as indicated in the original description: “Aachen area”; on the lectotype label itself: Aachen [North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany]; lectotype designated by Matthews (1986: 218). Synonymized under G. longicornis by Bouček & Graham 1972: 127.   
 Gonatocerus terebrator (Förster): Kirchner 1867: 201 (catalog); Dalla Torre 1898: 430 (catalog); Soyka 1946: 36 –37 (diagnosis, record from Austria); Hellén 1974: 9 –10 (diagnosis, distribution); Donev 1988b: 181 –182 [as G. terebrator Ratz. (sic)] (distribution); Dimitriu 2001: 25 (record from Romania).   
 Lymaenon terebrator (Förster): Debauche 1948: 81 (list); Mathot 1969: 9 (key); Viggiani 1988: 561 (illustrations); Viggiani & Jesu 1988: 1023 (host association); Viggiani 1989: 142 (illustrations); Viggiani 1991: 365 –370 (structure of male genitalia, mating behavior).   
 Gonatocerus cicadellae Nikolskaja 1951: 575–576.   
 Holotype female [lost from ZIN] (not examined). Type locality: KyzylAsker District, Bishkek Region, Kyrgyzstan. Synonymized under G. longicornis by Triapitsyn 2003: 211 –212.   
 Gonatocerus cicadellae Nikolskaja [also spelled as Nikol’skaya or Nikolskaya]: Nikol’skaya 1952: 538 (mentioned, host association), 541 (illustrations); Radu & Boţoc 1960: 325 –327 (redescription and illustration of the male); Arzone 1974: 137 –160 (morphology, immature stages, illustrations, biology, ecology); Graham 1982: 222 (a likely synonym of G. longicornis); Sahad & Hirashima 1984: 3 (list), 30–34 (redescription, illustrations, distribution, host association); Matthews 1986: 218 (a tentative synonym of G. longicornis); Zeya & Hayat 1995: 83 (comments, a likely synonym of G. longicornis); Guo et al. 2011: 54 (key).   
 Gonatocerus cicadella [sic] Nicolskaja [sic]: Sokolenko 1956: 23 (host association in Kyrgyzstan).   
 Lymaenon shasthryi Subba Rao & Kaur 1959: 228 (illustration), 234–235.   
 Holotype female [IARI] (not examined). Type locality: Mandya, Karnataka (as Mysore State in the original description) [although Zeya & Hayat (1995) indicated it under “Specimens examined” (p. 82) as “ INDIA: DELHI ”], India. Synonymized under G. longicornis by Zeya & Hayat 1995: 80.   
 Lymaenon britteni Hincks 1960: 210 (illustrations), 211.   
 Holotype female [MMUE] (not examined). Type locality: Skirwith, Cumbria Co., England, UK. Synonymized under G. longicornis by Bouček & Graham 1978: 235.   
 Lymaenon pictus (Haliday): Boţoc 1960: 146–148 (redescription and illustrations of the female, misidentification); Boţoc 1963: 97 (mentioned).   
 Lymaenon cicadellae (Nikolskaya): Doutt 1961: 306, 313 (host association in Japan); Viggiani 1973: 278 (illustrations of male genitalia), 274; Viggiani & Jesu 1988: 1023 (list).   
 Lymaenon longiventris Boţoc 1963: 96–97, 98 (illustrations).   
 Type status not indicated even though Matthews (1986) assumed (without providing any justification) that there had been a holotype (an invalid designation), possibly syntype female(s) and male(s) [apparently lost] (not examined). Type locality: near Cluj-Napoca (near a well in an orchard), Cluj County, Romania. Synonymized under G. longicornis by Matthews 1986: 218.   
 Lymaenon britteni Hincks: Boţoc 1963: 97 (mentioned).   
 Gonatocerus uttarodeccanus Mani & Saraswat in Mani et al. 1973: 97 –100.   
 Holotype female [USNM] (not examined). Type locality: Munnar, Kerala [but indicated (p. 82) as being in Tamil Nadu by Zeya & Hayat (1995)], India. Synonymized under G. longicornis by Zeya & Hayat 1995: 81.   
 Gonatocerus shasthryi (Subba Rao & Kaur): Subba Rao & Hayat 1983: 136 (catalog).   
 Gonatocerus uttarodeccanus Mani & Saraswat: Subba Rao & Hayat 1983: 137 (catalog).   
 Gonatocerus cicadelle [sic] Nikolskaya: Viggiani & Jesu 1988: 1023 (as possible synonym of Lymaenon terebrator).   
 Lynaenon civadelidae [sic] (Nikolskaja): Donev 2005: 377 (misspelled).   
 Gonatocerus (Gonatocerus) longicornis Nees: Triapitsyn & Proshchalykin 2012: 208 (catalog).   
 Type material examined. Rachistus terebrator Foerster: lectotype female [NHMW] on slide labeled: 1. “ Gon. terebrator Förster, Type Coll. G. Mayr, Förster, Aachen”; 2. “44”; 3. “ Gonatocerus terebrator Förster ”; 4. “ Lectotype des. by Matthews (1986) labeled by S. Triapitsyn 2007 = G. longicornis Nees ”. Paralectotypes [both NHMW]: 1 Ƥ on slide with the same labels as the lectotype except numbered “45”; 1 Ƥ on slide labeled: 1. “ Gon. terebrator Förster, Type”, 2. “Coll. G. Mayr”, 3. “Aach. Först”, 4. “In Canadab.”, 5. “ Gonatocerus terebrator Förster det. Soyka et design”, 6. [red] “Type”. Foerster (1847), however, mentioned just one female of this species but it is now impossible to know which one.   
 Paratypes of G. cicadellae Nikolskaja [DEZA]: 2 Ƥ (under the same coverslip) on slide labeled: 1. “ Gonatocerus cicadellae Nik., sp. n. Paratypus, Ƥ”; 2. [in Russian] “Frunzenskaya obl. [Frunze region], Kirgizia Sokolenko, 7.VII. 949 eggs Cicadella viridula ”; 2 3 (under the same coverslip) on slide labeled: 1. “ Gonatocerus cicadella Nik., sp. n. Paratypus, 3”; 2. [in Russian] “Frunzenskaya obl. [Frunze region], Kirgizia Sokolenko, 7.VII. 949 eggs Cicadella viridula ”.   
 Material examined. AUSTRIA. LOWER AUSTRIA: Hainburg an der Donau, 48°08’45’’N 16°55’31’’E, 142 m, 17.vi.2007, S.V. Triapitsyn, C. Thuróczy (on tall grasses near Danube River) [3 Ƥ, UCRC]. Hundsheim: Spikes Berg (S side), 2.ix.1941, S. Novicky [1 Ƥ, NHMW] (det. by W. Soyka as G. terebrator); 10.vi.1942, H. Bischoff [1 Ƥ, 1 3, NHMW] (det. by W. Soyka as G. terebrator); 18.vii.1942, H. Bischoff [1 Ƥ, EMEC] (det. by W. Soyka as G. terebrator). VIENNA, Vienna, Kalksburg, 8.vii.1915, F. Ruschka [1 Ƥ, NHMW] (det. by W. Soyka as G. terebrator). CHINA. BEIJING, Mentougou District: Liyan Ling, Linshan Mts., 40°00.28’N 115°30.75’E, 1749 m, 2.viii.2002, G. Melika [1 3, UCRC]. Xiaolongmen Station, 39°59.22’N 115°31.48’E, 1095 m, 28.vii.2002, G. Melika [2 Ƥ, 1 3, UCRC]. CZECH REPUBLIC. SOUTH MORAVIAN [REGION], Bílé Karpaty (White Carpathians Mountain Range), Machová Nature Reserve, 48°49’38.632’’N 17°32’29.934’’E, 439 m, 18.v.2007, J. Macek [1 Ƥ, CUPC]. FRANCE. GIRONDE, Sainte Colombe, 44°54’N 00°02’W, 14.ix.2000, M. van Helden [1 Ƥ, UCRC]. GEORGIA. ADJARA, Batumi, Kakhaberi, V.A. Trjapitzin: 9.vii.1953 (Gruzbiolaboratoriya) [6 Ƥ, 4 3, UCRC, ZIN]; 16.vii.1953 (nursery #1) [2 Ƥ, ZIN]; 28.vii.1953 (Gruzbiolaboratoriya) [1 Ƥ, ZIN]; 20.vii.1953 (fruit tree nursery) [1 Ƥ, 1 3, ZIN]; 22.ix.1953 (Gruzbiolaboratoriya) [2 Ƥ, ZIN]. GREECE. CENTRAL MACEDONIA, Lake Kerkini, Ecotourism site, 41°08’15.6’’N 23°13’01.2’’E, 65 m, G. Ramel: 9–15.v.2006 [1 Ƥ, UCRC]; 16–22.v.2006 [2 Ƥ, UCRC]; 23– 29.v.2006 [18 Ƥ, BMNH, UCRC]; 30.v–5.vi.2006 [31 Ƥ, BMNH, UCRC]; 6–12.vi.2006 [11 Ƥ, BMNH, UCRC]; 13–19.vi.2006 [47 Ƥ, BMNH, UCRC]; 20–26.vi.2006 [118 Ƥ, 1 3, UCRC]; 25.iv–1.v.2007 [1 Ƥ, UCRC]; 13– 19.vi.2007 [1 Ƥ, UCRC]. HUNGARY. BÁCS-KISKUN, Tompa, 15.vi.1946, J. Erdös [1 Ƥ, NHMW / HNHM] (det. by W. Soyka as G. terebrator). PEST, Szigetszentmiklós, ix.1911, L. Biró [1 Ƥ, NHMW / HNHM]. ITALY. CAMPANIA: Avellino Prov., Montemarano, 40°54.235’N 15°00.435’E, 760 m, 6.vi.2003, M. Bologna, J. Munro, A. Owen, J.D. Pinto [1 3, UCRC]. Benevento Prov., 1.8 km E of Faicchio, 41°16.329’N 14°29.884’E, 210 m, 7– 8.vi.2003, M. Bologna, J. Munro, A. Owen, J.D. Pinto [3 Ƥ, UCRC]. Salerno Prov., 2.5 km SW of Acerro, 40°43.54’N 15°02.36’E, 560 m, 6.vi.2003, M. Bologna, J. Munro, A. Owen, J.D. Pinto [1 Ƥ, UCRC]. LAZIO: Roma Prov.: Castelporziano Presidential Estate, Fosso di Trafusina, 41°46.670’N 12°24.751’E, 30 m, 11– 12.vi.2003, M. Bologna, J. Munro, A. Owen, J.D. Pinto [8 Ƥ, 1 3, UCRC]. Mignone River near Rota, 42°09.197’N 12°00.605’E, 150 m, 9.vi.2003, M. Bologna, J. Munro, A. Owen, J.D. Pinto [3 Ƥ, UCRC]. Viterbo Prov., Ponte San Pietro, 42°31.669’N 11°36.353’E, 75 m, 10.vi.2003, M. Bologna, J. Munro, A. Owen, J.D. Pinto [8 Ƥ, 1 3, UCRC]. JAPAN. ISHIKAWA, Kitanoshoike, 25.iii.1954, E. Kawase, H. Ishizaki (from eggs of Cicadella viridis (Linnaeus)) [2 Ƥ, 2 3, EMEC] (det. by R.L. Doutt as G. cicadellae). KYRGYZSTAN. TALAS: Near Boo-Terek, 42°35’15’’N 71°45’49’’E, 1000 m, 15.vi.1999, C.H. Dietrich [204 Ƥ, 36 3, 1 gynandromorph, INHS, UCRC]. Kara Buura Ravine (20 km S of Kyzyl-Adyr), 42°26’23’’N 71°33’16’’E, 300 m, 15.vi.1999, C.H. Dietrich [4 Ƥ, UCRC]. POLAND. LOWER SILESIA, near Wrocław, i. ix.1933, H.- J. Stammer [1 Ƥ, NHMW]. REPUBLIC OF KOREA. GYEONGGI-DO, Suwon-si, Seodun-dong, Seoul National University, 17.ix.2002, J.- W. Kim [1 Ƥ, UCRC]. RUSSIA. KRASNODARSKIY KRAY: Krasnodar, All-Russian Research Institute of Biological Plant Protection, 31.viii.2003, V.V. Kostjukov [12 Ƥ, 2 3, UCRC, ZIN]. Sochi, Adler, 17.ix.1953, V.A. Trjapitzin (on oak in forest at tee sovkhoz) [1 Ƥ, ZIN]. PRIMORSKIY KRAY: Terneyskiy rayon, Mel'nichnyi, M.V. Michailovskaya: 1–5.vi.2001 [3 Ƥ, UCRC]; 29.vi–1.vii.2001 [2 Ƥ, UCRC]. Ussuriyskiy rayon, Gornotayozhnoye, 43.66°N 132.25°E, 200 m, M.V. Michailovskaya: 19–20.vi.1999 [1 3, UCRC]; 11–14.vii.1999 [1 Ƥ, UCRC]; 24.vii–1.viii.1999 [16 Ƥ, IBPV, UCRC, ZIN]; 1–4.viii.1999 [1 Ƥ, UCRC]; 5–11.viii.1999 [16 Ƥ, IBPV, UCRC, ZIN]; 12–18.viii.1999 [21 Ƥ, IBPV, UCRC, ZIN]; viii.1999 [3 Ƥ, UCRC]; 28.viii–5.ix.1999 [3 Ƥ, UCRC]; viii– ix.1999 [9 Ƥ, 1 3, UCRC]; 6–14.ix.1999 [1 Ƥ, UCRC]; 15–26.ix.1999 [1 Ƥ, UCRC]; ix.1999 [3 Ƥ, UCRC]; 8– 11.x.1999 [1 Ƥ, UCRC]; 21–26.x.1999 [2 Ƥ, UCRC]; 11–21.vi.2000 [2 Ƥ, UCRC]; 21–30.vi.2000 [5 Ƥ, UCRC]; 1–10.vii.2000 [1 Ƥ, 1 3, UCRC]; 10–20.vii.2000 [1 Ƥ, UCRC]; 21–31.vii.2000 [3 Ƥ, UCRC]; 1–10.viii.2000 [12 Ƥ, UCRC, ZIN]; 11–20.viii.2000 [1 Ƥ, UCRC]; 21–26.viii.2000 [14 Ƥ, IBPV, UCRC]; 26–31.viii.2000 [5 Ƥ, UCRC]; viii.2000 [4 Ƥ, UCRC]; 15–30.ix.2000 [1 3, UCRC]; 5–8.x.2000 [1 Ƥ, UCRC]; 31.vii–10.viii.2001 [11 Ƥ, UCRC]; 17–31.viii.2001 [28 Ƥ, UCRC]; 1–10.x.2001 [5 Ƥ, 1 3, UCRC]; ix–xi.2001 [3 Ƥ, 1 3, UCRC]; 10– 19.vii.2002 [1 Ƥ, 1 3, UCRC]; 12–15.viii.2002 [22 Ƥ, 1 3, UCRC]; 1–11.ix.2002 [3 Ƥ, UCRC]; 24.ix–5.x.2002 [6 Ƥ, IBPV, UCRC, ZIN]; 11–16.vii.2003 [1 3, UCRC]; 1–5.viii.2003 [7 Ƥ, UCRC]; 11–15.viii.2003 [1 Ƥ, UCRC]; 27.viii–5.ix.2003 [4 Ƥ, UCRC]; 6–15.ix.2003 [3 Ƥ, UCRC]; 20–30.ix.2003 [3 Ƥ, UCRC]. STAVROPOL’SKIY KRAY: Achikulak, 26.viii.2002, V.V. Kostjukov [4 Ƥ, UCRC]. Prietokskiy, V.V. Kostjukov: 7.viii.2003 [2 Ƥ, UCRC, ZIN]; 12.viii.2003 [1 Ƥ, UCRC].   
 Extralimital record. THAILAND. CHIANG MAI, 1–10.xii.1997, S. Sonthichai [2 Ƥ, UCRC].   
 Distribution. PALAEARCTIC: Austria (Kirchner 1867; Soyka 1946 [as G. terebrator]; Hellén 1974 [as G. terebrator]), Bulgaria (Donev 1986 [as G. terebrator], 1990, 2005), China *, Czech Republic (Bouček & Graham 1972), Finland (Hellén 1974) [as G. terebrator], France, Georgia *, Germany, Greece (Hellén 1974 [as G. terebrator]; Donev 1988c [as G. terebrator], 2005), Hungary *, Italy, Japan (Doutt 1961 [as Lymaenon cicadellae]; Sahad & Hirashima 1984 [as G. cicadellae]), Macedonia (Donev 2005), Republic of Korea (Sahad & Hirashima 1984) [as G. cicadellae], Kyrgyzstan, Netherlands (Noyes 2012), Poland * (the record of Kirchner (1867) from Breslau (now Wrocław) is unconfirmed), Romania (Boţoc 1960 [as Lymaenon pictus]; Radu & Boţoc 1960 [as G. cicadellae]), Russia (Hellén 1974 [as G. terebrator]; Triapitsyn 2003), Serbia (Donev 1988b) [as G. terebrator]; Slovakia (Bouček & Graham 1972), Sweden (Hedqvist 2003), Turkey (Donev 2001, 2005), and United Kingdom: England (Hincks 1960 [as Lymaenon britteni]), and Wales (Hincks 1960 [as L. britteni]; Matthews 1986). ORIENTAL: India (Zeya & Hayat 1995; Zeya & Khan 2011), and Thailand *. The records of G. uttarodeccanus Mani & Saraswat from Bangladesh and Thailand by Sahad & Hirashima (1984) [as G. uttardecanus] were due to misidentifications (Zeya & Hayat 1995).   
 Redescription. FEMALE (non-type specimens from the Palaearctic region). Body length 890–1450 µm (1.3–1.6 mm according to Bouček & Graham 1972). Head, F2–F8, and clava dark brown, scape and pedicel mostly light brown, F1 brown; mesosoma variably colored: pronotum from yellow to partially or mostly brown, anterior half or so of mesoscutum dark brown and its posterior half or so usually light or orange brown but often mostly brown; scutellum mostly dark brown but often with borders notably lighter; axilla light to dark brown, remainder of mesosoma mostly dark brown; gaster yellow to light brown basally, remainder of gaster mostly dark brown or occasionally brown (tip of gaster sometimes a little lighter); legs light brown except bases of meso- and metatibia brown.   
Antenna (Fig. 32) with radicle 3.0–3.4× as long as wide, 0.32–0.35× total length of scape, rest of scape 2.8–3.1× as long as wide, slightly striate; F1 from a little shorter to a little longer than pedicel, shorter than F2–F7 and sometimes almost as long as F8; F2 the longest funicle segment, following funicle segments progressively a little shorter (except often F4 about as long as F5); mps on F4 (usually 0, occasionally 1), F5 (2), F6 (2), F7 (2), and F8 (2); clava with 7 mps, 3.5–3.9× as long as wide, at least a little shorter than combined length of F6–F8.  
Mesosoma (Fig. 34) shorter than metasoma. Pronotum longitudinally striate. Mesoscutum and scutellum with fine mesh-like retuculate sculpture. Propodeum (Fig. 33) with widely separated, faint (sometimes evanescent and incomplete) submedian lines and distinct lateral carinae, otherwise smooth. Fore wing (Fig. 35) 3.4–3.9× as long as wide; longest marginal seta 0.27–0.28× maximum wing width. Fore wing disc slightly infumate, with at most few setae behind apex of submarginal vein, setose just behind marginal vein, and densely setose beyond venation. Hind wing 27–28× as long as wide; disc mostly bare except for rows of setae along margins and a few setae at apex; longest marginal seta 3.3–3.5× maximum wing width.  
Metasoma (Fig. 34). Petiole short, strap-like, 2.4–3.0× as wide as long. Ovipositor from about 0.8× to almost entire length of gaster, exserted beyond its apex by 0.1–0.2× own length, 1.9–2.3× mesotibia length. External plate of ovipositor with 1 or 2 distal setae.  
MALE (non-type specimens from the Palaearctic region). Body length 950–1420 µm. Similar to female except for normal sexually dimorphic features and the following. Antenna (Fig. 36) with scape minus radicle 2.0– 2.2× as long as wide. Fore wing (Fig. 37) 3.4–3.9× as long as wide. Genitalia as in Fig. 38.  
 Diagnosis. Gonatocerus longicornis is recognized by the combination of female antenna (Fig. 32) with F1 shorter than F2–F7, F2 being the longest funicle segment, and F5–F8 always bearing mps, and the ovipositor (1.9– 2.3× mesotibia length) exserted beyond the gastral apex by 0.1–0.2× own length (Fig. 34). It is very similar (especially the female antenna) to G. (Gonatocerus) huberi Zeya from India, in the holotype of which the ovipositor is 1.4× mesotibia length (Zeya & Hayat 1995).   
 Hosts. Cicadella viridis (Linnaeus) (Nikolskaja 1951; Nikol’skaya 1952; Sokolenko 1956; Doutt 1961 [as Tettigella viridis (Linné) for Lymaenon cicadellae]; Arzone 1974; Sahad & Hirashima 1984; Miura & Yano 1988a, b [as T. viridis], all for G. cicadellae except when indicated otherwise; Viggiani & Jesu 1988; Viggiani 1991 [both for Lymaenon terebrator]), Cofana spectra (Distant) (Subba Rao & Kaur 1959 [as Tettigonella spectra (Distant) for Lymaenon shasthryi]; Zeya & Hayat 1995), and Nephotettix spp. (Zeya & Hayat 1995) (Cicadellidae).   
 Comments. I agree with Bouček & Graham (1972) who concluded that the original type material of G. longicornis is lost and justifiably designated a neotype for this species. A male on slide [NHMW] made by W. Soyka (Figs 39, 40) and mentioned by Soyka (1946) as part of Nees ab Esenbeck’s original material, is very unlikely to be a syntype of G. longicornis. The slide is labeled as follows (Fig. 39): 1. [the original Foerster’s label in his handwriting] “ Gonatocerus longicornis Nees. Ded. Först. ”; 2. [Soyka’s slide number] “33”; 3. [red, in Soyka’s handwriting] “Geno-Type”; 4. [in Soyka’s handwriting] “ Gonatocerus longicornis N. v. Esenb. Det. Soyka et design.”. The original label glued to the slide by W. Soyka is different from the usual A. Foerster’s labels of Mymaridae; Soyka labelled this specimen as a “Geno-Type” but because of his peculiar nomenclatural views, commented upon by Graham (1982), his designation cannot be accepted. The specimen is most probably one of A. Foerster’s earlier (?pre-1840s) specimens, which were originally glued onto white triangle points rather than mounted on minuten pins, a technique that apparently was adopted by Foerster somewhat later (Hannes Baur, personal communication). Foerster could simply determine his own specimen as belonging to Nees ab Esenbeck’s species based solely on the original description. Moreover, Foerster himself wrote that he could not get any Nees ab Esenbeck’s specimens (Foerster 1841, 1847); on that fact Debauche (1949) based his conclusion that this male could not be part of the type series of G. longicornis. Theoretically, Foerster could have obtained a syntype from the C.G.D. Nees ab Esenbeck collection at the University of Bonn after the type series was returned from England where it had been on loan (Graham 1988) but if that were the case he would have likely mentioned this in his later publications given his apparent interest in Gonatocerus. Foerster (1841) also mentioned that Nees ab Esenbeck’s specimens of G. longicornis had been sent to England when he went to Bonn (not far from Aachen) to see them. The male in NHMW (Fig. 40) actually belongs to an unidentified species of G. (Gonatocerus), most likely G. fuscicornis, because it is too small (body length 0.78 mm) to be G. longicornis; the fore wing is 3.3–3.4× as long as wide.
description: Published as part of Triapitsyn, Serguei V., 2013, Review of Gonatocerus (Hymenoptera: Mymaridae) in the Palaearctic region, with notes on extralimital distributions, pp. 1-178 in Zootaxa 3644 (1) on pages 28-33, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3644.1.1, http://zenodo.org/record/246888