Gelis timarchae (Phygadeuontinae) parasitizes a Timarcha nicaeensis egg

Описание: NEW SPECIES: Gelis timarchae Schwarz, Shaw & Kan, 2020 (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae, Phygadeuontinae) is a newly described species of about 3.5 mm, which belongs to a large genus of about 386 species. In Europe 142 species are described, of which about 62 have been recorded from France. The genus exhibits a wide range of morphological forms, its various species being fully winged, reduced wings or wingless and often with both variation and sexual dimorphism in these respects. The vast majority of species are either solitary ectoparasitoids of insect cocoons or cocoon-like structures, or egg predators within spider egg sacs and then often developing gregariously. Host information is known for a number of species.

The approximately 3 mm large eggs of Timarcha are deposited single or in small groups on wood or tree bark on the dark side, sometimes up to 1 meter high, and are covered with a loose and partial surround of minute chips of regurgitated food. The wingless Gelis timarchae female, looks a lot like an ant, search for the freshly deposited eggs of Timarcha beetles.
When she has found an egg, it is first carefully examined with her antenna, and if the egg is suitable, she places her ovipositor on the egg and pushes it inward. Then a blob of egg fluid comes out through the ovipositor and an egg is deposited.

Mark R. Shaw, Pieter Kan, Brigitte Kan-van Limburg Stirum & Martin Schwarz (2021) - The remarkable biology of a new species of Gelis Thunberg, 1827 (Ichneumonidae, Phygadeuontinae), a solitary endoparasitoid of fresh eggs of Timarcha (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae). Journal of Hymenoptera reserch, R 82: 161–186 doi: 10.3897/jhr.82.64657 - https://jhr.pensoft.net/article/64657/


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Gelis timarchae (Phygadeuontinae) male emerges from parasitized Timarcha nicaeensis egg
   • Gelis timarchae (Phygadeuontinae) male eme...  

Gelis timarchae (Phygadeuontinae) oviposits in two Timarcha nicaeensis eggs
   • Gelis timarchae (Phygadeuontinae) oviposit...