Lepidopria pedestris Kieffer, 1911

Chemyreva, Vasilisa G., Yoon, Seonwoo & Ku, Deok-Seo, 2025, Revision of the genus Lepidopria Kieffer (Hymenoptera, Diapriidae, Diapriinae) of the world fauna, Journal of Hymenoptera Research 98, pp. 1107-1126 : 1107-1126

Lepidopria pedestris Kieffer, 1911

Figs 8 , 9

Lepidopria pedestris Kieffer, 1911: 870.

Material examined.

Holotype, • female, “ M. Fasce [mountain in Liguria] / VIII [18] 84 / Ganeva [province of Genoa] ”, “ Lepidopria / pedestris K. ”, all other labels are in Fig. 8 B . Non-type material: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Stari Most , 29. VI. 1959, Hadristevie leg., from tachinid fly developed in Melolonta melolonta ( Coleoptera , Scarabaeidae ) .

Diagnosis.

Head subtriangular in frontal view (Fig. 9 A ); female antennae moderately slender, with only A 6 - A 8 subquadrate, all other flagellomeres slightly to distinctly elongate, A 9 almost equal to A 10 (Fig. 8 A ); male A 3 not modified; male A 4 strongly enlarged, distinctly longer and wider than A 3, with deep emargination and strong, pigmented carina (Fig. 9 A, D ); anterior scutellar pit more or less distinct subdivided into two pits (Figs 8 A, B , 9 A, D ); propodeum without median carina, its dorsal side very sparsely setose and finely rugose between plicae (Figs 8 A, B , 9 B ), plica present but hardly indicated; petiole distinctly swollen dorsally and projecting upwards, smooth and bare anterodorsally and otherwise covered with long pale setae (Figs 8 A , 9 B, E ).

Biology.

The host of L. pedestris is a tachinid fly that develops in Melolonta melolonta ( Coleoptera : Scarabaeidae ) ( Huggert and Masner 1983). Lepidopria pedestris is symphilic in the nests of the ant Solenopsis fugax ( Hölldobler 1928; Lachaud 1980, 1981 a, b, c, 1982; Lachaud and Passera 1982).

Distribution.

South Europe: Italy, France, Germany, * Bosnia and Herzegovina ( Kieffer 1911; Höllobler 1928; Lachaud and Passera 1982).

Remarks.

Huggert and Masner (1983) reported about “ an interesting case of simultaneous parasitism by Lepidopria pedestris Kieffer and Trichopria inquilina Kieffer on a tachinid puparium in an adult may beetle, Melolontha melolontha Linnaeus is known to us from Yugoslavia (specimens in Nat. Museum, Praha) ”. The male specimen from Bosnia and Herzegovina mentioned above most likely belongs to this group of specimens, and we are providing its label data for the first time here. Dr Jan Macek kindly presented it to us many years ago and it is now stored in ZISP.

Figures

Figure 8. Lepidopria pedestris, female, holotype. A, B habitus, dorsolateral (A) and dorsal (B) views C labels of the holotype. Scale bars: 0.5 mm.

Figure 9. Lepidopria pedestris, male. A face and base of antennae B head, mesosoma and base of metasoma, dorsal view C habitus, dorsal view D flagellum, dorsal view E petiole, lateral view. Scale bars: 0.5 mm (C); 0.3 mm (A, B, D).