Boros István (szerk.): A Magyar Természettudományi Múzeum évkönyve 7. (Budapest 1956)

Szelényi, G.: Notes on the Merisina (Hym., Chalcidoidea)

b) subg. Pseudomerisus Erd. & Nov.: síipae Erd. & Nov. (generotype), pulchripes Erd., simplex n. sp. c) Phaenacrinodes subg. n. : Kurdjumovi n. sp. (generotype). The settling of the systematical position of the other genera described among the Merisina would be possible only after a careful examination of the type specimens. We have already discussed Amicromelus, Serimus, Merisoides in this respect. Merallus, having three ring joints, seems to be related with the species of Homoporus with three ring joints, but the club is not subulate. The form of the mandibles has not been mentioned in the original diagnoses. The American species Merisus febriculosus and destructor belong to Homoporus, while mordellistenae and cognatus may be representatives of the subgenus Phaenacrinodes m. Key to the genera of the subtribe Merisina 1 (2) Propodeum with large, strongly reticulate, subglobose neck : Callitula Spin. 2 (1) Propodeum at most with short neck, which is never subglobose and much shorter than the rest of the propodeum. 3 (4) Abdomen strongly convex after death, antennái club solid ; left mandibles with three, right mandibles with four teeth : Merisus Walk. 4 (3) Abdomen concave after death or the club distinctly segmented and prolonged into a stylus. 5 (6) Both mandibles with three teeth : Phaenacra Först. 6 (5) Both mandibles or at least the right one with four teeth : .... Homoporus Thorns. II. The genus Homoporus Thorns. This genus includes at present the great majority of the Merisine species with the genotype H. fulviventris Walk. In 1942, I have seen in the Naturhistorisches Museum in Vienna a type specimen of this species. It is labelled as follows : "fulviventris W. gall on Festuca ovina. Type" On the other side of the label, the number or date(?) is : 1812. The color is blue, proximal half of the femora metallic, the funicle joints transverse or subquadrate. Unfortunately, I have not noticed the relative length of the first funicle joint, but I suppose that it is probably remarkably shorter than the following joint, because in all known species having short funicle joints, as the joints become shorter, the first funicle joint becomes more and more ringshaped. This assumption may be confirmed by T h o m s o n's diagnosis too (". . .3—4 minimis, vix observances, 5° sequente paullo angustiore et fere breviore, 6—10 subaequalibus, transversis . . ."). There is another female specimen in the same collection labelled in Förster's handwriting : "Pter. fulviventris W. bicolor m." If this statement is correct, H. bicolor Erd. would require a new name, but I have not seen the type of Pteromalus bicolor Först. 1841 (which is based on a male specimen only) and thus I had no opportunity to decide whether Förster's statement is right. I have taken H. fulviventris several times in Hungary. The first funicle joint is, in every instance, remarkably shorter than the following joint and is in this respect somewhat variable but never clearly ring-shaped. H. gibbiscuta Thorns, which I have also taken in a few specimens differs from this species by having the funicle joints longer and funicle 1 subaequal to funicle 2. The scutellum is slightly but distinctly less convex than in fulviventris. H. femorata Först, chlorogaster Thorns, and crassiceps Thorns, are unknown to me, and I have an idea of these species on the basis of their original descriptions only. As for the host relationship of the genus, the species seem to be chiefly parasites of other Hymenoptera, especially those of Harmolita spp. Thus H. Wassilievi has been bread several times from Harmolita eremita Portsch. (Rimskij-Korsakov, 1914, P o n o m a r e n k o, 1929, Chesnokov, 1930) in the Soviet Union. The data on the host relationship of the American species were summarized by Gahan (1933). Thus H. febriculo-