The Palaearctic species of Ascogaster (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) T. Huddleston Department of Entomology, British Museum (Natural History), Cromwell Road, London SW75BD Contents Synopsis 341 Introduction 341 Biology 342 List of host records 342 Taxonomic history 343 Synonymic list of species 344 Taxonomic characters 345 Depositories 346 Characteristics of subfamily Cheloninae 347 Ascogaster Wesmael 348 The species-groups 348 Key to species 348 The semenovi-group 352 The caucasica-group 353 The abdominator-group 357 The annularis-group 360 The bidentula-group 364 The quadridentata-group 371 Species inquirendae 380 Excluded species 381 Acknowledgements 381 References 382 Index... 392 Synopsis The cosmopolitan genus Ascogaster, which is parasitic on Microlepidoptera, is revised for the Palaearctic zoogeographical region. A key to species is given. Thirty species are recognized; four of them are described as new. Twenty-two synonyms are newly established; one species (nigrator) is transferred to Ascogaster from Chelonus and one (maculata) from Ascogaster to Phanerotoma. Introduction It is imperative that biological studies are founded on a basis of sound taxonomy; the results of such studies are otherwise vitiated. The taxonomy of the Braconidae has been composed piecemeal over the last 200 years or so and relatively few taxa have received comprehensive up-to-date attention. Many taxa therefore need to be completely revised, at least within a single zoogeographical region. This revision is concerned with the Palaearctic species of Ascogaster, a chelonine braconid genus. Ascogaster is a cosmopolitan genus parasitic upon Microlepidoptera, principally Tortricidae. A. quadridentata has frequently been recorded as a parasite of the codling moth (Cydia pomonella) and other pests of fruit trees (see Evenhuis & Vlug, 1983). This species and probably several others merit consideration for use in biological control programmes. Bull. Br. Mus. nat. Hist. (Ent.) 49 (5): 341-392 Issued 20 December 1984
BioStor
