Abstract
A systematic study of the genus Ormyrus (Chalcidoidea, Ormyridae) was conducted based on the morphology and biology of the terminal-instar larvae of ten west European species that are parasitoids of gall wasps and gallflies of the families Cynipidae, Eurytomidae and Tephritidae. The first detailed descriptions are provided of the terminal-instar larvae of these ten species using SEM images to illustrate diagnostic characters with systematic values. A key is provided for the identification of ormyrid larvae associated with galls in Europe, which is based particularly on characters of the head, mouthparts and mandibles. Although only limited informative variation in body shape was found, the setation of the head provided several characters of potential taxonomic value. The larval biology of the ten ormyrid species inhabiting different galls is also summarised. Although Ormyrus larvae are usually solitary idiobiont ectoparasitoids of the host larva of various gall-inhabiting insects, evidence of secondary phytophagy was observed in some species.
Highlights
The superfamily Chalcidoidea is the second largest superfamily of parasitoid Hymenoptera (Sharkey and Fernandez 2006, New 2012, Noyes 2016) and includes 22 different extant families (Heraty et al 2013, Noyes 2016)
We describe the terminal larvae and the biology of ten European species of Ormyridae: Ormyrus capsalis Askew, O. cupreus Askew, O. diffinis (Fonscolombe), O. gratiosus (Förster), O. nitidulus (Fabricius), O. orientalis Walker, O. papaveris Perris, O. pomaceus (Geoffroy), O. rufimanus Mayr and O. wachtli Mayr
The labrum of Eurytomidae and Ormyridae is similar in being divided into a medial and two lateral lobes; while the medial part of the labrum of Eurytoma is usually divided into five lobes, the medial lobe in Ormyrus is usually undivided or superficially divided into three lobes
Summary
The superfamily Chalcidoidea is the second largest superfamily of parasitoid Hymenoptera (Sharkey and Fernandez 2006, New 2012, Noyes 2016) and includes 22 different extant families (Heraty et al 2013, Noyes 2016). Within the Chalcidoidea, Ormyridae is a small family with a worldwide distribution that is composed of approximately 140 species in 3 genera. The genera Eubeckerella Narendran and Ormyrulus Bouček are monotypic, and the third is the large genus Ormyrus, which includes the other species (Aguiar et al 2013, Noyes 2016). Ormyrus is the only genus found in the Palaearctic region (Zerova and Seryogina 2006). Zerova and Seryogina (2006) revised and keyed the Palaearctic species of Ormyrus, and subsequently, a few new species from this zoogeographic region were recently described (Lotfalizadeh et al 2012; Zerova and Seryogina 2014a, b; Zerova et al 2012, 2015). References to European and Palaearctic faunas of Ormyridae are found in Erdös (1946), Bouček (1970), NievesAldrey (1984), Doganlar (1984; 1991a, b) and Askew (1994). Zerova and Seryogina (2006) revised and keyed the Palaearctic species of Ormyrus, and subsequently, a few new species from this zoogeographic region were recently described (Lotfalizadeh et al 2012; Zerova and Seryogina 2014a, b; Zerova et al 2012, 2015). Hanson (1992) studied the Nearctic fauna of Ormyrus, and Narendran (1999) revised the Indo-Australian fauna
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