Blascoa ephedrae Askew, 1997

Rahmani, Zahra, Rakhshani, Ehsan, Lotfalizadeh, Hossein & Mokhtari, Azizollah, 2022, Annotated checklist of Pteromalidae (Hymenoptera, Chalcidoidea) in the Middle East and North Africa, Journal of Insect Biodiversity and Systematics 8 (2), pp. 265-377 : 284

Blascoa ephedrae Askew, 1997

Blascoa ephedrae Askew, 1997:968–970 , ♀ ♂, Holotype ♀. – NHMUK, Spain.

Material examined. Iran, East-Azerbaijan province , Tabriz (38°05′33″N, 46°16′27″E), swept on Ephedra major , June 2016, 1♀, 2♂♂, O. Hadi, leg.

Distribution in the Middle East: Iran (new record).

Zoogeographical distribution: Western Palaearctic.

Remarks: The record of Ksenoplata quadrata Bouček, 1965 from Iran ( Hadi et al., 2017) hereby refered as B. ephedrae through re-examination of the voucher specimens.

Diagnosis. Female. Body length 2.8 mm. Head in frontal view 1.66 times wider than high ( Fig. 1A). Toruli inserted above lower margins of eyes ( Fig. 1A). Scape not reaching median ocellus ( Fig. 1A). Width of head 2.43 times its length in dorsal view ( Fig. 1B). POL 1.37 times longer than OOL ( Fig. 1B). Eye height 1.33 times longer than its length in lateral view. Mesoscutum 1.85 times wider than its length ( Fig. 1C). Propodeum shining with weakly raised reticulate sculpture ( Fig. 1D). Fore wing with basal fold a few hairs; basal cell with some hairs in distal half; marginal vein 0.8 times postmarginal vein and 1.33 times longer than stigmal vein ( Fig. 1E). Body metallic green with bronze-copper reflections, antenna (except scape yellow) dark brown, legs with coxae concolorous with mesosoma, femora (except bases black), tibiae, and tarsi brownish yellow, wings hyaline ( Fig. 1F).

Male. Body length 2.25 mm. Similar to female but antenna with scape broader than in female, metallic, expanded in distal half with a smooth, shining boss on its outer face; funicular segments elongated and pilose than in female with only six funicle quadrate.