Aptesis flagitator (Rossi, 1794)

Verheyde, Fons, Hoekstra, Paul, Libert, Pierre-Nicolas, Meijer, Hilco, Ketelaere, Augustijn De, Vandaudenard, Thibaud, Belgers, Dick & Brosens, Edwin, 1880, Two hundred and five ichneumonid wasps reported for the first time in Belgium and the Netherlands (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae), Belgian Journal of Entomology 122, pp. 1-142 : 50

Aptesis flagitator (Rossi, 1794)

Belonging to the tribe Aptesini , Aptesis spp. have a small triangular projection opposite the anterior end of the lateromedian carina of the propodeum . The genus is hard to recognise from pictures (details see TOWNES, 1970a) and still needs a thorough revision.

A. flagitator is a remarkable species with a specific habitus. The colouration is very distinct within the genus (orange mesoscutum and other parts of thorax orange), although there are other Cryptinae with a more or less similar colour pattern (pers. comm. M. Schwarz). Other features are the tricoloured antennae (orange-black-white-black) and a black metasoma with the last two (often tree) tergites covered by white bands ( JONAITIS, 1981). Agonopterix heracliana (Linaeus, 1758) ( Lepidoptera : Oecophoridae ) is a common host ( MORLEY, 1907).

First report for Belgium and the Netherlands.

MATERIAL EXAMINED:

BELGIUM: • 1 ♀; Somal (NA); 1/ix/2012; P-N. Libert leg.; coll. PNL; field observation; M. Schwarz det. • 1 ♀; Overpelt ( LIB); 51°12’18”N 5°22’33”E; 19/ix/2012; G. Van Hertum leg.; field observation; F. Verheyde & M. Schwarz det. (ObsID: 71235386) . • 1 ♀; Burdinne (LG); 50°35’56”N 5°04’44”E; 27/viii/2019; S. Vincent; field observation; F. Verheyde det. (ObsID: 205190761) . • 1 ♀; Sint-Agatha-Rode, Huldenberg (VB); 50°47’23”N 4°38’26”E; 14/viii/2020; M. Vandenberghe; field observation; F. Verheyde det. (ObsID: 198456493).

THE NETHERLANDS: • 1 ♀; Ooy (GE); 51°54’50”N 6°03’05”E; 22/ix/2018; R. Soethof leg.; field observation; M. Schwarz det. (ObsID: 164172352) .