Cubocephalus sternocerus (Thomson, 1873)

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 : 51

Cubocephalus sternocerus (Thomson, 1873)

Cubocephalus spp. are not hard to identify on their habitus. As their name implies, their head is cubic and robust, just like their body. Their areolet is not too wide and the apical tergites are often greyish banded (very narrowly). More details can be found in TOWNES (1970a). Although Cubocephalus is a confusing genus that needs to be revised in one key (at this stage, species are described in several sources), we are able to report one species with a unique character.

C. sternocerus has two bulges on the postpectal ridge ( JONAITIS, 1981). Furthermore, all its femora and trochanters are black ( SCHMIEDEKNECHT 1904; as Cratocryptus sp. ). Superficially (on habitus) it also resembles C. nigriventris (Thomson, 1874) , but this latter species has a shorter ovipositor (shorter or rarely equal to metasoma). Only one host is known: Synanthedon spheciformis (Denis & Schiffermüller, 1775) ( Lepidoptera : Sesiidae ) ( MEYER, 1927).

First report for Belgium and the Netherlands.

MATERIAL EXAMINED:

BELGIUM: • 1 ♀; Somal (NA); 25/vi/2010; P-N. Libert leg.; coll. PNL; field observation; M. Schwarz det.

THE NETHERLANDS: • 1 ♀; Twijzel (FR); 53°14’53”N 6°04’56”E; 28/v/2012; Landschapsbeheer Friesland leg.; coll. HM; malaise trap 215 (24–28); H. Meijer det.