| Home | Parasitica | Glossary | Species lists | Ecology of hedgerows | Mammals | Plants | Birds | Invertabrates |
A member of the family Torymidae, this wasp is parasite of cynipid wasps. Far from being the usual Torymid parasitoid of its host however this wasp is actually an inquiline and develops on the gall tissue after having killed the original cynipid gall maker (Askew, 1961a; 1965b). Synonyms; T. nitens, T. nigricornis
The common gall hosts of this species are; A. curruptrix agamic, A. fecundator agamic, A. kollari agamic, A. lignicola agamic, A. quercuscalicus agamic, Aphelonyx cerricola agamic, Biorhiza pallida sexual, Cynips divisa agamic, C. longiventris agamic, C. quercusfolii agamic, Neuroterus quercusbaccarum sexual. The flight times for this wasp are all year round.
The female wasp measures in at 2-5.3mm, excluding ovipositor, with an average of 3.5mm.
The head is a metallic blue-green, and reticulated. The eyes are quite large, red with an internal dark latticework and dark red-brown ocelli. The antennae have are dark grey-brown with longitudinal sensillae and a yellow marked scape. There is one ring and 7 funicular segments, with no obvious club.
The bright metallic green thorax has gold and red tints and sparse pale hairs. The mesoscutem is granulate and a high gloss coppery mesepimeron and deep full length notaulices. The tegulae are straw coloured leading to the wings which are clear and have mid yellow veins and hairs, with a very short stigmal vein with a well developed stigma and uncus. The legs are pale yellow, with metallic coxae, with a number of bright white hairs above the hind coxae. Metallic femora, sometimes bronze-green. and the tarsel segments, of which there are 5, are yellow.
The gaster (abdomen) is a bronzy metallic green. Triangular from the side, lightly punctate and shiney. The ovipositor sheaths are long dark brown and hairy.
The male is 1.7-4.2mm averaging at 2.6mm in length.
The head is metallic green, sculputered with white hairs all over. The eyes are a very bright red with red ocelli. The antennae are dark grey-brown with no obvious club. The scape is all dark and the third segment is longer then the pedicel (see T. geranii). There is one ring and 7 funicular segments covered in pale longitudinal sensillae.
The thorax is a metallic green, with light scuplting all over and covered in short hairs. Deep full length notaulices, like the female, and a rugose cross-striae mesoscutem, along with high gloss mesepimeron. The tegulae are neutral brown, and the wings are clear, slightly yellowish with hair all over and strong veining. The stigmal vein is very short with quite a heavy stigma. The legs are variable yellow with, from a metallic green rear coxae, to metallic green coxae, femora and tibia. The rest is brown with paler yellow joints. There are 5 tarsel segments. There are a number of hairs on top of the rear coxae.
The bronze gaster has a testaceous band in the final third, slightly hairy and lightly whirled and ridged all over.
More detailed descriptions and identification keys are available from Robin Williams at the British Plant Gall Society.
[back to previous page]