Torymus bedeguaris (Linnaeus, 1758)

Classification ; Parasitica, Chalcidoidea, Torymidae, Toryminae, Torymus bedeguaris.

A hyper-parasite of Diplolepis rosae, the Bedeguar gall wasp, although it is not averse to parasitizing any inquilines or other hyperparasites that have already attacked the gall.

Torymidae are solitary, primary, ectoparasitoids of gallicolous (gall-forming) cynipid larvae. Important morphological characters include a 12-13 segmented antenna with 1-2 annuli present. Hind coxae are 3X larger than fore coxae. The ovipositor is exserted, thread-like, and often several times longer than the body. They are metallic green or bronze, and have complete, well-formed, parapsidal sutures, and a forewing with setal tracts. Fore wing with venation not especially modified, the marginal vein long, much longer than the short stigmal and postmarginal veins. The hind femur is weakly to greatly swollen, the ventral margin with one or more teeth.

Torymidae share one character with Agaonidae which seems to separate them both from Pteromalidae and from the groups regarded as possibly derived from the last family. In torymids and agaonids, the back of the head has the postgenae expanded to the median line so that the hypostomal margins are medially strongly constricted or even fused some distance below foramen magnum.

Subfamily Toryminae, usually large, metallic greenish in colour with long ovipositors, sometimes with bronze or purple reflections. The body more or less finely sculptured, with the groove between mesopleuron and metapleuron (below hind wing) straight. The gaster is more or less compressed from side to side, not depressed so that the gaster is flattened dorsally.

The female Torymus bedeguaris wasp measures in at (2.2-5.3mm), with an average of 4.0mm excluding ovipositor. Its colour is bright metallic green from above but brilliant glossy bronze from side. A brilliant coppery mesepimeron. A brilliant metallic green head with red eyes and ocelli, dark brass-tinted antennae with 7 funicular segments. The legs are testaceous with all bronze or green metallic front coxae (look only at the front coxa, not the trochanter below-which is quite separate and may be yellow). The wings are clear and the stigmal vein is shorter than the post stigmal vein. The gaster is metallic green with fiery-red or fiery-bronze tints over at least the back and long, slender ovipositor sheaths. The ovipositor is actually longer than her body, this is so long that when she lands on the gall, she can push it through the long tangled hairs and into the hard woody shell. Then she lays her eggs and when the larvae emerge they feed as ectoparasitoides on the Robin's Pincushion gall wasps Diplolepis rosae.

The male Torymus bedeguaris wasp measures in at (1.8-4mm), with an average of 3.0mm. Like the female its colour is bright metallic green from above but brilliant glossy bronze from side. A brilliant coppery mesepimeron. A brilliant metallic green head with red eyes and ocelli, dark brass-tinted antennae with 7 funicular segments. The legs are testaceous or translucent-yellow with all bronze or green metallic front coxae (look only at the front coxa, not the trochanter below-which is quite separate and may be yellow). The wings are clear and the stigmal vein is shorter than the post stigmal vein. The gaster is metallic green with fiery-red or fiery-bronze tints.

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