| Home | Parasitica | Glossary | Photo Gallery |
A fairly common parasitoid of the bedeguar gall formed by Diplolepis rosae and occasionally D. eglanteriae, but is not totally host specific and will sometimes hyperparasitise other species, including Othopelma mediator, Torymus bedeguaris and Glyphomerus stigma. It was previously known as Habrocytus bedeguaris.
Up until 1944, P.bedeguaris and Caenacis inflexa where not recognised as to seperate species. Callun however recognised C. inflexa as a seperate species after examining over a thousand specimens. He seperated the two on a basis of small diferences in the antennae and forewings. He also stated that the females could be seperated by body length alone, P. bedeguaris being averagly 1.4mm longer than C. inflexa, although with a very large variation in size from one individual to another, this is not perhaps the most trustworthy method.
The female wasp measures 2.2-4.7mm, averaging out at 3.5mm.
The head and thorax are black or dark metallic green. The clypeus is outlined with reticulation with striae tending to finish on the edge. The bottom edge of the clypeus is waved. The antenna are part way up the eye line, thick and neutral bronze in colour with 6 funicular segments, the first segment of which is almost twice as long as it is broad. The wings have well developed stigmal and post marginal veins and the basel cell is virtually bare. The legs are brown tapering down to pale with 5 tarsel segments. They have a golden bronze gaster (abdomen).
The smaller male is 1.7-3.4mm averaging 2.4mm.
The head and thorax are dark metallic blue/green with bronze tints. The antennae are part way up the eye line, brassy brown and have 6 funicular segments, the first segment of which is almost twice as long as it is broad. The clypeus is outlined with reticulation with striae tending to finish on the edge. The bottom edge of the clypeus is waved. The wings have well developed stigmal and post marginal veins as well as the basel cell being virtually bare. The legs are brown tapering down to pale with 5 tarsel segments. The gaster is dark brown, short and wide.
The prepupae are, when removed from the gall, more active than other prepupae and it wriggles and flexes its body almost continually (Blair 1943). The emergance times of this wasp are throughout may, with a peak at around the 10th may. Although some have been recorded on the continent through to july.
More detailed descriptions and identification keys are available from Robin Williams at the British Plant Gall Society.
[back to previous page]