Megastigmus rosae (Megastigmus rosae)

Megastigmus rosae - Male (published) This week the long awaited article on the Megastigmidae in Belgium and the Netherlands came out. The editors selected a slightly different image from my series of male Megastigmus rosae, so I decided to upload it here too, to provide a higher resolution of the published image as PD online.
Publication:
VERHEYDE, Fons; ULENBERG,Sandrine; MEIJER, Hilco; HOEKSTRA, Paul; DE KETELAERE, Augustijn; ROQUES, Alain (2023) Review of the Megastigmidae in Belgium and the Netherlands (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea). -- Osmia, Revue d’Hyménoptérologie. Vol.11, pp.65-80. https://doi.org/10.47446/OSMIA11.10

Former image of same individual: https://www.jungledragon.com/image/139531/megastigmus_rosae_-_male_darker.html Chalcid wasp,Chalcidoidea,Jane's garden,Megastigmidae,Megastigmus,Megastigmus rosae,Rosa rugosa,Torymidae,nl: Rimpelroos

Appearance

At around roughly 3mm these Torymid wasps are fairly large for Chalcids.
The females of this species have a shorter ovipositor than the otherwise similar Megastigmus aculeatus that (mostly) shares the same hosts. Overall colours are a tad darker and the spot on the wings is larger.

Megastigmus rosae - Male On request, just making two images of a male M. rosae available in somewhat higher res than on waarneming.nl
NOTE: The wings on this one didn't quite come out nicely (not fully pumped op / straightened properly)
Image mostly goes to demonstrate darker overall colours (compared to the females) with the conspicuous yellow tip of the abdomen.
The species was recently identified as "new" for the Netherlands, from this population in Jane's garden. Males seemed to be quite rare (mostly parthenogentic reproduction, probably), but this year Jane spotted quite a few males from a second generation that emerged over the last week. This one emerged from a rose hip that she had put in a box for other purposes, so she had it in a box. Unfortunately the wings didn't come out quite right on this one.
Image of same (damaged) male, grooming:
https://www.jungledragon.com/image/139498/megastigmus_rosae_-_male_grooming.html
P.S. For comparison, another male with good wings and darker colour:
https://www.jungledragon.com/image/139531/megastigmus_rosae_-_male_darker.html Chalcid wasp,Chalcidoidea,Jane's garden,Megastigmidae,Megastigmus,Megastigmus rosae,Rosa rugosa,Torymidae,nl: Rimpelroos

Naming

This species is named after its host for larval development: Rosa (mostly Rosa rugosa).

Megastigmus rosae - Male (darker) Had another chance to shoot a male of this species today. This time with wings that came out right, but also a good deal darker than yesterday's specimen. So decided to upload it for reference.
Yesterday's male with bodged up wings and lighter colour here:
https://www.jungledragon.com/image/139497/megastigmus_rosae_-_male.html

Published image of same individual: https://www.jungledragon.com/image/156360/megastigmus_rosae_-_male_published.html Chalcid wasp,Chalcidoidea,Jane's garden,Megastigmidae,Megastigmus,Megastigmus rosae,Rosa rugosa,Torymidae,nl: Rimpelroos

Distribution

Megastigmus rosae is known from various countries in Europe: Denmark, France, Germany and the Netherlands.

Megastigmus rosae - Female When posted on the forum of waarneming.nl Paul Hoekstra recognized this as probably Megastigmus nigrovariegatus - a new species for the Netherlands. Final ID pending, awaiting microscopic examination :o)
The verdict is in! Sandrine Ulenberg kindly took it upon her to ID our wasps and found that this "new" Megastigmus is Megastigmus rosae Bouček, 1971. Even so, still a new species for the Netherlands! :o) Chalcid wasp,Chalcidoidea,Jane's garden,Megastigmidae,Megastigmus,Megastigmus rosae,Rosa rugosa,Torymidae,nl: Rimpelroos,rosae

Status

Records and known localities of this species are quite scarce, but it may quite likely be under recorded

Megastigmus rosae - Male (grooming) On request, just making two images of a male M. rosae available in somewhat higher res than on waarneming.nl
NOTE: The wings on this one didn't quite come out nicely (not fully pumped op / straightened properly).
More info with this image:
https://www.jungledragon.com/image/139497/megastigmus_rosae_-_male.html Chalcid wasp,Chalcidoidea,Jane's garden,Megastigmidae,Megastigmus,Megastigmus rosae,Rosa rugosa,Torymidae,nl: Rimpelroos

Behavior

Females can be readily observed on fresh, green rose hips, where they deposit their eggs. Males are much harder to find in their natural habitat, but sometimes can be found on ripe rose hips, presumably waiting for fresh females to emerge(?)

Megastigmus rosae - Lateral When posted on the forum of waarneming.nl Paul Hoekstra recognized this as probably Megastigmus nigrovariegatus - a new species for the Netherlands. Final ID pending, awaiting microscopic examination :o)
The verdict is in! Sandrine Ulenberg kindly took it upon her to ID our wasps and found that this "new" Megastigmus is Megastigmus rosae Bouček, 1971. Even so, still a new species for the Netherlands! :o) Chalcid wasp,Chalcidoidea,Jane's garden,Megastigmidae,Megastigmus,Megastigmus rosae,Rosa rugosa,Torymidae,nl: Rimpelroos

Habitat

Where present, these small wasps will be mostly confined to the rose brushes that they live and develop on and seldom stray away from these.

Megastigmus rosae When posted on the forum of waarneming.nl Paul Hoekstra recognized this as probably Megastigmus nigrovariegatus - a new species for the Netherlands. Final ID pending, awaiting microscopic examination :o)
The verdict is in! Sandrine Ulenberg kindly took it upon her to ID our wasps and found that this "new" Megastigmus is Megastigmus rosae Bouček, 1971. Even so, still a new species for the Netherlands! :o) Chalcid wasp,Chalcidoidea,Jane's garden,Megastigmidae,Megastigmus,Megastigmus rosae,Rosa rugosa,Torymidae,nl: Rimpelroos

Reproduction

Eggs are deposited in fresh immature rose hips where the larvae develop inside the seeds. In the Netherlands there are clearly two generations with low numbers in early summer,around June (survivors of overwintering) and a second, much more abundant generation at the end of the summer (August-September).

References:

Some text fragments are auto parsed from Wikipedia.

VERHEYDE, Fons; ULENBERG,Sandrine; MEIJER, Hilco; HOEKSTRA, Paul; DE KETELAERE, Augustijn; ROQUES, Alain (2023) Review of the Megastigmidae in Belgium and the Netherlands (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea). -- Osmia, Revue d’Hyménoptérologie. Vol.11, pp.65-80. https://doi.org/10.47446/OSMIA11.10

Taxonomy
Kingdom	Animalia
Division	Arthropoda
Class	Insecta
Order	Hymenoptera
Family	Megastigmidae
Genus	Megastigmus
Species	M. rosae

Photographed in
Netherlands