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Megastigmus aculeatus (Swederus)

Rose seed Megastigmus; Rose-hip chalcid

(Life: Kingdom: Metazoa (animals); Phylum: Arthropoda; Class: Hexapoda; Order: Hymenoptera;  Superfamily: Chalcidoidea; Family: Megastigmidae; Genus: Megastigmus)

Pteromalus aculeatus Swederus, 1795. Holotype in the Natural History Museum, Stockholm (NHMS). Type locality: Sweden.
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Megastigmus_aculeatus_Simon_van_Noort_DSC7092 Megastigmus_aculeatus_Simon_van_Noort_DSC7102

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Megastigmus_aculeatus_SAM-HYM-P044102_head_mesosoma_dorsal Megastigmus_aculeatus_SAM-HYM-P044102_head_mesosoma_lateral

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Photographs © Simon van Noort (Iziko Museums of South Africa).

Distribution

Afrotropical region: Ethiopia, South Africa. Widely distributed in Holarctic and Australasian regions. First recorded in South Africa in 1994 from the Barkly-East area (Eastern Cape).

Biology

Seed predator of Rosa species (Rosaceae). Damages seeds of many indigenous and naturalized Rose species. Has potential as a bio-control agent of invasive Rose species, such as the Sweet Brier, Rosa rubiginosa, but also negatively impacts on the Rose hip industry.

References

Grissell EE, 1999. An annotated catalog of world Megastigminae, (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea: Torymidae). Contributions of the American Entomological Institute 31: 1-92.
Grissell, E.E. & Prinsloo, G.L. 2001. Seed-feeding species of Megastigmus (Hymenoptera: Torymidae) associated with Anacardiaceae. Journal of Hymenoptera Research, 10, 271-279.

Kurir, A. 1975. Zur Kenntnis von Megastigmus aculeatus Swed. (Hym., Chalc, Torymidae), eines Samenzerstorers bei der Hundrose (Rosa canina), Zeitschrift fur angewandte Entomologie 78: 415–423.

Nalep, C. A. & Grissell, E. E. 1993. Host seed size and adult size, emergence and morphology of Megastigmus aculeatus nigroflavus (Hymenoptera: Torymidae). Environmental Entomology 22: 1313–1317.

Roques, A. & Skrzypczynska, M. 2003. Seed-infesting chalcids of the genus Megastigmus Dalman, 1820 (Hymenoptera: Torymidae) native and introduced to the West Palearctic region: taxonomy, host specificity and distribution. Journal of Natural History 37: 127-238.

Skrzypczynska,  M. 2000. Znamionek rozany Megastigmus aculeatus (Swederus) uszkadzaja˛cy nasiona rozy dzikiej Rosa canina L. w Ojcowskim Parku Narodowym, Wiadomosci Entomologiczne 19: 19–23.

Swederus, N. S. 1795. Beskrifning pa et nytt Genus Pteromalus ibland Insecterna, hoerande til Hymenoptera, uti Herr Arch. Och Ridd v. Linnes Systema Naturae, Kongliga SvenskaVetenskaps- Akademiens Handlingar 16: 201–205, 216–222.

Syrett, P. 1990. The rose seed chalcid, Megastigmus aculeatus Swederus (Hymenoptera: Torymidae) on sweet brier, Rosa rubiginosa, in the South Island tussock county. New Zealand Entomologist 13: 34–38.

Credits

Photographs and map illustration © Simon van Noort (Iziko Museums of South Africa).

Web author Simon van Noort (Iziko South African Museum)

 

Citation: van Noort, S. 2024. WaspWeb: Hymenoptera of the World. URL: www.waspweb.org (accessed on <day/month/year>).

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