Pioscelus Muesebeck & Walkley

Marsh, Paul M., Wild, Alexander L. & Whitfield, James B., 2013, The Doryctinae (Braconidae) of Costa Rica: genera and species of the tribe Heterospilini, ZooKeys 347, pp. 1-474 : 18-19

Genus Pioscelus Muesebeck & Walkley

Pioscelus Muesebeck & Walkley 1951: 180.

Amazondoryctes Barbalho & Penteado-Dias, in Barbalho et al. 1999: 142. Synonymized by Belokobylskij 2006: 150.

Type species.

Hedysomus wichitus Viereck.

Diagnosis

(taken from Marsh 2002). Body size: 2.5-4.5 mm; head cubicle; occipital carina meeting hypostomal carina; frons slightly excavated; mesoscutum declivous anteriorly; propodeum often horizontal and barely declivous posteriorly; precoxal sulcus usually as long as mesopleuron; fore tibia with single row of short spines along anterior edge; hind coxa without distinct tooth or tubercle at base (Fig. 10D) although smoothly angled; fore wing vein r-m present, vein 2RS absent or represented partially by weakly infuscate line, first subdiscal cell open at apex; hind wing vein M+CU equal to or shorter than vein 1M; first metasomal tergum longer then apical width; second metasomal tergum with either 2 converging median grooves which set off triangular area (Fig. 10A) or 2 median parallel carinae (Fig. 10B); basal sternal plate of first metasomal segment 0.25-0.33 length of tergum, dorsope distinct or weak.

Distribution.

Nearctic and Neotropical Regions.

Biology.

Unknown.

Comments.

The genus Amazondoryctes was synonymized with Pioscelus by Belokobylskij (2006). In the molecular analysis ( Wild et al. 2013) specimens identified as Amazondoryctes emerged basally within Heterospilus but no specimens identified as Pioscelus were available for analysis. Thus, the exact placement of these two genera within the Heterospilini is still in question.

Two species occur in Costa Rica, Pioscelus mesomphalus Marsh and Pioscelus costaricensis (Marsh), comb. n. Descriptions for each species can be found in Marsh 2002.