Trybliographa Foerster , 1869

Noort, Simon van, Buffington, Matthew L. & Forshage, Mattias, 2015, Afrotropical Cynipoidea (Hymenoptera), ZooKeys 493, pp. 1-176 : 90

Taxon classification Animalia Hymenoptera Figitidae

Trybliographa Foerster, 1869

Remarks.

Rare in the Afrotropical region. Only one species encountered so far, but more are to be expected.

Diagnosis.

Characteristically large eucoilines, dark and mostly strongly built, separated from several other genera with which confusion is otherwise possible by the possession of distinct subalar pit, as well as a metapleural corner which is hairless, oblique, and more or less upturned (forming a small, more or less triangular glabrous posterolateral surface called the metapleural triangle). Aganaspis which is often superficially similar always has a distinct tuft of hairs on the metapleural corner. Furthermore, in males, Aganaspis just like other Ganaspini have the antennal F1 modified, while Trybliographa have F2 modified. In Africa, the major confusion risk is in fact those specimens of the closely related Bothrochacis that have less reduced wing pubescence. Unlike Trybliographa , they typically have stout setae on the subcosta, truncate setae on the pronotum and mesoscutum, large scutellar foveae, and vermiculate sculpture on the coxae. The single Trybliographa species encountered so far in the Afrotropical region though, is very easy to recognise by the fuscate marginal cell.

Distribution.

Worldwide, but by far most diverse in the Holarctic. Afrotropical region: Madagascar (here).

Biology.

Attack Anthomyiidae and occasionally other calyptrate flies in dung, fungi, debris, etc ( Belizin 1963, Block et al. 1987, Griffiths 1993, Harukawa and Kikamashiro 1939, Hemachandra et al. 2007, Hennig 1976, Hummel et al. 2010, Jones and Hassell 2008, Kerrich and Quinlan 1960, Kieffer 1913a, Makarenko 1968, Neveu et al. 1996, 2000, Nilsson et al. 2011, 2012, Nordlander 1981, Quinlan 1978, Tamer 1994, Wilkes and Wishart 1953, Wishart and Monteith 1954, and plenty of others, plus lots of additional label data). The host of the African species is not known.

Species richness.

Trybliographa australiensis Ashmead, 1900 (Madagascar)