Miscogastrinae

Miscogasteridae Walker, 1833. Type genus: Miscogaster Walker, 1833. Treated as Miscogasterinae by Ashmead (1904). Spelling corrected to Miscogastrinae by Burks (2012).

Diagnosis.

Antenna nearly always with 12 flagellomeres (exception: Andersena Bouček). Mandibles usually not falcate, but sometimes enlarged ( Diconocara Dzhanokmen). Scapula not anteriorly exposed by pronotum. Axilla not strongly advanced. Axillula rarely enlarged, but if so then they are not convex. Propodeum with or without plicae. Petiole variable, either with anterolateral flange extending from ventral surface to form lateral tooth-like protrusions (Fig. 97), or simple. If petiole simple, then clypeal margin asymmetrical (Fig. 94), or concave ventrally and then clypeus enlarged and nearly adjacent to toruli dorsally (Fig. 92).

Discussion.

Distinction of Miscogastrinae from Pteromalinae is best done by tribe, using either the distinctive petiole of Sphegigastrini or the distinctive clypeus of Diconocarini or Miscogastrini . We propose keeping these tribes together as Miscogastrinae, because they form a stable clade in molecular analyses (Cruaud et al., submitted), and because Sphegigastrini also can have an asymmetrical clypeus as in Miscogastrini .