Subfamily Opiinae Blanchard, 1845

Opiites Blanchard, 1845: 157.

Opioidae Foerster, 1862: 258.

Baeocentrini Fahringer, 1928: 8.

Ademonini Fischer, 1964: 207.

Biosterina Fischer, 1970: 85.

Coleopiina Fischer, 1970: 85.

Pokomandyina Fischer, 1970: 87.

Desmiostomatini Fischer, 1972b: 59.

Bitomina Fischer, 1982: 29 (unavailable name).

Diagnosis.

Prepectal carina absent (but partly developed in Ademon); posterior flange of propleuron present; maxillary palp with 6 segments and labial palp with 4 segments; hypoclypeal depression present or absent, if present then shallow, medio-ventral rim of clypeus near level of upper condyli of mandible; ventral part of clypeus not part of the hypoclypeal depression; labrum flat or weakly concave and glabrous, rarely distinctly concave; occipital carina usually present laterally, but nearly always widely interrupted medio-dorsally; notauli often largely absent on mesoscutal disc, often with a medio-posterior depression (or “mid-pit”, but sometimes groove-like); pronope absent to very large, round or slit-like; vein M+CU1 of fore wing largely unsclerotized (only pigmented and not tubular); if completely tubular and fully sclerotized then laterope of first metasomal tergite distinct; fore tibia without row of pegs or spines, but sometimes bristly setose; dorsope of first metasomal tergite absent or present; first tergite with or without convex lateral parts and movably connected to second tergite; second tergite without transverse elevated area and usually with pair of oblique depressions basally and similarly or more strongly sclerotized than its epipleuron; ovipositor usually short (hardly or not protruding beyond apex of metasoma) in parasitoids of mining larvae and well protruding in parasitoids of larvae in fruits.

Biology.

Koinobiont endoparasitoids of Diptera -Cyclorrhapha: Agromyzidae (including Phytobia species in woody branches), Anthomyiidae ( Pegomya species), Drosophilidae, Psilidae ( Chyliza species in galls), Lonchaeidae, Ephydridae ( Hydrellia species in waterplants), Scathophagidae ( Chylizosoma and Cleigastra species) and Tephritidae . Some species are used for biocontrol, e.g. Psyttalia and Utetes species against Ceratitis capitata Wiedemann and Opius pallipes Wesmael against leaf miners in greenhouses, but several others have a high potential for biocontrol.

Distribution.

Cosmopolitan; frequently collected.

Key to genera and species of the subfamily Opiinae from Hunan