Aspicerinae, Dalla Torre and Kieffer, 1910

Buffington, Matthew L., Forshage, Mattias, Liljeblad, Johan, Tang, Chang-Ti & Noort, Simon van, 2020, World Cynipoidea (Hymenoptera): A Key to Higher- Level Groups, Insect Systematics and Diversity 4 (4), No. 1, pp. 1-69 : 52-53

Aspicerinae

Figs. 237–242

With respect to general morphology, Aspicerinae are among the most spectacular of all figitids. They are typically stout with very little in the way of sexual dimorphism. While a majority of figitids are shiny black, several species of Aspicera , Callaspidia and Anacharoides are bright orange to red in color.Their wings are glabrous and shimmer in the right light. Several genera, including Aspicera , Prosaspicera , and Paraspicera have well-developed scutellar spines. Most aspicerines have stout hind legs and an extremely petiolate metasoma. Like the anacharitines, aspicerines are quick-strike parasitoids, attacking syrphid larva that themselves provide a significant threat to the wasp during oviposition. A very short ovipositor, coupled with a highly flexible metasoma and strong hind legs, allow the wasp to attack the host before the host can mount a counter attack ( Buffington 2007 ). Melanips is taxonomically problematic with respect to Figitinae and Aspicerinae . Melanips lacks morphological characters that can positively associate the genus with either subfamily; however, species of Melanips have been reared from Chamaemyiidae larvae predating on aphids, and this biology coincides with Aspicerinae . Further, Buffington et al. (2007, 2012) recovered Melanips as sister-group to the remaining Aspicerinae , and suggested moving Melanips to that subfamily. The group is currently being evaluated as its own subfamily (Mata-Casanova et al. personal communication). Despite recent revisions, several species remain undescribed and some regional faunas largely unexplored.

Biology. Koinobiont endoparasitoids of aphidophagous syrphid and chamaemyiid flies (summarized in Buffington et al. 2012).

Distribution. Mostly Holarctic; Anacharoides is indigenous to the Afrotropical Region and Northern Africa.

Relevant literature. Ros-Farré & Pujade-Villar revised Prosaspicera (2006) , Callaspidia (2009a) Paraspicera (2011a) , Omalaspis (2011b) and Aspicera (2013) ; Buffington and van Noort (2009) revised Anacharoides . Ros-Farré (2007) provides a key to genera.

Classification.

Aspicerinae Dalla Torre and Kieffer, 1910

Anacharoides Cameron, 1904 ; 7 species AT

Aspicera Dahlbom, 1842 ; 54 species Holarctic but also found in India

Balna Cameron, 1883 ; 6 species NT

Callaspidia Dahlbom, 1842 ; 8 species PA, NA, NT

Melanips Walker in Haliday, 1835; 31 species PA, NA, OR, NT, but the genus is poorly known and the number means very little Omalaspis Giraud, 1860 ; 14 species PA, NA

Paraspicera Kieffer, 1907 ; 2 species NA

Prosaspicera Kieffer, 1907 ; 32 species worldwide except wPA and AU

Pujadella Ros-Farré, 2007 ; 2 species OR