Epirhyssa Cresson, 1865

Hopkins, Tapani, Roininen, Heikki, Noort, Simon van, Broad, Gavin R., Kaunisto, Kari & Saeaeksjaervi, Ilari E., 2019, Extensive sampling and thorough taxonomic assessment of Afrotropical Rhyssinae (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae) reveals two new species and demonstrates the limitations of previous sampling efforts, ZooKeys 878, pp. 33-71 : 33

Genus Epirhyssa Cresson, 1865

Hierax Tosquinet, 1903: 255.

Rhyssonota Kriechbaumer, 1890: 489.

Sychnostigma Baltazar, 1961: 75.

Diagnosis.

The genus Epirhyssa is easily recognised in the Afrotropical region as the species lack the fore wing areolet (vein 3rs-m is missing), whereas the areolet is closed by vein 3rs-m in Megarhyssa Ashmead, the only other rhyssine genus found in the Afrotropical region.

Epirhyssa can be distinguished from other rhyssine genera by the lack of an areolet (cf. Rhyssella Rohwer, Lytarmes Cameron), the lack of an anterior glymma on tergite 1 (cf. Rhyssa Gravenhorst), the upper tooth being slightly wider than the lower and not subdivided (cf. Triancyra Baltazar, Myllenyxis Baltazar) and the pterostigma being angled where it meets the metacarpus (compared to gradually merging in Cyrtorhyssa Baltazar) ( Baltazar 1964, Townes 1969, Porter 2001). Old World Epirhyssa have fore wing vein 2rs-m only a little proximal to 2m-cu, unlike New World species. The species are rather heterogeneous, with confusion with other genera particularly likely in the Oriental region, and the genus may well prove not to be monophyletic.

Distribution.

Afrotropical region: Central African Republic, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Madagascar, Nigeria, South Africa, Uganda.

Australasian region: Papua New Guinea.

Nearctic region: Mexico, U.S.A.

Neotropical region: Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, Guatemala, Guyana, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Peru, Trinidad.

Oriental region: China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Vietnam.

Palaearctic region: Russia.