Lusius Tosquinet, 1903

Pos, Davide Dal, Claridge, Brandon, Diller, Erich, Noort, Simon Van & Giovanni, Filippo Di, 2023, Still counting: new records, nomenclatural notes, and three new species of Phaeogenini (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae, Ichneumoninae) from the Afrotropical region, European Journal of Taxonomy 868, pp. 1-71 : 57

Lusius Tosquinet, 1903

Lusius Tosquinet, 1903: 384 . Type species: Lusius macilentus Tosquinet, 1903 , by monotypy. Mesochorischnus Heinrich, 1938: 128 . Type species: Mesochorischnus tenuissimus Heinrich, 1938 , by original designation and monotypy. Synonymized by Townes & Townes (1966: 217).

Diagnosis

The unidentate and falcate mandibles set Lusius Tosquinet, 1903 apart from all the other genera of Phaeogenini , except for Heterischnus Wesmael, 1859 , from which it can be distinguished by the absence of vein 3rs-m (areolet open) in the fore wing and abscissa of CU in the hind wing. Additionally, the genus can be separated from other genera by the following combination of characters: (1) head hemispherical; (2) basal flagellar segments slender and long; (3) vertex long and slightly convex behind ocelli; (4) occipital and hypostomal carinae joining at mandibular base; (5) notaulus complete, ending posteriorly in a median depression; (6) gastrocoeli long with thyridia faint; (7) ovipositor extending beyond apex of metasoma; (8) male genitalia with gonoforceps reduced to rod-like processes ( Baltazar 1964; Diller 2006; Rousse et al. 2013).

Remarks

The genus has a tropical distribution, and it occurs in the Afrotropical, Indomalayan and Neotropical regions. In Africa, Lusius is represented only by two species: L. flummox Rousse & van Noort, 2013 , and L. tenuissimus Heinrich, 1938 ( Table 1).