Erythmelus, Enock, 1909

Huber, John T., Read, Jennifer D. & Triapitsyn, Serguei V., 2021, Illustrated key to the genera and catalogue of Mymaridae (Hymenoptera) in the Afrotropical region, Zootaxa 5036 (1), pp. 1-166 : 28

ERYTHMELUS Enock, 1909

( Figs 128–136 )

Erythmelus Enock, 1909: 454 . Type species: Erythmelus goochi Enock, 1909 , by monotypy. See Huber et al. (2020) for generic synonyms and their type species.

Diagnosis. Head in lateral view with gena short ( Fig. 133a ) or absent so head often appearing thin; mandibles in both sexes reduced to small stubs, without teeth; metanotum with dorsellum triangular ( Fig. 131 ), slightly overhanging propodeum ( Fig. 133a ); gaster in lateral view with hypopygium long, extending posteriorly at least to apex of gaster ( Fig. 136 ).

Discussion. Erythmelus belongs to the Anaphes group of genera, a rather poorly defined group ( Lin et al. 2007). In the Afrotropical region this group also includes Anaphes . Both sexes of Erythmelus have minute mandibles without teeth, a situation unique in Mymaridae where at least one sex has normal mandibles or, especially if the other sex had reduced mandibles, has enlarged mandibles with at least one unusually shaped tooth.

Afrotropical hosts. Hemiptera .

Important reference. Triapitsyn (2003).

Figures

FIGURES 128–130. Erythmelus (Erythmelus) sp. 128, antenna; 129, head, anterior; 130, wings. Scale bars: 128 = 100 μm; 129 = 50 μm; 130 = 200 μm.

FIGURES 131, 132. Erythmelus (Erythmelus) sp. 131, mesosoma, dorsal; 132a, metasoma, dorsal; 132b, genitalia seen through gaster. Scale bars = 100 μm.

FIGURES 133, 134. Erythmelus (Parallelaptera) funiculi (Annecke & Doutt). 133a, head + mesosoma, lateral; 133b, head, lateral showing ocular apodeme; 134, wings. Scale bars: 133a = 100 μm; 133b = 50 μm; 134 = 200 μm.

FIGURES 135, 136. Erythmelus (Parallelaptera) funiculi (Annecke & Doutt). 135, antenna; 136, mesosoma, lateral. Scale bars = 100 μm.