Trichoplasta Benoit, 1956a

Noort, Simon van, Buffington, Matthew L. & Forshage, Mattias, 2015, Afrotropical Cynipoidea (Hymenoptera), ZooKeys 493, pp. 1-176 : 112-114

Taxon classification Animalia Hymenoptera Figitidae

Trichoplasta Benoit, 1956a

Remarks.

Common.

Diagnosis.

Often easily recognisable by the combination of a pronotal plate with lateral bridges, a posteriorly protruding scutellum, and the dorsal surface of the scutellum distinctly foveate. Species with a moderately protruding scutellum can be difficult to distinguish from Rhoptromeris , but focusing on the foveate sculpture of the dorsal surface of the scutellum will run an unknown species through the key effectively.

Distribution.

Holarctic region and Old World Tropics. Appears to have its largest diversity in the Afrotropical region. Afrotropical records: Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zimbabwe ( Quinlan 1986), Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Comoros, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Malawi, Republic of Congo, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Yemen (here).

Biology.

Specimen label data suggests tropical species appear to attack fruit-infesting Lonchaeidae and Muscidae (label data), but in the Holarctic they are mostly wood-associated, attacking Drosophilidae and Lonchaeidae under tree bark (label data), and these habits are probably present in some Afrotropical taxa too.

Species richness.

Trichoplasta afrobicolor nom. n. ( Trichoplasta bicolor Quinlan, 1986 secondary junior homonym of Trichoplasta bicolor (Ionescu, 1969) ( Hypolethria ), which was transferred to Trichoplasta by Nordlander (1982) so Quinlan’s name was a homonym already at the time of its original description) (South Africa)

Trichoplasta brevispina (Masner, 1960) ( Odonteucoila ) (Kenya, Zimbabwe)

Trichoplasta conica Quinlan, 1986 (Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda)

Trichoplasta contrasta Quinlan, 1986 (Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria)

Trichoplasta equalis Quinlan, 1986 (Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria)

Trichoplasta extensus Quinlan, 1986 (Democratic Republic of Congo)

Trichoplasta filiformis Quinlan, 1986 (Democratic Republic of Congo, South Africa)

Trichoplasta gracilicornis (Kieffer, 1910c) ( Coneucoila ) (Democratic Republic of Congo, South Africa)

Trichoplasta longispina (Masner, 1960) ( Odonteucoila ) (Democratic Republic of Congo)

Trichoplasta medlia Quinlan, 1986 (Democratic Republic of Congo, Nigeria)

Trichoplasta narrata Quinlan, 1986 (Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda)

Trichoplasta novema Quinlan, 1986 (Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda)

Trichoplasta octonarius Quinlan, 1986 (Democratic Republic of Congo)

Trichoplasta quinclava Quinlan, 1986 (Democratic Republic of Congo)

Trichoplasta rufa Quinlan, 1986 (Democratic Republic of Congo, Madagascar)

Trichoplasta tanganyikensis (Weld, 1944) ( Coneucoila ) (Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Tanzania)

Trichoplasta testacea Quinlan, 1986 (Nigeria)

Trichoplasta unicolora Quinlan, 1986 (Democratic Republic of Congo)

Trichoplasta zeus Quinlan, 1986 (Cameroon)