Erixestinae Burks & Rasplus, new subfamily, 1946

Burks, Roger, Mitroiu, Mircea-Dan, Fusu, Lucian, Heraty, John M., Jansta, Petr, Heydon, Steve, Papilloud, Natalie Dale-Skey, Peters, Ralph S., Tselikh, Ekaterina V., Woolley, James B., van Noort, Simon, Baur, Hannes, Cruaud, Astrid, Darling, Christopher, Haas, Michael, Hanson, Paul, Krogmann, Lars & Rasplus, Jean-Yves, 2022, From hell's heart I stab at thee! A determined approach towards a monophyletic Pteromalidae and reclassification of Chalcidoidea (Hymenoptera), Journal of Hymenoptera Research 94, pp. 13-88 : 13

Erixestinae Burks & Rasplus, new subfamily

Type genus.

Erixestus Crawford, 1910.

Diagnosis.

Antenna with 11 flagellomeres, with 2 anelli and 5 funiculars (Fig. 90 ). Mandibles falcate. Scapula not anteriorly exposed by pronotum. Axilla not strongly advanced. Axillula not enlarged (Fig. 91 ). Propodeum with plicae. Petiole transverse.

Discussion.

Erixestus , containing egg parasitoids of Chrysomelidae , had persisted in uncertain placement since its description, but had apparent affinities with Ormocerini due to the high dorsal placement of the toruli. Next-generation molecular data (Cruaud et al., submitted) suggest that it is the sister group of Pteromalinae plus Pachyneurinae . The falcate mandibles of Erixestinae and Pachyneurinae indicate that this may be a synapomorphy of this entire clade, rather than a synapomorphy of Pachyneurinae alone. Otherwise, features such as the subforaminal bridge do not reject the placement of Erixestinae , but the reduced flagellomere count would be very unusual, though not unknown in the clade. It is likely that divergent features of Erixestinae are due to a life history as egg parasitoids of Chrysomelidae .

Figures

Figures 85 - 90. 85 Blastophaga psenes (L.) (Agaonidae): antenna part 86 Bofuria sp. (Pteromalidae, Colotrechninae): mesosoma dorsal view 87 Yrka sp. (Pteromalidae, Colotrechninae, Amerostenini): antenna 88 Divna hirsuta Boucek (Pteromalidae, Colotrechninae, Divnini): mesosoma dorsal view 89 Bugacia sp. (Pteromalidae, Colotrechninae, Trigonoderopsini) 89 mesosoma dorsal view 90 Erixestus sp. (Pteromalidae: Erixestinae): antenna.

Figures 91 - 96. 91 Erixestus winnemana Crawford (Pteromalidae, Erixestinae): mesosoma lateral view 92, 93 Diconocara petiolata Dzhanokmen (Pteromalidae, Miscogastrinae, Diconocarini) 92 head frontal view 93 mesosoma dorsal view 94, 95 Thektogaster aberlenci Delvare (Pteromalidae, Miscogastrinae, Miscogastrini) 94 clypeus 95 mesosoma dorsal view 96 Sphegigaster obliqua Graham (Pteromalidae, Miscogastrinae, Sphegigastrini): lower face frontal view.