Afrodontaspis Weld, 1961

Noort, Simon van, Buffington, Matthew L. & Forshage, Mattias, 2015, Afrotropical Cynipoidea (Hymenoptera), ZooKeys 493, pp. 1-176 : 81-84

Taxon classification Animalia Hymenoptera Figitidae

Afrodontaspis Weld, 1961

Remarks.

Rare. Afrodontaspis was first characterised as superficially similar to the Neotropical Trissodontaspis Ashmead, 1903 ( Weld 1962) and then Quinlan (1986) noted it had affinities with Bothrochacis . In fact Afrodontaspis shares most of the systematically important character states with Bothrochacis , and may possibly turn out to be an ingroup there (and accordingly a junior synonym); however, preliminary phylogenetic analyses ( Baião and Forshage, unpublished) have not confirmed this, and we maintain it as a separate genus.

Diagnosis.

Large, black or reddish wasps with very little pubescence on body and wings; unmistakable in their heavy striation and scutellar spine, yet sharing most of the systematically informative characters with Bothrochacis . Like Bothrochacis with striate vertex, and like some Bothrochacis with vermiculate coxae and notched scutellum, but Bothrochacis always has many setae and no striation on the mesosoma. Linoeucoila are similar but smaller, without a scutellar spine, and with many setae on the mesosoma. The scutellar spine is thinner and more pointed than in Trichoplasta . General appearance may also approach members of Aspicerinae and Figitinae with striate sides and reduced wing pubescence, but these lack the characteristic eucoiline scutellum.

Distribution.

Endemic to the Afrotopical region: Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo ( Benoit 1956a), Kenya, Uganda ( Quinlan 1986), Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Gambia, Rwanda, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia (here).

Biology.

Unknown, but like its close relatives, and like other species with glabrous wing membranes and striated body, it can be expected to attack dung-dwelling flies.

Species richness.

Afrodontaspis lanata Quinlan, 1986 (Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya)

Afrodontaspis striatissima (Benoit, 1956a) ( Coneucoila ) (Burkina Faso, Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gambia, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda)