Boucekiidae new status

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

Boucekiidae new status

Boucekiini Gibson, 2003. Type genus: Boucekius Gibson, 2003.

Diagnosis.

Antenna with 8 flagellomeres, including a single anellus and an undivided clava. Eyes ventrally divergent. Clypeus without transverse subapical groove. Labrum hidden behind clypeus. Mandibles with ventral tooth and large dorsal truncation. Mesoscutellum with frenum set off by complete frenal groove, and with axillular sulcus (Fig. 1 ). Mesopleural area without expanded acropleuron; mesepimeron not extending over anterior margin of metapleuron. All legs with 5 tarsomeres; protibial spur stout and curved; basitarsal comb longitudinal; metafemur with ventral lobe or subapical teeth (Fig. 2 ). Metasoma with epipygium (Fig. 3 ), or with syntergum ( Chalcidiscelis Ashmead).

Discussion.

Gibson (2003) described Boucekiidae as a new tribe, although it differed from many species in Cleonyminae (as then defined) in the frenum and potentially the labrum. In habitus boucekiids do resemble former Cleonyminae and other large-bodied Chalcidoidea that have metallic coloration. Out of former Cleonyminae , those with an unambiguous frenal arm (= mesoscutellar arm) laterally are now classified in Solenurinae ( Lyciscidae ), which differ most notably in having an incomplete frenal line and a flagellum with 2 or 3 clavomeres. Chalcedectidae and Heydeniidae can have either an indistinct frenal groove, a small frenum, or a strongly expanded marginal rim of the mesoscutellum that may resemble a frenum; however, both have a different clava from Boucekiidae , with multiple clavomeres instead of an undivided clava and, in Chalcedectidae , an apical spine in females. Chalcedectidae have a syntergum that is not crossed by a transverse sulcus and otherwise does not have an epipygium. Heydeniidae have a long prepectus that is enlarged both laterally and ventrally. The elongate ovipositor and more or less elongate cerci in females may cause confusion with Torymidae or Megastigmidae , both of which have multiple clavomeres and more than 8 flagellomeres. The narrow, essentially parallel-sided flagellomeres may invite confusion with the antenna in Ceidae or Macromesidae ; however, members of both these taxa have multiple clavomeres and much narrower mandibles with no dorsal truncation, and Macromesidae lack a frenum. Pteromalidae and Pelecinellidae have more than 1 clavomere in nearly all cases, but Pteromalidae with apparently 1 clavomere (some males) have more than one anelliform basal flagellomere.

Figures

Figures 1 - 6. 1 - 3 Boucekius sp. (Boucekiidae) 1 metascutellum, axillula and propodeum 2 hind femur 3 epipygium (epg) and metasomal terga VIII (Mt 8) 4, 5 Spalangiopelta sp. (Ceidae) 4 clypeus, labrum and mandible 5 metascutellum, axillula and propodeum, arrow shows the propodeal spiracle far separated from the anterior propodeal margin 6 Muesebeckisia mandibularis Hedqvist (Cerocephalidae): head and antenna in lateral view, arrow indicating intertorular prominence.