Callajoppa, CAMERON, 1903

Sime, Karen R. & Wahl, David B., 2002, The cladistics and biology of the Callajoppa genus-group (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae, Ichneumoninae), Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 134 (1), pp. 1-56 : 19-20

CALLAJOPPA CAMERON, 1903

Callajoppa 1903: 236. Type-species: Callajoppa bilineata Cameron. Monotypic.

Species and distribution. After the removal of pepsoides Smith to Quandrus , there are six described species from the Palearctic region, southern China, and north-western India ( Yu & Horstmann, 1997).

Autapomorphies. Apical margin of clypeus medially produced as blunt tooth (#5–1). Alternate combinations [in the absence of C. exaltatoria (Panzer) ]: (1) postpetiole of T1 rugosopunctate (#48–0), S2-3 divided, S4-5 entire (#55–1), or (2) #s 5–1, 48–0, and 55–1.

Comments. As discussed above (Taxonomy), Callajoppa is maintained in the traditional sense after the removal of pepsoides .

Although Heinrich (1962) recorded C. cirrogaster (Schrank) from the Nearctic on the basis of two old specimens collected in Toronto, Canada (CNCI), Townes et al. (1965) believed them to be mislabelled. Their position is bolstered by the failure to find more specimens despite subsequent intensive collecting in southeastern Canada.

Biology. Although dozens of records indicate that Callajoppa species are larval-pupal parasitoids of Sphingidae , almost all of them are poorly documented. Well supported records place C. exaltatoria (Panzer) on Smerinthus planus Walker ( Uchida, 1926) ; Heinrich (1960) asserts without evidence that it is monophagous on Sphinx ligustri L. Hopper (1939) , Kaltenbach (1874), Meyer (1933), Morley (1903, 1915), Pittaway (1993), Schmiedeknecht (1930), and Uchida (1924, 1926, 1930, 1932) together report another 14 sphingid host species (in seven genera) for C. cirrogaster (Shrank) and eight (in six genera) for C. exaltatoria . However, the unreliability of these records (no voucher materials or supporting biological data) renders further discussion of host-association patterns within Callajoppa groundless, particularly as we have found that misidentifications of parasitoid and host materials for these species are not uncommon.

No corroborating evidence supports associations with hosts other than Sphingidae . Such reports include C. exaltatoria on Dendrolimus pini (L.) ( Lasiocampidae ) ( Meyer, 1933); C. quebecensis (Provancher) on Eacles imperialis (Drury) (Saturniidae) ( Heinrich, 1962); and C. cirrogaster (Schrank) on Lymantria dispar (L.) ( Lymantriidae ) ( Meyer, 1933), Dendrolimus sp. ( Meyer, 1933) , Papilio machaon L. and P. hospiton Géné (Papilionidae) ( Schmiedeknecht, 1930; Meyer, 1933).