British Insects: the Families of Hymenoptera
| British Insects: the Families of Hymenoptera | |
Including Aphidiidae.
Ichneumons.
Adults small to large. Insects associated with plant galls, or not associated with galls.
Head. Antennae not geniculate.
Thorax. Pronotum long, extending back to the tegulae; vertically grooved to receive the fore femur. Cenchri absent. Wings present (usually), or absent (females, sometimes). Fore-wings with a conspicuous pterostigma; with the venation well developed (usually), or with very reduced venation. Hind-wings with closed cells, or without closed cells; with the median cell terminating short of the base of the marginal vein. Hind femur with a clear trochantellus. Hind tibiae without specialised spurs.
Abdomen. The abdomen broadly sessile at its base, without a marked constriction to with a marked basal constriction; when waisted, long petiolate, or short-waisted. Visible abdominal segments not highly metallic. Gaster concolorous (mostly), or colour-patterned; when concolorous, mostly black or orange-red; when patterned, black-and-orange, black-and-reddish or black-and-yellow; attached low on the propodeum. Ovipositor of females visibly protruding; adapted for piercing.
Larvae. Larvae with segmented legs; parasitic on hosts selected by the mother (ecto- and endo-parasites victimising a great diversity of insect hosts, commonly on Lepidoptera, the Aphidiinae specialising on aphids); when gall-associated, parasitic on other gall occupants.
General comments. Fore-wings without recurrent veins, or with only one, the cross vein ‘2 m cu’ being absent.
Classification. Species in Britain over 700; genera about 130 (with numerous species of Apanteles, Aspilota, Bracon, Chorebus, Dacnusa, Meteorus, Microgaster, Opius, etc.). Suborder Apocrita; Series Parasitica; Superfamily Ichneumonoidea.
Illustrations. • Coelinius anceps (Curtis) (Yellow-bodied Ichneumon: B. Ent. 289). • Coelinius anceps (B. Ent. 289, legend+text). • Coelinius anceps (B. Ent. 289, text cont.). • Microdus calculator (Beautiful Bassus: B. Ent. 73). • Microdus calculator (detail: B. Ent. 73). • Microdus calculator (dissections: B. Ent. 73). • Microdus calculator (B. Ent. 73, legend+text). • Protomicroplitis alvearius (Pretty Microgaster: B. Ent. 321). • Rogas “balteatus Hal. mss” (Red-and-black Rhogas: B. Ent. 512). • Aphidius matricariae (Thistle-aphis Destroyer: B. Ent. 383). • Dapsilarthra apii Curtis (Celery-feeding Alysia: B. Ent. 141). • Atanycolus denigrator (Smokey-winged Bracon: B. Ent. 069). • Zemiotes albiditarsus (Curtis): B. Ent. 415. • Zemiotes albiditarsus (B. Ent. 415, legend+text). • Zemiotes albiditarsus (B. Ent. 415, text cont.). • Leiophron apicalis Haliday in Curtis: B. Ent. 476. • Leiophron apicalis (B. Ent. 476, legend+text). • Leiophron apicalis (B. Ent. 476, text cont.).
To view the illustrations with detailed captions, go to the interactive key. This also offers full and partial descriptions, diagnostic descriptions, differences and similarities between taxa, lists of taxa exhibiting or lacking specified attributes, and distributions of character states within any set of taxa.
Cite this publication as: ‘Watson, L., and Dallwitz, M.J. 2003 onwards. British insects: the families of Hymenoptera. Version: 9th April 2007. http://delta-intkey.com’.
